Overview
- The plan would levy a scaled tax on large social media platforms based on Minnesota users to fund an AI council and worker transition programs, a concept critics say could be difficult to implement or passed on to consumers.
- Walz targets $370 million in reductions in fiscal year 2029, which his office says would shrink the structural deficit by nearly 20% and keep the state balanced across the next two budgets.
- Family cost measures include raising eligible expenses under the Dependent Care Tax Credit by $3,000 for one child or $6,000 for two or more under age 5 and cutting the statewide sales tax rate by 0.075 percentage points while broadening it to some professional services.
- The proposal sets aside $33 million for rental assistance and $10 million in partially forgivable small-business loans for areas affected by ICE’s Operation Metro Surge, plus a $10 million reserve for future impacts.
- Public safety and operations provisions include an assault-weapons ban, closing the ghost-gun loophole and enhanced capitol security, along with expanded fraud detection, DHS IT modernization and added Medicaid fraud enforcement staff.