Hello from St. Paul,
It was SO awesome to host our State Champion Hastings Wrestling team at the State Capitol this week to honor them!
As a Hastings Wresting alumni myself, it was extra special for me to be able to present them with an official House proclamation commending them for their outstanding season.
Local charitable organizations and nonprofits received some devastating news this week as House Democrats are pushing legislation that would effectively end electronic pull tabs as we know them.
DEMOCRAT CHANGES TO ELECTRONIC PULL TABS WILL HAVE NEGATIVE IMPACTS ON LOCAL CHARITIES
Electronic pull tab popularity has soared over the past few years, and they have been a godsend for bars and other establishments that offer them. In 2022 alone, electronic pull tabs generated almost $2 billion in revenue. The charitable gaming proceeds from electronic pull tabs are then distributed to needy organizations in our communities.
Specific language in the House Democrat omnibus tax bill (H.F. 1938) eliminates the “open all” feature that has been in use in electronic pull-tab games for years. This is a massive issue that will affect any nonprofit that receives charitable gambling proceeds. It will impact your local youth sports teams and associations, EMS groups, Boy and Girl Scouts, local charities, legions and VFW’s, as well as the bars and establishments that sell pull tabs.
The reality is that drastically altering electronic pull tabs in Minnesota will drastically alter the amount of charitable proceeds available locally, and that is a huge problem that could be easily avoided by just leaving the successful electronic pull tabs alone.
I would encourage you to share your feedback with House DFL Leadership and DFL members. I would also encourage you to reach out to charities, bars, restaurants, VFWs, and other community organizations who will be impacted by this change and urge them to share their thoughts as well.
VETERANS BILL UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED
The Minnesota House on Tuesday approved a veterans and military affairs finance package that funds Minnesota’s National Guard members and veterans after their service to our state and nation concludes, with omnibus appropriations for the state’s next two-year budget cycle. It passed on a 131-0 vote and is now in the hands of the Senate.
Overall, the bill provides $367.7 million for programs to help veterans over the 2024-25 biennium, a $167 million (52%) increase. This includes $73.3 million for the Dept. of Military Affairs and $294.3 million for the Dept. of Veterans Affairs. It also includes operational funding for three new veterans’ homes constructed in Bemidji, Montevideo and Preston.
House Republicans successfully added numerous provisions to the bill. This includes expanding the eligibility for free burial in Minnesota state Veterans cemeteries to spouses and dependent children of Veterans and Service Members who die on active duty, prohibiting the MDVA from charging burial fees, and authorizing Support Our Troops funds as an eligible use.
The bill also expands the Veteran Bonus program to veterans who currently live in Minnesota, even though they may not have lived in the state when they enlisted, as well as veterans who served in the Inherent Resolve Military campaign. Additional funding for veteran bonuses also is included in the package.
I’m pleased we were able to approve this bill with unanimous support.
On the topic of veterans, I was also pleased to amend one of my veterans’ proposals onto the recently approved omnibus transportation finance proposal. The legislation (H.F. 986) exempts veterans with a 100 percent total and permanent service-connected disability from all motor vehicle sales and registration taxes, title, drivers’ license, vehicle license, and wheelage fees.
This is a proposal that’s been hanging around the Capitol for years. The fact that it is now included in an approved transportation finance proposal is a major step forward and a huge win for our veterans with a 100% disability.
Have a good week,
Shane