Lakeville Sen. Dan Hall Talks Budget, Taxes and Education

The following is a column from Sen. Dan Hall, R-District 56. 

Budgets and Taxes 

We have reached the point in the legislative session when many of the plans of the Governor and legislative leaders have become public. We now know that the Governor proposes a $1.8 billion tax increase, the DFL House proposes a $2.4 billion tax increase and the DFL Senate proposes a $2 billion tax increase for the next two year budget. Additionally, we now know that their proposed K-12 Education funding increases are $355 million, $550 million and $486 million, respectively. Their proposed Health & Human Services ( HHS ) increases/decreases are $210 million, -$150 million and -$152 million, respectively. 

Under each of the preceding scenarios the two largest portions of the state’s budget (K-12 Education and HHS) compete directly against each other – and there is not enough money to meet the demands of each system. This is not surprising but it bears repeating. Even when the party of “tax and spend” is in control, they cannot tax and spend enough to meet the systems’ ever growing demands. 

Speaker of the House Paul Thissen says he is worried about the fast rate of spending increases in the HHS area. 

"This is the part of the budget that keeps me up at night because it is the thing that if we don't continue to do the reforms and find the efficiencies in the system, we won't be able to provide the services that the people of Minnesota expect," he said. 

So, where do the DFL legislature’s budgets leave us? Advocates for people in supportive housing said they were hoping lawmakers would give nursing home and community-based home workers a cost of living increase. Now they worry they won't get a pay raise and may get a pay cut. This is wrong. The state’s financial crisis is over. 

Legislative leaders should concentrate financial supports on the neediest of people. They should use market competition to check the growth of government and they should strengthen local communities’ ability to address more of society’s needs. 

Speaker Thissen says HHS needs reform. It is nearer to the truth to say the whole state budget needs reform. Instead, unwilling to challenge their statist inclinations, DFL leaders propose to scatter your tax dollars far and wide creating ever larger dependent constituencies.