Go to Minnesota's budget

Minnesota's budget

Minnesota Public Radio coverage of the Minnesota budget negotiations.
  • Tax debate pits Senate vs. House vs. Pawlenty
    Senate Democrats want to raise income taxes on every Minnesotan for five years to help balance the state's budget. Their plan differs from a tax increase plan from House DFLers, and both proposals face an almost certain veto from Gov. Pawlenty.April 21, 2009
  • DFLers propose cutting payments to health care providers
    Rep. Tom Huntley, DFL-Duluth, said most provider payments would be cut by 3 percent, but he said no one currently on state subsidized health insurance would lose their coverage.April 21, 2009
  • House DFLers: State 'can't afford' some current tax breaks
    Democrats in the Minnesota House are proposing to raise income taxes for the state's wealthiest residents and scrap many of the tax breaks those same people now enjoy.April 20, 2009
  • Local governments spending more on lobbyists
    Democrats in the House and Senate are scheduled to release their tax bills this week, and a lot of people will be looking to see how those bills impact local governments. Many of them will be lobbyists -- lobbyists who are paid with taxpayer money.April 20, 2009
  • Minn. Historical Society faces drastic budget cuts
    The Minnesota Historical Society said today it may lay off nearly 100 employees, cut the hours of another 220, and close some historic sites in the state as a result of cuts in its state funding and the poor economy.April 16, 2009
  • Senate bill aims to cut prison sentences to save state funds
    A bill introduced in the Minnesota Senate this week would cut prison sentences across the board and lower penalties for specific crimes. The bill's author said she's proposing the changes to help balance the state's budget. But some public safety advocates say the changes go too far and the savings could be found elsewhere.April 16, 2009
  • Little agreement at Capitol as deadlines loom
    The Minnesota House and Senate resumed work Tuesday after a holiday break, and deep disagreements remain over how to erase the state's $4.6 billion budget deficit.April 14, 2009
  • DFL Legislative leaders stake out their positions
    The Speaker of the House and the Senate Majority Leader discuss the $4.6 billion budget shortfall and other key issues being negotiated in the final 5 weeks of the 2009 Legislative Session.Midday, April 13, 2009
  • Minn. general fund revenues $46M below forecast
    The latest economic update provided by Minnesota Management and Budget says general fund revenues collected by the state have fallen below forecast in the last two months.April 10, 2009
  • Senate DFLers approve cuts to education funding
    The Minnesota Senate has given preliminary approval to an education funding bill that cuts state spending for public schools.April 7, 2009
  • Teachers union concerned about proposed school budget cuts
    Education funding comes up today in the Minnesota Senate. The DFL-backed bill would cut K-12 funding by more than 3 percent. The state's teachers union, Education Minnesota, is opposed to that move.April 7, 2009
  • Minn. House passes $200M bonding bill, stimulus spending bills
    The Minnesota House passed a $200 million borrowing plan for public construction projects on Monday. The House also passed a pair of stimulus spending bills aimed at water infastructure projects and unemployment funding.April 6, 2009
  • Minn. Senate votes to lift host of state mandates
    The Minnesota Senate has given preliminary approval to a bill that relieves cities, counties and school districts from dozens of state-imposed mandates. The bill is aimed at helping local officials save money.April 6, 2009
  • Governor's hometown hits hard times
    City officials in South St. Paul worry that cuts in state aid by native son Tim Pawlenty will cause big problems.April 5, 2009
  • School districts have nearly $1 billion in reserve
    At a time when many Minnesota school boards have been cutting programs and laying off teachers, school districts as a whole are sitting on record budget reserves.April 3, 2009
Photo by AFP/Getty Images

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