Dear Neighbor,
Big things are within reach for Minnesotans as the House enters the final weekend of this session before we are scheduled to adjourn Monday.
As you saw last year in the tied House, Democrats and Republicans were able to come together and accomplish very positive results for the state. This year, despite the challenges, we once again proved that we can work together to deliver results for Minnesotans.
House Republicans have prioritized combating fraud, providing property tax relief, improving school safety, cutting car tab fees, delivering relief for counties, and modernizing government systems this session. An agreement has been reached among legislative leaders and the governor to address each of these issues and we plan to spend the weekend working to pass bills to deliver the results Minnesotans deserve.
A major focus of this bipartisan agreement is providing the affordability relief Minnesotans have been desperately seeking. Affordability starts with accountability, which includes anti-fraud measures we have already passed this year, especially the Office of Inspector General bill (S.F. 856). This bill passed because House Republicans, along with House and Senate leaders, pushed hard to get it done. I’m proud of the work that was accomplished and now we are just waiting for the governor to sign it into law. We are sending a clear message that we value taxpayer dollars and do not want them lost to fraud and waste any longer.
In addition to anti-fraud efforts, we are poised to approve $125 million in property tax cuts and $250 million in car tab fee reductions. We also are providing important support for HCMC – without raising taxes – to keep it operational and are delivering $30 million for hospitals across the state that are facing financial distress and unusually high costs. Furthermore, we are increasing Medical Assistance reimbursement rates for rural and critical access hospitals to bring them more in line with what HCMC already receives. These are significant wins for hospitals and health care access throughout Minnesota.
We also have agreement on helping businesses through tax conformity measures, including Pass-Through Entity legislation. In addition, the PFAS reporting requirements that were set to begin Sept. 1 will now be delayed until June 1, providing a nine-month delay that businesses across the state requested as they work to comply with those requirements.
On school safety, we secured funding for anonymous threat reporting, school-linked mental health services, and mobile crisis teams, all of which are critically important for schools across the state. We also are going to pass additional security funding for public officials, including the judicial branch and elected leaders, along with further security improvements around the Capitol complex.
These are just the highlights of what we are on track to accomplish by the end of this session. Overall, this agreement delivers meaningful affordability relief for Minnesotans, stronger fraud protections that are long overdue, and investments that will help move our state forward.
I will share more as the details are ironed out and after we get bills across the finish line. Until then, have a great weekend and, as always, it’s a pleasure to serve you in St. Paul.
Sincerely,
Lisa