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Dear Friends & Neighbors,
The 2020 Legislation is well under way and we've been busy at work defending your rights and working to return the large budget surplus you have built, to you the taxpayers of Minnesota. A little bit more on each of those topics is included below. Have a great weekend and enjoy the nice spring-like weather!
Budget Surplus means it's Time for Tax Relief
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Last week, Minnesota Management and Budget released the February Budget and Economic Forecast showing a budget surplus of $1.5 billion, up from the $1.3 billion in November.
With this billion dollar budget surplus, it's time for tax relief. First, lets finally end the absurd tax on social security benefits for our seniors. Minnesota is one of the few states that taxes social security benefits, it's time for that to end.
We also must address Section 179 conformity for our farmers and businesses—all of it. Legislators continue to hear devastating stories from Minnesotans facing exorbitant tax bills that put their livelihoods, businesses, and even homes at risk.
These are good starting points and House Republicans will be rolling out a full tax package soon to return the surplus to you, the Minnesota taxpayers, where it belongs.
Gun Control Bills
Last Thursday, House Democrats passed two gun control bills despite bipartisan opposition. These bills, which they also passed last year, infringe on the rights of law abiding gun owners and in some cases violate the right to due process. We can all agree that we want to keep guns away from violent criminals and keep our communities safe, but these bills wouldn't do that. Instead of passing new, overreaching gun laws, we need to enforce our existing laws. When current laws aren't being enforced, it makes no sense to just add more laws.
Before these bills came to the floor, I recorded a video explaining why I will be voting no, along with all my Republican colleagues, and a few Democrats too.
Rare Disease Advisory Council
I was appointed to the Minnesota Rare Disease Advisory Council prior to the 2020 legislative session. The Minnesota Rare Disease Advisory Council works to improve the lives of MN Citizens living with rare diseases by creating efficient and collaborative partnerships between families, providers, researchers, and industry that address systematically identified needs in the rare disease community.
I am honored to join the Rare Disease Advisory Council and work to shine a light on the scope of these diseases. We don’t understand what the financial implication is to the state and families. We need to better understand what the issues are, is going to put us in a better position to help families dealing with these diseases.
The Minnesota Rare Disease Advisory Council was established by the University of Minnesota at the direction of the 2019 legislature.
Jakub Tolar, Dean of the Medical School and Vice President for Clinical Affairs, University of Minnesota, had this to say on about my appointment, "I have worked with Rep. Albright for the past six years, and I continue to be impressed with his commitment to making Minnesota a better place for all Minnesotans, not only his constituents. As a member of the council, he will bring the same thoughtful passion to the rare disease space as he has done with the University of Minnesota in other areas of healthcare research and innovation."
I look forward to undertaking this challenge and bringing back recommendations to the legislature on how to best move forward in combating rare diseases and the special problems that they bring.
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