Report from the Capitol - Our Budget Proposals

Dear Granite City Neighbors, 

It’s been a busy couple weeks in the Minnesota House, where we’ve been passing our budget proposals off the House Floor. As Speaker Pro Tempore, it often falls to me to “referee” these floor debates, and while we’ve had some late nights thoroughly debating these bills, I’m proud of what we’re putting forward. 

Before I get into those bills, I want to start by thanking everyone that showed up for our “Donuts with Dan” event that I held in St. Cloud earlier this month. It’s always great to touch base and hear your concerns ahead of our work on important bills, and of course who wants to miss out on donuts?

I work for you, and I was proud to take your concerns back to St. Paul these last few weeks as we passed our Higher Education, Legacy, Environment and Clean Energy, Housing, Veterans, Elections, State and Local Government, K-12 Education, Agriculture, Transportation, Children and Families, Jobs & Labor, and Human Services budgets, with a few more on the way. 

These are good bills that balance our state’s budget and build the Minnesota we all deserve, and I’d like to highlight some of our efforts for you - especially when it comes to education.

A Record Investment in Higher Education

As Vice Chair of the House Higher Education Committee, a lot of my focus has been on crafting our Higher Education budget proposal, and I’m extremely proud of what we’ve built. 

This budget is a game-changer for students in our community at St. Cloud State and St. Cloud Technical and Community College, and for all of the state colleges and universities throughout Minnesota. The historic investments we’re proposing will empower campuses to bolster enrollment and give students the tools and support they need to excel in a career after graduation.

Our budget does the following:

Meeting the Needs of our K-12 Students

Our budget for Minnesota’s K-12 schools is yet another historic investment, providing sustainable funding to meet the needs of all students, parents, teachers, and schools. Included in the budget was my legislation to reduce our state’s Special Education cross-subsidy.

It’s time the state stepped up and helped provide for the world-class education all students deserve, especially those that need a helping hand. I’m extremely proud of the special education services St. Cloud School District 742 is able to offer, but in 2021 alone that cost was just under $11 million. That’s not something our community should have to support alone, that’s why I ensured our budget plan takes strides to provide the financial assistance St. Cloud’s students, families, and schools need.

This was just one component of our K-12 Education budget, which you can read more about below: