Capitol Comments by Peggy Benett

This legislative session brought a unique dynamic that I hadn’t experienced in my time as a representative. We had a Democrat governor, and a House and Senate both controlled by Republicans. Despite the divided government, we were able to deliver on our top priorities: tax relief, road and bridge funding, along with common sense reform and increased dollars for schools to help students around the state.

Last week, we finished passing our final budget bills, and on Tuesday, the governor signed all of them into law. These bills marked significant compromise between the House, Senate and governor which helped us come to an agreement that averted gridlock and helped us pass a budget that will help Minnesotans in all corners of the state.

One of the biggest pieces of legislation we passed will provide $650 million of tax relief that prioritizes middle class Minnesotans of all age groups. The proposal includes property tax relief for farmers, a tax credit for those paying off college loans, beginning a phase out of the tax on Social Security for our seniors, added relief for families with young children and much more.

Our huge budget surplus indicates that we are over-taxing people, and it’s time we let Minnesotans keep more of their hard-earned money in their own pockets.

We also passed a transportation plan that infuses billions of dollars of much-needed funding for roads and bridges throughout Minnesota without raising taxes or tab fees. In fact, it is the largest investment in roads and bridges without raising the gas tax or tab fees in state history. We heard loud and clear that residents wanted a significant investment in our roads, and this bill does just that.

We also passed education funding to invest $1.35 billion of new money into Minnesota schools. The majority of the new funding goes to the per-pupil formula, where school districts have the flexibility to use that money where it’s needed most and can get right down to the classroom level. In addition, we put a significant amount of additional funding into early childhood education to target our youngest at-risk learners.

One of the reforms in our education bill includes a much-needed reworking of our teacher licensure system. I enjoyed being a part of the education committee that developed this reform, as well as being a member of the conference committee that worked on the bill.

For too long, Minnesota’s broken teacher licensure process has served as a barrier to getting qualified and motivated individuals into careers in education. This bill addresses those issues, while maintaining high standard for those who teach in local schools. These reforms should make a positive difference for all Minnesota schools, and especially those in rural Minnesota who are experiencing teacher shortages.

On top of these budget bills, we were able to also pass a significant bonding bill. More than a quarter of the funding was dedicated to roads and bridges,  $173 million went to water-related projects — including the long-awaited sewer project for the Albert Lea Stables area—and many statewide asset preservation projects.

These bills involved a lot of hard work on all sides — Senate, House and governor — much give and take, and a lot of compromise. Minnesotans want us to work together, and that’s what we did — and that makes a big win for all of Minnesota. I’m proud of our accomplishments, and the lasting, positive impact these bills will have on folks in our area and around the state.

Peggy Bennett, R-Albert Lea, is the District 27A representative.