Dear neighbors,
It’s been a busy morning in our area and in St. Paul. Earlier today, I joined Dakota County to talk about the upcoming session and the transportation and tax bills, and the Legislature learned of our state’s budget forecast.
2016 Dakota County Legislative Workshop
This morning, I joined other area legislators to brief Dakota County on the upcoming legislative session. I touched on our desire for increased road and bridge funding without raising taxes and my bill, HF710, which increases funding by $5.3 million more toward Dakota County roads. This is a bipartisan bill, and I hope it is included should a final transportation bill pass the legislature in 2016.
Budget Forecast
Today, Minnesota Management and Budget announced a projected state surplus of $900 million for fiscal years 2016-17. This is down a bit from November’s projection. The slower growth is partially because of decreased sales tax receipts. This means Minnesotans haven’t been spending as much of their paycheck in our economy. In order to change that, we need to continue our goal of providing tax relief for hardworking families. Along with lowering taxes for the middle class, which stimulates the economy, it’s important we look to properly fund our roads and bridges. These two omnibus bills are important to the future economic health of our state.
Caucus Reminder
On March 1, Minnesota will host local precinct caucuses. No matter which party you affiliate with, this is a great chance to select candidates and be an integral part of the political process. If you’d like more information on where you caucus, you can visit http://caucusfinder.sos.state.mn.us.
Please Contact Me
With the legislative session starting on March 8, I hope you’ll contact me with any questions, ideas, or suggestions.
Have a great weekend,
Jon Koznick
State Representative, Lakeville, 58A