October Update: We’ve Got Some Good News & Some Bad News

by | Nov 3, 2017

The October Revenue and Economic Update from Minnesota Management & Budget (MMB) contained some good news and some bad news. The good news is that fiscal year (FY) 2017 revenue collections surpassed July expectations. The bad news is that FY 2018 revenues continue...

The Freedom to Breathe Act Revisited

by | Oct 30, 2017

10 years ago this month, the state of Minnesota banned smoking in restaurants, bars, and just about all other indoor public spaces and workplaces. The Freedom to Breathe Act prohibited smoking by employers, employees, patrons, and visitors of any workplace or indoor...

Real Per Pupil State Aid Has Declined Since FY 2003

by | Oct 27, 2017

The conservative Minnesota Business Partnership recently challenged our contention that real (i.e., inflation-adjusted) per pupil state aid has declined since fiscal year (FY) 2003. North Star’s assertion in regard to declining state aid is completely accurate—if you...

Counties with Greatest Income Inequality are Also the Poorest

by | Oct 23, 2017

In recent decades, income inequality has increased, both in Minnesota and nationally. New information from the American Community Survey (ACS) shows that U.S. and Minnesota counties with the highest degree of income inequality also have the highest poverty rates and...

Quality Health Care is Non-Negotiable

by | Oct 12, 2017

Efforts to reform the Affordable Care Act (ACA) have been wide ranging since its inception, but haven’t accomplished much. This could be because of the deep polarization in Washington, and it is clear that as that the quality and access measures implemented in 2009...

Tax Cut Driven Budget Problems Escalate in Future

by | Oct 9, 2017

The fiscal year (FY) 2018-19 state general fund budget surplus—projected to be $1.65 billion last February—could easily turn into a $104 million deficit after taking into account the tax cuts and other measures enacted earlier this year, as noted in the first part of...

Big Tax Cuts Jeopardize Fiscal Solvency

by | Oct 4, 2017

Going into 2017, Minnesota was looking at a large budget surplus for the upcoming biennium. By the time the dust had settled at the end of the 2017 special session, the surplus had been reduced by nearly ninety percent. After including the impact of lower than...

While Minnesota Reinvests, Wisconsin Disinvests

by | Sep 28, 2017

Tax cuts enacted in the Badger State in recent years have contributed to a more regressive tax system and recurring revenue shortfalls, as noted in the preceding article in this series. Meanwhile, tax increases in Minnesota have not only made the tax system less...

The Connection Between Public Policy and Prosperity

by | Sep 27, 2017

Since the end of the Great Recession, Minnesota has comfortably surpassed Wisconsin in terms of GDP and income growth, and job creation. Based on newly released 2016 data from the American Community Survey, median household income in the Gopher State is 15.5 percent...

Sex Education: Abstinence Only Doesn’t Fit the Bill

by | Sep 27, 2017

We recently started a series of articles to explain health care jargon and contextualize the information so all Minnesotans can engage in the broader discussion about health care. The previous article in the series described the current state of women’s health access...