Put it Right Back Where it Belongs! Given the state’s massive budget surplus we have an excellent opportunity to provide relief to hard-working Minnesota families who are still feeling squeezed by high inflation. The number one thing I hear around the district: people want us to give the surplus back. I agree! The package includes changes for immediate tax relief today with one-time rebate checks using $5 billion of the state’s surplus funds and $3.5 billion for a one-time child tax credit available for two years. The checks are estimated to be $1250 for single filers, and $2500 for joint filers. The $1800 tax credit per child under the age of 18 comes without strings attached to its purpose [...]

Coffee with KoranThis upcoming Friday, March 10, I will host Coffee with Koran from 1:00pm – 3:00pm at the County Market in North Branch. Please use the link to sign up or email me at sen.mark.koran@senate.mn. I look forward to meeting and hearing directly from you!Unlocking the Potential of Our Students - Financial Literacy in High SchoolsUnderstanding personal finance is crucial for students to have successful futures. It is a critical life skill that every student should have. Unfortunately, many students graduate high school without basic knowledge of personal finance. This session my colleagues and I introduced legislation that would require Minnesota high school students to pass an online personal finance class in 12th grade as part of their [...]

It Takes a Team - Thank You! Neighbors, I appreciate your commitment to making Minnesota a great place to live and work. As your state senator - I work for you! People often overlook the direct impacts the decisions made in St. Paul have on our daily lives. Government and elected officials need to be transparent and held accountable. During session (January – May), I send weekly email updates on things happening at the Capitol and around our community. I encourage you to sign up! I'm Here to Help In addition to the weekly email updates, I encourage you to follow me on social media for real time updates on what's happening in St. Paul. Again, I work for [...]

Spread the Government Love - Give It Back!On Monday, the Minnesota’s office of Management and Budget (MMB) released its February revenue forecast, which provides information and an outlook for Minnesota’s financial picture. The report projects a surplus of $17.5 billion for the next budget cycle, which begins in July.Last week, the legislature passed a bill to automatically add inflation to forecast computations. Without that change, the true surplus number is closer to $19 billion.For well over a year, the number one thing I hear from constituents is that they want us to give the surplus back. An enormous budget surplus should mean enormous relief for Minnesotans.With folks still feeling their household budgets squeezed by high prices for everything from [...]

Secure Your Child's Safety: School Bus Safety Now! Again, this year we are tackling the issue of increasing school bus safety. According to the Department of Safety, officers cited 4,652 drivers in Minnesota for school bus stop arm violations from 2017 – 2021. When the lights are flashing don't be passing graphic Reckless disregard for our children’s safety on the roads must stop, and people need to be held accountable. A bill moving through the legislative process would require school buses to be equipped with a stop-signal arm extension that extends a minimum of 6 feet from the bus. School buses would still be equipped with the standard 18-inch stop sign when snow-covered streets become narrower in winter. In [...]

Priority: Road SafetyThis session, I am fighting to secure critical funding to improve safety along the Chisago County I-35 and Hwy 8 interchange. There have been several serious crashes in recent years, including 5 fatalities. Chisago County has already garnered over half the money needed for the project, and securing the rest to improve road safety is a top priority!Driver's Licenses for All A bill to make driver’s licenses available to all Minnesotans, including illegal immigrants, is moving through the legislative process at an alarming rate. In the Senate, it has skipped critical committee jurisdiction this legislation will impact.The reality is illegal immigrants are on our roads right now. They are involved in our community, driving to work and [...]