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Dear Friends and Neighbors,
The 2021 Session began earlier this month. I am honored to continue to serve our community in the Minnesota House of Representatives and serve as the Minority Leader in the House. House Republicans will continue to protect Minnesota taxpayers from high spending Democrats and defend our way of life.
We have been working non-stop over the past several months to rein in and end the Governor's emergency powers. For too long, he has pushed the legislature to the sidelines, and continued to extend the longest peacetime emergency in state history instead of working with us to respond to the pandemic. I've voted more than 10 times to end the powers, and will continue that effort in the weeks and months ahead.
Gov. Walz is also expected to release his budget next week, which is likely to include major tax hikes and more government spending. We have a manageable budget deficit that can be addressed with spending cuts and by dipping into the budget reserve. There's no excuse to take more money from families and businesses to feed more government spending, especially when Minnesotans have been cutting back over the past year. Government must share in the sacrifice, and figure out ways to do more with less of your tax dollars.
I've never voted for a tax increase in my time in the legislature, and I'll be fighting against Democrat tax hikes again this year
Our other priorities this session are to successfully distribute COVID-19 vaccines to everyone who wants one and to get Minnesotans back to work and help Minnesotans recover financially from the pandemic and lockdowns.
We have a lot of work to do but we will be up to the challenge.
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Zimmerman Interchange Project
On Tuesday, in the House Capital Investment Committee I presented about the need to make an important but minor technical change to the 2020 Capital Investment bill that allocated funds to fix the Highway 169 interchange in Zimmerman.
The fix was needed to ensure this critical safety improvement project could access the bonds and begin the project. The interchange in Zimmerman is part of a larger safety and traffic flow improvement plan on HWY 169, one of the major corridors for commercial and recreational traffic in our area.
Andrew Witter, Sherburne County Public Works Director, testified about the importance of this minor technical change for the Zimmerman Interchange. You can watch his testimony here.
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Online Inquiry Process Available for Covid-19 Business Relief Payments
Last week, the Minnesota Department of Revenue sent out the initial round of COVID-19 Business Relief Payments to nearly 4,000 eligible businesses across the state. This program, part of a bi-partisan COVID-19 relief legislation passed in December, offers direct relief payments to eligible restaurants, bars, gyms, and bowling centers impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Businesses that did not receive a COVID-19 Business Relief Payment but think they meet the program criteria can contact the department using their online inquiry process that is now available through Friday, February 5, 2021. Businesses can use this if their business either:
- Did not receive a COVID-19 Business Relief Payment but they think the business met the program requirements.
- Received a COVID-19 Business Relief Payment but they think the amount was wrong.
Businesses can find this online inquiry process by visiting revenue.state.mn.us and clicking “COVID-19 Business Relief Payments” found on the homepage.
Eligible businesses must meet the program requirements outlined in the legislation. Direct payment requirements for businesses include:
- Being located in Minnesota
- Had at least $10,000 in taxable sales in 2019
- Filed Sales Tax returns in 2019 and 2020
- Experienced a 30% drop in year-over-year taxable sales for April-September periods
- Being categorized by the Minnesota Unemployment Insurance program as a restaurant, bar, gym, bowling center, or similar business
Direct funding to all of Minnesota’s 87 counties was also provided to set up local COVID-19 grant relief programs. Businesses not eligible for a direct payment from Revenue are encouraged to contact their local county for additional COVID-19 relief.
Staying in Touch
Please contact me if you or your family need assistance, or to share your views and feedback. I’d love to hear from you, so please stay in touch. You can reach me via email at rep.kurt.daudt@house.mn or by phone at 651-296-5364.
Have a great weekend!
Kurt
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/RepKurtDaudt
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267 State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Saint Paul, MN 55155
ph: 651.296.5364 |
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