Dear Neighbors,
I hope you’ve had a great summer so far! This is my last update until after the election, based on election laws. While I won’t be able to send out these updates for a while, you can still follow me on my legislative Facebook page.
Cost of Living
I know high prices have been hard on a lot of Minnesotans, so I want to share with you some of the things I’ve been working on at the State Capitol to help the wallets of Blaine and Lexington residents. These successful policies will improve the economy and grow the middle class so our community can continue to develop and thrive.
I led efforts to supercharge the property tax refund in 2023. This, along with the elimination of the tax on social security benefits for the vast majority of Minnesota seniors, means that more seniors in our community will be able to age in place and continue to contribute to our community. Here are some other critical actions I supported to lower the cost of housing for you and your neighbors:
- increased the homestead market value exclusion to $517,200 (this reduction in property taxes will be reflected on the property tax statement you get from Anoka County this fall),
- greatly boosted the renter’s property tax refund,
- provided record funding for city and county government aid so our local governments can reduce their reliance on property taxes to fulfill the daily services we rely on,
- $10 million for manufactured home financing, down payment assistance, and repair/renovation to improve the affordability of this important housing type.
I was proud to support legislation that will begin to rein in some of the worst practices. I co-authored legislation creating a prescription drug affordability board to review large spikes in drug prices and reduce them if appropriate. I also supported capping co-pays for prescription drugs to treat chronic diseases at $25 or less for one month’s supply and co-pays for medical supplies like insulin pens, test strips, epi-pens, and inhalers at $50 per month, while continuing the cap on insulin prices.
Lastly, one of the most impactful legislative wins of the year is the nation-leading increase to the Child Tax Credit. The credit provides up to $1,700 per child for working families across the state. This credit is expected to reduce child poverty by one third in Minnesota!
Community HIghlights
I’ve spent my summer in the community working to uplift the important work so many of you are doing! Here are some highlights:
I recently attended a ribbon cutting for Mainstream Boutique Blaine. It’s so great to see that our area’s small business scene is growing and continuing to make our district a hub for business in the north metro!
It was so fun joining the ribbon cutting at the new amphitheater at the start of this year’s Blaine Festival!
I attended the Blaine Business Council meeting hosted by the MetroNorth Chamber of Commerce. We heard about the busy weeks ahead in Blaine with the USA CUP and 3M Open, and Wymond Wong of Twin City Heating, Air, and Electric shared his inspiring story of starting and growing his business.
Stay in Touch
Please feel free to reach out to me by email at rep.matt.norris@house.mn.gov or by phone at 651-296-2907. If you have a friend, neighbor, or relative who wants to receive updates about the Legislature, let them know they can subscribe to my email list here, and follow my Facebook here. It’s an honor to represent our community. Please stay in touch!
Sincerely,
Matt Norris, District 32B
507 State Office Building
St. Paul, MN 55155