Where the Biden administration has struggled, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz has succeeded.
The former schoolteacher-turned-politician, whom Vice President Kamala Harris chose as her running mate in the 2024 presidential race, has been able to enact many of the progressive policies that President Joe Biden and Harris proposed but failed to pass in Congress.
Aided by a Democratic sweep of the state legislature, Walz signed a landmark budget last year that established a generous child tax credit, created a paid family and medical leave program and made college tuition free for certain students, among other measures.
“We’re pretty confident that it’s going to mean a fairer, more inclusive, better, more prosperous Minnesota,” he said in signing the budget.
The “One Minnesota” budget built on the left-leaning policies Walz instituted in the state, such as protecting abortion rights and women’s care, investing in affordable housing and establishing clean energy measures.
Republicans, however, have criticized Walz’s efforts, which involve increased state spending, as unsustainable and increasing the burden on families and businesses.
In addition, Minnesota was one of the few states to raise taxes in recent years, despite running large surpluses, according to the Tax Foundation. The increases hit businesses and higher-income residents the hardest.
Here are some of the progressive measures Walz has signed into law as governor:
Child tax credit
Many low-income Minnesota families can access a state child tax credit, which Walz signed into law last year. The credit, which provides up to $1,750 per child with no limit on the number of children claimed, is the most generous in the U.S. and is projected to reduce child poverty by a third. It is also refundable, so families can get a refund even if they don’t owe taxes, though they must file a tax return to claim the credit.
Single parents with incomes up to $29,500 and couples with incomes up to $35,000 can access the full credit, which phases out based on income, marital status and number of children.
More than 215,000 families, with more than 437,000 children, have applied for the credit so far for 2023, Walz said in a statement last week. The average credit was $1,244 per child, totaling more than $545 million.
Free college tuition
Last year, Walz signed a bill into law that made college tuition free for students from Minnesota families earning less than $80,000 a year.
An estimated 15,000 to 20,000 students are expected to benefit during the upcoming school year, the program’s first year.
Known as the North Star Promise Scholarship, the program covers the balance of tuition and fees students have left after applying for other scholarships, grants and stipends that they do not have to repay. The idea is that students will not have to take out student loans to pay the tuition and fees required to attend college.
Students who qualify for a Pell grant, a federal financial aid for low-income students, will be able to receive additional funds from the state program.
Students must be enrolled in a public two- or four-year college in Minnesota to be eligible for the North Star Promise scholarship. They must be Minnesota residents, but undocumented students who meet certain conditions are also eligible for it, as well as other state financial aid.
Minnesota is now one of more than 30 states that offer some form of tuition-free program.
Abortion Access
Walz has been an advocate for abortion access. In January 2023, he signed the Reproductive Choice Protection Act, which established the right of people in the state to have an abortion after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade the previous year.
In April 2023, she signed a law protecting people who travel to Minnesota for abortions, and doctors who provide abortion services, from criminal penalties in other states.
Minnesota’s abortion policies place it among the most protective states for abortion access, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research and policy organization that supports abortion rights, and more people are expected to travel to the state for care after Iowa implemented a six-week ban in July.
When Harris became the first vice president believed to have visited an abortion clinic during her tenure, she chose a Planned Parenthood location in Minnesota.
Universal school meals
Students can eat free breakfast and lunch at participating schools after Walz signed a universal school meals bill last year, becoming the fourth state to enact such a measure.
Nearly 4.3 million more breakfasts and 4.5 million more lunches were served to students last fall compared to the same period in 2022, Walz said in March.
"The data is clear: More students are eating breakfast and lunch at school, ensuring they have the food they need to succeed and helping families save money on their grocery bills," Walz said in a statement. "This investment is a win for our children, our families and the long-term success of our state."
The measure is expected to cost the state about $400 million over two years.
Gender-affirming treatment
In March 2023, Walz signed an executive order directing Minnesota agencies to do everything possible to protect and support Minnesota residents seeking gender-affirming health care services.
Gender-affirming treatment is evidence-based care for people who identify as transgender or nonbinary. It is considered medically necessary and is supported by nearly all major medical associations and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. More than half of states have laws restricting such care.
Walz’s executive order directed state agencies to study the effectiveness of the care and investigate any health care organization that denied it. The executive order also prohibited Minnesota from cooperating in any investigation by a state that aimed to criminalize such care, calling such actions “a grave threat” to the health of members of the LGBTQ+ community.
“We want all Minnesotans to grow up feeling safe, valued, protected, celebrated and free to exist as their authentic selves,” Walz said after signing the executive order.
The following month, he signed a “trans safe haven” law that safeguarded access to such care and another law banning conversion therapy, a discredited practice that aims to change how a person understands their gender identity or sexual orientation.
Paid family and medical leave
Walz said paid family and medical leave is important to the health of the state’s workforce and the future of its economy, and he signed a bill establishing the program last year. It will take effect in 2026.
“Paid family and medical leave is about investing in the people who have made our state and our economy strong,” Walz said in a statement. "By signing paid family and medical leave into law, we are ensuring that Minnesotans no longer have to make the choice between a paycheck and taking time off to care for a new baby or a sick family member."
People will be able to take up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave, with a combined maximum of 20 weeks in a 12-month period. The amount of leave will depend on salary.
Benefits are paid for by the state but are funded through payroll deductions.
Minnesota will be the 13th state to enact such a program.
Investments in affordable housing
Walz was praised by housing and homeless advocates for signing a bill last year that marks the largest state investment in housing to date.
More than half of the $1 billion spending package will go toward expanding the supply of affordable housing, according to the National Low Income Housing Coalition. The state funds will also provide $150 million in down payment assistance for first-time homebuyers, allowing approximately 5,000 Minnesotans to purchase homes, as well as $45 million for a homeless assistance program.
“Whether it’s building new housing infrastructure, providing rental assistance, or ensuring homeownership is an option for all Minnesotans, this bill will have a historic impact on the quality of life in Minnesota and moves us toward becoming the best state to raise a family,” Walz said in a statement released in 2023 after signing the bill.
The bill also raised the sales tax in the seven-county Twin Cities metropolitan area by 0.25%, in order to create a permanent funding source for Minnesota’s housing programs.
Clean energy policy
Walz oversaw a groundbreaking clean energy policy as Minnesota governor. As part of a three-party Democratic coalition in the House, Senate and governor’s office, Walz last year signed a law that aims to make 100% of Minnesota’s electricity clean by 2040.
The law requires utilities that provide electricity in Minnesota to replace polluting sources like coal and natural gas with clean sources, including wind, solar, battery storage, hydroelectric and clean hydrogen.
Under the law, utilities must move to 100% carbon-free electricity generation by 2040 and reach 80% by 2030. Minnesota’s major companies have been vocal in supporting a quick shift to carbon-free energy, but have also acknowledged that the shift will be difficult.
And earlier this summer, Walz signed another bill to speed up permitting for energy projects in Minnesota and get more clean energy on the grid. Passage of a similar bill at the federal level has eluded Congress.
Voting rights for ex-felons
Last year, Walz signed into law a law restoring voting rights to more than 55,000 people released from prison in Minnesota.
Minnesota is now one of 23 states that automatically restores voting rights upon incarceration for those convicted of a felony, according to Voting Rights Lab.
The bill’s passage came after several years of legal challenges to the constitutionality of the state’s previous law, which barred people who were under felony supervision or on parole from voting, even if they had completed their prison sentence or had not spent a single day in prison.