Health insurance brings Tax Day surprise for some

by State Representative Paul Anderson

Some Minnesotans who received a subsidy last year to help cover the cost of their health insurance may be in for a surprise when they file their tax return for 2014. At least one constituent reported to me that they must pay several hundred dollars of additional tax to cover the subsidy they received from the federal government to defray the cost of insurance. To be fair, this is not a problem brought on by the troubled MnSure exchange in Minnesota. It has to do with incomes that turned out to be underestimated, which resulted in subsidies received that were too large.

Back when folks signed up for health coverage and the associated subsidies for last year, 2013 incomes were used to determine the level of subsidy. However, if the actual income for 2014 increased by a certain level, it changed or eliminated the subsidy amount people were entitled to receive. That’s the reason why some will have to pay income tax on that subsidy, although they had no idea this might happen. And even if they knew, it would have been very difficult, if not impossible, to get back into the MnSure system to make a change in income, which would have also resulted in a lower subsidy and higher health insurance premiums.

In addition, an announcement late last week from Washington told of an error in sending out tax information to nearly one million Americans. It’s a new form called 1095-A, and it goes to all who received a subsidy to help with the cost of health insurance. This situation also serves as a strong message illustrating the new and complicated link between health care law and taxes. Nationally, it’s estimated the wrong information was sent out to one in five of those who received subsidies. The information represents a tax reporting error on the government’s part that will slow down the filing season, especially for those who file early in hopes of receiving a refund.

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I attended the opening of a new exhibit on space flight at the Science Museum of Minnesota last Thursday evening in St. Paul. On hand to mark the occasion was Col. Mike Fossum, an astronaut who spent nearly six months aboard the International Space Station and has walked in space on seven separate occasions. He gave an excellent speech and then opened the floor to questions from the audience. One of the questions pertained to motivating today’s kids to get more involved in activities that might increase their interest in space exploration. I thought Col. Fossum’s answer was excellent when he said that kids should be “unplugged” from their video games and cell phones, and that they should spend more time outside, playing and looking up at the stars above them.

License Plate Reader issue heats up

License Plate Readers Held Up In Committee Over Privacy Concerns

Submitted by the office of Senator Torrey Westrom - Elbow Lake

St. Paul – A new technology to identify stolen cars is producing major controversy at the Minnesota State Capitol. On Wednesday, the Senate Committee on Transportation and Public Safety heard Senate File 86, also known as the “Automatic License Plate Reader” bill, which authorizes law enforcement to retain drivers’ information for a period of 90 days.

The retention period is the source of the controversy, with legislators and data privacy advocates raising concerns over the infringement on the privacy of average, law-abiding citizens. Automatic license plate reader technology not only collects license plates; it also tracks time, date, and location of the license plate at the time of collection.

“Whether or not you have done anything wrong, you are under surveillance,” said Sen. Torrey Westrom (R-Elbow Lake). “Your personal information is available to law enforcement for 90 days (and sometimes longer), even if you have not committed any crime, and it may be used in criminal investigations.”

Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance (GOCRA) is one of the groups concerned with the retention provision. They have said there is nothing stopping law enforcement from collecting data on hundreds or even thousands of cars outside political rallies, churches, mosques, or gun shows. Law Enforcement officers are free to share personal information of Minnesotans with federal agencies – agencies that have no legal obligation under Minnesota law to protect the data.

To address these data privacy concerns, Senate Republicans introduced a “Zero Day Retention” bill that would eliminate the retention period. Senate File 31, authored by Sen. Branden Petersen (R-Ham Lake), allows for automatic license plate readers to be used by law enforcement, but restricts the data from being stored for any length of time.

“License plate readers are not inherently destructive, but the data collected needs to be more heavily regulated,” continued Sen. Westrom. “Sen. Petersen’s bill strikes a balance between the privacy rights of individuals and law enforcement’s ability to utilize this technology to apprehend criminals.”

Automatic license plate reader technology allows law enforcement to preprogram license plates of stolen cars into their system. The reader then collects plate numbers and automatically runs the numbers against the list of stolen cars. When there is a match, law enforcement is notified in real time. This has proven very effective at recovering and restoring stolen vehicles.

Automatic license plate readers streamline and automate what law enforcement officers have done for decades. This technology also has the capability of scanning for missing persons, warrants, and terrorists. It can more accurately identify possible suspects, rule out innocent people, and expands investigative capabilities of agencies.

