 Senate Republicans made a stop in Bemidji to discuss state taxes and reform now that the new Tax Cut and Jobs Act was recently signed into law. The Tax Town Hall brought community members together tonight to hear ideas and share their concerns about the new law and how it will impact the state. Discussion centered around reforming Minnesota's tax laws to keep the state competitive. Republicans feel optimistic about working with Democrats and getting a bill to the governor. We have a lot of ideas, but we know it's not going to be easy because we have to work with the other side too. We want some of our DFL friends to be on board, but yes, the governor is the ultimate. He's got to sign off and agree to what we're doing. Well, I think, initially, I think Minnesota was really a leader in the tax reform because we did have a really good tax reform before the federal government even really started working hard on it. So there's certainly more we can do. If we're going to get something by the governor, it's going to be a lot like Senator Chamberlain or Tax Chair talked about. It's going to be along the lines of conformity, and there are certainly things that we can easily do there that I think the governor is going to be able to go along with. The legislators report back to St. Paul on February 20th for a short session that will end on May 21st. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.