Dear Neighbor,
There is a lot to cover from the Capitol this week, but first I want to specially recognize Pope County Sheriff Deputy Josh Owen, who sadly was killed in the line of duty last weekend in Cyrus. May those close to Deputy Owen find comfort during this difficult time, and may Deputy Owen rest in peace as his legacy endures. His funeral is Saturday.
Apply for broadband expansion program for homes and businesses
Minnesotans are encouraged to apply for the state’s Line Extension Program to connect homes and businesses to high-speed broadband. The Department of Employment and Economic Development’s Line Extension Program connects internet service providers to residents and businesses that lack high-speed broadband.
If applicants are in areas where high-speed broadband is available, DEED will help service providers contact applicants about connecting to the service. If no provider offers broadband at an applicant’s address, the Line Extension Program awards grants for providers who want to extend existing broadband infrastructure to the unserved locations, providing higher-speed internet to more people around the state.
Click here for more.
Undoing e-pull tabs?
House Democrat legislation would effectively end electronic pull tabs as we know them, dramatically reducing revenue generated for local charities and other organizations.
Language in the majority’s omnibus tax bill (H.F. 1938) eliminates the “open all” feature that has been in use in electronic pull-tab games for years. This move would diminish charitable gaming funds these popular games produce, compromising a critical revenue source for local charities ranging from veteran organizations to youth sports teams, Main Street business partners and beyond.
In 2022 alone, electronic pull tabs generated almost $2 billion in revenue that was then invested into communities. Without this critical revenue stream, many of the charitable efforts Minnesotans currently benefit from would not be possible.
This would be a shame and I continue working with House Democrats to remove this provision from the tax bill, but it's critical that legislators hear directly from charities, bars, restaurants, service clubs, and other community organizations so they understand the severity of consequences this provision would cause. More information regarding this bill can be found here.
Bipartisan support for veterans
The House this week approved a veterans and military affairs finance package that is a shining example of a bipartisan accomplishment at a time they seem to be few and far between.
In this case, the House did the right thing by putting veterans first. The result speaks for itself as the bill passed without opposition, 131-0.
The bill (H.F. 1937) funds Minnesota’s National Guard members and veterans after their service to our state and nation concludes, with omnibus appropriations for the state’s next two-year budget cycle. It provides $367.7 million for programs to help veterans over the 2024-25 biennium, a $167 million (52%) increase. This includes $73.3 million for the Dept. of Military Affairs and $294.3 million for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs. This includes operational funding for three new veterans homes that were constructed in our state.
State gov’t finance bill
The House majority this week also approved an omnibus finance related to state government that grows bureaucracy by 41% and spends $1.5 billion. Appropriations in the bill provide massive pay raises for politicians, create hundreds of new full-time employee positions, expand the governor’s office budget by 155% and more – in many cases increases larger than requested.
One particular provision of note funds $17,000 per month in rent for the governor as he relocates to a lakeside mansion later this year during renovations at the St. Paul governor’s residence. It’s certainly fair to expect the governor would receive nice accommodations while he is displaced from the official residence, but more than $17,000 per month in rent – at a total taxpayer cost of $329,581 – for a year and a half is rather excessive. Other options were available that also would better respect taxpayers. I voted against this bill.
Transportation bill
At a time when residents are struggling to pay the bills and state government has a $19 billion state budget surplus, the House majority approved a transportation bill this week which raises related taxes by more than $7 billion the next four years. This includes a 75-cent delivery tax (Amazon, DoorDash, etc.), license tab fee increases, motor vehicle sales tax increase and more. The majority’s appetite to continue raising transportation-related taxes – despite a historic surplus – was enough for me to vote against this bill.
More omnibus bills will come to the floor soon, with this year’s tax bill still on the way. Look for notes on that bill and others, soon. Please stay in touch and, as always, please let me know how I may help.
Sincerely,
Lisa