Dear Neighbors,
I hope you had a wonderful time celebrating Independence Day and have had a fantastic summer! This will be the last update I can send out for a while, more on that below, but know you can always contact me for anything you may need or with any questions you may have.
Letter to Constituents
Recently, many of you may have received a letter from me recapping many of the great things we've been able to accomplish over the last two years. You may also have seen this Legislative Review I created, which goes into a little bit more detail on a range of important topics the Legislature addressed over the past two years. For those of you who may not have receive that letter, I have included it here in this final email update of the summer:
Dear Neighbor,
It is an honor and privilege to represent our community at the Capitol. I appreciate the opportunity to advocate for your interests in St. Paul and wanted to share an update with you from this legislative session.
I’m very proud of all that we accomplished on behalf of Minnesota families over the past two years. Working with Governor Dayton, we were able to pass major health care reform, which stopped the double-digit premium increases that would have occurred throughout our state and expanded options for Minnesotans as well. In addition, we delivered the largest tax cut in nearly two decades, and provided the largest ever investment in roads & bridges infrastructure in state history without a gas tax increase:
- Fighting Rising Health Care Costs: After years of rising health care costs, we proudly delivered key health care reforms that will save Minnesota families millions in dollars over the next few years. These Republican-led reforms include increasing competition in the individual marketplace, protecting patients from unfair billing practices, and creating better access to coverage for small businesses and their employees.
- Largest Tax Cut in 20 Years: When the State of Minnesota had a record surplus, we didn’t spend the money on new and wasteful programs – we signed into law the largest tax cut in 20 years. Middle-class families, students, seniors, and veterans all benefited from tax relief, all while we added to the state’s rainy day fund. Major highlights include a reduction in the social security tax that reduced or eliminated social security taxes for 284,000 senior citizen tax filers and a new $500 tax credit for college graduates paying off student loans.
- Largest Ever Investment in Roads & Bridges: There's no arguing that we're in dire need of investing in transportation. Potholes are everywhere and the roads can't accommodate the number of drivers we have in this state. That's why we passed the largest ever investment in our state's roads and bridges - and we did it without raising taxes.
The House of Representatives and Senate also sent Gov. Mark Dayton a bipartisan package of bills that included $102 million in new money for school safety enhancements to keep our children safe and provided permanent tax relief that lowered income tax rates for middle-class families. Unfortunately, these efforts, all of which were presented in good faith, were vetoed by the Governor. Please know I will continue to fight for these priorities which are very important to all of us.
If you have any questions or need assistance with an issue relating to state government, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me at 651.296.4315 or rep.cindy.pugh@house.mn.
Thank you again for the honor and privilege of serving as your state representative. Have a great summer!
Sincerely,
Cindy Pugh
New Driver License Design
This past week, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety released a new look and features for Minnesota Driver's Licenses. These will be the new designs for orders processed after August 6th. Included is a new vertical orientation for those under 21 and a preview of the REAL ID-compliant license option available beginning this October. Full details are available here.
The standard Minnesota Drivers Licenses available beginning August 6th.
Save the Date: National Night Out
This year's National Night Out is Tuesday, August 7th. I love traveling to different events throughout our community and look forward to doing so again this year. Hope to see you there!
Please Feel Free to Contact Me
Because of a 60-day, post-session rule, I’ll be unable to send email updates after today due to this being an election year. Thank you for the honor and privilege you have granted me to serve you and your families in the Minnesota House of Representatives. If you would like to get in touch with me during the interim, please email me at rep.cindy.pugh@house.mn or call my office 651-296-4315. I welcome your calls and emails, and appreciate hearing from you. I look forward to assisting you in any way I am able.
Sincerely,
Cindy