Minnesota Legislature 33 , CD3 DFL

Kids, workers, businesses — bipartisan tax relief heads to the Senate floor

Senator Ann Rest, DFL lead on the Taxes Committee and co-author of Senate File 263 (Bakk, I, Cook), successfully added a proposal to the bill in the Senate Tax Committee hearing that offers workers receiving unemployment compensation, tax relief at a total one time cost of $30-50 million for 2020. SF 263 conforms to the federal treatment of 2020 COVID-19-related loans to businesses that will not be taxable income to recipients and allows for deductions for various expenses with the nontaxable loans – just like the federal treatment.

The overall bill won unanimous support in the Senate Tax Committee including several of Sen. Rest’s proposals, such as allowing businesses to elect a different filing status for state taxes than they used at the federal level. The overall package is estimated to be $441 million in tax relief for the business provisions.

“Minnesota businesses that received PPP loans last year and used the revenue to keep their workers employed did a great service for our state’s economy,” said Senator Rest (DFL-New Hope). “Congress made special exceptions to allow these forgiven loans, which typically would be taxable, to be tax-exempt for 2020. An improved economic forecast allows bipartisan enthusiastic support for similar forgiveness from Minnesota income taxes. Also, the Senate Tax Committee, under the leadership of Senator Carla Nelson, supported my proposal to extend tax relief to unemployed workers who received jobless benefits last year under the federal CARES Act.”

Rep. Andrew Carlson (HD50B) Update: March 3, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

It’s an honor to serve our community at the State Capitol. The legislative session began January 5th. Today, I’d like your feedback on issues that could be discussed this year. Our government works best when the decisions made include all voices.

As your Representative, I’m committed to recovering and rebuilding from COVID, and ensuring Minnesotans have affordable health care, great educational opportunities from preschool through job training, and economic security. We need to help Minnesotans get through this pandemic and thrive after it.

The link for the 2021 Legislative Survey for District 50B is below. Please get in touch with me anytime. I appreciate hearing from you!

Tide turns on Minnesota legislative session

The nature of Minnesota’s legislative session has dramatically changed.

No longer is there a projected deficit to fix. A modest budget surplus is now in the cards, and a big chunk of money could soon be on its way from the federal government.

Differences over how to craft the next budget remain, but the prospect of a protracted stalemate is diminished. Continue reading.

Minnesota House unanimously approves legislation that prohibits PERC and helps dry cleaners transition to safer processes

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Monday, the Minnesota House of Representatives unanimously passed legislation to prohibit perchloroethylene, a chemical solvent that is widely used in dry cleaning facilities. The legislation, authored by Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL – South St. Paul), will help dry cleaners transition to safer processes.

“Minnesotans should not be exposed to chemicals that are associated with serious health risks,” said Rep. Hansen. “We are committed to protecting Minnesotans from harmful chemicals, including perchloroethylene. Prohibiting PERC and supporting dry cleaners as they transition to safer alternatives will help keep Minnesota workers, customers, and communities safe and healthy.”

The bill prohibits using perchloroethylene – commonly known as PERC – as a dry cleaning solvent after December 31, 2025. It transfers $510,000 from the state’s Remediation Fund to the Dry Cleaner Fund to help facilities replace PERC and purchase new equipment. Owners and operators of dry cleaning facilities will be reimbursed up to $20,000 for the costs of transitioning to alternative solvents.

The Environmental Protection Agency classifies perchloroethylene as a “likely carcinogen.” The chemical solvent is also associated with neurological effects and damage to the kidneys, liver, immune system, and blood system. Exposure can occur in dry cleaning facilities or in the environment; PERC has been found in air, water, and soil. Minnesotans who work in dry cleaning facilities that use PERC are at the highest risk for exposure, but people who live or work near these facilities or wear dry-cleaned clothing may be exposed to higher levels of PERC than the general population.

Video of the floor session is available on House Public Information Service’s YouTube channel.

House and Senate Energy Committees hold joint hearing to examine impacts of recent spike in natural gas prices

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the House Climate and Energy Finance and Policy Committee and the Senate Energy and Utilities Finance and Policy Committee held a joint hearing to examine how a nationwide spike in natural gas prices may impact Minnesotans.

“Utility bills may increase significantly because of the extraordinary recent spike in natural gas prices,” said Rep. Jamie Long (DFL – Minneapolis), the chair of the House committee. “This would exacerbate the difficulties many families and small businesses are already experiencing from the pandemic. We are exploring ways our state can help utilities manage this crisis and mitigate the impact on Minnesotans, particularly the most vulnerable. We must work together to protect Minnesotans’ economic security and prevent similar crises in the future.”

