Legislative Update from Rep. Liz Lee

Friends and neighbors, 

We’re in the home stretch of this year’s legislative session, which means we’re busier than ever. Between being working on the weekends to meeting with constituents, there’s no shortage of work to do in these last few weeks. Here’s the latest from the Capitol.  

Taxes to Pay for the Things We Care About

I was honored to be named a member of the Tax Conference Committee charged with writing this year’s tax bill. As the House bill contains the largest tax cut in state history and returns a great deal of the surplus to Minnesotans who need it the most, I’m proud to be a House Conferee. I’m committed to supporting our most vulnerable seniors and lower-income families. 

The House bill contains rebates and credits for property taxes, meaning renters and homeowners will get more back than ever before. We also included a large increase for local government and county aid. This means local governments will receive more funds to complete day-to-day services, so won’t have to rely on property taxes as much.  

This week, the Conference Committee adopted language from my bill HF 1721, which removes a 10% minimum interest rate on repayment of delinquent property taxes. This will support seniors and families and make it more likely for them to be able to stay in their homes. Send us good vibes as we continue to work on finding an agreement between the chambers. 

Celebrating Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Everyone celebrates Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AANHPI) Month in their own way. This year, I was invited to Frost Lake Elementary to read Kao Kalia Yang’s book A Map Into the World to help students celebrate. The Pre-K scholars there also made Hmong vests to celebrate Hmong American Day early!  

In the legislature, I’m proud to support our Education funding bill, which makes major strides to streamlining Ethnic Studies and genocide studies in schools across Minnesota.   

Our Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander communities are incredibly diverse. But one thing we share is the many contributions that AANHPI’s have made to our country in every field, from science and medicine to business and the arts. While there is a lot of loss across the country right now, I’m grateful we have a month to celebrate all of our achievements.  

Removing language barriers at the polls

Last week, the Governor signed into law the Democracy for the People Act, or HF 3. This landmark bill includes my bill HF 2200, which ensures voting instructions, sample ballots and multilingual translators and/or election judges are available for voters who need them. Democracy works best when we all participate, and this bill will help increase access to many Minnesotans.  

MAP Caucus reception with PDAS Kin Moy

I was proud to recently lead the Minnesota Asian Pacific (MAP) Caucus in hosting Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary (PDAS) for the Bureau of East Asian and Pacific Affairs (and University of Minnesota alum), Kin Moy. PDAS Moy is in charge of all U.S. policy in the Asia and Pacific region, which includes trade relations. A large percentage of MN’s agricultural exports go to places like Taiwan, Japan, and Korea. 

Stay Connected

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To stay up to date with our important work at the State Capitol, you can see the Minnesota House of Public Information Services’ nonpartisan recaps of high-profile bills, committee hearings, and floor sessions with their Session Daily publication. 

You can also stay up-to-date with the latest by following my Facebook page and Twitter. 

To share your input or ideas, or if I can ever be of assistance, please feel free to reach out at rep.liz.lee@house.mn.gov or 651-296-4277, and I will be happy to help. If you were forwarded this email and you’d like to subscribe, click here. If you have a friend or neighbor who would be interested in receiving these, please forward this and encourage them to subscribe. 

It is an honor to serve you.  

Zoo Siab,  

Rep. Liz Lee