Publications

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

As the Legislature passes budget bills to invest in our kids, our workers and our communities, legislators also need to figure out how… Continue reading House omnibus tax bill’s priorities include progressivity and lower property taxes

We know a quality school system plays a critical role in a state’s economic success, and making sure that all… Continue reading E-12 omnibus bills make significant investments in our children

By 2018, Minnesota’s employers are expected to require one of the most highly educated workforces in the nation, with 70 percent… Continue reading Higher education budget bills focus on making college affordable

Our priorities for the FY 2014-15 state budget are to raise revenues to resolve the budget deficit and invest in… Continue reading Governor Dayton’s budget provides a good framework for final budget legislation

Later today, the Senate Tax Committee is expected to hear Senate File 1034, the Health and Human Services omnibus bill. We… Continue reading Repealing the provider tax puts vital health care services at risk

It’s April in Minnesota, which means many of us are caught up in the budget discussions brewing at the state… Continue reading A first look at sequestration’s impact on Minnesota

State revenues continue to come in higher than expected and employment in Minnesota has returned to pre-recession levels, according to… Continue reading April Economic Update brings more good and not-so-good news

As Minnesota policymakers consider proposals to increase income taxes on the highest-income households as part of the FY 2014-15 budget,… Continue reading Research debunks idea that tax increases prompt the wealthy to leave a state

Invest in Minnesota’s 10 Ways in 10 Days campaign wraps up today with a story about the need to invest in… Continue reading 10 Ways in 10 Days Ten: Invest in all-day kindergarten

Today is Way Nine of Invest in Minnesota’s 10 Ways in 10 Days campaign. It profiles Erich Lutz, who sees… Continue reading 10 Ways in 10 Days Nine: Invest in services for homeless youth

Some of the Minnesota Senate’s tax priorities came into clearer focus yesterday when the Senate Tax Reform Division released its… Continue reading Senate tax priorities start to come into view

Today’s 10 Ways in 10 Days story from Invest in Minnesota is about investing in job training: Imagine that you’re… Continue reading 10 Ways in 10 Days Eight: Invest in job training

Day Seven of Invest in Minnesota’s 10 Ways in 10 Days campaign shows why Minnesota needs to invest in higher… Continue reading 10 Ways in 10 Days Seven: Invest in higher education