skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Coalition Call: “Balanced Diet” for Hungry Budget Deficit

play audio
Play

Monday, April 20, 2009   

St. Paul, MN – A coalition of nonprofit, faith and labor groups is urging state lawmakers and the governor to take a "balanced approach" to the budget deficit; one that includes raising revenue fairly. Strong differences separate plans proposed by the two branches of government. State lawmakers return today to St. Paul to work on their plan to bridge a $4.6-billion budget gap. Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party proposals include raising revenues as part of the equation, but Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty favors budget cuts and borrowing. He says he won’t sign any tax increase.

Now, the public advocacy group Invest in Minnesota is weighing in on the budget controversy. Spokeswoman Nan Madden says the best approach is a balanced one.

"You need to look at the spending side and make sure we’re investing wisely in health care, education, job training, all those things that Minnesotans expect. But also, look at the revenue side of the equation."

Invest in Minnesota is encouraging voters to call their state legislators Tuesday and tell them a broad-based approach is the fairest, says Madden.

"All options need to be on the table. While, yes, we need to look at making sure we’re investing wisely on the spending side, that raising revenues also needs to be part of a balanced approach to the budget shortfall."

The group believes the tax system currently tilts toward the wealthy, but should be based on ability to pay.

Opponents of raising taxes argue the answer is to cut spending, not take money out of people’s pockets. But, supporters argue the state needs to provide necessary public services and invest in the future, and it can’t do that with one-time budget “fixes” and more spending cuts. More information is available online at www.InvestInMN.org. The Legislature is scheduled to adjourn May 18.




get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …


Organizations fighting wage theft said it harms affected workers and surrounding communities because the money withheld is not being circulated through the local economy. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Environment

play sound

A farm group is helping Iowa agriculture producers find ways to reduce the amount of nitrogen they use on their crops. Excess nitrates can wind up …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021