Friends and neighbors,

There are a great many challenges facing our state including historic inflation, rising crime, and students falling behind in the classroom. I specifically want to address my efforts at the Senate to lower costs for Minnesota families. This session my Senate Colleagues and I are working hard to get our state back on the right track.     

Inflation rates are hitting a 40-year high and many Minnesota families are struggling to afford basic necessities like gas and groceries. 

The Republican-led Senate is fighting to combat these rising costs by passing the largest permanent tax cut in our state’s history — $8.43 billion in relief over the next three years and into the future. The landmark tax cut bill includes an income tax rate cut along with the elimination of all taxes on Social Security income. Our state has an over $9 billion budget surplus, and we should use the surplus to give tax relief to the very taxpayers who created it. Hopefully, we can get the Democrat-led House and Governor on board with our plan.   

We are also working to lower the cost of health care. The legislature successfully passed athree-year extension of the successful Minnesota Premium Security Plan, known as ‘reinsurance’ earlier this session. The program keeps the individual health insurance market stable, improves access to providers, and has proven to lower costs. I am the chief author of the reinsurance bill and am delighted we were able to work across the aisle to get this extension done earlier this session. 

Republicans in the Senate have also been pushing to refill our state’s Unemployment Insurance trust fund and repay our debts to the federal government. Not paying off the debt will lead to a dramatic tax increase for our small businesses and increase costs for everyone. The Senate passed the bill to fix the problem months ago, but the House of Representatives has refused to act. Paying off Minnesota’s UI debt is good government, and I urge the House to work with us to solve this problem.

The Senate is also combating job-killing regulations which would raise costs on Minnesota small businesses, farmers, and families. We were successful in our efforts to stop the Governor’s proposed twenty-cent gas tax increase which would rise with inflation and we have stopped several other proposed tax increases. 

There are additional proposals to lower costs moving through the legislature including plans to reduce energy costs and give property tax relief. The session is not done, and I will keep working to lower costs for our families in the face of record inflation. 

As always, if have questions or concerns on any legislative topic, feel free to contact me any time. You can call me at 651-296-8138 or send me an email at sen.gary.dahms@senate.mn.  

Sincerely,

Gary Dahms