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Government

• The budget mess: How we got here
  Minnesota went from record budget surplus under Gov. Jesse Ventura to record budget shortfall under new Gov. Tim Pawlenty in a few years. How did it happen?March 12, 2003
• County officials anticipate service cuts
  County commissioners and other local leaders are looking for ways to cope with the funding cuts in Gov. Tim Pawlenty's budget. The governor's spending plan calls for cuts in many programs to fill a $4.2 billion shortfall. As debate over the proposal heats up, some officials are questioning the long-term affects, especially in social programs.March 10, 2003
• Budget deal at Capitol could shift tax showdown to cities
  As lawmakers debate Gov. Pawlenty's budget proposal, the issue of property taxes is becoming a major focus. DFL lawmakers say the governor's budget would result in significant local property tax increases. They say that violates the spirit of the no-tax-increase pledge on which Gov. Pawlenty campaigned. Pawlenty says his pledge didn't apply to property taxes. He says property taxes are going up with or without his budget.March 5, 2003
• VA clinics using technology to ease patient overload
  Veterans Affairs medical centers have seen an explosion in the number of patients across the country. Patient loads have increased by as much as 60 percent over the last seven years. The Sioux Falls VA clinic serves veterans from one of the largest regions in the country, and 23,000 patients are enrolled there. Many drive hours to see a doctor. Nationally, the V.A. is looking for ways to be more efficient. The Sioux Falls clinic is already changing things. Doctors are using new techniques to treat more patients every day.March 4, 2003
• Governor gets a polite earful
  Gov. Tim Pawlenty took his budget proposal on the road Wednesday. The governor toured four northern Minnesota communities to promote his plan to fix the state's $4.2 billion budget deficit. At a community forum in International Falls, Pawlenty got a favorable response for his plan to create tax free-zones to promote business. But he also heard concerns over cuts to social programs and state aid to cities and counties.February 27, 2003
• Poll: Voters question school funding, want new standards
  Results of a new survey show a majority of state voters think public education in Minnesota is on the right track, but less than half think money for schools is well spent.February 27, 2003
• Capitol protest cites budget cuts in services to disabled
  Hundreds of people with disabilities and their caregivers were at the Capitol on Wednesday to protest proposed budget cuts. They say Gov. Pawlenty's budget plan would cut services for people with disabilities by four percent. They say the state already cut community-based programs for people with disabilities by $63 million earlier this year.February 26, 2003
• Poll: Minnesotans expect property tax increase in wake of budget cuts
  A new poll shows most Minnesotans are ready to accept the level of spending reductions outlined in Gov. Tim Pawlenty's budget plan. Last week, Pawlenty released a deficit-reduction package that pruned back planned spending by almost $3 billion and offered no new tax increases. But the survey, conducted for Minnesota Public Radio and the St. Paul Pioneer Press, also shows that majorities of respondents expect the cutbacks to fall hard on some Minnesotans.February 24, 2003
• Pawlenty rallies supporters
  Gov. Tim Pawlenty began a weekly radio show Friday, and prepared to do battle with critics of his budget proposal. Three days after the release of his budget, Pawlenty is coming under fire from groups affected by his proposed budget cuts. Pawlenty is calling on Minnesotans who support his no-tax-increase pledge to join the debate.February 21, 2003
• Debating the public employee pay freeze
  Tucked into Gov. Tim Pawlenty's $4.2 billion deficit-reduction package is a proposal to freeze the wages of all public employees. The freeze would affect not just state workers, but everyone on the public payroll -- police, county health workers, teachers, and even professors in the state colleges and universities system. Administration officials say the plan is a tool to keep a lid on spending during difficult budget times. But union officials say the plan erodes the collective bargaining process.February 21, 2003
• Cities trying to figure out how to make due with less
  City leaders across Minnesota are gearing up for a fight. They're upset over Gov. Tim Pawlenty's plan to fix the state's $4.2 billion budget deficit. The plan would cut state assistance to cities and counties by more than 20 percent. The governor says those cuts won't be any more than five percent the first year. City leaders say he's wrong. They fear they'll have to cut essential services like police and fire protection.February 21, 2003
• What happened to families who left welfare system?
  State officials say they don't know how more than 1,000 families are faring after being dropped from the Minnesota welfare system last July. Anti-poverty activists and social service providers say they believe the cutoffs are a major setback for those families.February 20, 2003
• Does Wisconsin's welfare plan work?
  Minnesota state lawmakers hold a hearing Thursday on Gov. Pawlenty's plan to copy much of Wisconsin's welfare-to-work system. The Wisconsin program, known as W-2, has received national attention for reducing the number of welfare clients receiving cash benefits. But critics say the program has many problems. Wisconsin's new governor has just proposed significant changes.February 20, 2003
• Balancing the '04-'05 budget, round one
  Governor Tim Pawlenty is proposing the largest budget in Minnesota history which seeks to wipe out a $4.2 billion dollar deficit without raising taxes.February 19, 2003
• Huge cuts mark Pawlenty budget
  Gov. Tim Pawlenty has released a budget proposal that erases a projected $4.2 billion deficit without raising taxes. Gov. Pawlenty's budget would increase state spending by about a billion dollars in the next two years. But it makes deep cuts in the projected growth of health and human service programs, and cuts aid to local governments and higher education.February 19, 2003

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