In Friday’s (5/15) St. Paul Pioneer Press (Minnesota), Dominic P. Papatola writes, “Earlier in this session, the House and Senate passed radically different plans for divvying up money generated from the Legacy Amendment, a constitutional provision approved by voters in November that raised the state sales tax by a fraction in order to fund preservation of land and water resources, parks and the state’s arts and cultural infrastructure. The arts groups’ slice of that pie is expected to add up to about $45 million a year starting in 2010. The Senate would give most of that money—nearly $28 million—to the Minnesota State Arts Board, which, through regional arts councils, funds arts and arts groups in every county of the state. … The House version would spread the money over a wider group of beneficiaries, including $5 million for libraries, $2 million for the state’s zoos and $1 million for ‘civics education,’ money that would go to programs such as Kids Voting and the YMCA’s Youth in Government program.”
Posted May 18, 2009
