Matt’s Work at the Capitol
Matt’s first term was a historic one, for Minnesota and for Blaine and Lexington. Rep. Norris helped lead the way passing 34 bills into law. Highlights included securing $102.75 million for Highway 65, cutting property taxes, and passing $300 million in public safety aid.
A commitment to bipartisanship.
65% of Matt’s bills with co-authors had both Democratic and Republican authors from the House or Senate!
Rep. Norris worked tirelessly to deliver on this top priority for our district. With the state dollars Rep. Norris was able to secure, construction on the intersections from 99th Ave. to 117th Ave. can begin moving forward. Rep. Norris was the chief author of the Highway 65 bill in the House, and the only Blaine legislator to vote for all $102.75 million in funding.
Construction will likely begin in 2025-26 with some local road improvements likely starting sooner.
$102.75 million secured for Highway 65!
Rep. Matt Norris and House Transportation Chair Frank Hornstein discuss the $68.75 million for Highway 65 in the Transportation Budget Bill.
Cutting Taxes for Minnesotans
As Vice Chair of the Tax Committee, Rep. Norris helped pass the largest tax cut in state history!
Property Tax Cuts
Based on voter feedback, Rep. Norris proudly authored a “supercharged” targeted property tax refund for homeowners who see a big property tax spike. If your property tax bill increases by at least 6% from 2023 to 2024, you’ll get a refund of up to $2,500! Rep. Norris also updated the limits for the Homestead Market Value Exclusion. Now homes valued at up to $517,200 qualify.
Eliminating Taxes on Social Security
Rep. Norris led the effort with Rep. Lislegard to eliminate the tax on social security benefits for the vast majority of Minnesota seniors. Thanks to the changes Rep. Norris helped pass, 76% of Minnesota seniors won’t pay a single cent in state tax on their social security benefits while 84% will at least see a reduction. Married seniors making up to $140,000 and single seniors making up to $118,000 will benefit.
The Best Child Tax Credit in the Country
Rep. Norris worked with the other leaders of the House Tax Committee to craft a child tax credit that will cut childhood poverty in Minnesota by 33%. Eligible families will receive a credit of $1,750 per dependent.
On the House floor, Rep. Norris walked through some of the highlights of the Tax Bill he helped pass as Vice Chair of the Tax Committee.
Speaker Melissa Hortman hands Taxes Vice Chair Norris a pen after signing the enrollment of the Tax Bill, which represented the largest tax cut in Minnesota history!
Prioritizing Public Safety and the Heroes Who Keep Us Safe
Rep. Norris was the chief author in the House for $300 million in public safety aid for cities and counties to help keep our neighborhoods safe. Thanks to Rep. Norris’s efforts, Anoka County will receive over $4 million, Blaine will receive over $3 million, and Lexington will receive $117,000. Watch Matt’s report to the Legislature on the impact of these funds.
Rep. Norris also led the bipartisan effort to renew key powers for the Anoka County Joint Law Enforcement Council. This group allows law enforcement agencies to coordinate and save money for county taxpayers.
And Rep. Norris led a coalition of police, community leaders, and young people to pass a bill to reduce the number of youth committing repeated crimes in Hennepin, Ramsey, and Anoka Counties.
Rep. Norris also worked to keep our heroes safe. He was the chief author of a new law that will eliminate the use of cancer-causing “forever chemicals” called PFAS from firefighting foam. The new law also requires a report on how to eliminate PFAS from the gear firefighters wear. Finally, the bill Rep. Norris got passed creates a voluntary biomonitoring program for firefighters so they can catch any negative health effects from these chemicals early.
Supporting Students and Teachers
Rep. Norris introduced a bill that resulted in a 4% and 2% boost in funding for our public schools the next two years. He also included adjustments for inflation in the future so political gridlock doesn’t keep our schools from getting the funding they need.
And thanks to Rep. Norris’s update to the K-12 Education Tax Credit, families earning up to $70,000 can get $1,500 per kid for afterschool programs, school supplies, driver’s ed, and more. Check out a podcast about Matt’s work to update this tax credit on Spotify or Apple Podcasts!
Lifting up the Next Generation of Teachers
Completing twelve weeks of student teaching without pay is one of the biggest barriers for aspiring teachers. So Rep. Norris led a bipartisan bill to pilot paying stipends to student teachers. This will allow more Minnesotans to achieve their dream of becoming an educator. The bill was highlighted in the Star Tribune!
Enhancing School Safety
Rep. Norris wants our students and teachers to be safe in the classroom. So he authored and passed a bipartisan bill to fund GIS mapping of every district, charter, and private K-12 school in the state. These maps will speed response time in the case of an unthinkable school shooting or an everyday medical emergency.
Rep. Norris teamed up with a high school student and her dad from our House district to pass a law requiring schools to make space available for students to participate in mental health appointments by video conference or phone. Watch Matt’s presentation of the bill on the House floor!
Helping Manufactured Home Park Residents
Rep. Norris secured $17 million for manufactured home park infrastructure grants and loans.
Rep. Norris also passed $10 million for manufactured home financing, down payment assistance, and repair/renovation.
Rep. Norris created new ways to help convert parks to resident cooperative ownership, including notice requirements when a park is being sold, a $10 million revolving loan fund, and a tax credit to incentivize park owners to sell to residents.
Rep. Norris authored the Minnesota Cooperative Housing Act to make it easier for parks to form resident-owned co-ops when their community sells. The bill passed 128-1!
Check out this article from a national publication highlighting Rep. Norris’s work for manufactured housing residents!
Boosting Minnesota Businesses and Workers
The lack of workers is the number one issue Rep. Norris hears about from businesses. That’s why he passed five bills with funding for programs to help:
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Helmets to Hardhats transitions veterans and active-duty military into construction careers.
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Youthbuild introduces young people to careers in the trades by building affordable housing. Rep. Norris’s work to double the funding for this program was featured in the Star Tribune and on KSTP, and his visit to the Spring Lake Park High School Youthbuild program was higlighted by North Metro TV.
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YWCA Minneapolis has a program to prepare workers for early childhood education careers.
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Greater Twin Cities United Way’s Career Academies which trains youth for careers in high-demand fields.
Rep. Norris introduces his Helmets to Hardhats bill in committee.
Rep. Norris is also a big believer in promoting entrepreneurship and job creation in Minnesota. That’s why he led the effort in the House to renew the Angel Tax Credit to encourage investment in startup companies, especially those in Greater Minnesota and led by underrepresented individuals.
Leading for our Vets and National Guard
Rep. Norris had the honor of carrying the 2024 Veterans & Military Affairs Policy Bill on behalf of the Minnesota House. It includes new tools to help the National Guard carry out its mission and new ways to support our veterans. The bill passed the House unanimously!
Investing in the National Sports Center
The National Sports Center is the economic engine of our House district and the second-biggest tourist attraction in the state of Minnesota! That’s why Rep. Norris worked to pass three bills to invest in the facility:
$9.6 million in the capital investment bill to begin addressing the maintenance backlog at the NSC.
$5.05 million to install solar panels on the ice arena roof to save energy costs and improve the environment.
$433,000 in revenue from a sale of land to the City of Blaine retained for use by the NSC.
Rep. Norris was also appointed by Speaker Hortman to the Minnesota Amateur Sports Commission, which governs the NSC.
