Gov. Dayton’s proposed two-year budget released Tuesday, focuses on education and health and human services spending. Dayton said in a news release that the $42 billion dollar proposal would help the state’s future generations.
“Minnesota’s future success – the health of our families, the vitality of our communities, and the prosperity of our state – will depend upon our making excellent educations available to all Minnesotans,” Gov. Dayton
Governor Dayton also tried to send a message through his budget this year. His plan left our funding for the Minneapolis Parks Board after it’s efforts to obstruct the Southwest Light Rail Project.
Dayton’s proposed budget by the numbers:
-$109 million to create a free, voluntary pre-kindergarten learning program for all 4-year-olds in Minnesota.
– $373 million to increase funding for every K-12 school in the state.
– $93 million to help make higher education more affordable; and deliver roughly
– $100 million in child care tax credits for working families.
– $30 million to expand broadband Internet availability.
– $70 million to make railroads safer.
– $45 million for local programs, aimed to ease property taxes among other things.
Credit: Timothy Blotz, Fox 9
Republican legislative leaders are very critical of Dayton’s proposal, arguing that it spends too much and doesn’t set the right priorities for the state. With a new majority in the House, the GOP will have greater influence over the final budget. Republican leaders say they won’t release their budget proposal until after the state’s next economic forecast is released in late February, according to the Star Tribune.
