Minnesota State Wire

Senate Finance Chair Julie Rosen and other Republican Senators sent a letter to the Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Myron Frans, requesting that he keep his promise to produce an August budget forecast.

Estimates project the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic to be a $5 billion budget shortfall in fiscal year 2022-23.

“This isn’t just about legislators; the public deserves to know the state’s budget situation,” Rosen said, according to Minnesota Senate Republican Caucus. “Going from $1.5 billion in surplus to nearly $5 billion in deficit has serious consequences. We have to be ready on day one when we come back to a regular session to deal with the budget. Commissioner Frans needs to keep his word to provide an accurate and complete forecast in August, and not wait until the November forecast.” 

The letter states that the most recent planning update released uses information from the May 2020 Interim Budget Projection which is already outdated. 

"It is the responsibility of you and your agency to ensure that accurate budget and economic projections are available to help guide decisions related to the state budget," the letter states. "We need to have the appropriate information so that we can work together to balance the state’s budget."