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Hello from St. Paul,
With Minnesota soon facing a $6 billion budget deficit, lawmakers are going to need to find ways to reduce spending.
To me, one of the easiest ways would be to eliminate funding dedicated to people who shouldn’t be here in the first place.
Last session, a Democrat legislative majority and Governor Walz agreed to spend hundreds of millions of state tax dollars on programs that provide free college tuition and free health care to illegal immigrants.
New House legislation would eliminate this spending. It would prohibit illegal immigrants from receiving state-funded financial aid, grants, subsidies, or other taxpayer-funded assistance. It would also ban sanctuary cities, strengthen immigration enforcement, and ensure that criminals who are here unlawfully are held accountable.
As the legislature analyzes current spending and determines where reductions need to be made, it would be my hope that we can all agree Minnesota’s tax dollars should be spent on Minnesotans in need. Legal Minnesotans.
RETURN FUTURE BUDGET SURPLUS TO YOU?
We are facing a $6 billion budget deficit in the next budget cycle due to the outrageous choices made by last year’s majority party. They wasted an $18 billion budget surplus, raised taxes by $10 billion, and increased state government spending by nearly 40%.
Because of these decisions, who knows how long our state will struggle get out of the hole.
But what if a future legislature was prevented from blowing a budget surplus? What if that money automatically went back to you?
A new bill making progress in the House would let you make that decision.
The plan would ask voters whether to amend the Constitution to guarantee future budget surpluses are returned to the taxpayers. If approved, a Minnesota tax relief account would be established. Any projected revenues that go over 5% of projected expenditures according to the last biennial budget forecast will be used to fund the account and those revenues would be returned to the taxpayers via refunds.
The funds deposited in the account will not be taxable under Minnesota law, nor can they be used to offset the cost to the state general fund for any tax reductions made by the Legislature. Only income and property taxpayers in Minnesota would be eligible for a refund.
By letting voters decide how surplus funds should be utilized, they could decide if they like the way state lawmakers previously handled budget surplus decisions, or if they automatically want that money returned to them – no questions asked.
LOCAL VISITORS
As a member of the Legacy Committee, I have the opportunity to hear from folks dedicated to the promotion of arts and culture in Minnesota. Recently, I had the chance to visit with members of Minnesota Citizens for the Arts about the Legacy and Arts Culture Fund and its direct impact to those who benefit from the Northwest Minnesota Arts Council.
I was glad to have a few minutes to visit with Susie Novak Boelter, Executive Director for North Country Food Bank, as she attended Hunger Day on the Hill in St. Paul.
Advocates took the day to meet with lawmakers, share their stories, and advocate for policies that ensure all Minnesotans have access to the food they need.
Members from the Minnesota Association of School Administrators (MASA) gathered recently to network, learn and to hear from some of Minnesota’s education policy and finance decision-makers.
A big thank you to the large group of local superintendents for the visit on the issues affecting their local school districts. We covered a number of topics including compensatory aid, summer unemployment and the need for flexibility in school funding to allow local school boards the ability to make smart decisions for schools in their communities.
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