News

Major bills in limbo during short special session

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton has given lawmakers until seven o’clock Wednesday morning to come to terms on several major bills after calling for a short special session.

Minnesota Farmers Union (MFU) director of government relations Thom Petersen says a number of their priority issues remain up in the air, including a tax bill that features a 40 percent tax credit on ag land going towards school bond debt levies.

“That tax bill also has some reforms for Section 179 (depreciation).  And we’re also hoping that a Beginning Farmer credit is going to survive in that tax bill this afternoon.  So that’s really a big one.  We’re also looking at $300 million in the transportation bill.”

He tells Brownfield the bonding bill being negotiated also includes transportation dollars, as well as funding for the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) that could be used to help farmers comply with the Buffer Law.

Petersen says he’s optimistic legislators and Governor Dayton can work together to finish the session tomorrow morning.

“These bills have been being negotiated for about the last two weeks.  We’re pretty confident there’s going to be a few things that each side doesn’t like, but at the end of the day it’s good to see the Legislature and the Governor come together in a short special session to get it done.”

He says MFU is also watching the Higher Education bill closely because it contains provisions for University of Minnesota Extension as well as loan forgiveness for veterinary students.