Rep. Kathy Lohmer on the 2013 Legislative Session

Editor’s Note: The following is a news release from Rep. Kathy Lohmer (R-Stillwater). Lohmer represents the Stillwater area in Minnesota House District 39B.

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The 2013 legislative session is now over. For some of us, it couldn’t have come any sooner.

I have to admit that after the 2012 election, many of my Republican colleagues – now in the minority in the House and Senate – were quite concerned about the direction our state would go with one-party control of state government. Among those concerns is that DFL legislators would seek to impose higher taxes on hard-working Minnesotans at a time when our economy is fragile and people are considering moving to neighboring states.

Another concern we had is that DFL legislators would try to unionize childcare providers. After this legislative session, we learned the difficult truth – Democrats did exactly what we feared.

At a time when we have an ever-shrinking $627 million deficit, the solution brought forward by Democrats was to impose $2.1 billion in new taxes on hard-working Minnesotans. Under this tax plan, Minnesota’s income tax rate will be the second highest in the nation for comparative income and have the fourth highest percentage in the nation.

The new Democrat tax plan includes a new fourth tier tax of 9.25% that will hit small businesses, a $424 million tax on large employers, a $1.60 increase in taxes on cigarettes, and $137 million sales tax that will affect businesses services like warehousing, storage, IT services, and telecommunications. These new taxes will go into effect July 1, 2013.

With the state budget still unfinished, House Democrats continued to push the bill that would force in-home childcare providers and personal care attendants to be unionized.

When constituents asked me why were even considering this bill, I couldn’t given them an answer. The only thing I could see is that it looks like union payback. What a blight on the process.

This isn’t what makes sense for independent-small business owners and it flies in the face of what people want. Unfortunately, Democrats were able to muscle through the bill with the minimum amount of votes necessary to pass this bill.

You can watch my floor speech on the bill here and read my column on childcare unionization here. I’m told that it’s likely a lawsuit will be filed when this bill is signed into law by Governor Dayton. Well-respected attorneys believe it will be ruled unconstitutional because it conflicts with federal labor law. I’ll keep you updated as I hear more about that.

PERSONAL NOTE

On a happier and personal note, I’m proud to tell you that my son, Chris Lohmer, was sworn in as a member of the Minnesota State Patrol. Thank you to Chris and all members of the Minnesota State Patrol for keeping us safe!

MEMORIAL DAY WEEKEND

As a Blue Star Mom and a proud American, I’m thankful for the service and sacrifice of all those who have served and currently serve in our military to protect our freedoms and liberties. Please take a moment to recognize those who have served.

As always, I am interested in your feedback. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail at Rep.Kathy.Lohmer@House.MN or contact my office at651-296-4244.