How Will Lawmakers Spend The $1 Billion Surplus?
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) - Minnesota lawmakers kicked off the new session Thursday with a sweeping package of unusual legislative priorities.
The proposals include everything from free college tuition to business tax cuts.
It's the first glimpse of what legislators say they intend to do this year.
Senate Democrats are looking at a series of ideas to make small towns more attractive places to settle, including:
- forgiving school loans for health care professionals who move to rural Minnesota,
- and free tuition for graduating seniors who attend community colleges and technical schools to learn skilled trades.
"It's pretty clear we have a skills gap, and it seems like that is one of the areas we have to address if rural Minnesota's economy is going to recover," DFL Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk said.
Democrats are also proposing state grants to businesses who set up apprenticeship programs to pay students while they learn on the job.
Both Democrats and Republicans say they'll approve millions of dollars in flood relief to counties hit by record storms last summer.
And newly elected Republicans in the House are making good on campaign promises to focus on rural nursing homes and long-term care with new spending.
They're taking aim at MNsure, including health care tax credits for everyone--not just through the health exchange.
And they're planning a series of targeted business tax cuts and credits, which, they say, will "grow jobs."
"Minnesota now is the fourth highest tax state in the nation," GOP House Speaker Kurt Daudt said. "We know that hurts job growth and wage growth in Minnesota."
