Friends and neighbors,
The 2023 legislative session is underway, and I recently took the oath of office and began my fourth term in the Minnesota State Senate. It is a great privilege to represent southwestern Minnesota and serve as your voice at the Capitol.
We face a considerable to-do list this year, with crafting our state’s next two-year budget and determining what to do with the $17.6 billion surplus at the top of mind. I strongly believe that the historic surplus is a reminder of how severely our state overtaxes Minnesotans. And that is why I am adamant that we give this money back to the taxpayers.
Minnesota serves as one of the highest-taxed states in the nation, and currently, Minnesotans face soaring inflation and a struggling economy. Therefore, it is vital to provide real, permanent tax relief. And recently, the Senate passed an important piece of legislation that will help provide this much-needed relief.
During the second week of session, the Senate unanimously passed a significant tax conformity bill to cut tax collections by more than $100 million. The bill aligns the Minnesota tax code with recent Federal tax adjustments, including: The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act from 2020, The American Rescue Plan (ARPA) Act from 2021, and The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) from 2022.
Though I am glad to see this legislation cut taxes for individuals and small businesses, it leaves certain Minnesotans behind. Missing from the bill is the elimination of the tax on Social Security, or any reduction in personal income tax rates. My Senate Republican colleagues and I tried to amend these changes to the bill, but Democrats opposed the move through parliamentary procedure.
The tax conformity passage is an early session victory, but it is important to not let this overshadow a number of troubling bills moving through the legislature.
With the Democrats in control of both chambers and the governor’s office, there are many bills being heard that I know are of great concern to many of you. So far, they have heard an abortion bill that would open abortion for all, with no restriction on how late an abortion can be performed and no checks anywhere. In a committee hearing, Democrats refused to accept an amendment to give anesthesia to the fetus, which is very capable of feeling pain early in the pregnancy, before it is killed. If you support abortion rights, is this what you expected?
Democrats are also pushing a job-killing personal leave policy. This program would use a significant amount of the surplus to get started and impose a large, additional employer and employee tax. This is a troubling, one-size-fits-all plan with few exclusions. With the state’s disastrous MNsure start along with the debacle in vehicle and driver’s license issuing, there is real cause to be concerned about a massive new state program. And not to mention, the state-run personal leave program would add hundreds of government employees. My caucus has offered a better program through private insurance, but there will be little chance of this getting through.
As the session progresses, I will continue to stand up against the Democrats’ push for substantial growth in government.
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.bill.weber@senate.mn or 651-296-5650.
Sincerely,
Bill Weber