Kaela Berg Banner




*Dear neighbor,?*

We just wrapped up our third week of the 2024 legislative session. My colleagues and I are continuing our work on policy bills aimed at improving the lives of working and middle class families.?

Here?s a look into what we?ve been up to this week.

*Committee Hearings*

This week, I had the opportunity to present my bill to the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement which would change the Public Employees Police and Fire Plan to include critical fire service workers who currently are excluded, such as Fire Marshalls, Assistant Fire Marshalls, Chiefs, Assistant Chiefs, and Deputy Chiefs.

Our police and fire service workers spend their lives protecting our communities, and my bill would help ensure all of our fire service workers get what they deserve when they retire.

You can watch my full remarks from the hearing here [ [link removed] ].

Rep. Berg hearing




On Thursday, I presented my bill House File 4011 [ [link removed] ] to the Labor and Industry Finance and Policy Committee to address concerns about smoke produced by lasers during surgery. Lasers used in surgery can create toxic gasses and vapors harmful to patients, and can irritate respiratory tracts. This bill would require health care employers performing these surgeries using this equipment to capture and filter the smoke. Minnesotans deserve world-class health care, and our nurses deserve to work in a setting that is not harmful to their health. My bill would help ensure our surgical rooms are smoke-free and operating at the highest standards for our nurses and patients.?

*Property Tax Refund??*

With tax season underway, DFLers worked diligently to ensure Minnesota families have access to the tax credits and deductions they've earned, strengthening their financial foundation. We worked to simplify the Property Tax Refund, making sure every renter will receive the refund they deserve, one third of whom are seniors or people with disabilities.??

You can qualify for the $204 average refund by visiting www.revenue.state.mn.us/property-tax-refund [ [link removed] ].






Tax Changes graphic




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*MPCA Small Business Environmental Loan Program*

If your small business is looking to reduce on-site air emissions, clean up contamination, or generate less waste be sure to apply for the MPCA Small Business Environmental Loan program. The program offers zero-interest loans up to $75,000 to tackle these high-impact projects. You can learn more and apply here [ [link removed] ].






MPCA graphic




*Stay In Touch*

If you have questions, ideas, or feedback that you?d like to share, please don?t hesitate to reach out. Email me at [email protected] or call (651) 296-5387. For more regular updates, you can subscribe to these regular legislative updates if you haven?t already, here [ [link removed] ], and you can also ?like? and follow my official State Representative Facebook page [ [link removed] ].

Sincerely,

Kaela Berg

State Representative








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