Minnesota Budget Project's blog

As the 2013 Legislative Session quickly draws to a close, the final pieces of the budget are coming into place. Over the weekend, Governor Dayton and House and Senate leaders agreed to a budget framework for the upcoming FY 2014-15 biennium that raises significant revenues to close the state’s budget deficit and make critical investments in the building blocks of our future economic success.

By 2018, Minnesota’s employers are expected to require one of the most highly educated workforces in the nation, with 70 percent of jobs needing some education beyond high school. The House and Senate help prepare us to meet those needs by investing in higher education in their omnibus higher education bills.

Minnesota has dramatically cut investments in our public universities and colleges in recent years, driving up tuition and undermining the state’s ability to produce the well-educated workforce we need to be competitive.

An educated Minnesota is critical for the state’s economic success. Governor Dayton’s FY 2014-15 budget proposal demonstrates his vision for education in Minnesota as he invests nearly $600 million in additional resources for E-12 and higher education.

Extending the expiring 2001 and 2003 federal tax cuts would give the largest tax benefits to the highest-income Minnesotans and is a relatively ineffective way to spur economic growth, a new report from Citizens for Tax Justice (CTJ) finds.