When Governor Mark Dayton took office in January 2011, he promised to build a Better Minnesota. That is exactly what he has delivered. Back then, our economy was in crisis and our budget was a mess. Minnesota faced a $6.2 billion budget deficit, over $1.8 billion had been borrowed from our schools, and there was almost nothing left in the State Budget Reserve account. Minnesota’s schools were under-funded, 204,000 people were out of work, and taxes unfairly favored the wealthy.
Eight years later, Minnesota is doing better – MUCH better than it was before. In Governor Dayton’s words: “The credit for our strong and sustained economic recovery belongs to the people of Minnesota. In 2010, I said my goal was 'A Better Minnesota.' Thanks to the people of Minnesota, we have achieved it.”
Since 2011, Minnesota employers have added 318,400 new jobs, unemployment is at a 19-year low, and our schools have seen $2 billion in new investments. Governor Dayton gave 2.3 million Minnesota families tax cuts and raised income taxes on only the richest 2 percent to pay for needed investments in a Better Minnesota. A growing economy and prudent fiscal management stabilized our state’s budget with ten forecasted surpluses over the last eight years. Minnesota now has a $1.5 billion budget surplus and a record $2.5 billion in cash and reserves to protect our state from future economic downturns.
The following documents provide additional detail about the work that Governor Dayton, his Administration, and the people of Minnesota have done to make our state better these last eight years.
