I couldn’t be more honored to represent you and St. Cloud in the Minnesota House this year, and I’m so excited for the accomplishments I’ve brought home. This email would basically be a novel if I went through everything in our state budget, but you can read the nonpartisan descriptions of each budget bill here: Here are a few specific highlights from the end of session: Millions for St. Cloud’s InfrastructureSome of the last bills we passed this year were our Transportation Budget and a package of Capital Investment legislation. In our Transportation Budget, the provisions I authored provide funding for the Northstar Commuter Rail, $750,000 in infrastructure investments for the Veterans Bridge repairs, $8.5 million for the University Drive project, $6 million for the Highway 10 pre-design, and $4 million for a transit analysis, which will identify and evaluate options for transit service improvements in the corridor between the Twin Cities and St. Cloud. These generational investments will enhance safety, reduce traffic, and help revitalize how we travel to, from, and around St. Cloud. As a member of the House’s Capital Investment Committee, I helped craft the $2.6 billion in infrastructure investments that we’re allocating statewide - truly building a better Minnesota in the process. Of that amount, I’m bringing home $7 million for renovations to the Great River Children’s Museum, $3.9 million to the City of St. Cloud for updates to the regional airport, $7.5 million to Stearns County for town line road improvements, and $5 million to cover design for the CentraCare Health System Campus, which will help build a medical school with the University of Minnesota. All of these investments and more will make our community a better place to live, work, and raise a family. A World-Class Education for Our StudentsAs the father of two school-age daughters, I know how important St. Cloud’s schools are, and what they’ve been through the last few years. It hasn’t been easy for anyone - students, families, teachers, and staff at our schools desperately needed help. We listened, and we delivered. Our K-12 budget delivers $2.2 billion in transformational investments to Minnesota’s schools. Providing students with the world-class education they deserve and the resources they need - whether that’s my bill properly funding special education, hiring additional support staff, or making education more inclusive - is a massive victory for our students and their futures. Our budget includes over $24.4 million for St. Cloud schools, and I can’t wait to see the positive impact these investments will have on my daughters, their classmates, their teachers, and our entire community. The Largest Tax Cut in State HistoryIn a time of record surplus, it’s important to take a look at our tax system and figure out what makes sense. Where are the financial stressors for Minnesotans, and what can be done to alleviate that? Our end result was a final Tax Bill with the largest tax cut in state history. Our Tax Bill does following: |