Beyond the big-ticket items that got most of the press attention such as abortion, transgender rights, tax rebates and gun control, the 2023 legislature made several dramatic policy changes that…
After E-12 Education, Health and Human Services, and Property Tax Aids and Credits (PTAC), Higher Education is Minnesota’s fourth biggest expenditure. In the 2022-2023 biennium, for example, a little over…
The good news (if you might even call it that) is that President Joe Biden and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy reached a deal to prevent a default. The bad news…
After E-12 Education, Health and Human Services (HHS) is Minnesota’s next biggest general fund expenditure. In the 2022-2023 biennium, for example, HHS took up nearly thirty percent of all general…
In our exclusive Thinking Minnesota opinion poll, conducted from Sunday through Tuesday, ending the day after the 2023 legislative session gaveled out, found that 51 percent of voters believe the…
Since the end of last week, the DFL has been celebrating the passage of their $3 billion tax relief plan, calling it the biggest tax cut in Minnesota’s history. But…
On Monday, the state legislature passed a budget that will grow government spending by 33% by 2027. It has often been claimed — falsely — that this budget contains “the…
Yesterday, the Minnesota legislature passed a new budget deal that will see the state government spend $69.5 billion (excluding inflation) in the 2024-2025 biennium. This is an increase of $14.0…
With the 2023 Minnesota legislative session finishing today, Gov. Tim Walz and Democratic majorities in the House and Senate accomplished everything on their wish list. We won’t have to wait…
On Saturday, the Minnesota House DFL tweeted: On Sunday, the Minnesota Senate DFL tweeted: The Star Tribune, now published by a former member of Governor Walz’ cabinet, dutifully pushed out…
Late last night details began emerging of the budget deal struck between House and Senate negotiators. If you were wondering where that forecast $18 billion budget surplus is going to…
As soon as June 1, the U.S. government could run out of money to pay its bills. This means that without further borrowing, the U.S. government would not be able…
Last week, Christopher Ingraham of the Minnesota Reformer emailed me to say that he was working on an article on net domestic migration into and out of Minnesota and asked…
Over the weekend, the Senate pulled its support for ‘Worldwide Combined Reporting,’ a terrible idea that would have massively increased the cost of tax compliance for businesses and enforcement for…
The always-alert Lou Raguse of KARE-11 noticed the filing made last Thursday in Federal court. The motion to move the trial to the District of Northern Illinois was joined by…
They say elections have consequences, especially lopsided results like the crushing defeat by a two-to-one margin of a $94 million referendum put before voters by Winona Area Public Schools last…
The Minnesota Senate is set to debate a proposal to create a statewide paid family and medical leave (PFML) program today. The trouble is that nobody really knows how much…
Last week, I wrote about “worldwide combined reporting,” an element of both the House and Senate budgets. It’s a bit of a technical measure, but this shouldn’t obscure just what…
Criminal trials have been postponed to 2024. Two unrelated civil lawsuits are now closed. The Feeding Our Future scandal has spawned a cottage industry in courtroom activities, at the state…
This week the state House of Representatives passed a new employer mandate for paid family and medical leave. HF 2 will impose a new tax on employers to fund paid…
Minnesota’s media is doing its dutiful best to sell the various tax packages swirling around the Capitol as “tax cuts.” WCCO, for example, reports: “Minnesota Senate passes tax bill featuring…
Since the Minnesota Management and Budget announced a historic surplus in November 2021, American Experiment has called on legislators to give that money back to Minnesotans through permanent income tax…
The state Senate released its budget yesterday, meaning that we finally have all three budget proposals. These will now be knocked together into a final bill. How do the three…
Even in the face of a record-breaking budget surplus, Democrats continue to treat Minnesota businesses with contempt. The 2023 legislature will create new taxes, raise others and pile on job-crushing…