Minnesota needs a fair and balanced budget 

This is the last full week of the regular 2015 Legislative Session. While Gov. Mark Dayton and DFL legislators are working to build a better Minnesota for all Minnesotans with the state’s $2 billion budget surplus, House GOP want $4 billion in permanent tax giveaways for corporations and special interests, to kick 90,000 working families off health care, to cut job creation programs, and shortchange our children’s futures.

Taxes – $1.7 billion gap

Gov. Dayton’s budget proposal would expand the Working Family Tax Credit to more than 287,000 middle class families, expand the K-12 Education Tax Credits to 16,800 more middle class families, and expand the Child and Dependent Care Tax Credit to 130,000 Minnesota families. Altogether, under the Governor’s proposal over 350,000 Minnesota families would see a reduction in their taxes. 

By contrast, the House GOP proposal would: 

• Cut taxes by $1.9 billion this biennium
• Give over $4 billion in permanent tax giveaways to corporations and special interests, when fully phased-in
• Protect and maintain corporate tax loopholes
• Deny 257,000 middle class families additional tax relief
• Give permanent tax giveaways to the wealthy by cutting the Estate Tax for the wealthy
• Give property tax giveaways to railroads hauling crude oil and other flammable loads while protect them from paying new assessments that would help pay for essential railway safety improvements statewide
• Cut tens of millions of dollars from Local Government Aid specifically for Duluth, St. Paul, and Minneapolis 

2015 GOP tax giveaways · Gov. Dayton · Mar Dayton

Minnesota needs a fair and balanced budget 

This is the last full week of the regular 2015 Legislative Session. While Gov. Mark Dayton and DFL legislators are working to build a better Minnesota for all Minnesotans with the state’s $2 billion budget surplus, House GOP want $4 billion in permanent tax giveaways for corporations and special interests, to kick 90,000 working families off health care, to cut job creation programs, and shortchange our children’s futures.

Transportation – $3 billion gap

Gov. Dayton’s budget would invest $6 billion over the next ten years to address the state’s highway funding deficit, invest $2.356 billion in local government transportation projects, and provide $2.92 billion for transit systems across Minnesota.

The Governor’s proposal would create an estimated 119,000 new jobs, and build the infrastructure necessary to meet the demands of a growing population and an expanding state economy. It would repair or replace 2,200 miles of roads and 330 bridges statewide, increase Metro Area transit ridership by 80 percent, and increase transit service in Greater Minnesota by 500,000 hours annually.

Finally, it would invest $330 million over the next ten years in critical railway safety improvements statewide. 

By contrast, the House GOP plan would:

• Shift $4 billion out of the General Fund over the next ten years, taking funds that would otherwise be dedicated to education and other essential services, and spending them instead on roads and bridges
• Cut $723 million from the Metropolitan Council over the next ten years, which would stall development on additional transit projects, raise transit fares, and force significant cutbacks in bus services
• Provide $325 million less than the Governor for critical railway safety improvements and eliminate funding for the state’s Freight Rail Office and Rail Director – positions essential to improving railway safety as rail traffic continues to increase in Minnesota 

2015 $3 billion funding gap · 2015 transportation funding · Gov. Dayton · Mark Dayton

Minnesota needs a fair and balanced budget 

This is the last full week of the regular 2015 Legislative Session. While Gov. Mark Dayton and DFL legislators are working to build a better Minnesota for all Minnesotans with the state’s $2 billion budget surplus, House GOP want $4 billion in permanent tax giveaways for corporations and special interests, to kick 90,000 working families off health care, to cut job creation programs, and shortchange our children’s futures.

Health and human services – $1.493 billion gap

Gov. Dayton’s budget would make critical investments in initiatives to strengthen families, prevent child abuse, improve mental health, provide additional outreach to parents of at-risk children, provide support and shelter for homeless and sexually-exploited youth, and seek long-term, sustainable solutions for Minnesota’s health care systems.  

By contrast, the House GOP plan would: 

• Book $530 million in fake budget “savings”  that are unsubstantiated by the Department of Human Services, including a $283 million hole in the state budget
• End reliable, affordable health care for 90,000 working Minnesotans and their families (44 percent of whom live in Greater Minnesota)
• Cut funding for child care assistance for working families
• End funding for the Statewide Health Improvement Program, which has helped communities across Minnesota reduce smoking, obesity, and chronic disease
• Endhome visiting services for high-risk pregnant women  Shortchange funding for mental health providers
• Give no new funding for grants to prevent Fetal Alcohol Syndrome
• Givee no new funding to address local public health needs in Greater Minnesota
• Dangerously under-fund essential state services for  vulnerable populations, including the mentally ill 

2015 budget · GOP health and human services cuts · Gov. Dayton · Mark Dayton

Minnesota needs a fair and balanced budget 

This is the last full week of the regular 2015 Legislative Session. While Gov. Mark Dayton and DFL legislators are working to build a better Minnesota for all Minnesotans with the state’s $2 billion budget surplus, House GOP want $4 billion in permanent tax giveaways for corporations and special interests, to kick 90,000 working families off health care, to cut job creation programs, and shortchange our children’s futures.

Higher education – $226.4 million gap

Gov. Dayton’s budget would freeze tuitions for over 317,000 students at the University of Minnesota and MnSCU, expand the State Grant Program for 7,500 more students and increase Grant awards for an additional 93,000, and help 250 American Indian students pursue higher educations. It would also invest $30 million to return the University of Minnesota Medical School to national prominence and train the next generation of world-class medical professionals right here in Minnesota. 

By contrast, the House GOP plan would: 

• Potentially raise tuitions at the University of Minnesota by as much as $730 per year
• Raise tuitions at MnSCU campuses by as much as 3 percent
• Cut $53 million from the State Grant Program, making college more expensive for 85,000 students; increasing their tuition burdens
• Give no new funding for American Indian Scholarships
• Give no new funding for the University of Minnesota Medical School

2015 higher education funding · Gov. Dayton · Mark Dayton

Minnesota needs a fair and balanced budget 

This is the last full week of the regular 2015 Legislative Session. While Gov. Mark Dayton and DFL legislators are working to build a better Minnesota for all Minnesotans with the state’s $2 billion budget surplus, House GOP want $4 billion in permanent tax giveaways for corporations and special interests, to kick 90,000 working families off health care, to cut job creation programs, and shortchange our children’s futures.

E-12 education – $537.9 million gap

Gov. Dayton’s budget would send 47,300 four-year-olds to preschool for free, continue early learning scholarships for over 10,000 kids, eliminate the Head Start waiting list for 2,400 young children, increase funding for every school district in Minnesota, and make important investments to improve student achievement and help all our children achieve their greatest potential.   

By contrast, the House GOP plan would: 

• Give limited new funding for essential classroom needs
• Give no funding for universal prekindergarten
• Give no funding for school breakfast for our youngest learners
• End funding for Regional Centers of Excellence, which have helped significantly narrow achievement gaps in struggling schools
• Give no new funding for special education
• Give no new funding for Head Start, forcing 2,400 kids to stay on the waiting list
• Give no new funding for the Positive Behavior in School Program, which has significantly improved student behavior and curbed unnecessary school detentions
• End the opportunity for many high school students to take the ACT in preparation for college and other post-secondary studies 

2015 E-12 education · 2015 education funding · education · fair and balanced budget · Gov. Dayton · Mark Dayton