News & Updates
Constructing Success: Minnesota’s Divergent Path in the Upper Midwest
Since 2010, five states in the Upper Midwest have been the subject of a political experiment. Iowa, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin have generally handed control of state government over to the Republican Party in their effort to recover from the Great...
Red State, North Star State
The Minnesota DFL has held control over the Governor’s office and both chambers of the Minnesota legislature since 2023. During that time, it has passed several historic policies seeking to improve the lives of all Minnesotans.
The Minnesota GOP claim they would do better if given the chance to run the state’s government. This argument raises an important question: what would the GOP do differently if given control? The easiest way to answer this question is by examining what the GOP has done when given control in other states.
On issue after issue, we show what has been accomplished by the Minnesota DFL over the last two years, as compared to what has been done by Republican-controlled states.
Safety Net Snags: The Effect of Payroll Fraud on Minnesota Workers and Taxpayers
The employer-employee relationship is foundational in the US. Labor protections begin with being recognized as an employee. Funding for many social safety net programs comes from employer and employee contributions. That...
The State of Working Minnesota 2024
Prevailing Wage Policies: Preventing Workplace Abuses Before They Happen
Digging into Danger: Broadband Installation Damage in Minnesota
In 1998, a crew installing broadband cable for high-speed internet in downtown St. Cloud struck a gas line. The resulting explosion killed four people, destroyed six buildings, and caused $400,000 in damage.[1] More than 25 years later, too little has changed. In...
Striking a Balance: The Role of Unemployment Insurance in Supporting Minnesota Workers
Minnesota's economic landscape is marked by a growing disparity between corporate profits and workers’ wages. Between 2009 and 2021, corporate profits grew three times more than average earnings. When workers take action to shrink this gap, billionaire-backed...
Powering Progress: Transforming Clean Energy Permitting for a Greener Minnesota
In 2023, Governor Walz and the Minnesota Legislature established one of the nation’s most ambitious climate change goals, committing Minnesota to 100% carbon-free electricity by 2040. While many have rightly cheered this goal,...
Building a Reliable System: The Role of Natural Gas in Minnesota’s Clean Energy Transition
Minnesota has set ambitious goals for addressing climate change and reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In 2007, the Next Generation Energy Act (NGEA) developed a series of goals to reduce GHG emissions incrementally, aiming for a reduction of 15 percent by 2015,...
Gaining Ground: Minnesota’s Largest School Aid Increase in a Generation
School finance measures approved by the 2023 legislature and signed into law by Governor Walz provided the largest one year increase in state aid to Minnesota school districts in twenty years. According to data from the Minnesota Department of Education (MDE), total...
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