Legislative Update from Rep. Mark Wiens

Dear Neighbors,

Last week, I had the opportunity to speak at the Veterans' Day on the Hill which was awesomely attended. Over 750 veterans, family, and supporters marched to the Capitol Rotunda! Thanks to the Veterans Service Organizations and a special thanks to the DAV, American Legion and VFW, plus the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs for planning and executing this event!

CALL TO ACTION: There are still two bills from the Commanders Task Force that our Tax Committee can still address this session.

• HF 3505 MODERNIZE THE HOMESTEAD MARKET VALUE EXCLUSION: increasing the tax exclusion amount for disabled Veterans.
• HF 4038 PROPERTY TAX RELIEF FOR VETERAN SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS: reducing property tax to ZERO for these community-based service organizations.

Let your state representatives & senators know you want these bills passed in the Tax Committee.

Check out my Veterans Day on the Hill Speech

Oak-Land Middle School Visit

I was happy to meet with Oak-Land Middle School students at the State Capitol. They had great questions and are eager to learn. Thanks to our teachers, chaperones and parents for making this visit a success.

From Surplus to Deficit

The problems caused by irresponsible government spending will not go away until we either elect officials who will be responsible stewards of your hard-earned money or work together to create commonsense solutions that help Minnesotans more than they hurt. That’s why I’m proud to support the “Dollars and Sense Initiative” being pursued by the Suburban Solutions Caucus, of which I’m a member. This initiative is a four-point plan that addresses high costs in a variety of areas of life.

HF 3111 aims to lower car tab fees to levels comparable to neighboring states. HF 3263 seeks to reduce gas costs. These are practical measures to help manage your monthly expenses.

Additionally, HF 4255, which, after filling reserves, would use any budget surplus to provide direct property tax relief, potentially offering nearly a $1,000 reduction for every property owner in the state. Finally, HF 4619 creates a framework to use surplus funds to provide immediate relief to Minnesotans through one-time rebate checks.

These bills are part of the Suburban Solutions Caucus's efforts in St. Paul. They are designed to make life easier for families by reducing their financial burdens. This means more of your hard-earned money can go towards essentials like groceries, school supplies, or saving for your child’s future education.

He was a survivor of the Nazi Mauthausen Camp & communist repression during the '56 Hungarian Revolt, was forced to flee to America arrived in Minnesota, and established a brilliant career at the University of Minnesota.

In retirement, he transformed into a writer, artist, and speaker with an incredible thirst for life and understanding. I had the cherished opportunity to interview him at our WW2 Student Outreach Program at Fort Snelling in 2018 to a standing-room-only reception. Simply electrifying and hope-filled! Dr. Fisch was a Hungarian-born great American.

I wish you all peace and shalom this Passover.