| 1 | 1 | | 1.1 A bill for an act |
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| 2 | 2 | | 1.2 proposing an amendment to the Minnesota Constitution by adding a section to |
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| 3 | 3 | | 1.3 article XI; prohibiting state spending in excess of inflation and population growth. |
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| 4 | 4 | | 1.4BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: |
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| 5 | 5 | | 1.5 Section 1. CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT PROPOSED. |
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| 6 | 6 | | 1.6 An amendment to the Minnesota Constitution is proposed to the people. If the amendment |
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| 7 | 7 | | 1.7is adopted, a section shall be added to article XI, to read: |
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| 8 | 8 | | 1.8 Sec. 16. The maximum biennial percentage change in state spending must not exceed |
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| 9 | 9 | | 1.9inflation plus the percentage change in state population. State spending shall be determined |
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| 10 | 10 | | 1.10as all expenditures and reserve increases, excluding: federal funds; excess revenue refunded |
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| 11 | 11 | | 1.11to taxpayers; reserve transfers or expenditures; expenditures approved by the people after |
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| 12 | 12 | | 1.122024; and expenditures of gifts or court-ordered damage awards. Inflation shall be determined |
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| 13 | 13 | | 1.13as the total percentage change in the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer |
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| 14 | 14 | | 1.14Price Index for Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington for all urban consumers and all items, |
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| 15 | 15 | | 1.15or its successor index, for the previous two calendar years. The percentage change in state |
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| 16 | 16 | | 1.16population shall be determined as the total percentage change for the previous two calendar |
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| 17 | 17 | | 1.17years according to federal estimates and adjusted every decade to match the federal census. |
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| 18 | 18 | | 1.18 Any excess revenue must be returned to taxpayers in the form of property tax refund or |
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| 19 | 19 | | 1.19permanent tax rate reductions. The legislature may exceed the spending limitation for one |
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| 20 | 20 | | 1.20biennium by a vote of 60 percent or more in each body. |
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| 21 | 21 | | 1Section 1. |
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| 22 | 22 | | REVISOR SGS/HL 25-0091312/03/24 |
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| 23 | 23 | | State of Minnesota |
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| 24 | 24 | | This Document can be made available |
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| 25 | 25 | | in alternative formats upon request |
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| 26 | 26 | | HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES |
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| 27 | 27 | | H. F. No. 281 |
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| 28 | 28 | | NINETY-FOURTH SESSION |
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| 29 | 29 | | Authored by Quam01/23/2025 |
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| 30 | 30 | | The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on State Government Finance and Policy 2.1 Sec. 2. SUBMISSION TO VOTERS. |
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| 31 | 31 | | 2.2 The proposed amendment must be submitted to the people at the 2026 general election. |
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| 32 | 32 | | 2.3The question submitted must be: |
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| 33 | 33 | | 2.4 "Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to prohibit state spending increases in |
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| 34 | 34 | | 2.5excess of inflation and population growth? |
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| 35 | 35 | | 2.6 Yes ................... |
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| 36 | 36 | | "2.7 No .................... |
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| 37 | 37 | | 2Sec. 2. |
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| 38 | 38 | | REVISOR SGS/HL 25-0091312/03/24 |
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