BLOG: The $1.9 Billion Surplus Is Already Being Spent

While the Minnesota Republican Party runs ads telling the legislature and the Governor to “Give it Back!”— referring to the state’s $1.9 billion taxpayer surplus– some Republican legislators aren’t so sure.

Rep Greg Davids, R-Preston, the Chair of the House Tax Committee said on Tuesday that there were already requests in place for over $8 billion in new spending, some in the form of tax credits. Davids went on to indicate that Republicans will likely agree to the $100 million expansion of the daycare and dependent care tax credit being proposed by Governor Dayton, saying “I think the governor will get that.”

Senator David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, stated Senate caucus support of Dayton’s daycare credit in January, “It’s a good start.  We’d like to see more of that,” he said.

Money for the credit expansion would come out of the budget surplus signaling that the Republican budget– which is expected sometime before the March 25th deadline– will likely include some of Dayton’s key initiatives.

DFL Chair Ken Martin appeared to be trying to help the Governor’s agenda by sharply criticizing Republican party Chair Keith Downey for running the ad and by complimenting Republicans in St. Paul who are willing to spend the surplus on new and expanding programs as “fair-minded Republicans.”

Martin is “outraged” by the “Give it Back!” ad campaign stating, “I care about seeing something happen that actually benefits the people of this state.”