ABM “Choice” Statewide Fact Check
Audio
Multiple People
How we solve our state’s
budget problem will say a lot
about our values.
The republicans are
choosing to balance the
budget on the backs of
the middle class
– with drastic cuts to education Teacher outside
and health care
Video Supporting Facts
Older Man on street
Family with children
GOP K-12 Budget Slashes Funding For
school ushering kids States Largest Districts. In a May 18, 2011
in: editorial, the Star Tribune wrote of the K-12
budget that passed both the House and
Senate:
The proposal would cut funding to the
three largest districts by as much as
$20 million. Each of them are using
those dollars on important strategic
plans to improve achievement for
some of the state's most challenged
studen. This is no time to pull the rug
out from under those efforts. In
addition, the bill unfairly and
disproportionately targets districts
that are already facing projected
budget shortfalls ranging from $6
million to $20 million. It would affect
more than 75,000 mostly lower-
income students. [Star Tribune,
05/18/11]
The House Passed The Conference Report
On HF 934, The Education Finance Bill. The
House passed the bill on May 17, 2011 by a 70-
55 mostly party-line vote, with almost all
Republicans voting in favor and almost all
DFLers voting against. [Minnesota House of
Representatives, HF 934 2011, House Journal
4163]
The Senate Passed The Conference Report
On HF 934, The Education Finance Bill. The
Senate passed the bill on May 18, 2011 by a
37-26 mostly party-line vote, with almost all
Republicans voting in favor and almost all
DFLers voting against. [Minnesota Senate, HF
934 2011, Journal of the Senate 2729 (pdf)]
GOP Health And Human Services Bill Could
Cost 150k Minnesotans Their Health Care.
In A May 14, 2011 story about the GOP HHS
omnibus bill, the Minnesota Public Radio
reported:
The measure would repeal the state's
early enrollment into the expanded
Medicaid program, removing coverage
for an estimated 150,000 adults
without children who earn less than
125 percent of the federal poverty
guideline, which is about $13,600 a
year for a single adult. [Minnesota
Public Radio, 05/14/11]

GOP Budget Cuts $1.6 Billion In Health And

Social Services. In May 2011, the Associated
Press wrote about the Health and Human
Services portion of the GOP budget proposal:
The package would also cut $1.6
billion in general fund spending on
health and social service programs —
about twice as much as Dayton would
like. Dayton's top human services
adviser praised the bill for being "more
financially sound," but outlined some
concerns.

"One-point-six billion you don't cut

without harming a lot of vulnerable
people and hurting the health care
infrastructure we have, and that is very
troubling to me," said Human Services
Commissioner Lucinda Jesson.
[Associated Press, 05/12/11]

The House Passed The Conference Report

On SF 760, The Health and Human Services
Finance Bill. The House passed the bill on
May 18, 2011 by a 69-63 mostly party-line
vote, with almost all Republicans voting in
favor and almost all DFLers voting against.
[Minnesota House of Representatives, SF 760
2011, House Journal 4640]

The Senate Passed The Conference Report

On SF 760, The Health and Human Services
 Finance Bill. The Senate passed the bill on
May 18, 2011 by a 36-28 mostly party-line
vote, with almost all Republicans voting in
favor and almost all DFLers voting against.
[Minnesota Senate, SF 760 2011, Journal of the
Senate 2518 (pdf)]
And their plan will Construction worker GOP Balked At A Bonding Bill That Would
eliminate jobs and Have Create 28K Jobs. In March 2011, the St
increase our property Paul Legal Ledger wrote:
taxes. Passage of Gov. Mark Dayton’s
proposed $1 billion bonding bill
appears to be a long shot this year, but
contractors and sidelined workers are
still pushing hard for the idea - and
Dayton is leaving the door open for
another major bonding package in
2012.
…
Alluding to a study from Stephen
Fuller at George Mason University in
Virginia, Semerad said that every $1
billion investment in nonresidential
construction directly or indirectly
creates 28,500 jobs. [St Paul Legal
Ledger, 03/30/11]

