The DFL trifecta-led Legislature made myriad changes across a spectrum of state topics in 2023. Paid Family and Medical Leave. Abortion rights. Free breakfast and lunch for all K-12 students. A $260 one-time rebate check to low- and middle-income Minnesotans. Record investments in housing. Recreational cannabis. Driver’s licenses for all. Gas and sales tax increases for transportation purposes. To do so, much of a projected record $17.5 billion budget surplus was needed as the state budget grew to an all-time high of $72 billion for the current biennium, which ends June 30, 2025.