Legislative Update: February 23, 2023

Dear Neighbors,

Last week marked the start of the 2024 legislative session, and I am eager to continue the work of improving the lives of Minnesotans. After a historic session in 2023, many new laws went into effect on July 1st and August 1st, 2023, and January 1st, 2024. The nonpartisan office of House Public Information has a summary of the new laws here:

• July 1st
• August 1st
• January 1st

This year, we will continue focusing on legislation to empower working families, strengthen our democracy, protect the rights of all Minnesotans, support critical infrastructure projects, and more. I will continue to serve as Chair of the Sustainable Infrastructure Committee and sit on the Commerce and Transportation Committees. 

Your voice is important to me! Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office (rep.erin.koegel@house.mn.gov) with any questions, comments, or ideas you have for this session!

Here’s an update from Saint Paul.

File for the Child Tax Credit 

Nearly 300,000 Minnesota households are eligible for the nation-leading Child Tax Credit the DFL passed last year! With our Child Tax Credit, families will save up to $1,750 for each dependent. Democrats are cutting child poverty by one-third with this rebate.

You can claim the tax credit by filing a 2023 income tax return. The $1,750 credit is for each child 17 years old and younger, with no limit on the number of children. For all tax filers, this credit begins to phase out at an income level of $35,000 and fully phases out at a maximum of $90,750 for a family with four children.

Minnesota families: If you qualify, file your taxes to make sure you claim the benefits available to you. https://www.revenue.state.mn.us/child-tax-credit

Electric Vehicle Rebate

Last session, DFLers passed an Electric Vehicle Rebate Program allowing residents to receive a rebate of up to $2,500 for a new EV purchase and $600 for a used purchase. Electric cars, plug-ins or hybrids purchased or leased on or after May 25, 2023, are eligible. Applications are now live, and you can find more information at https://mn.gov/evrebates.

Infrastructure Resilience Advisory Task Force  

In a recent AP News poll, 9 in 10 Americans said they have experienced at least one extreme weather event in the past five years and 64% of U.S. adults believe it was at least partially fueled by climate change. 

This interim, I served as Chair of the Infrastructure Resilience Advisory Task Force, tasked with evaluating strategies to curb the impacts of severe weather on infrastructure in Minnesota. We worked together and drafted recommendations on what our legislature can do to respond to damaging storms, rains, winds and snowfall that can tear up roads, bridges, wastewater systems and more. 

You can find our work from the last few months here.