City public notice

The City of Brooten will not be responsible for water line freeze-ups.  Please monitor your water temperature and if it reaches 36 degrees, you should let your faucet run slowly to prevent a freeze.

Brooten City Council

Looking back: Brooten elementary teachers

Hello friends of the Bonanza Valley Voice!! The publisher is seeking input from near and far on a special ongoing project for the newspaper. Attached is a snapshot from the 1977-78 Buccaneer yearbook with some of the elementary staff shown. What we want is not specific to any year. Here's what we want: in a private message send us a special memory or a small story related to your favorite teacher or event or time during your childhood while attending Brooten Elementary School between 1964 and 1994 prior to the remodel and consolidation with Belgrade. You can e-mail us at bonanzavalvoice@tds.net.

Classroom teachers in the picture include: Phyillis Imsdahl (Grades K-3); Margaret Jacobson (Grade 6); Joanne Heieie (Kindergarten and first grade); Keith Lundquist (Grade 5), Keith Krebsbach (Phy Ed); Marcella Mickelson (Grades 1-2); Marlene Mohr (Grades 4-5); Helen Philipsen (Grade 3); Susan Ruf (Kindergarten).

National FFA Week

The Minnesota FFA Association will celebrate National FFA Week next week from Feb. 21-28.

http://www.mnffa.org

National FFA Week provides an opportunity for students with completely different backgrounds across the country to connect with each other by celebrating the same great organization they are a part of.

“FFA week is a time when members across the nation pool their efforts to spread excitement about the National FFA Organization,” state president Jack Roessler said. “We all want others to see how FFA and agriculture are relevant and changing lives for the better.”

Local agricultural education programs around the state of Minnesota will participate in various activities throughout the week. Through meetings with government representatives, appreciation meals for the community, high school dress-up days, agriculture awareness events and many more fun activities, local FFA chapters will celebrate the motto of our organization.

Even social media will connect people across the country. On Sunday, Feb. 22, students will have the opportunity to engage in #FFAchat, a national conversation between FFA members and alumni.

“During #FFAchat, members from around the nation will join in and have a conversation about National FFA Week,” state reporter Erin Larson said. “Through the conversation, members and supporters will talk about what they do to celebrate and gain new ideas to implement in their communities.”

Based around agriculture and previously an acronym for the Future Farmers of America, FFA changed its name to the National FFA Organization in 1988 to reflect the growing diversity of careers in agriculture. Students are now able to learn about research, technology, business, management, communications, the economy and a variety of other careers in agriculture.

Middle school and high school students have the opportunity to prepare for career success in any field through events that develop future career skills such as public speaking, communication, leadership and hands-on job experience. Agricultural education provides a unique opportunity for students to learn about a field that is relevant to their everyday lives.

Interested in celebrating National FFA Week with your community? Contact your local FFA chapter for more information.

“Learning to Do, Doing to Learn, Earning to Live, Living to Serve.”

FFA is a national organization preparing students for leadership and careers in the science, business and technology of agriculture through applying knowledge and skills learned in the classroom. The Minnesota FFA Association is a key component in each of the nearly 200 agricultural education programs dedicated to developing student’s potential in premier leadership, personal growth and career success for all students. Minnesota FFA has more than 10,100 members of the 610,240 National FFA organization members representing all 50 states, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. Agricultural education engages students through applied learning experiences in the classroom, experiential learning opportunities known as Supervised Agricultural Experience projects, and FFA activities.

You can learn more about the experiences of FFA members and supporters by visiting www.mnffa.org and www.ffa.org.

This news update is brought to you by Lakeside Foods of Brooten, who currently has a job opening as outlined below:

Goat Ridge Brewing Company nears opening

The building on the right is the home of Goat Ridge Brewing Company.

Don't miss one of two feature stories in this week's Bonanza Valley Voice about the Goat Ridge Brewing Company. One of the company's co-founders is a 1991 graduate of Belgrade-Brooten-Elrosa.

The company has a crowd-funding website at indiegogo: http://igg.me/at/goatridge/

They have just one week left in their fundraising campaign and would love more support from the area!

The company's website is www.goatridge.com.

Turkey dinner!

South Lake Johanna Lutheran Church of rural Brooten will have their annual Turkey Dinner on Sunday,  March 8 from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. They will serve turkey and all the trimmings! Everyone is welcome!