Friends and neighbors, 

Last session, the Minnesota Legislature passed a $52 billion state budget, which included $1.1 billion in funding increases for education — the largest formula growth in 15 years. 

The current legislative session, therefore, serves as a ‘capital investment’ or ‘bonding year,’ which means my colleagues and I are reviewing statewide projects requests for ‘low interest loans.’ This is a type of loan that must be paid back and aims to help our communities, counties, cities, and townships meet the concerns being brought to the Legislature. 

Even though it may look like money is being spent this session, it is well within the guidelines of last year’s budget to meet the concerns of legislation being introduced and passed into law this year. And with our state’s historic $9 billion surplus, I still strongly believe that it’s critical to give this money back. The huge surplus is a clear indicator that Minnesotans are being overtaxed and this money must be returned to taxpayers.

For this reason, my Senate Republican colleagues and I recently passed the largest permanent tax cut in state history. The landmark tax bill provides taxpayers with a much-needed $8.43 billion in relief over the next three years. Specifically, the bill reduces the first-tier tax rate for all filers from 5.35% to 2.80% and fully eliminates the state income tax on all Social Security benefits.

Additionally, this week at the Capitol, we heard a bill, SF 3855, I authored this session to fund road improvements in the city of Annandale. This funding will be used for intersection improvements at marked Trunk Highway 24. 

This bill also appropriates a grant for road improvements on Hemlock Street from marked Trunk Highway 24 to Wright County State-Aid Highway 6 in the city of Annandale and Corinna Township. The grant will be used for purchase of right-of-way, design, engineering, and construction of roadway improvements.

Ensuring the continued quality of community infrastructure is critical, and I strongly believe this funding will go a long way in making important improvements in the city of Annandale.

The Minnesota Senate also recently passed a comprehensive environment natural resource bill, SF 4062, to support Minnesota’s critical environmental priorities. This legislation continues Senate Republicans’ commitment to supporting groundwater preservation, recycling, regulatory reform, and outdoorsmen.

Some notable policy provisions include:  

• Prohibition of the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to impose or require unadopted rules without first being adopted under Minnesota statutes  
• Increased funding for Score Grants to assist counties with solid waste and plastic removal costs to keep our lakes and rivers clean  
• Increased funding for Shooting Range Improvement Grants to increase outdoor shooting range capacity for youth shooters and the general public use
• Greater access for disabled Minnesotans by allowing them to use motor vehicles in wildlife management areas  

Minnesota and our community are home to many important natural resources, and it is critical to preserve our environment for future generations. This legislation will help ensure clean lakes and rivers so we can all continue to enjoy the great outdoors.

I want to hear from you, my constituents, on issues that are important to you. Please feel free to reach out to my office with any concerns or ideas you may have. As session moves forward, I will keep your thoughts and concerns in mind as legislation comes before me. You can contact my office at sen.bruce.anderson@senate.mn or 651-296-5981.

Sincerely,

Bruce Anderson