The Senate passed the State Government and Elections omnibus budget bill on Monday, focusing on good governance, eliminating waste, promoting fair and free elections, and advancing support for Minnesota Veterans. This bill contains comprehensive funding for the two-year state government budget, which highlights the implementation of government efficiencies to rein in spending while continuing to function at its highest capacity. Improvements to election security will significantly increase integrity and transparency in Minnesota elections.  

Over the past decade, the size of state government and our executive branch have ballooned beyond understanding. At the same time, there has been little interest from Democrats to budget more responsibly or to demand greater accountability and efficiency with the services we deliver. The budget passed by Senate Republicans today reduces spending, focuses on cracking down on waste, and ensures Minnesota focuses more on providing quality services, protecting Minnesotan’s data, and ensuring the integrity of our elections.

The implementation of provisional ballots is highlighted and prioritized in this budget. Minnesota is one of only three states in the nation that do not provide provisional ballots on Election Day. Provisional ballots are a safe, easy measure, broadly accepted across the nation, to ensure each vote is treated equally and counted in a timely manner. Provisional ballots also prevent ineligible individuals, such as those serving a felony sentence, non-U.S. citizens, or those who do not meet residency requirements, from participating in the election and marginalizing their neighbor’s ballots.  

This budget is also focused on eliminating government bloat by finding areas in the budget that have been misused, underused, or have become more efficient. It is important to continuously audit the government to ensure Minnesotans’ tax dollars are being well-spent. This section of the bill includes several provisions to fund the state government without going over budget, such as:  

• Limit the number of state employees based on the state’s population
• Reduced funding to agencies for positions that are unfilled after 180 days
• Equitable geographic distribution of state employee layoffs
• Sale of unused state-owned COVID morgue in St. Paul

This legislation also commits to supporting Minnesota’s veterans who have done so much for us.  We know that sometimes our veterans have experiences that we can’t even fathom but don’t have the resources or support to overcome them. This bill puts us in a position to help and address some of the more prominent issues and support them.  

The Veterans portion of the budget focuses on initiatives to improve services for Minnesota Veterans. These programs will expand availability for dental services in veterans’ homes, establish adult daycare programs, stable housing initiatives, and recognize Veterans Suicide Prevention and Awareness Day. There is also money for a Minnesota Department of Veteran Affairs publicity representative, which will provide a voice for our veterans. Funding these key services and programs for this important community of Minnesotans is a priority for the Minnesota Senate.