Setting Record Straight on “Medicare for All” Growth & Justice Senior Fellow Dane Smith was featured on Minnesota Public Radio last week. In an interview with Tim Pugmire, Smith set the record straight on recent campaign misrepresentations of our 2012 reports on the projected costs and benefits of a single public financing system for universal health care (also known as “single-payer’’ or “Medicare ... Read More
As State Budget Biennium Begins, Big Disappointments and a Few Bright Spots Overview of 2017 Legislature’s Impact, A Look Ahead Minnesota’s two-year budget period begins this month, amid a continuing dispute between the Governor and the Legislature over a handful of important tax and immigration provisions, and an impending court battle over the governor’s line-item veto of funding for the Legislature i... Read More
Despite the specter of lawsuits and a potential second special session, the Minnesota Legislature and Gov. Mark Dayton appear to have concluded their work on Minnesota’s 2018-2019 budget, as well as on separate omnibus tax and bonding bills. A general agreement was reached between the governor and legislative leaders on the final day of session, with details worked out and bills passed in an immediate special session spanning the week of Ma... Read More
Working in Coalitions on Legislative Outcomes As the 2017 legislative session nears its adjournment deadline, Growth & Justice is partnering closely with key non-profits and partisan coalitions and advocating for policies that strengthen our economy, broaden prosperity, and improve the lives of ALL Minnesotans. Some of our efforts are defensive, opposing proposed deep cuts in our public investments for economic security, health care and opp... Read More
Making the Case for LGA in Northern Minnesota Lakeland Public Television on Friday will host a conversation on the need for restoration of Local Government Aid, focusing on the effects of declining LGA for the city of Bemidji. Previewing the discussion, the Lakeland Current webpage notes that in 2002 the city of Bemidji received more than $3.2 million in Local Government Aid. By 2008, Bemidji’s LGA had dropped by just about $1 milli... Read More