Rep. Stensrud: Photo ID Bill Goes Onto Senate

Dear Neighbor,

Last week we passed the Photo ID bill for voting. This is a bill allowing citizens to decide whether photo ID should required to vote. We also passed another bill to boost small businesses and create jobs.

The photo ID bill now goes to the Senate. Upon approval there, Minnesota voters will be asked this question in November: “Should the Minnesota Constitution be amended to require all voters to present valid photo identification on election day and that the state provide free identification to eligible voters?”

Our system of elections is a crucial part of our free society and photo IDs would help in supporting integrity. Surveys show 70 to 80 percent of Minnesotans favor this requirement. The key is to make sure all eligible voters are provided an opportunity to vote and some valuable safeguards are in place to make sure this happens. The state will provide free ID cards to those who do not have them and anyone who does not have ID  on election day can cast a provisional ballot and put forth verification at a later date.

The other bill we passed is called the Tax Relief and Jobs Act (H.F. 2337). This is a wide range of improvement measures aimed at making Minnesota a better home for businesses, ultimately fostering job growth.

Rankings place Minnesota’s commercial property taxes among the nation’s highest. Our bill begins a 12-year phase-out of the statewide business property tax rate to help businesses invest in employees and growth, not burdensome regressive taxes.  It will help make our state more attractive to businesses considering relocation to our state. 

We want Minnesota to become a long-term player in the high-tech industry and other measures invest in programs that will grow the medical device and bio-tech industries in our state. This would create good-paying jobs for Minnesotans.

Here are some of the key elements of the bill:

• A statewide business property-tax reduction to begin a 12-year phase-out process
• A $25 million increase in research-and-development credits for Minnesota companies
• A permanent $5 million increase in the Angel Investment Tax Credit
• Allowing small businesses to take up-front capital equipment exemptions
• A tax credit for businesses that hire veterans

We are waiting for the Senate to act on this bill as well and I anticipate it will reach the governor’s desk soon for his action. I will let you know what transpires.

Sincerely,

Rep. Kirk Stensrud (42A)