Emmer's budget plan released (updated)

Republican candidate for governor Tom Emmer released his long-awaited budget balancing fix Tuesday. The plan doesn't raise taxes but spends less on education, health and human services and aids to local governments than currently slated.

"Minnesotans are living within their means, they are spending less money overall, and they are focusing their spending on essentials. That is exactly the way state government must behave." Emmer said in a news release.

According to a chart his campaign released, Minnesota would spend slightly more in his budget than it is currently spending on health and human services -- but far less than it is projected to need in the next two years. His campaign said the state is currently spending $9.08 billion and is projected to spend $12 billion in the next two years. He would have the state spend $9.75 billion.

The tale is similar in the second largest budget area -- K-12 schools. He would have the state spend $13.8 billion in the next two years for classrooms -- that is more than the $13.3 billion state is currently spending. But the state is slated to spend $14.4 billion for schools in the next two years.

Higher education, local aids and credits and state agencies would actually see less money in the Emmer proposal than they are currently getting and far less than they are scheduled to get.

Emmer has received significant flak for months over the lack of detail in his budget proposals, while his rivals DFLer Mark Dayton and Independence Party Tom Horner have released far more information about the budget they'd like to see pass.

But Tuesday, when Emmer released the final piece of his budget proposal, his campaign claimed that he has now released a more complete budget than have his opponents.

Here's the chart he released:

Emmer - Budget - Chart

Update:

The reaction to Emmer's budget proposal has been swift -- and has shades of the reactions to the budgets Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty put together.

From Dayton's deputy campaign manager: ""Rep. Emmer's plan will cut funding for Higher Education by 14%, K-12 Education by 14%, and Local Government Aid by 33%. He will thus cause huge increases in property taxes, higher college tuitions and seriously damage the quality of education throughout Minnesota. Furthermore, his drastic cuts in funding for Health and Human Services will restrict access to essential health care for those most in need."

From St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman, a Democrat: "Tom Emmer's budget plan is a continuation of the last eight years under Tim Pawlenty's disastrous fiscal management, which has left Minnesotans struggling in the face of the largest property tax increase in a generation."

From Hibbing Mayor Rick Wolff, President of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities: "Under Tom Emmer's plan, we'll all feel the pain when we dig deeper into our wallets to pay more for the services that keep our communities strong: police, fire protection, libraries, parks, snow plowing, senior centers and more."