GOP State Government Finance Bill

Eliminates 15% Of State Workforce. In May
2010, the Star Tribune wrote, “The Senate
approved a $600 million state government
finance bill that would reduce the state
workforce by 15 percent by 2015 and impose
steep cuts to state agencies.” [Star Tribune,
05/19/11]
GOP Tax Plan Slashes LGA, Causes Property
Tax Increases. In a May 20, 2011 story about
Local Government Aid, Minnesota Public Radio
reported:
Both the GOP-controlled House and
Senate this week passed a tax plan
that would cut the amount of local
government aid that cities across the
state are certified to receive this year
by 26 percent or $137 million.
[Minnesota Public Radio, 05/20/11]

GOP Tax Bill Cuts $310 Million From Local

Government Aid. On May 19, 2011 the Star
Tribune’s Hot Dish Politics blog wrote:
The Twin Cities would see all of its
 state aid eliminated in the next four
years under a tax bill the Minnesota
Senate approved early Thursday
morning.

Senate approved a comprehensive tax

bill 37-28 that would cut $310 million
in local government aid over the next
two years, mostly in Minneapolis, St.
Paul and Duluth. The rest of the aid
would be phased out over the next
couple years. [Star Tribune Hot Dish
Politics Blog, 05/19/11]

MN Dept. Of Revenue Estimates That Every

$ Of Lost LGA Causes A $.67 Property Tax
Increase. According to Minnesota Public
Radio and The University of Minnesota
Humphrey Institute’s Poligraph feature:
First, Dayton says that property taxes
increase by 67 cents for every dollar
the state cuts in aid.

Generally speaking, this is true, though

it's important to note that this is a rule
of thumb employed by the Minnesota
Department of Revenue when
estimating how cuts in state aid will
interfere with tax revenue, not the law
of the land.
…
Generally, Dayton's claims are correct.
It's true that for every dollar that's cut
in state aid, property taxes tend to
increase by about 67 cents. And these
cuts have driven increases in property
taxes. [Minnesota Public Radio,
10/22/10]

The House Passed The Conference Report

On HF 42, The Omnibus Tax Bill. The House
passed the bill on May 17, 2011 by a 71-58
mostly party-line vote, with almost all
Republicans voting in favor and almost all
DFLers voting against. [Minnesota House of
Representatives, HF 42 2011, House Journal
4053]

The Senate Passed The Conference Report

On HF 42, The Omnibus Tax Bill. The Senate
passed the bill on May 18, 2011 by a 37-28
mostly party-line vote, with almost all

– all so the richest two
percent don’t have to
chip in.
Governor Dayton’s plan
will protect the middle
class
- and 98 percent of
Minnesotans will have
no tax increase.
Tell your legislators it’s time to
stand up for the middle class
Republicans voting in favor and almost all
DFLers voting against. [Minnesota Senate, HF
42 2011, Journal of the Senate 2628 (pdf)]
Woman outside AP: GOP “Won’t Consider” Tax On Richest
2% Of Minnesotans. In a May 20, 2011 story
about competing budget proposals, the
Associated Press wrote:
The basic split is over taxes and
spending -- Dayton wants $1.8 billion
in new taxes, mostly from a new
income tax bracket for the top 2
percent. Republicans won't consider
those taxes and don't want to spend
more than $34 billion, the amount the
state is projected to collect in the next
two years. [Associated Press, 05/20/11]
Mom holding child Star Tribune: Dayton Plan Leaves 98% Of
Taxpayers “Unscathed.” In a May 20, 2011
story about competing budget proposals, the
Star Tribune wrote, “The meeting came days
after Dayton offered to cut his tax increase
Family outside house proposal in half, so that it would affect only
the top 2 percent of wage-earners, leaving 98
percent of Minnesotans unscathed and raising
$1.8 billion. But Republicans dug in, saying
Older Man on the that everything was negotiable -- except taxes
street or spending.” [Star Tribune, 05/20/11]
Graphic: Call your legislators
xxx-xxx-xxx
It’s Time to Stand up For The
Middle Class
PAID FOR BY ALLIANCE FOR A
BETTER MINNESOTA