Senate Republican tax plan puts millionaires first, middle-class Minnesotans last
Federal tax reform, which overwhelmingly benefits billion-dollar corporations and Republicans’ millionaire country club conservative buddies, got signed into law late last year. Senate Republicans waited until May 1 to release their first draft of changes to Minnesota’s tax code, and to no one’s surprise they followed the lead of their pals in Washington, D.C.
The Senate Republican plan lets big corporations keep their money parked overseas, tax-free. It gives a $338,000 tax cut to a handful of multi-millionaires. It makes it harder for Minnesotans to purchase affordable health insurance. It sets the state budget up for fiscal disaster and ballooning budget deficits, threatening services for children, seniors, and Minnesota families.
Senate Republicans know their plan is a dud because they gave Minnesota taxpayers less than 24 hours to read the bill and provide public comment before it was scheduled for a full Senate vote. DFL Senators believe that Minnesotans deserve to have their voices heard before huge changes to the state tax code are introduced, not after. Now the public gets less than two weeks to weigh in before a May 21 constitutional deadline. With tax hikes for 300,000 Minnesotans on the line if the Legislature fails to act, Republicans have once again waited until the last minute to solve a problem.
Senate Tax Bill finally revealed
Senate Republicans finally released their plan to conform to federal tax change this week – just 20 days before session is required to adjourn.
Senate DFLers present their own plan for tax relief
Senate DFLers stood unified for a number of tax bill amendments this week all aimed at the same goals: more tax relief for middle-income Minnesotans, converting expensive tax cuts for the wealthy into more money for K-12 school safety, and long-term budget stability.
Education policy omnibus bill passed after controversial Star Rating system was removed
The education policy omnibus bill passed this week on a 42-25 vote after a controversial school Star Rating system was deleted from the bill.
Emergency school funding press conference
Governor Mark Dayton and DFL Senators held a press conference this week in response to school districts struggling with massive budget shortfalls. The Governor called on the Legislature to allocate $137.9 million in one-time emergency aid for every school district across the state.
Sulfate standard for wild rice sparks debate
The Senate voted this week to nullify the state’s current wild rice water quality sulfate standard, which limits sulfate discharges into waters where wild rice grows.
Moratorium on ditch-mowing permits extended another year
The Senate heard a bill this week that extends the moratorium on MnDOT issuing permits to mow ditches and bail hay in highway rights-of-way for one more year.
Legislature passes bill banning skimmers
A bill that outlaws the placement of “skimmers,” which are devices placed on card readers on gas pumps, ATMs, and self-checkout lanes at grocery stores this week passed both the Senate and House.
Clarifying Minnesota’s exoneration compensation laws
The Minnesota Imprisonment and Exoneration Remedies Act (MIERA) became law in 2014 to set up a framework for compensating people who had served prison time after wrongful convictions.
Strengthening snowmobiles, ATVs, and boats DWI laws
Following the tragic death of an eight-year-old boy in Chisago County, struck by a drunk snowmobiler whose driver’s license had been revoked three times for DWI offenses, the Senate passed a bill this week that would make DWI offenses while operating recreational vehicles subject to the same penalties as DWI offenses committed in a motor vehicle.
Senate passes a hodgepodge of DWI and drug laws
The Senate passed a bill this week containing provisions that update Minnesota drug and DWI laws.
Minnesota Farmers Union report released
The Dayton Administration joined the Farmers Union this week in releasing a “Rural Voices Discussion” report to the public. The report is a call to action for legislators to address the needs of rural communities in the areas of health care, infrastructure, broadband access, and agricultural issues.
Senate Republican bonding bill missing in action
With about two weeks left before the Legislature’s May 21 constitutional deadline to complete its work, the Senate Republican bonding bill is missing in action.Governor Dayton released his public works bill three-and-a-half months ago, which would finance more than 200 infrastructure projects around the state to create an estimated 22,950 jobs. Senate Republicans’ needless delay leaves community leaders in the dark about whether their projects will be funded this year and makes it more difficult for the Legislature and the Governor to come to agreement on a final public works bill.
The future of legislation addressing elder abuse is unknow
Legislation addressing elder abuse was scheduled to be heard this week in the Finance Committee. In an unexpected turn, the chair of the committee abruptly pulled the bill from the agenda once the hearing began after expressing concerns with the legislation and with the delay of new analysis on its potential costs.
Penny-A-Pill legislation undergoes significant changes
Bipartisan legislation was introduced early this session to raise money to combat the opioid overdose epidemic that claimed the lives of hundreds of Minnesotans last year. The legislation would have charged pharmaceutical companies a “penny-a-pill” for every opioid painkiller they sold.
Lawmakers hear more information on a request to add beds at Regions Hospital
A joint hearing of the House and Senate Health and Human Services Committees was held this week to hear preliminary findings on whether a request by Regions Hospital to add more beds is in the public interest.
Republican tax plan is big on promises, short on details
As the majority party in the Senate, Republicans are tasked with developing a state budget proposal to negotiate with the House and Governor before the end of the legislative session in May. Last week, leaders offered a peek into their tax plan for the next two years. Few details were revealed but the overall spending target was – $900 million of the $1.6 billion surplus will be committed to tax proposals.
Corridors of Commerce projects released
The Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) this week announced the road projects selected to receive Corridors of Commerce funding for 2018. Corridors of Commerce is a special funding program within MnDOT for road projects that will improve the movement of commerce throughout Minnesota. Projects are evaluated for safety improvements, regional connectivity, return on investment, and community consensus, among other factors.