SRO, tax bill errors need early session fixes
By: SENATOR RICH DRAHEIM
There is a really easy fix for the ongoing SRO issue: we can simply repeal last year’s bad law that caused SROs to be removed from schools, and go back to the way things were. The old law was working well – even the governor and some Democrats acknowledged there were no reported incidents of SRO misconduct.
Unfortunately, Democrats seem more interested in playing political games than keeping kids safe. Instead of admitting their mistake and undoing the new law, they developed another partisan SRO proposal without law enforcement, public, or bipartisan input.
The result is a “fix” for their mistake that has significant problems:
- First, it forces school districts to follow new mandates about when SROs can be contracted;
- Second, it further restricts the permissible use of force for SROs;
- Third, it requires SROs to participate in a yet-to-be-developed training by the state’s peace officer training board, instead of local contracts
SROs are a critical component of maintaining school safety. They act as a deterrent simply by being present and visible. They know how to respond swiftly and effectively in emergencies or dangerous situations. And most importantly, they build positive, constructive relationships with students and staff, creating an environment where students feel comfortable reaching out for help or guidance.
SROs are vital. Repeal the bad law. Get SROs back into schools as soon as possible. It’s as easy as that.
$360 million accidental tax increases in the 2023 tax bill
There were multiple mistakes in last year’s tax bill, but two of them would lead to more than $360 million in tax increases on Minnesotans if not corrected.
The first mistake set standard deduction amounts to 2019 levels, instead of updating them for the 2024 tax year. Let’s call this mistake the “tax increase on families”. This mistake meant filers would not be able to deduct as much money from their taxable income, leading to $352 million in higher taxes.
The second mistake was on the effective date of a tax increase Democrats imposed on small businesses last session. This tax increase is about Net Operating Losses, so let’s call this the “NOL tax increase”. It was meant to take effect after December 31, 2023. Instead, the effective date was written as December 31, 2022, meaning the increase will hit struggling shops a year early. The result is a $14.8 million tax increase.
Surprisingly, the Democrats’ tax corrections bill this year does not include the NOL tax increase fix. Why? Because Gov. Walz’s administration instructed them not to. That’s straight from the chair of the Senate Tax Committee.
Gov. Walz demanded they leave a $14.8 million tax increase in place, and Democrats listened.
It’s frankly indefensible. We have a responsibility to our constituents, not to the governor.
The rest of the bill is good, and I will vote for it when it comes up for a full vote of the Senate. But we need to do the right thing and correct both of these errors.
I will keep pushing my colleagues on the other side of the aisle to do the right thing and eliminate the mistaken tax increase on small businesses.
Contact me:
If you have any questions about any of these issues or any other issue the legislature is working on, please don’t hesitate to contact me any time. My email is Sen.Rich.Draheim@mnsenate.gov, and my phone number is 651-296-5558.
And please follow me on Facebook here: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorRichDraheim/
It is a privilege to serve you.