Levy cliff update: It passed and is on to the Governor’s desk!
I have been working hard to find a way to fully fund education over the last 10 months. From the Education Funding Task Force to my work this session as chair of the Finance Committee, solving this problem has been my top priority.
For our first bill this year, the House passed a bill to extend the “levy cliff” and give schools assurances that their budgets wouldn’t be cut while we worked on a compromise deal with the Republican-controlled Senate. Last night, 45 days later, the Senate finally agreed and passed an amended version of the bill. This morning, the House stood up and voted overwhelmingly to pass the amended version on and to the Governor for his signature.
There’s a lot more work to do. Agreeing on a compromise for the final deal to fully fund education will require tough decisions from both sides. Now that we have all agreed to do the right thing by our children and our school districts, we can do the hard work of finding a solution that finally fulfills our paramount duty.
Small businesses get a break with my simplified business licensing bill
For small businesses that operate in multiple cities and towns, the process for acquiring licenses to operate in each jurisdiction can be a burden—even an impediment to growth. Hours of paperwork and research to be and stay in compliance could be put toward growing business operations, not bureaucracy. That’s why I sponsored HB 2005, which passed the House 96-2 with overwhelming bipartisan support.
Under my bill, if passed by the State Senate and signed by the governor, businesses would be able to receive a city’s license from the Department of Revenue, increasing compliance and saving time. Creating a more streamlined process, without burdening city and town governments, improves business operations and makes government more efficient. I look forward to working this bill and turning it into law.
Thank you for taking the time to read my e-newsletter. Please call, write, or email if you have any questions, thoughts, ideas, or concerns you’d like to share.
