Dear Friends and Neighbors,
A little over a year has passed since I was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives. Looking back at my first year in office, I am reminded of the great privilege that representing our community in St. Paul affords.
The 2017 Legislative Session was one of the most successful sessions in recent memory for Minnesota’s taxpayers. My House Republican colleagues and I worked hard to deliver major tax relief, a historic investment in roads and bridges (without raising the gas tax), and important reforms to begin lowering health care costs.
With the 2018 Legislative Session less than a week away, I am eager to get back to work building on these successes and continuing to serve as your voice in the legislature. Because it is a non-budget year, this will be a shorter session than last year, with session beginning on February 20th and adjourning no later than May 21st.
Since we balanced the state budget last year, the focus of this year’s session will be policy reforms and statewide Capital Investment projects. Like last session’s Capital Investment legislation, any bonding bill we enact this year will prioritize geographic balance and be heavily focused on local infrastructure and transportation projects. In regards to policy reforms, building on the work we did on health care last session will be at the forefront. My House Republican colleagues and I remain dedicated to passing health care legislation that will bring down costs and improve access for all Minnesotans.
Another top priority this session will be addressing the effects of tax conformity. In order to make sure Minnesota’s taxpayers experience the full benefit of the tax reform bill enacted by Congress, one of the first things we must do is bring Minnesota’s tax code into compliance with the newly changed federal code. Passing a tax conformity bill this session will be vital in ensuring Minnesotans can file their taxes without issue in the coming years. In addition, I am committed to working to make certain that any additional revenue that is generated by conforming to the federal code is invariably returned to the hardworking taxpayers of Minnesota.
With the number of mismanagements at state government agencies in the news recently, the legislature will also be reviewing the work of these departments. Among these are the reports out of our area of a rest stop project approved by MnDOT for $7.1 million. Given that this project is $3 million over budget and contains multiple unnecessary expenses, it is clearly a huge waste of taxpayer dollars. Follow this link for KSTP’s story in which I express my opposition to this concerning use of MnDOT’s funds.
As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if I can be of assistance to you or your family on any state legislative matter. I value the input I receive form my constituents on legislative issues so please feel free to reach out with any thoughts or concerns that you may have during the session ahead. I can be reached by email at Rep.Anne.Neu@house.mn or by phone at 651.296.5377.
Sincerely,
Anne