|
February 3, 2025
Legislative Update
Dear Friends and Neighbors,
I want to take a moment to thank you for your trust in me as your state representative. Serving the Winona area is an honor, and I am committed to working hard on behalf of our community and finding practical solutions to the challenges we face.
As this legislative session unfolds, I look forward to advancing policies that make life more affordable, support our seniors, and ensure government is accountable to the people it serves. Even though the legislature is currently at a standstill, my work—and the work of my colleagues—continues.
Committee Assignments and Priorities
This session, I am honored to serve on the:
- Health Finance and Policy Committee
- Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee
- Veterans and Military Affairs Division
These assignments will allow me to focus on the six key pillars guiding our work for the next two years:
-
Stopping Fraud and Waste – Eliminating fraud, waste, and abuse in state programs to restore trust in government and ensure taxpayer dollars are spent responsibly.
-
Making Minnesota Affordable – Addressing rising costs by reducing taxes, controlling energy costs, and easing financial burdens on families and seniors.
-
Making Minnesota Safe – Strengthening public safety by supporting law enforcement, holding criminals accountable, and ensuring communities remain safe and thriving.
-
Raising Standards, Reducing Mandates – Improving education by prioritizing students, reducing bureaucratic red tape, and empowering parents.
-
Ensuring Minnesota Tax Dollars Are for Minnesotans – Preventing taxpayer money from being mismanaged or diverted and ensuring government spending reflects the priorities of the people.
-
Building for the Future – Investing in infrastructure, roads, bridges, and community development to support long-term growth and opportunity.
Each of these pillars plays a critical role in shaping policies that will make Minnesota a stronger, safer, and more affordable place to live. I am committed to advancing practical, bipartisan solutions that deliver real results for our district.
Fighting for Affordability
One of my top priorities this session is ensuring that Minnesota’s seniors can enjoy their retirement without unnecessary financial burdens. That’s why I’ve introduced a bill to eliminate the state tax on Social Security benefits.
Currently, Minnesota is one of only nine states that taxes Social Security income. This puts our seniors at a disadvantage and creates additional challenges for retirees living on fixed incomes. My bill, introduced in the House alongside a companion bill from Senator Jeremy Miller in the Senate, seeks to change that.
Eliminating the state tax on Social Security is a common-sense step we can take to make life more affordable for our seniors. Minnesotans who have spent their lives working and paying into the system deserve to keep the benefits they’ve earned, without facing additional tax burdens in retirement. This bipartisan effort will help thousands of Minnesota seniors while making our state a more attractive place to retire and live.
Legislative Chaos
Unfortunately, a recent Minnesota Supreme Court ruling has fundamentally changed how the legislature operates by redefining what constitutes a quorum. Under this ruling, 68 members must be present in order for the House to convene. Currently, the House stands at 67 Republicans and 66 Democrats. Unfortunately, the minority party must be present for legislative work to proceed, but they have refused to show up for 21 straight days. This has effectively halted all legislative business—including my bill to eliminate the state tax on Social Security benefits.
This gridlock has stalled important work on tax relief, public safety, and affordability. Minnesotans expect us to debate, negotiate, and vote on solutions, but instead, legislative progress has been brought to a standstill. Despite this, I remain committed to working on behalf of our district, meeting with constituents, and pushing for real solutions when the legislature is allowed to function again.
Meetings and Visitors
|
 Met up with some people visiting the capitol for their annual day on the hill to talk about their legislative priorities.
 Today, I had the opportunity to meet with the Minnesota Association of Farm Mutual Insurance Companies (MAFMIC) over at Senator Miller's office.
Stay Connected
I want to hear from you! Your input is invaluable as I continue to advocate for policies that make life better for the people of our district. Please don’t hesitate to reach out to my office with your thoughts, concerns, or ideas.
Thank you again for the opportunity to serve you. I look forward to the work ahead and to finding solutions that benefit all Minnesotans.
Have a great week,
Rep. Aaron Repinski
|
