Download as PDF

‍

Minnesota policymakers had an opportunity to make transformative investments in our people, families, and communities in the 2022 Legislative Session. Unfortunately, despite a $9.3 billion projected general fund surplus for FY 2022-23 and $1.2 billion in flexible funds from the American Rescue Plan, they directed too much of our collective resources to other priorities and left billions of dollars unallocated.

Today, too many Minnesotans continue to struggle with high food and housing costs, and we face an unclear economic horizon. Policymakers will need to come together in 2023 to pass the next two-year budget for the state. It’s likely the State of Minnesota will still have substantial resources available when the updated budget projections are released in December.‍

That means we have another opportunity to use our voices and insist policymakers direct our valuable shared resources to address Minnesotans’ immediate needs while building a stronger, more equitable future.‍

But we won’t be able to make bold steps toward that future or protect essential public services Minnesotans count on if policymakers squander our resources by giving large tax cuts to those with the most resources.

Now is the time to focus on what Minnesotans and their communities need to thrive, and dismantle the deep divides in opportunity across lines of race, income, and geography that persist in our state.

‍

ADD SUPPORT OF BUDGET INVESTMENTS AND OPPOSITION TO LARGE, UNFAIR TAX CUTS TO YOUR POLICY AGENDA:‍

Minnesota policymakers should use the state budget surplus to make bold budget decisions that build a more equitable future for our state. And they should prioritize Minnesotans with lower incomes and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color Minnesotans who have been harmed the most by the pandemic and the economic and racial disparities that pre-dated it.

Policymakers should reject large, badly targeted tax cuts that give the biggest benefit to the highest-income Minnesotans, and that would undermine the ability to sustainably fund essential public services that ensure all Minnesotans, their families, and their communities can thrive.

‍