Hello from the State Capitol,
A program filled with fraud – Housing Stabilization Services – would be removed from state law under legislation approved unanimously by the full Minnesota House recently.
The program, which was supposed to help eligible recipients find housing, had state money funneled to it at obscene levels. Launched in 2020, its estimated cost was roughly $2.5 million a year. Four years later, it had skyrocketed to a cost of more than $100 million.
Investigations found plenty of problems, including bribes, phony billing, falsifying records and billing people who were dead. This was the program that two fraudsters from Philadelphia were caught scamming, as they bragged it was a “good opportunity to make money.”
The bill now heads to the Minnesota Senate for further action.
Meanwhile, there’s still plenty of fraud being addressed, and in some cases ignored. Click here to learn more.
E-MOTO BILL MOVES AHEAD
There’s been plenty of positive reaction to my e-moto bill which was heard in the House transportation committee last week. The bill would ensure that electric motorcycles must follow the same rules as any other motorcycle. Hastings resident Janet Stotko nearly died after being hit by a teenager on a sidewalk – a tragedy that showed that legislative action is needed.
You can watch a story on the hearing from WCCO by clicking here. If you’d like to watch the committee hearing, click here.
MONEY MATTERS
Recently I spoke with a 19-year-old constituent who is concerned about buying a house, paying his car tabs, starting a career and having a family.
His basic concern: how is he going to have the money needed to achieve his dreams. He’s not alone, as people both young and old are feeling the financial pinch these days.
With many receiving their property tax notices last week, this is the latest area of concern. Before I arrived in the Minnesota House, the state had a Democrat governor and a Democrat-led House and Senate. They blew through an $18 billion surplus, raised taxes by $10 billion, and increased state government spending by 40%. They also forced dozens of mandates, many of them unfunded, on local governments and school districts.
If you tell a county they must comply with an expensive state law, but give it no money to help implement it, the only option it has is to raise your property taxes. Often times it takes a while for a failed policy to really hit home. Well, here’s an example of a Democrat brainchild that is now hitting your pocketbook.
Speaking of bad ideas, we recently heard from one inner city representative who spoke in committee about raising your car tab fees by 500%. Learn more by clicking here.
This session, colleagues on the Republican side are supporting numerous proposals that would help you keep more of your money. In addition to lowering vehicle fees, there are bills to repeal the retail delivery fee, end the tax on Social Security income and remove the automatic gas tax increases that were approved by previous legislative leadership. Other bills we have would reduce costs on health care and property taxes, and eliminate taxes on tips and overtime.
LOCAL VISITS
Representative Wayne Johnson and I enjoyed meeting with students from Valor Classical Academy this week and giving them a Capitol tour.
I also had a good interview with KDWA Radio. They do a great job of keeping residents updated with the happenings at the State Capitol, city hall, and in the cities of Hastings, Prescott, and Cottage Grove.
Have a good weekend,
Tom