Dear Friends and Neighbors,
It was National day of Prayer on Thursday and I was proud to introduce House Resolution 05 which recognized May 2, 2013, as Day of Prayer in Minnesota. I also had the honor to read the resolution in front of the Capitol at the Day of Prayer ceremony.
National days of prayer have a long history in our country, dating back to 1775 at the first Continental Congress and this year was the 62nd anniversary of the National Day of Prayer as recognized by Congress. I was proud to play a small part in this week's proceedings for such an important need as intercessory prayer.
Conference Committee Work Begins
This week the Conference Committee process of working out the differences between the House and Senate budget bills began. Members of both chambers will negotiate the differences over the next couple of weeks in each budget area and send a conference report to be adopted or rejected to each respective chamber. If adopted, the House and Senate will then debate and very likely pass the identical versions to send to the Governor's desk for his signature.
Unfortunately, for the taxpayers of Minnesota, this means that many of the deeply unpopular provisions initially proposed by Governor Dayton are now back on the table. The extension of the sales tax to everyday items like clothing, haircuts, baby Tylenol and auto-repairs is a possibility because of its inclusion in the Senate bill.
When combined with the massive $2.6 billion dollar increase proposed by the House that includes sky-high tax and fee increases on alcohol, tobacco, sports memorabilia, and use of water, there's a very real possibility that the Tax Bill could come back to the House even worse than when it left.
Just so you know, I plan to vote against any bill that raises taxes on the backs of hardworking Minnesotans to pay for more wasteful spending. A 10% increase in government is simply unsustainable, and I can't support raising taxes for that reason.
Safe Routes to School Grants
I want to congratulate Princeton North Elementary and Middle School for receiving a Safe Routes to School Grant that provides money to construct sidewalks and improve street crossings near their schools.
This money will help improve safety for our school children in Princeton, and I was pleased to see them receive the grants.
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Have a great weekend,
Sondra Erickson
State Representative, District 15A