Publications

A new report from the Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED) finds Minnesota does well on many aspects of its Assets… Continue reading New report: Minnesota’s policies promote financial security, but communities of color often left behind

Last month, I had the privilege to be a part of something special in Minnesota when a whole lot of groups… Continue reading MinnesotaCare unites us in a time of divisiveness

A higher minimum wage is not incompatible with a strong economy, and Washington state is a prime example. A recent MinnPost… Continue reading Washington state has both strong economy, higher minimum wage

When the November forecast brought news of a projected surplus, we welcomed that good news. But we encouraged policymakers to act… Continue reading National experts warn: Caution is the right approach to state ‘surpluses’

New research from the Economic Policy Institute provides yet more evidence of how raising the minimum wage benefits the economy and… Continue reading National study confirms: Minimum wage increase good for our economy and communities

The January Economic Update from Minnesota Management and Budget shows state revenues are coming in above expectations and the outlook for the… Continue reading January Economic Update has good news for revenues and economic outlook

A new report from the U.S. Census Bureau shows that many Americans have lived in poverty at some point. From 2009 to… Continue reading Many Americans struggle in poverty, according to new Census data

Last week, the chairs of the budget committees in the U.S. House and Senate announced a budget deal that provides for additional… Continue reading It’s a deal

Federal budget cuts to housing assistance for low-income renters “have left local Minnesota authorities scrambling to keep their programs solvent… Continue reading Federal cuts squeeze housing assistance for low-income Minnesotans

Minnesota has a $1.086 billion positive balance projected for the FY 2014-15 biennium. This good news in the 2013 November… Continue reading November forecast brings good news for Minnesota – but proceed with caution

Minnesotans will soon feel the full force of the across-the-board federal cuts to critical services known as the sequester, according… Continue reading Federal cuts hit home

One in six Americans lived in poverty in 2012. That’s according to the Supplemental Poverty Measure (SPM) released by the U.S. Census… Continue reading New poverty measure shows public policies make a difference

Minnesota continues to outperform most states on key measures like poverty, income and health insurance, according to the latest data… Continue reading A closer look at Minnesota’s inequalities

The federal government shutdown has ended and the debt ceiling crisis averted, but serious concerns remain about whether Congress will… Continue reading Shutdown ends, debt crisis averted – now what?

A new report from JOBS NOW finds that increasing Minnesota’s minimum wage to $9.50 an hour would boost wages for about 357,000… Continue reading Boost in minimum wage good for many Minnesotans

The October 2013 Economic Update from Minnesota Management and Budget shows state revenues are on track, but a worrisome outlook for the… Continue reading October Economic Update shows revenues on track, but unsettling news for economy

Business climate studies are a popular way to rank states. The Tax Foundation in Washington, D.C. just released its 2014 State… Continue reading Business climate rankings don’t give the full story

It’s week two of the federal government shutdown, and the consequences for people who use services such as Head Start and the Special… Continue reading Week 2 of federal shutdown: Debate widens to include debt ceiling, one-sided deficit reduction

Many of us may have missed a piece of good news this week, amid major events like MNsure launching and the federal government… Continue reading Minnesota one step closer to fully reversing school funding shifts

Today is the day that Minnesota’s new health insurance marketplace – MNsure – officially opens for business. And this truly is a… Continue reading Ready, set, go get health insurance!

Minnesotans may feel a bit of deja vu as the federal government shutdown begins today, the start of the 2014… Continue reading Minnesotans feel deja vu as federal government shutdown starts

The bill that narrowly passed the U.S. House yesterday would make harsh cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), eliminating… Continue reading U.S. House votes to cut SNAP for at least 41,000 Minnesotans

Hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans living without health insurance have a great deal to gain when better and more affordable insurance becomes available… Continue reading Census data show Minnesotans still struggling – but health care reform brings hope

Minnesota is the land of unequal opportunities. That’s according to new data from the U.S. Census Bureau.  The American Community… Continue reading Minnesota still a land of inequality

The U.S. Census Bureau is out with a report today showing that anti-poverty policies like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) are… Continue reading New Census report shows anti-poverty measures help millions of Americans

