Tax relief, public safety top priorities for 2022

The 2022 legislative session should be remembered as the year we used a $7.7 billion surplus to deliver historic tax relief and worked to curb violent crime that is soaring in Minnesota.
On the other hand, it could go down as the year House Democrats and Gov. Tim Walz insisted on continuing the trend of unprecedented state spending and failed to help mitigate rampant crime that caused the Twin Cities to meet or set new records for murders in a single year and increased carjackings to historic levels.
Time will tell how this plays out over the next few months and I remain focused on providing tax relief and improving public safety.
Tax relief would be especially timely since, under the Biden administration, inflation is higher than we have seen in decades. Gas prices are up 50 percent or more, utility bills are up and the simple act of buying groceries costs more these days.
One prime area for tax relief is eliminating Minnesota’s status as an outlier that taxes Social Security income. House Republicans made inroads on this issue by eliminating Social Security taxes for 250,000-plus Minnesotans in 2017 and now it is time to take care of the rest.
Another key source of tax relief for businesses is to get them off the hook for increased unemployment insurance taxes that kicked in due to record-setting unemployment claims. There is no reason to be raising taxes on struggling businesses when our state is swimming in excess tax collections.
Look for public safety to be another big issue this legislative session as we look to get a grip on violent crime in the Twin Cities that has statewide impacts. Let’s make sure our law enforcement officers have the resources they need to keep us safe.
We also need to ensure our court system is issuing appropriate sentences instead of going light on criminals, resulting in more repeat offenders. Democrats have spent much of the last two years pushing anti-police legislation and opposing Republican efforts to increase accountability or sentencing for criminals. And now Gov. Tim Walz and his administration are doing the unthinkable by proposing to reduce sentences for repeat criminals.
Minnesotans strongly oppose reducing sentences for repeat criminals and more than 3,500 people recently submitted comments to the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission on this issue, with 95 percent (3,353) expressing opposition. Thank you to everyone who provided comments and your efforts may be a key reason the MSGC delayed conducting a vote on this proposal.
Transportation is another area where we can deliver results Minnesotans want this session. There are numerous deficient bridges in our state and we have the means to fund repairs without borrowing money. I also am working on legislation which dedicates more tax dollars that already are being collected toward fixing roads and bridges.
Finally, I also am hearing from citizens who are concerned about election integrity in our state. A newly elected Minneapolis City Councilman talked about trying to allow illegal immigrants to vote in Minnesota, which only raised more red flags. We must take steps to defend our Constitution, protect our elections and restore voter confidence.
As always, your input is appreciated on these or other issues by calling 651-295-5374, or by emailing rep.chris.swedzinski@house.mn.