3 things Gov. Dayton talked about before his speech ended
The biggest news from Monday evening's State of the State speech was Gov. Mark Dayton collapsing at the podium.
It brought an abrupt end to the event, as the lawmakers Dayton was speaking to quickly adjourned amid concern for the governor's health. But before long Dayton, who turns 70 on Thursday, was back on his feet and doing well enough that he was sent home to rest instead of to a hospital.
Aides say he will be back on the job Tuesday, presenting his budget to the Legislature.
What will be in that budget? Well, that's what he was talking about for 45 minutes before he fainted.
You can read the entire speech he prepared, but here are a few of the key points he made:
Keep some money in reserve
Minnesota has more money than it will need to cover its budget. In fact, the last estimate put the surplus at $1.4 billion.
Some Republicans – whose party now controls both the House and Senate – have suggested returning the entire surplus to Minnesotans through tax cuts or rebates.
Dayton argued against that Monday. He says the state is in good financial shape right now but to keep it that way, he thinks some of the surplus should be kept in reserve.
"A feast of tax giveaways to a handful of wealthy individuals, corporations, and special interests, is NOT Minnesota's path to continued economic growth," Dayton said.
More money for schools, colleges
Dayton says his budget plan includes a two percent increase in state money for public schools and more for colleges and universities, too.
He says the funding increases of recent years have not made up for all the cuts that happened during the recession. He says from 2003 through 2012 state aid for schools was cut by more than $1,700 per student and since then it's gone up less than $1,000.
State support for higher education had dropped by 48 percent when it bottomed out in 2013, Dayton says. He argues some businesses around the state already have shortages of people to fill certain skilled jobs and says that problem will get worse unless Minnesota puts more into job training.
Long-term transportation improvements
This has been on Minnesota's to-do list for years but nobody's done it.
And the standoff between Dayton and the Legislature does not sound like it's changed since last year.
Everyone agrees that the state's roads need to be fixed up and improved. But Republicans want to pay for it with a one-time cash infusion by using some of the surplus and some borrowed money.
Dayton, on the other hand, wants a longer-term fix. He said Monday his plan would raise $6 billion for 10 years of transportation improvements. And if it's like last year's plan, it will involve raising gas taxes.
The other sticking point has been whether to include public transit. Republicans want the transportation package focused strictly on roads and bridges. Dayton wants transit in there, too.
On Monday he noted estimates that another 800,000 people will move to the Twin Cities area over the next 25 years. "Imagine the traffic jams, if they are all forced into cars on existing metro streets and highways," he said.
Other priorities in Dayton's speech included water quality and health care.
The two-year budget he will present to the Legislature Tuesday will be a starting point for lawmakers. They'll make changes to it but in he end they'll have to come up with something Dayton is willing to sign in order to avoid a government shutdown this summer.
