[Editor’s note: In an effort to help inform our members about state and federal budget issues, Minnesota Environmental Partnership is working with the Minnesota Budget Project to cross-post updates about the budget.]
Around 100 participants joined us for the Minnesota Budget Project’s Governor’s Budget Briefing on Friday, in which Abigail Read of Minnesota Management and Budget provided an overview of Governor Dayton’s budget recommendations in areas including revenues, education, health care, the safety net, higher education, public safety, government efficiency, arts and culture, jobs, housing and transit.
Here is where you can find the resources discussed in the briefing:
* Abigail Read’s Powerpoint Presentation
* Governor Dayton’s budget details
* Fact sheet describing the impact of Governor Dayton’s major income tax proposals on sample families, prepared by the Minnesota Department of Revenue
In my closing remarks, I noted that Governor Dayton’s budget makes some tough choices in these difficult economic times. But his budget does take a balanced approach, including raising revenues, to solving the state’s budget shortfall. Under a cuts-only approach to the deficit, the cuts to services would be roughly six times greater than what the Governor has proposed.