While issues like education, transportation and job creation command a great deal of time and attention from members of the General Assembly, there are also a number of other issues that are just as significant and serve as priorities for us. To that end, I recently reintroduced several bills designed to address specific challenges in our communities and our state government.

One of the most noteworthy bills I reintroduced would improve and streamline the budget process by switching to a two-year budget cycle. The bill would simplify the budget process by eliminating the need for legislators to spend countless hours examining a new budget proposal each year. In addition to offering school districts and non-profit organizations greater clarity in terms of state funding on an annual basis, this change would allow more time and effort to be invested into an exhaustive review of the performance and value of state programs and services to ensure taxpayer dollars are allocated more efficiently. As a result, the bill would help lawmakers avoid many of the redundancies in the budget process and focus on sustainable, long-term solutions to budgetary challenges.

I also recently reintroduced a pair of proposals designed to promote the agriculture industry. One of these proposals would help make our producers more competitive by excluding building materials utilized for the construction or repair of animal production buildings from the state’s Sales and Use Tax. A number of neighboring states offer a similar exemption. The measure would reduce the tax liability of agriculture businesses by an estimated $4 million per year.