A report released yesterday is more proof that looming cuts to critical food assistance are misguided and would harm thousands… Continue reading More evidence that SNAP cuts are misguided

As we honor workers this Labor Day, thousands of Minnesotans are on the outside looking in. They are unemployed, underemployed… Continue reading A labor-less Labor Day for many Minnesotans

The U.S. House is poised to vote next month on a proposal that would drastically cut basic food assistance to… Continue reading SNAP proposal is double whammy for many Minnesotans

Nearly 1 million Minnesotans will gain access to affordable, quality health insurance beginning next year, thanks to MNsure, the new online marketplace… Continue reading MNsure opens a new world

On the surface, it appears that Minnesota is recovering quite well from the Great Recession. Figures released today show the state is… Continue reading Unemployment analysis tells a disturbing story

Earlier this month, the Obama administration delayed implementing one component of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) – the provision that requires… Continue reading Delaying employer mandate barely a bump in the road for the Affordable Care Act

The sales tax is an important part of most states’ tax systems, and a recent report from the Center on Budget and… Continue reading Minnesota moving forward to create a modern sales tax

New data for FY 2011 from the U.S. Census Bureau show that Minnesota is about average in government revenues. We rank 27th… Continue reading Minnesota revenues are about average

The 2013 Legislative Session brought Minnesota some much-needed improvements to the tax system. The omnibus tax bill raises revenues to fund the… Continue reading 2013 tax bill makes progress toward economic and racial justice

Talk about a policy change that makes a difference to hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans: More than 550,000 Minnesota households… Continue reading Property tax refund improvements will benefit half a million Minnesota households

The July 2013 Economic Update from Minnesota Management and Budget provides good news on the state’s ability to pay back the education… Continue reading July Economic Update brings good news for education, mixed news for the economy

Over the last 25 years, the wealth gap between white and African-American families in the U. S. has nearly tripled,… Continue reading Growing wealth gap harms families and the economy

Today’s a big day for Minnesota – it’s the start of the new fiscal year. Many elements of the state’s… Continue reading Happy New (Fiscal) Year!

New Americans are making up a growing share of Minnesota’s population, and research from the Immigration Policy Center shows that they play… Continue reading New Americans crucial to Minnesota’s economy

January 2013: Minnesota faced a $1.1 billion budget shortfall, the state was not raising revenues needed to fund its priorities and… Continue reading Five months that changed Minnesota

The U.S. House’s 2013 farm bill passed the House Agriculture Committee last month, and will soon be heard on the… Continue reading U.S. farm bill would mean loss of food support for thousands of Minnesotans

The E-12 education final omnibus bill (House File 630) for FY 2014-15 makes important investments toward ensuring that all Minnesota… Continue reading E-12 omnibus budget bill invests in all-day kindergarten and narrowing the achievement gap

As the 2013 Legislative Session closes, the final budget bills have been passed by the House and Senate. Last week… Continue reading Jobs, economic development and housing budget bill makes important investments in our state

The higher education bill for the FY 2014-15 biennium (Senate File 1236) invests $250 million in additional general fund resources… Continue reading Higher education omnibus budget bill increases financial aid, freezes tuition

Governor Dayton, the House and Senate all made commitments this year to tax plans that would resolve the state’s budget deficit, fund investments and… Continue reading Tax bill makes strides toward tax fairness, investments in our future

Thursday night, legislative leaders and Governor Dayton added some details to the tax portion of the previously announced budget framework, which… Continue reading More details of tax portion of budget framework emerge

As the 2013 Legislative Session quickly draws to a close, the final pieces of the budget are coming into place. Over the… Continue reading Governor, House, and Senate move forward with budget framework in place

For the state’s economy to grow, Minnesota needs to invest in a strong and stable workforce. The entire state benefits when… Continue reading House and Senate make key investments in economic development and housing

The Senate omnibus tax bill has similar goals to Governor Dayton’s and the House’s tax proposals: make the state’s tax system… Continue reading Senate omnibus tax bill shares goals with Governor and House, but differs in the details

When the House and Senate released their committee targets in March, we were surprised that the health and human services… Continue reading Health and human services omnibus bills make good investments using wrong resources