Dear Neighbor,
The 2022 legislative session kicks off on Monday, which means we can officially start working to provide Minnesotans with historic tax relief and improve public safety in our state.
While there are many other important issues to address, tax relief and public safety are top priorities this year. This all is taking place in a legislative “redistricting” year, where the state’s 201 legislative districts are redrawn to account for population shifts and keep constituent totals similar in number. It is a massive project that happens once a decade to coincide with updated census data. Redistricting proposals are submitted by House and Senate Republicans and Democrats alike. These drafts are taken under consideration by the courts, which ultimately will issue the finished product.
Stay tuned for more as this process evolves but, for now, here is a look at some of what else is in store for the new session:
Working for Tax Relief
Tax relief should be the order of the day this session, with a projected state budget surplus of $7.7 billion and growing. Legislation to alleviate an unjust unemployment insurance tax increase recently placed on our businesses should be a top priority. Our businesses have been through the wringer the last couple of years and should not be forced to pay higher taxes because more people were out of work during a pandemic.
While most businesses will not cut checks to the state until April, we should provide them with certainty by approving a remedy ASAP. It is the right thing to do regardless of our state’s bottom line. The fact we have a massive surplus simply eliminates any excuses to wait.
We also should finish the job House Republicans started a few years ago by fully eliminating the state tax on Social Security income for our seniors. Minnesota is among the last several states to still tax Social Security, a regressive policy that makes our state a less welcoming home for retirees.
We can’t do much about our state’s cold winters, but we certainly can do more to make sure a chilly tax code isn’t chasing seniors out of Minnesota. In fact, aside from state eliminating Social Security taxes, we should be looking for ways of enticing retirees to stay here and remain productive as they please. Raising the cap on substitute teacher income, for example, could address a number of issues on its own.
Improving Public Safety
Public safety is another subject that has risen to priority status this session amid a surge in violent crime that started in the Twin Cities and is now rippling throughout our state. Even some of the more extreme ideologies that fueled lawlessness by pushing anti-police legislation and opposing any GOP efforts to increase accountability or sentencing for criminals seem to be softening. I hope this shift paves the way for us to do more to make sure our law enforcement officers have the support and resources they need to keep us safe.
We also need a court system that is willing to issue appropriate sentences. It is dismaying to see our governor and his administration proposing to reduce sentences for repeat criminals by eliminating the “in custody” point on the sentencing grid. This reportedly would mean judges would no longer be able to take into consideration whether the offender committed the crime while in custody, on probation or on supervised release. It is completely the wrong approach and has raised much public concern.
Watch for more as these and other issues develop this session. I personally look forward to continuing efforts related to my work with early childhood, education and health as a member of those committees. As always, your input is welcome and appreciated as I continue doing my best to represent the people of District 13A.
Sincerely,
Lisa