(KNSI) – Minnesota Governor Tim Walz laid out his spending for healthcare, housing and public safety. The bill includes $1.5 billion to invest in housing, $300 million to aid police departments, and money to deal with the opioid crises and expand Minnesota’s health insurance programs.
The governor proposes creating a MinnesotaCare public option and expanding Medical Assistance eligibility. The idea is to offer affordable health insurance options for Minnesotans, including the nearly 300,000 who remain uninsured. His health plan also includes $22 million to help combat the opioid epidemic with alternative pain management methods and drug treatment.
The public safety package provides $300 million to help reduce violent crime and invests in criminal justice reform. The governor is proposing restrictions on gun owners by imposing universal background checks on all gun sales, red flag laws to remove guns from people who could be perceived as a threat to themselves or others, raising the minimum age for purchasing military-style rifles to 21 years old and banning high-capacity magazines. There is also $4.5 million upfront and $1.5 million in grants for police departments to get body cameras. There is also $1 million yearly to support firefighter training and increase the funding formula for the Fire Safety Account. The governor and the lieutenant governor want to establish the Office of Missing and Murdered African American Women.
The housing budget includes $100 million in community stabilization to help companies and nonprofits work together to buy, refurbish, and preserve rental property to keep it affordable. There are also plans for a new First-Generation Homebuyer Program, down payment assistance, and closing cost loans. The governor also proposes rental assistance to Minnesotans with lower incomes and disabilities. Walz wants to establish the Housing Trust Fund to give grants to local governments to build new rental units in smaller communities. The budget also proposes one-time funding to build or renovate more emergency shelters.
The governor’s entire two-year budget will be released on Tuesday.
___
Copyright 2023 Leighton Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be broadcast, published, redistributed, or rewritten, in any way without consent.
FOLLOW US FOR INSTANT UPDATES!
FOLLOW US FOR INSTANT UPDATES!