Health & Fitness
Rep. Bly Video Update: Upcoming Town Hall Meeting, Updated Budget Forecast and More
An updated economic forecast released last week cut our projected deficit by 40 percent and signaled that Minnesota's economy is moving in the right direction.
A lot has changed since we kicked off the legislative session at the beginning of January.
At that time, Minnesota faced a projected $1.1 billion budget deficit over the next two years and owed our schools an additional $1.1 billion in funding shifts used to balance previous budgets.
An updated economic forecast released last week cut our projected deficit by 40 percent and signaled that Minnesota’s economy is moving in the right direction. However, in order to keep moving our state forward, we need to stop relying on budget gimmicks and short-term fixes.
Perpetual deficits over the past ten years have led to instability for funding everything from Local Government Aid to K-12 and higher education. Property taxes have increased by 86 percent since 2002, Minnesota has slipped from the top 10 to 22nd in K-12 funding, and tuition has more than doubled at our public colleges and universities.
DFL majorities plan to work with Governor Dayton to pass a fair, honest budget that takes our state in a new direction by investing in priorities like our children’s education and property tax relief. It’s time to get our fiscal house in order and set our state up to thrive for years to come.
To learn more about what’s happening at the Capitol, I encourage you to take a few minutes to watch my latest legislative video update. Click here or on the video player below to watch.
Please attend my town hall meeting tomorrow on Saturday, March 9 from 3:00-4:00pm to ask questions about the legislative session. I’ll be joined by State Senator Kevin Dahle at the Northfield Public Library, located at 210 Washington Street. I hope to see you there.
If you’re unable to attend, please take a moment to fill out my legislative survey. Your ideas and feedback about the big challenges facing our state helps me make well-informed decisions as we begin voting on more and more legislation.
Click here to take my survey.
As the legislative session continues, please feel free to contact me by phone at (651) 296-0171, by email at rep.david.bly@house.mn, or by postal mail at 559 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Saint Paul, Minnesota 55155
