Local Republican legislator comments on passage of recreational marijuana bill in the Minnesota House of Representatives

The Minnesota House passed a bill last week to legalize recreational marijuana, but the bill has no traction in the state Senate.  KAUS News spoke with State District 27A Representative Peggy Bennett, a Republican from Albert Lea who joined other Republicans in accusing Democrats of wasting time on cannabis legislation instead of approving a state income tax break for those who received COVID unemployment benefits, and for businesses who received COVID emergency loans from the federal government under the Paycheck Protection Program…..

The state budget deal Governor Tim Walz and legislative leaders agreed on Monday includes the sought-after tax breaks for workers’ COVID unemployment benefits and on businesses’ Paycheck Protection Program loans, but that likely won’t become law until after a mid-June special session.  House Speaker, Democrat Melissa Hortman says she thinks the Revenue Department perhaps will be able to make changes so people don’t have to re-file their income taxes, but that’s not yet certain.