SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — Minnesota Senate DFL Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, Assistant Senate DFL Leader Susan Kent, DFL-Woodbury, and Senator Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, praised Governor Walz today for making historic investments in Minnesotans’ top priorities.
“This budget is a good step to ensure communities are thriving across Minnesota,” said Bakk. “Investments in transportation, education, health care, and broadband are essential to the success of cities and counties not just in the Arrowhead region, but everywhere. I’m especially glad to see Gov. Walz provide workforce training and development programs to help Minnesota students have the opportunity to get good-paying jobs and support their families.”
“I appreciate Gov. Walz’s commitment to making Minnesota the ‘Education State’,” said Kent, who serves on the Senate E-12 Finance and Policy Committee. “We know too often the quality of a student’s education is dependent on their race or zip code. This budget takes a holistic approach to improve our students’ success: not just increasing the formula, but supporting students experiencing homelessness and providing training and assistance for teachers and administrators.”
“Our previous lack of investment in transportation and transit has harmed Minnesotans’ safety and mobility,” said Dibble, who serves as the DFL lead on the Senate Transportation Finance and Policy Committee. “There are more than 1,000 bridges and hundreds of miles of roads that need serious repair, and transit just does not get people where they need to go. Gov. Walz’s package of new revenue, including a common-sense gas tax increase and investments in transit, will help keep us safe on our roads and help us create a transportation system that helps attract and retain the hardworking Minnesotans who help create the prosperity that makes us proud of our state.”