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My home base in Hermantown is a long way from St. Paul. International Falls, Ely, and Grand Portage are even further.
While many of my colleagues represent only portions of one city or even just neighborhoods within a community, our district is vast. The different communities, tribal nations, and counties across our region each have their own unique concerns that require a strong, independent-minded voice at the Capital. Given the rich history our region has had, I couldn’t be more humbled to carry on this new generation of leadership for the Northland.
That started by providing an extension in unemployment for our laid off Northshore miners. Providing those benefits as a lifeline to these workers until the mine reopens was my top priority, and I got my colleagues to make it one of theirs: My bill was the second bill to pass the Legislature this year. We passed it with wide bipartisan support and got the bill to the governor and checks in the hands of those workers as quickly as possible. While this was an important step in providing relief for these workers, my true goal is to get the Northshore Mine back up and running because these miners ultimately just want to get back to work.
With my first bill behind me, I am now focused on tax relief for families, retirees, and investing in our future.
Two weeks into the session, the Senate passed $100 million in tax relief through the tax conformity bill. We recognized the importance and urgency of this bill, passed it with bipartisan support, and got it into law in time to help tax filers save money this year and file amendments on their previous tax filings to save even more.
For our seniors, I’m one of the leading voices in the push to eliminate the tax on Social Security benefits. I’m proud to say the bill I’m co-authoring has already received two hearings in the Senate Tax Committee and will be included in the final Senate tax bill. Retirees already had their hard-earned income taxed once, and there’s no reason for us to tax them again. That proposal has support from my Republican colleagues across the aisle and I’m willing to work with anyone with a good idea. But their bill lacks similar relief for public pensions for retired police and firefighters who don’t qualify for Social Security and I’m hopeful we’ll come to an agreement in the final tax bill.
For parents of young children, I’m the chief author of a childcare tax credit bill that would help over 174,000 Minnesota families solidify their family budgets. Under my bill, parents would be eligible for thousands of dollars in tax relief. Imagine how much it would mean for a family of four to have another $10,000 in the bank.
That idea is not just possible, or even probable. A similar proposal is in Governor Walz’s budget, and another has the support of the House majority. Much like everything else, previous efforts have stalled due to gridlock in St. Paul but this session we’re finally going to get it done.
When I told voters I was going to Just Deliver for our district, this was the kind of work I had in mind. It’s a long session, and there’s still plenty to be done, but I welcome the challenge. The people of our region deserve nothing less.
Senator Grant Hauschild
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