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Dear Neighbors,
Committees heard full slates of bills this week as our House DFL Economic Security Plan takes shape.
Committee Action
This week in the Property Tax division, I presented the City of Bloomington’s request for a local option sales tax. The 0.5% tax would be charged on retail sales in the city. The revenue collected by the sales tax would be used to provide funding to improve aging City facilities. It is estimated that 75% of a Bloomington sales tax would be paid for by visitors, and 25% would be paid for by residents, according to an independent analysis by the University of Minnesota Extension Center for Community Vitality.
Many of Bloomington’s important destinations need significant investment or replacement. Four projects have been identified which could be funded through a Bloomington sales tax (estimated costs do not include interest or financing costs):
- Bloomington Ice Garden
- A new community health and wellness center
- Dwan Golf Course
- Bloomington Center for the Arts
Because 75% of the sales tax money is paid for by Bloomington visitors, the estimated cost of the projects spread across the 38,000 households would lower the cost to about $72 per year for residents to preserve some of our important landmarks and make way for a new community resource.
Committee Deadlines
Each year the Legislature establishes deadlines for committee action on bills. Committee deadlines are announced during the first half of a session to narrow the list of topics to be considered in the session. This year the following dates have been set:
Friday, March 25 is the first deadline for committees to act favorably on bills in the house of origin; either the House or Senate.
Friday, April 1 is the second deadline for committees to act favorably on bills, or companions of bills, meeting the first deadline in the other house.
Friday, April 8 is the third deadline for committees to act favorably on major appropriation and finance bills.
The deadlines do not apply to the House Capital Investment, Ways and Means, Taxes, or Rules and Legislative Administration committees, or to the Senate committees on Capital Investment, Finance, Taxes, or Rules and Administration.
Supporting Ukraine
This week a bipartisan coalition of legislators announced legislation to sanction Russia for their aggression against Ukraine. I support this action to divest Minnesota’s pension fund from Russia.
International Women’s Day
This Tuesday, we celebrated International Women's Day. Thank you to all the women who have contributed to improving our communities, our state, and the world! Here are some of the bills we are working on to improve the lives of women across the state:
I-494 Updates
MNDOT is asking for our input on design changes to I-494. Take a moment to share your response here.
COVID-19 Update
While many mask mandates have been lifted, it’s still important to receive the COVID-19 vaccination and booster to keep you and your family safe. If you’re not feeling well, get tested. You can still order up to four free COVID tests for your household. Go to this link to order your test kits and for many more resources.
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Stay in Touch
The Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services offers nonpartisan recaps of high-profile bills, committee hearings, and floor sessions with their Session Daily publication. Subscribe to receive these here. To track bills of interest through the legislative process, I encourage you to utilize the MyBills feature on the Minnesota House of Representatives’ website here.
You can stay up to date on our work by subscribing to these legislative updates and “liking” my official Facebook page. For any questions you have on the resources available to our community or our work in the Minnesota House, you can reach me at rep.andrew.carlson@house.mn or leave a voicemail at (651) 296-4218. I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Andrew Carlson
State Representative
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