Dear Neighbors and Friends, When I started session in January, my goal was help make progress for Minnesota. After years of budget deficits, we had our work cut out for us. Our first challenge was to close a $627 million budget deficit left over from the previous Legislature. On top of covering past IOUs, we needed to make investments in our students and stop the trend of rising property taxes for Minnesota families and seniors. We knew we needed to accomplish all of this while putting forward a balanced budget that didn’t rely on shifts or gimmicks. I’m happy to say that we did just that. Our budget supports our students from early childhood education all the way through high school, college and career with $735 million in new funding. With investments in early childhood education and All Day Kindergarten, we ensure our youngest scholars are ready to learn and succeed in school. This funding along with new performance standards for grades 1-12 will prepare students to enter the workforce, technical school and college. We freeze tuition after a decade of double digit increases and staggering student debt. Our budget ensures that once students enter the workforce, they are well trained and equipped to strengthen our economy. We provide a $354 million tax cut for Minnesota businesses to help create jobs for these workers. We also provide needed property tax relief to homeowners and tax credits for renters. Our budget moves Minnesota past the strategy of all cuts and ongoing gridlock. We invest in our schools, our communities, and our economy. Our balanced budget moves Minnesota forward. Connie Bernardy
