Friends and neighbors,

This week at the Capitol, the Senate unanimously passed a key tax conformity bill to provide more than $100 million in tax relief for individuals and small businesses. This legislation aligns Minnesota’s tax code with Federal tax adjustments – such as the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act from 2020 – that resulted in many tax changes.

While this bipartisan victory will provide significant financial relief to many, it is important to note that it leaves certain Minnesotans behind. 

Absent from the bill is the elimination of the tax on Social Security or any reduction in personal income tax rates. Senate Republicans pushed to amend these changes to the bill, but ultimately, the Senate Democrat Majority rejected the amendments on party-line votes – 34-33.

Ending Minnesota’s burdensome tax on Social Security income is an issue I routinely hear from constituents on. Minnesota is one of just 12 states that still taxes this important benefit, and it is long overdue to provide relief to our seniors who are already on a very fixed income. I stand committed to fully eliminating the Social Security income tax, and there are already several Senate Republican bills introduced to do just that.

Additionally, this week, Senate Republicans received notification from the Majority that they reassigned nine additional spots on Senate Committees. And I am pleased to share that they added me as a member of the Senate Agriculture, Broadband and Rural Development Committee. Responding to the needs of our farmers and rural communities is an area I have always dedicated myself to, and I look forward to continuing my work this session to advance our agriculture sector.

This decision follows an extensive floor debate last week, where we pushed back against Democrats’ steps to enact a one-party rule and silence the Minority. It troubled my Republican colleagues and I that Democrats made every committee include at least a two- and sometimes three-seat difference, when the Senate body is only a one-seat difference. The additional committee appointments bring us closer to a more even majority-minority balance of power, but the additional Republicans still leave most committees with a two-seat difference. Further, the Democrats even added one of their own members to a committee where we received an additional Republican seat on, which did not improve the balance.

As the session continues, I remain committed to standing up for our community’s values and working to address the issues most important to Minnesotans.

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 the 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