As the legislature works to assemble a final state budget agreement, Senator David Senjem (R-Rochester) will serve on the conference committee for the tax bill. The conference committee, which includes five members of each legislative body, is responsible for working out a compromise on differences in the tax bills passed by the House and the Senate. 

“I am looking forward to working with my colleagues on a compromise tax bill that meets the needs of Minnesotans. We must balance encouraging economic growth and opportunity with our state’s budget realities,” said Senator Senjem. “I will be a strong advocate for the bill passed by the Senate last week, which included tax relief for seniors, parents, small businesses, and veterans. We have hard work ahead of us, but I am optimistic we will arrive at a compromise that yields good results for our state.”

Last week, the Minnesota Senate passed the first income tax rate cut in nearly two decades. That bill would make significant updates to the state’s tax laws, expanding deductions for farmers and small businesses, reducing the statewide property tax levy by $50 million, and lowering taxes on affordable housing. The bill includes changes to allow charitable gaming organizations to invest more in our communities and increases the income tax subtraction for Social Security benefits. Finally, the bill would expand the K-12 education tax credit and create an innovative Opportunity for All Kids scholarship program that would allow charitable donations to fund education scholarships for low-income students.

Conference committees will begin meeting this week and will continue until an agreement is reached. After a conference committee has passed compromise legislation, both legislative bodies must vote to approve the agreement before sending it to the governor for a signature or veto. The legislature is constitutionally-mandated to adjourn by May 20.

Senator David Senjem, of Rochester, represents communities in Dodge and Olmsted counties in the Minnesota Senate. Senator Senjem serves as chairman of the Senate Capital Investment Committee and is a former majority leader and minority leader.