Greetings from the district,
As I write this update, the Minnesota Senate is in the process of passing a series of budget bills. Passing a balanced and bipartisan budget is the main priority for the 2021 legislative session, and with about 4 weeks to go, there is a lot of work ahead. Minnesota is the only state in the country with a split legislature, with Democrats in control of the Minnesota House of Representatives and Republican control of the Minnesota Senate. As you can probably imagine, the budget proposals in the Senate are different — very different in many cases — from the proposals in the House. After each chamber passes a series of budget bills, the differences will be worked out in conference committees. Once the differences are resolved and a compromise is reached, each conference committee will generate a conference committee report, which will then go back to the House and Senate for final passage. After each conference committee report passed both the House and Senate, it will go to the governor for him to sign into law or veto.
Earlier this week, the higher education budget bill passed the Senate with bipartisan support and there is one provision in particular that I wanted to bring to your attention. It requires a report on administrative spending at the Minnesota State college and university campuses and the University of Minnesota. The soaring cost of higher education continues to be a pressing concern and one of the ways I am hopeful we can reduce those costs is by encouraging colleges and universities to reduce administrative costs.
Here are some of the other issues happening at the Capitol:
SECOND ANNUAL FEEDING MINNESOTA FOOD DRIVE:
I’m excited to share that the second Annual Feeding Minnesota Food Drive recently launched.
COVID-19 has resulted in an unprecedented public health and economic crisis, with no community in Minnesota left unaffected. Over the last year, many of our neighbors faced food insecurity for the first time, while those struggling to make ends meet before the pandemic have needed greater assistance to stay afloat. Demand for food assistance skyrocketed, and in response, food banks, food shelves, and meal programs have mobilized like never before to connect food resources with our neighbors in need, constantly adapting to distribute food safely and effectively so that no one had to battle COVID-19 hungry.
As vaccinations continue, we know that the light at the end of the tunnel is still very far away for too many Minnesotans experiencing food insecurity. The Feeding Minnesota Food Drive supports our Minnesota Feeding America food banks, including Channel One Regional Food Bank, Great Plains Food Bank, North Country Food Bank, Second Harvest Heartland, Second Harvest North Central Food Bank, and Second Harvest Northern Lakes Food Bank. Together, these food banks serve Minnesotans in every corner of the state, ensuring food makes it to every community where there is need.
While this effort is being led by members and staff of the Minnesota Legislature, all are welcome to participate. All donors can remain anonymous should they choose. Donors can also choose to make their gift amount anonymous should they want to show that they donated but don’t want the amount to appear publicly. If you would like to participate, you can do so by visiting http://support.2harvest.org/goto/FeedingMN.
FULLY EXEMPTING SOCIAL SECURITY FROM STATE INCOME TAXES
Minnesota is one of the last remaining states to make folks pay income taxes on their Social Security income. We have made good progress over the past few years by reducing the tax burden on senior citizens, but it is long past time to fully exempt Social Security income from Minnesota income taxes.
I’m working on a bill that would allow Minnesota’s retirees to fully and completely deduct all Social Security income on their state income taxes beginning next year. Minnesota is one of only 13 states that taxes social security benefits. Kiplinger Magazine notes that Minnesota is “not tax-friendly” for retirees.
FUNDING FOR THE PRESTON VETERANS HOME
You may have already heard the wonderful news that the federal government recently announced that they will provide the full funding match that would allow Minnesota to complete three new housing complexes for at-risk veterans, including one in Preston.
Representative Greg Davids and I, along with many others worked to pass funding for the state’s share of these veterans homes in 2018. These are urgent projects, and getting them built now will allow us to maximize the number of veterans we are able to support. I am grateful for the engagement from local officials from Fillmore County, the City of Preston, veterans groups, and countless volunteers. This bipartisan effort is a wonderful way to honor our veterans and their families.
CONTACT ME
As always, if you have any questions, ideas, or concerns, please don’t hesitate to contact me anytime. Your feedback is extremely important to me and I encourage you to share your input. You can send me an email at sen.jeremy.miller@senate.mn or call my Capitol office at 651-296-5649. It’s a great honor to serve as your State Senator.
Finally, if you don’t already follow me on Facebook, please give my page a ‘Like’. This is a great way to stay on top of the latest news from the Capitol! Visit my page here: https://www.facebook.com/SenatorJeremyMiller/.
Sincerely,
Jeremy