Rep. Chris Swedzinski, R-Ghent, called it the homestretch in his weekly legislative newsletter that he emailed out before the Easter break.

There’s about five weeks left in 2022 session for the Minnesota Legislature. And like sessions of the past, members of the House and Senate are leaving all the big decisions to the bitter end. The Associated Press reported this weekend that there’s been little meeting of the minds between the House Democrats and Senate Republicans. Translation: A house divided.

Here in southwest Minnesota, there are two items of interest that deserves major attention:

• Both sides need to break up the stalemate over the unemployment insurance tax increase. House Democrats have made a tax rollback contingent on Senate Republicans agreeing to $1 billion for frontline workers instead of the $250 million target set last year. So far Republicans refused to budge.

• Republicans want to give the state’s surplus back to taxpayers. The Senate passed a permanent income tax cut that would reduce the first-tier rate for all filers from 5.35% to 2.8% and fully eliminate income taxes on Social Security. Democrats say most of the benefit from the GOP plan would go to well-off Minnesotans. House Democrats favor targeted-relief through expanded child care and property tax credits and refunds. Gov. Tim Walz has proposed one-time income tax rebates of $500 for single filers and $1,000 for joint filers.

We urge legislators to keep taxpayers and small business owners in mind when they return to the negotiation table. They are facing soaring inflation and rising gas prices. Not only do they need relief now, but long-term relief as well.