Hello from St. Paul,
Budget bills continued arriving on the Minnesota House floor this week. Several have already been approved, and only a small handful remain outstanding.
ENVIRONMENT FINANCE BILL APPROVED IN HOUSE
On Monday, the House approved its version of the environment budget bill. Worth noting: not only did this proposal stop any proposed fee increases or operational increases to state agencies, but it also prevented any new anti-ATV language from taking effect.
The Senate will pass an environment bill of its own. From there, an equal number of representatives and senators will be appointed to a conference committee. Here, this group will craft a compromise plan that can be approved by both legislative bodies and sent to the governor for his signature.
WORKING ON AGRICULTURE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE
I am pleased to have been named to serve on the conference committee for agriculture finance. This will allow me to have a direct voice in protecting the interests of ag and rural development in this state as we try to find areas of agreement with the Minnesota Senate.
TAXES BILL WILL LEAVE YOUR TAXES ALONE
Bipartisan taxes legislation moved forward this week that will not raise anyone’s taxes over the next two years. This is quite the contrast from last session, when an all Democrat-led legislature and Governor Walz chose to raise taxes by more than $10 billion in addition to spending a record $18 billion surplus.
The plan also addresses our state’s future deficit problems, cutting $40 million in spending during each of the next two budget cycles. In addition, the taxes bill increases the market value exclusion amounts for homesteads occupied by disabled veterans; allows more senior citizen homeowners to defer a portion of their property taxes; and creates a sales tax collection credit for small to mid-size retailers, allowing them to retain a portion of collected sales tax.
HUMAN SERVICES PROPOSAL PRIORITIZES NURSING HOME FUNDING
The Minnesota House’s human services budget legislation would give Minnesota’s nursing homes a $95 million funding increase over the next budget cycle. This priority starkly contrasts with what Governor Walz recently proposed, as his budget plan would have cut nursing home funding by $700 million over the next four years.
The House bill also includes a number of reforms that will crack down on fraud in administrative and public health programs. To date, nearly $1 billion has been lost to criminals looking to scam the system, and public health programs have been especially susceptible to fraud.
Here’s wishing all of our mothers a Happy Mother’s Day, and all of our anglers a successful fishing opener!