Dear Neighbors,
Please join me in praying for the families of the three first responders who were tragically killed this past Sunday in Burnsville. The entire state is grieving this loss and I encourage you to do what you can to support these families.
Sunday’s tragedy is a sad reminder of the dangers first responders face daily. It’s on all of us to continue our work to make sure we build a culture that respects and values the selfless work of these brave men and women.
Update on School Resource Officers (SROs)
Last week I discussed how fractures in the Democrat caucus were delaying movement on legislation that provides the fix needed to bring SROs back to schools. As you recall, a change in law last year caused many school districts to pull SROs from their schools over liability concerns.
Thankfully, we have had some positive movement on this as the House Public Safety Committee advanced the bill on Thursday, moving it one step closer to final passage.
I remain committed to a bipartisan solution that gives schools and law enforcement the clarification they need to keep our schools safe.
Tax Fix Earns House Approval
This week, on a vote of 128-2, the House approved legislation that made some changes to last year’s tax bill that had inadvertently led to tax increases for roughly 76 percent of Minnesotans.
The $352 million error would have caused additional hardship to Minnesotans and their families, and I am glad that we were able to get this done here in the second week of the legislative session.
Despite this good news, I am nevertheless disappointed that the bill did not include agreed-upon language that would provide a technical fix to the Net Operating Loss (NOL) provision. This provision reduced the NOL deduction from 80% to 70 percent of taxable income for businesses. The legislative intent was to make this provision effective for tax year 2024. However, the 2023 Tax Bill contained an effective date of tax year 2023.
I will continue pushing for this additional change to be made as well, so businesses are not punished by this oversight.
Staying in Touch
Thank you to the dozens of visitors who came to St. Paul this week to chat about the issues that are most important to you. Remember, if you plan on visiting the capital this year, make sure to reach out so we can set up a time to meet.
Thank you to Cass County Sheriff, Bryan Welk, and Itasca County Sheriff, Joe Dasovich for visiting!
County Commissioners from St. Louis, Aitkin, and Itasca Counties visited this week.
Finally, I would like to wish both the Hibbing-Chisholm High School and Grand Rapids High School boys hockey teams the best of luck in their section semi-finals this coming week!
Stay tuned for more updates from St. Paul as the legislative session unfolds. In the meantime, please continue to reach out to my office for any questions, comments, or concerns about the bills, ideas, and issues that matter to all of us at the Capitol! Also, please make sure to share this link with anyone that may be interested in signing up for my newsletter: https://rb.gy/5slax9.
Contact me by phone at 651-296-4936 or via email at rep.spencer.igo@house.mn.gov.
Have a great day,
Spencer