Minnesota House Democrats Seek More Early Childhood Funding

Feb 10, 20200

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Minnesota House Democratic leaders line up for a news conference Thursday, Feb. 6, 2020, at the state Capitol in St. Paul, Minnesota. Pictured left to right are Rep. Michael Howard, of Richfield; House Majority Whip Liz Olson, of Duluth; Assistant Majority Leader Fue Lee, of Minneapolis; Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, of Golden Valley; Speaker Melissa Hortman, of Brooklyn Park; Rep. David Pinto, of St. Paul; Rep. Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn, of Eden Prairie; and Assistant Majority Leader Jamie Long, of Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski) The Associated Press

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Minnesota House Democrats want to spend as much as $500 million of the state's projected $1.3 billion budget surplus on a one-time bump in spending on early childhood education and child care, their leaders announced Thursday as they rolled out their agenda for the 2020 session.

Speaker Melissa Hortman, of Brooklyn Park, Majority Leader Ryan Winkler, of Golden Valley, and other leading Democrats acknowledged at a news conference that there's no guarantee that the 2021 Legislature will choose to continue the spending increases. But they said they hope funds will be found in the future.

https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/minnesota/articles/2020-02-06/minnesota-house-democrats-seek-more-early-childhood-funding