Yesterday, the House Republican majority released its budget "targets" for the 2018 session. The targets guide spending decisions by the legislature. The Senate Republican majority has not yet introduced its own budget targets reflecting its priorities. Minnesota Management and Budget projected a $329 million surplus for the state.
Legislators returned to the State Capitol this week with a blizzard of tasks before them, including tax reform, a supplemental budget, a capital investment bonding bill, and a myriad of policy decisions. With five weeks to go until the end of session on May 21, there are many issues still unresolved.
Yesterday, the House Republican majority released its budget "targets" for the 2018 session. The targets guide spending decisions by the legislature. The Senate Republican majority has not yet introduced its own budget targets reflecting its priorities. Minnesota Management and Budget projected a $329 million surplus for the state.
The House budget targets prioritize spending for tax relief and transportation. There is also a $5 million budget target for higher education, although House leaders have not outlined how they would spend this $5 million appropriation. The University has requested a $10 million recurring appropriation to hold tuition flat for Minnesota undergraduate students on all system campuses for the 2018-19 academic year.
Next week, the House and Senate finance committees will outline their plans on spending the surplus with details on programs and projects. The House and Senate will then reconcile their two targets before they begin negotiations with the governor.
On Tuesday, March 10, over 150 students and supporters rallied at the State Capitol for "Support the U Day." This annual event provides University advocates an opportunity to meet with legislators in support of the University's legislative requests, interact with students from across the system, and engage in the legislative process. We are grateful to those who traveled from far distances to support the University at the Capitol, and we encourage all supporters to remain engaged through UMN Advocates.