A few weeks ago we learned that Minnesota's projected budget surplus had exceeded our expectations, which gave Governor Dayton the opportunity to revise his budget ideas for the next two years.
Unfortunately his new ideas included very little state spending restraint.
With what is now a $1.9 billion surplus, Governor Dayton's updated budget would permanently spend $43 billion for Fiscal Year 2016-17, which is a $3.7 billion increase from what our state currently spends.
Among the governor's new priorities: spending $343 million to fully fund full-day pre-kindergarten for every 4-year-old in Minnesota. There's also a $68 million increase for welfare programs, but only a $25 million increase for nursing homes.
It's interesting that Governor Dayton would rather spend nearly three times as much on welfare recipients as opposed to those facilities and workers who care for our elderly and disabled. Clearly that is a misplaced priority and an area where the Minnesota House and the governor will likely differ.
There was also no mention of new money for roads and bridges. This means the governor is continuing his prioritization of what some have called the largest gas tax increase in the history of the state. If his transportation proposal became law, it would inevitably lead to drivers paying a minimum of 16 cents per gallon more for gasoline.
Again, this is an area where the House and the administration strongly disagree, especially when you consider that a recent poll found that 75 percent of respondents favored a House approach that would utilize General Fund and surplus dollars to create additional road and bridge funding in our state.
In the coming days, the Minnesota House will unveil its plan for transportation as well as budget targets. Unlike Governor Dayton, my priority will be to give that surplus back through tax relief as opposed to using nearly all of it to permanently increase state spending.
As always, I am interested in your feedback. Please feel free to contact me by e-mail at Rep.Kathy.Lohmer@House.MN or contact my office at 651-296-4244. You can also send mail to my office address: 501 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155.