Demand for natural gas increased significantly last week due to a cold wave in the southern United States. As a result, the cost of natural gas skyrocketed. Costs climbed even higher when unwinterized infrastructure in Texas and other states froze, reducing the supply of natural gas. While Minnesota’s infrastructure held up well during this period despite subzero temperatures, most of the state’s utilities had to purchase a portion of their gas at a much higher price than anticipated. This cost will later be passed on to consumers, which means Minnesotans may see their heating bills increase.

Sen. Ron Latz (SD46) Update: March 1, 2021

CAPITOL UPDATE MARCH 1, 2021

Last week the Senate dealt with several important matters that will impact our district and state. The key items are detailed below for your information. As for me, I met with several constituent and stakeholder groups, all virtually of course. Last week’s meetings included Epilepsy MN advocates and constituents participating in Fund Our Futures, an organization including members of ISAIAH, Education Minnesota, AFL-CIO, MAPE, Take Action, and several other groups who came together to promote strong on-going investments in infrastructure, students, and working families.

Gun Reform

As the chief author of several gun reform measures, I met with House authors Rep. Dave Pinto and Rep. Kelly Moller, and stakeholders from the Police Chiefs, Sheriffs, Minnesota Police and Peace Officer Association, and County Attorneys. These bills, known as Extreme Risk Protection Orders (SF1431) and Firearm Purchase Background Checks (SF894) face no future in the GOP controlled Senate. Despite the reasonable measures and broad support, the opposition remains strong in the legislature. I continue to work with advocate groups including Protect MN, Everytown for Gun Safety, and a new group Gun Sense, to broaden support for safe gun laws. My joint press release on my most recent reform measure may be found here.

Sen. Jerry Newton (SD37) Update: September 27, 2021

Budget Update

Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) officials released their February 2021 Budget and Economic Forecast yesterday, and it showed good news. They are projecting a positive budget balance of $1.6 billion for the next biennium. Minnesota’s budget outlook is significantly better for this biennium and the next due to an improved U.S. economic outlook that is bolstered by federal actions that have emerged since November and were not incorporated in earlier projections.

Now that we know what the financial climate of the state will look like for the next two years, it is now up to the Legislature to craft a balanced and responsible budget. The forecast shows a cautiously hopeful picture for our state, but we also know this recovery has not been felt equally for Minnesotans. We must create a budget that ensures a fair recovery that helps those who have been most affected by the pandemic and one that strengthens our communities.

More information is available here: https://mn.gov/mmb/mmbhome/?id=1059-469530.

Sen. John Hoffman (SD36) Update: September 26, 2021

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

It has been a long week. I have had four bills I authored receive individual hearings. I also share with you as I write with a sense of frustration yet filled with hope because we are Minnesota and we must rise above the challenges that confront us.

Our budget is healthier than expected which provides us real opportunity to fix the issues many of us see in the Governor’s Budget. More than that, I see places where we can fix the Governor’s cuts by putting back money he shifted from People with Disabilities and put it back where it belongs.

Additionally, we have an opportunity to fix our broken employment system for People with Disabilities. Over the last year and a half our office has investigated our scattered system in regards to Connect 700, a program meant to be a supportive and honest opportunity for People with Disabilities to engage in the state workforce. We have interviewed over a dozen experts, attracted the attention of our federal Department of Labor and the talents of Bobby Silverstein (author in congress of bills such as the ADA) to assist us, and interviewed countless individuals who are victims of this programs failed processes.

Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (SD48) Update: February 26, 2021

February 26, 2021

Planning for a Successful Session of Compromise and Activism

Minnesota is the only state legislature in the nation divided evenly between Democrats and Republicans. This has been the case since 2019, and we once again have a unique opportunity to be a model for the rest of the country. Our compromise two years ago to save the provider tax showed that divided government can work for the people, and this year we are going to prove that once again. Big debates over COVID relief will dominate the budget discussion, regarding things like PPP loan taxability, working family relief, and healthcare affordability. Together, with the intention of making our world a better place, I believe we can have a successful legislative session.

Many of you have written in to share your thoughts on some of these subjects, in addition to other issues as well. Some of the topics I’ve received the most emails on have been:

Removing the tax on PPP loans
Opposing and supporting adult-use cannabis
Protecting the Boundary Waters
Vaccinations for COVID-19

Rep. Kelly Morrison (HD33B) Update: September 26, 2021

Dear Neighbors,

Yesterday, the governor announced a plan to vaccinate 70 percent of Minnesotans 65 or older by the end of March. Following this, eligibility for the vaccine will expand based on underlying health conditions and risks of workplace exposure, like food processing plant workers.

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CAPITOL UPDATE MARCH 1, 2021

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Planning for a Successful Session of Compromise and Activism

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