Two big events occur in February and one of them is not Valentine’s Day. Governor Dayton introduces his FY (fiscal year) 2012-2013 budget, and the Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) Department will issue its budget forecast by the end of the month. Both of these actions will set the stage for legislative action for the rest of the session.

Governor Dayton is required, by statute, to issue his recommendations by February 15. This timing makes his job much more difficult. He has to fix a $6.2 billion hole this month and then he must issue supplemental recommendations when the deficit number changes less then two weeks later in the February forecast.