Dear Neighbor, Tax relief and public safety have been two big points of discussion this week at the Capitol, subjects that also happen to be among my top priorities for the session. Tax relief came to the forefront in response to Minnesota Management & Budget issuing its February economic forecast for the state Monday. It projects a $9.3 billion biennial surplus, up $1.5 billion from the already historic $7.7 billion surplus projected in November. The state government is fully funded for the biennium and has nearly $10 billion left over. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s families and businesses are stretched thin by price increases in the Biden-Walz economy. We have a real opportunity this session to provide Minnesotans with meaningful, permanent tax relief, starting with ending our state tax on Social Security. We also must prevent businesses from absorbing a huge unemployment insurance rate increase in mid-March. Anything less is unacceptable. The March 15 deadline is rapidly approaching for legislation to be enacted sparing businesses from an unjust tax increase. As I mentioned in my last newsletter, the Senate already addressed this issue by overwhelmingly passing a UI bill on a bipartisan vote. Gov. Walz, House Republicans, Senate Republicans, and Senate Democrats all support full UI relief. But House Democrats continue to drag this out. Unless they get on board soon, businesses in Minnesota could be nailed by tax increases reports say would cost tens of thousands of dollars per year in some cases. Ultimately, this would just lead to even more higher costs for consumers at a time we already are seeing them rise at 40-year highs under Biden-Walz. Not to mention the injustice of raising taxes at a time when the state is fully funded and has nearly $10 billion in the couch cushions. As for public safety, House Republicans held a news conference this week to unveil their 2022 public safety priorities. The package focused on three key areas: crime prevention and accountability for criminals; police recruitment and retention; and holding the criminal justice system accountable. This package is in response to the spike in violent crime we have seen originate in the Twin Cities and filter throughout our state. I fully support our law enforcement officers and advocate for proposals to make sure they have the resources to do the job. We also need to support their efforts with a court system willing to issue appropriate sentencing. It is good to see these provisions are included in the package of public safety bills House Republicans have offered and I may take a closer look at some of the key measures in an upcoming letter. For now, have a good weekend and, as always, let me know how I may help. Sincerely, Shane |