|
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
With another busy week at the Capitol coming to a close, I wanted to fill you in on what’s going on in St. Paul. There were more committee hearings and a lot of time on the House floor discussing legislation. It was also great to see so many familiar faces from our area!
Yesterday, the state released the February financial forecast, announcing a budget surplus of over $1.5 billion, which is even larger than previously expected. The main thing a billion and a half dollar surplus means is that Minnesotans have been overtaxed. Given this healthy surplus, it’s time to give taxpayers their money back.
I will continue working to completely eliminate the state taxes paid by seniors on their Social Security benefits. I will also be advocating for tax cuts for small businesses paying state property taxes, families facing high childcare costs, and college graduates with student loan debt. This surplus belongs to the taxpayers of Minnesota and I hope legislators can come together to return it.
The House debated and voted on two controversial gun control bills on Thursday evening. The first would impose new requirements on firearm transfers between private parties and create strict barriers for law-abiding gunowners. The other would create a process in which family members, friends, or an attorney could petition for an “extreme risk protection order” to prohibit someone from possessing firearms. This could infringe on due process rights by never allowing gunowners to defend themselves in court.
Ultimately, I voted against each of these bills. While our country certainly faces gun violence problems, I don’t believe these bills would truly solve these problems or keep guns away from criminals who already don’t follow the law. I have heard from countless law-abiding gunowners in our community about this issue, and I believe these bills would only put more constraints on their constitutional rights.
Commissioners Ben Denucci of Itasca County, Neal Gaalswyk of Cass County, and Itasca County Administrator Brett Skyles for Association of MN Counties Day at the Capitol
Kim Jamtgaard of Wildwood Resort and Devin Doyle, Bob Barton and Chris Barton of Hidden Haven Resort
 Grand Rapids Green Team from Grand Rapids High School
Sheina Showen, Kasey Cundy and Lisa Peterson for Epilepsy Advocacy Day
Jay Hickok and Jerry Thompson of Grand Rapids and Angie Morberg of Deer River here for ABATE of MN
Diane Larson of Itasca County HRA
Max Peters, City of Cohasset Director of Finance and City Operations here to talk about their Mississippi Riverfront project.
Haley Roy from Grand Rapids attending College of St. Scholastica here for Private College Day
With MN Chamber President Doug Loon at MN Chamber Day at the Capitol
On Saturday, March 7, I will be hosting mobile office hours in Grand Rapids from 1:00pm-3:00pm at Caribou Coffee (2020 S Pokegama Ave, Grand Rapids, MN 55744) along with Senator Justin Eichorn. This is a good opportunity for anyone from our community to stop by to share input or ask questions about any legislative issue. If you are interested, please contact my legislative assistant, Betsy Ritzer, at 651-296-5489 or Betsy.Ritzer@house.mn to schedule a time to stop by during mobile office hours.
Talk to you soon,
|
