As the dust settles from the nearly three-week state government shutdown and the whirlwind special session, many advocates have been sorting through spreadsheets and bill language to figure out just what happened. At the Minnesota Budget Project, we’ve just released our new analysis of the budget compromise reached between Governor Dayton and the Legislature, 2011 Budget Decisions Will Undermine Current Recovery and Hurt State’s Long-Term Economic Success.
Unfortunately, the agreement reached between Governor Dayton and the Legislature fails to find a sustainable way to fund the state’s priorities, cuts services that help Minnesotans who continue to struggle during the slow economic recovery, and does not invest in the state’s long-term economic success. The agreement delays $2.2 billion in payments to school districts, borrows $640 million from the future through tobacco bonds, and reduces funding for vital public services by more than $2 billion.
Our new analysis provides more details on what the compromise agreement will mean for many valued public services, such as K-12 education, health care, child care, services for the elderly and those with disabilities, higher education, workforce development, transit, public safety, and taxes.
-Christina Wessel
“valued public services, such as K-12 education, health care, child care, services for the elderly and those with disabilities, higher education, workforce development, transit, public safety, and taxes.”
… and local governments, who again took one of the largest shares of the cut.