Tri-County News

Hello, District 13!


Please see below for important updates on the current budget talks and proposals by the House, Senate, and Governor.

Jeff

Community note

Congratulations to Mary Holmberg on being elevated to principal at Paynesville Elementary. Mary has served the community as a teacher at EV-W for 19 years, and most recently has been principal at Richmond. Congratulations, Mary!

Budget

Monday, May 20, is the adjournment date for the 2019 legislative session, meaning there is just over a week to get our budget work done on time. This week, various conference committees got underway with lawmakers from both the House and Senate working out differences from our respective budget bills.

This session, however, conference committees have been unable to do much work because the governor, House DFL majority, and our Senate Republican majority have been unable to agree on spending targets for the budget. Once we’ve agreed on total spending numbers, conference committees will have a clearer picture of how much money can be spent in each area, and will then be able to better work towards an agreement.

So far, I’ve been disappointed by the Governor’s and House Democrats’ unwillingness to compromise during budget negotiations. Democrats have refused to compromise a single penny of their $12 billion tax increases, including their 20-cent per gallon gas tax hike, -keeping their projected growth in government spending at a staggering and unsustainable 8.4% and 9.4%!

If there has been a move towards compromise its only come with them offering to reduce spending by $200 million in their budget plan but in a bloated nearing $50 billion that only represents half a percent decrease.

Furthermore, with a budget surplus north of $1 billion, I find it shocking that they are considering raising taxes on Minnesota residents as their first resort.

At the end of the day, the House and Governor have drastic spending increases, which will stall our State’s economy and hurt the people who can least afford it. We have done our best to hold the tax payers harmless while still providing top tier services to the folks in Minnesota. Even the Star Tribune states that “Lowest-income Minnesotans hit hardest by Gov. Tim Walz’s tax plan”.

This weekend, Legislative leadership will be with the Governor during the Governor’s Fishing Opener so there is hope that getting away from the Capitol will lend some better perspective to the negotiations. Following the opener, negotiations will resume quickly to produce a budget plan that gives conference committees direction but doesn’t bury taxpayers.

DUI Omnibus bill

Yesterday, the Senate passed the DUI Omnibus bill that has some key provisions that will greatly benefit those who have had DUIs and those who have Ignition Interlock systems installed in their cars.

This bill requires contracts between ignition interlock manufacturers and program participants to include a provision that requires the manufacturers to pay any towing or repair costs caused by ignition interlock system failures or malfunctions. It additionally holds them accountable for any damage caused to a vehicle during the device installation, servicing, or monitoring.

Constituent visit

This week, I had the pleasure of meeting the ninth-grade class from Kimball Area High School, led by coach Joe Stangle. Thanks for stopping in.

Social media

You’re invited to follow me on social media. Be sure to follow me on my Facebook page for the latest news from the Capitol and District 13. You’ll find legislative updates, constituent photos, events, video updates, and more.

Senator Jeff Howe

3235 Minnesota Senate Building

95 University Avenue West

Saint Paul, MN 55155

Tel: (651) 296-2084

Email: sen.jeff.howe@senate.mn

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