The Minnesota Management and Budget Office just released the state’s February forecast, and it’s great news. Minnesota’s budget surplus has grown to $1.89 billion! That’s an increase of $832 million from the November 2014 forecast.

In 2013, our progressive leaders passed a fair and responsible budget – asking the rich and big corporations to pay their fair share to get the state off a never-ending roller coaster of budget deficits. The 2013 budget also invested in our shared priorities: giving schools the resources they need to educate our children, caring for our seniors so they can live with dignity, and taking the budget burden off of the middle class and working families.

This surplus clearly shows that the Republican all-cuts budget approach doesn’t work, and isn’t needed. Now we need to invest in fixing Minnesota’s aging roads and bridges, giving Minnesota families a child care tax credit, and furthering our progress.