Minnesota Budget Plans

The state of Minnesota's budget determines what resources are available for everything from schools to health care to parks to transportation.

Understanding the budget proposals that are on the table, as well as what ultimately gets passed into law, is essential information you can use to become involved in influencing budget decisions. We analyze full budget proposals, as well as proposals on key components of the budget, from the governor and legislative bodies, emphasizing public services that expand opportunity and economic security to more Minnesotans.

Research

June 2011

A tale of two visions: Comparing Governor Dayton's and the Legislature's FY 2012-13 budgets

During the 2011 Legislative Session, Governor Dayton and the Legislature put forward two very different plans for the state's next two-year budget. Governor Dayton has proposed a balanced approach that combines spending cuts and revenue increases, while the Legislature's budget relies heavily on deep cuts to services. This analysis compares the details of the two plans for K-12 education, health and human services, higher education, jobs and economic development, public safety, transportation, and taxes.

May 2011

Constitutional revenue limits damaged Colorado's business climate, quality of life

In 1992, Colorado adopted TABOR, a constitutional amendment that strictly limits state spending. The state soon found itself falling behind in many economic performance and achievement indicators. In 2005, a bipartisan, broad-based coalition of state leaders and groups succeeded in temporarily suspending TABOR to allow Colorado's economy to recover.

April 2011

Governor Dayton presents a balanced approach to the state's FY 2012-13 deficit

Governor Dayton’s budget presents a balanced approach to resolving the state’s $5.0 billion deficit for FY 2012-13. His proposal makes significant cuts to areas like higher education and health and human services, but prevents even deeper reductions by proposing $2.7 billion in tax increases. Dayton’s budget will also have important implications for other areas of the budget, including E-12 education, workforce development, housing, public safety, and state government.

July 2010

General Assistance Medical Care: Unique program serves a unique population

General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) was initially established in 1975 to provide health care coverage for very low-income adults without dependent children. It is a state-funded program that fills in the gap for adults, aged 21 to 64, who do not qualify for other public health care programs. In 2008, an average of 28,000 Minnesotans were enrolled in GAMC each month, or 70,000 over the course of the year. More than 40 percent of enrollees are people of color.

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Minnesota Budget Plans Blog Posts

March 23, 2023

Early agreement on state budget targets outline use of the surplus

On Tuesday, the Minnesota House and Senate leadership and Governor Tim Walz released joint budget targets that lay out ...

February 01, 2023

Governor Walz releases FY 2024-25 budget priorities

In his proposal for the two-year FY 2024-25 budget cycle, Governor Tim Walz proposes $11.2 billion in additional funding for public services, with the largest amount of new dollars going toward education, economic development, and health and human services. He also proposes $5.4 billion in tax reductions in FY 2024-25, with the biggest component being a one-time tax rebate. Read more in our blog.

June 07, 2022

Mental health bill takes important steps forward in addressing state’s crisis

Minnesota legislators took important steps toward shoring up our state’s mental health system by allocating $93 million over three years aimed at increasing the number of providers, supporting mental health crisis services, and reducing racial disparities in mental health services.

May 26, 2022

What passed, what’s unfinished business after end of 2022 Legislative Session

On Monday, the 2022 Legislative Session officially ended, but what did policymakers actually pass into law? With a his...

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