|
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The 2020 legislative session is a few weeks old and things are in full swing at the Capitol. While the state’s two-year budget was enacted last year, there is still important work to be done at the legislature this spring. I wanted to give you an update on a few of the key issues I am working on.
Last week, the state announced a budget surplus of over $1.5 billion. The main thing a billion and a half dollar surplus tells us is that Minnesotans have been overtaxed. Given this healthy surplus, I believe it’s time for tax cuts and time to give taxpayers their money back.
Completely eliminating the state taxes paid by seniors on their Social Security benefits would be a great place to start. We’ve reduced Social Security taxes incrementally in recent years and this large surplus presents a great opportunity to do away with these burdensome taxes altogether. I will also be advocating for tax relief for farmers, main street businesses, families facing high childcare costs, and college graduates with student loan debt.
Another key part of tax relief would be putting an end to the sick tax, which is an unfair tax on nearly all healthcare services. I view the sick tax as immoral because it disproportionately impacts the sickest Minnesotans – those who go to the doctor the most and already pay the most in medical bills. The sick tax makes healthcare more expensive and is harmful and unnecessary in a time of huge surplus.
Ultimately, Minnesota’s surplus belongs to taxpayers and I hope legislators can agree to help return it.
With 2020 being a non-budget year, a bonding bill will no doubt be a big topic of discussion. The bonding bill is a public construction package designed to finance local infrastructure projects around the state, such as roads and bridges, sewer and water systems, and public buildings.
There are a handful of local bonding projects for Olmsted County I am authoring and working on this year. Each of these projects will provide great benefit to our area and I am hopeful we can get them across the finish line this spring. Here are a couple of them:
- An overpass interchange at Highway 14 and County Road 104 west of Rochester, which would make this dangerous intersection significantly safer and allow for easier, faster travel.
- Renovation and expansion of the Graham Park Regional Event Center at the Olmsted County fairgrounds. This would create an affordable, accessible space to host events in Olmsted County and promote further economic development in our area.
- Rochester International Airport runway improvements. RIA is integral to southeastern Minnesota’s economy as well as to the services provided at the Mayo Clinic to patients from around the world.
As always, I encourage you to please contact me with questions or opinions on any issue. You can reach me at 651-296-4378 or rep.nels.pierson@house.mn.
Regards,
|
