Session Begins

Last week we began the 2023 legislative session by swearing in the members of the House and Senate. It is a privilege to continue serving the people of our district for my sixth term, and I plan to hit the ground running working for the priorities of our community.

This biennium I will serve as the Republican Lead member on the Higher Education committee, as well as serving on Rules and Legislative Administration, Ways and Means, and Climate and Energy Finance and Policy. There is a lot of work ahead of us and I hope to see good things come out of each committee this year.

Tax Conformity Passes House

On Monday morning, the House unanimously passed a bill to bring Minnesota into tax conformity with the federal government. It has been five years since we last conformed to federal tax policies, and this will ease the unnecessary burdens faced by Minnesota tax filers over the last half a decade. The quick turnaround of this bill ensures that filers will see those burdens eased in time for this year's tax season. Filers will have until December 31^st, 2023 to file their amended returns. I am glad we could get this important issue resolved right away at the beginning of session.

Opioid Advisory Council Survey

As a result of the national opioid settlement, Wright County is positioned to receive more than 4 million dollars to be used for opioid-related initiatives. Our Opioid Advisory Council has created a survey to gain an understanding of how community members would like to see that money spent in order to save lives and have the greatest impact. If you would like to complete this survey and share your thoughts, you can find it here. The survey closes on February 3rd.

Taiwan Friendship Caucus Trip

As a founding member of our state legislature's Taiwan Friendship Caucus, I had the opportunity before session began to go to Taiwan for a series of meetings, tours, and learning sessions around the area.

Fellow members of the Taiwan Friendship Caucus, Representative Mohamud Noor and Senator Jason Rarick joined me on the trip. I learned so much, and came back with a renewed enthusiasm for maintaining our state's strong relationship with the people of Taiwan.