Dear Neighbors,
Here is an update from St. Paul.
Jobs Omnibus Bill
On Wednesday, April 22, the House passed the Jobs and Energy Omnibus Bill which has a number of benefits for Greater Minnesota and will provide cleaner and cheaper energy for everyone.
I am particularly pleased that a bill I authored which would help shrink the skills gap in Greater Minnesota was included as part of the omnibus legislation. Through grants, businesses will receive money to help train workers in technical and specialized areas to ensure more local businesses are able to hire the workers they need.
Additionally, also included in the omnibus bill is additional workforce housing provisions to help expedite and build more places for workers to live in our community and other rural parts of the state. There are a number of great businesses in Minnesota that have job openings and the need for skilled workers, but unfortunately there is nowhere for these folks to live.
Increasing the amount of workforce housing is meeting a real demand in Greater Minnesota.
Tax Omnibus Bill
On Wednesday of this week, House Republicans passed their Omnibus Tax Bill which includes $2 billion in tax relief for families, seniors, farmers and veterans. This legislation is great news for Northwest Minnesota.
First, for middle class families there are new deductions to help pay for K-12 and early learning education expenses, for daycare and for college savings. We are also offering folks saving for future long-term care costs an increased tax credit and phasing-out the social security tax for Minnesota seniors. Third, for farmers, there is money to reduce their disproportionate share of school district debt with a property tax credit and federal conformity to the estate tax so family farms can be passed along to the next generation. Finally, for our veterans, military pay and pensions will no longer be subject to income tax.
Our Tax Omnibus Bill will lessen Minnesotans' tax burden, and I am pleased it passed the House this week with bipartisan support.
Environment Omnibus Bill
Last week, the House passed the Environment Omnibus Bill which also has a number of provisions that will benefit folks in our area.
Some important highlights in the bill include:
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A new grant program for cities with a population of less than 45,000 to incentivize single stream and other recycling programs
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A new, independent peer-review process (modeled after the U.S. EPA's) for the MPCA to use when it develops water quality standards that are anticipated to have a financial impact to affected permittees of more than $50 million within the first five years of implementation
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Much-needed reforms to the Wetland Conservation Act, which were developed over the past year and are a consensus of interested parties such as groups representing farmers and environmentalists
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Modifications to the MPCA’s Citizens Board, which will put permitting and environmental review decisions solely before the commissioner (like every other state regulatory agency) and create a more streamlined and efficient process for permitting and environmental review
Increases to Nursing Home Funding
On Tuesday, the House passed the Health and Human Services Omnibus Bill which will improve the quality of care and quality of life for Minnesota's seniors by increasing the statewide reimbursement rate for nursing homes. This $138 million care center proposal is a sound, long-term solution to the funding disparities Greater Minnesota nursing homes receive and will mean increased wages for hardworking caregivers.
In our district, here are the funding increases:
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29.16% increase for Fair Meadow Nursing Home in Fertile
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38.46% increase for Riverview Hospital and Nursing Home in Crookston
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18.48% increase for Villa St. Vincent in Crookston
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15.51% increase for McIntosh Senior Living in McIntosh
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19.72% increase for Pioneer Memorial Care Center in Erskine
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38.18% increase for Essentia Health in Fosston
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8.27% increase for Thief River Care Center in Thief River Falls
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19.59% increase for Oakland Park Communities in Thief River Falls
For House Republicans, increasing nursing home funding is a top priority, and we will be pushing to ensure this provision in our HHS Omnibus Bill makes it into the final legislation signed into law by Governor Dayton.
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If I can ever assist you or your family on a matter of state government, please don’t hesitate to contact my office. I am here to serve you!
Have a great weekend!
Deb
**Encourage your neighbors and friends to sign up for my email updates at www.house.mn/01B