Governor Mark Dayton and legislative leaders found common ground on a number of difficult issues during the legislative session – from streamlining Minnesota’s environmental permitting process to opening new pathways for bringing top tier college graduates and seasoned mid-career professionals into Minnesota classrooms.
But as the regular legislative session ended, differences remained on how large Minnesota’s two-year budget should be.
- The Legislature passed, and the Governor vetoed, a $34 billion budget, which is about 6 percent more than the state’s general fund will spend during the current budget period.
- Governor Dayton is sticking to a $35.8 billion budget, which represents a double-digit increase in spending and would require statewide tax increases.
Continuing negotiations will lead to a budget resolution. In the meantime, we want to thank the Legislature for holding the line on spending. Granted, $34 billion would be the largest general fund budget in state history – and more than many lawmakers preferred. But $34 billion is within state revenue projections for the next two years. We need to learn to live within our means.
