Dear Friends, For those following the debate on state funding for the Vikings stadium, you are already aware that the bill passed the House and Senate. It is now in the Conference Committee to resolve the differences, which are substantial. For those that contacted me along the way, thank you for weighing in! I appreciated […]
Dear Friends, Tax Relief and Job Creation Act Passed May 1, 2012 The Tax Relief and Job Creation Act passed on the House floor today embodies a much needed market-based approach to tax policies. It also makes most of them permanent so businesses have some certainty in their future. Considering the fact that Minnesota is […]
Dear Friends, The historic School Land Trust Bill was passed overwhelmingly by both the House and Senate and signed into law by the Governor this weekend. Maybe you did not notice since all the coverage was about a stadium. However, we do much good work here that does not make such coverage but is very […]
Hello Neighbors, While the Legislature is in recess this week, I would like to take this time to look back on the accomplishments from the 2012 Legislative session. As you know, our legislative agenda for this session has been reform efforts focused on promoting fiscal responsibility, job growth, quality education and a smarter, quicker and more […]
Dear Friends, A reminder that Rep. Kurt Bills is running for the U.S. Senate endorsement and will be speaking at a Simply Right event at Tobies, Thursday, Apr. 12 at 6 p.m. More Info > Here is an update on the various pro-job bills we are working on in the House. In addition, the Legislature passed […]
Dear Friends, Tax Relief and Jobs Creation Act: A bill designed to reduce taxes and create jobs passed the Minnesota House of Representatives last week. The package of wide-ranging initiatives is called the Tax Relief and Jobs Creation Act (H.F. 2337). The Tax Relief and Job Creation Act will make Minnesota a more economically competitive […]
St. Paul – The Minnesota House of Representatives today passed the photo ID constitutional amendment bill on a vote of 72-62. The bill, House File 2738, allows for a public vote in the November election on a photo ID voting requirement. Under the bill, a ballot question would ask if voters would like to add […]
Dear Friends, Yesterday, the Minnesota House of Representatives passed legislation that removes teacher seniority as the only component to be considered in teacher layoffs. HF1870 would allow school districts to consider teacher effectiveness when layoffs occur. Currently Minnesota is one of only eleven states that are still using only seniority to determine who is retained. […]
Dear Friends, Updates on legislation. Lawsuit Reform Vetoed- Governor Dayton has vetoed four bills that attempted to correct flaws in our tort system. These bills passed the Minnesota Legislature with bipartisan support. The Governor’s veto is a setback for jobs and consumers. By vetoing this legislation Governor Dayton is ignoring the priority of 45 regional […]
Dear Friends, This week marked the beginning of the 2012 legislative session. This year’s agenda, which we have named Reform 2.0, will focus on government reform efforts that will expand economic freedom, create opportunity and get government out of the way of job creators, encouraging innovation and entrepreneurship. We will do this by enhancing the […]
Dear Friends, I wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and happy, prosperous new year. The 2012 legislative session is already only about one month from starting. I remain honored to be serving the great people of East-Central Minnesota at the Capitol. It really is a humbling experience and I cannot overstate how much […]
Dear Friends, We have received our state’s new budget forecast. It calls for a surplus of almost $900 million. This shows new efficiencies and cost-containment measures we enacted this year are working. There were some incredibly difficult decisions to make at the Capitol in our first year as a majority. It is good to see […]