Minnesota Shutdown

Lawmakers Still Hammering Out Details To End Minnesota's Government Shutdown

David Taintor | July 18, 2011, 9:36AM

Minnesota State Capitol

What seemed like a quick end to Minnesota's government shutdown is proving to take a bit longer.

Lawmakers worked over the weekend on language that reflects the budget deal Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican lawmakers agreed upon last week. The deal is a compromise on a GOP budget offer made on June 30, just before the state's shutdown. It involves delaying more money to K-12 and borrowing money from future tobacco payments. Critics describe it as a quick fix, not a long-term budget solution.

Read more »

Minnesota

Lawmakers Reach Deal To End Minnesota's Government Shutdown

David Taintor | July 14, 2011, 7:45PM

Minnesota state Capitol building

After two weeks of government shutdown, Minnesota is on its way to being open for business. Lawmakers on Thursday evening announced they had reached an budget agreement to end the shutdown.

Earlier Thursday, Dayton agreed to compromise on the GOP's budget offer from June 30, just before the state's government shutdown. But he did so under certain conditions: that the GOP remove its policy issues from the budget, drop a 15 percent reduction to the number of state employees in all agencies and support a $500 million bonding bill.

Now that they have a deal, Dayton said the shutdown will end "very soon," according to local reports.

Republican Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch said the final details are still being worked out, but they have reached a "framework agreement," Minnesota Public radio reported:

Koch said the agreement includes delaying more payments to schools, and borrowing against the state's future tobacco payments. The agreement would raise $1.4 billion in new revenue.

Dayton met with Republican lawmakers for three hours Thursday. Appearing after the meeting with Koch and Republican House Speaker Kurt Zellers, Dayton expressed the tough reality of the agreement. "No one's going to be happy with this, which is the essence of compromise," he said. That means, for the time being, the governor will shelve his plan to raise taxes on Minnesota's millionaires.

Read more at MPR.

Minnesota

Dayton Offers Compromise On GOP Budget Offer

David Taintor | July 14, 2011, 2:10PM

Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN)

Could the gridlock which has shut down Minnesota's government for two weeks finally be over?

Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton on Thursday offered to compromise on a Republican budget offer, the Star Tribune and others report, which the GOP submitted June 30 just before the shutdown. While Dayton doesn't like many proposals included in the offer, he said in a letter to Republican legislative leaders, "this is the only viable option that's potentially available."

Read more »

Minnesota Shutdown

No Budget Talks Scheduled In Minnesota; Dayton Offers More Proposals To End The Shutdown

David Taintor | July 12, 2011, 5:45AM

Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN)

No budget talks are scheduled in Minnesota, where the state's government shutdown has entered its second week.

But in a letter to Republican House Speaker Kurt Zellers and Republican Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton said he is willing to meet the legislative leaders to work out a deal.

Read more »

Mark Dayton

Furloughed In Minnesota - The Story Of One State Worker

David Taintor | July 11, 2011, 5:50AM

Minnesota state Capitol building

For more than 20 years, Jim Lundy could count on the stability of a government job. But that changed July 1 when Minnesota's government shutdown after lawmaker's couldn't agree on how to close the state's $5 billion projected budget deficit.

Read more »

Tim Pawlenty

Pawlenty: I Heart The Minnesota Shutdown

Eric Kleefeld | July 8, 2011, 6:05AM

Tim Pawlenty

Tim Pawlenty, who retired as governor of Minnesota and almost immediately moved towards a national campaign for president, is now back in the thick of politics back home -- with Pawlenty vocally supporting state Republican legislators in a government shutdown fight against Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton.

Pawlenty, who is struggling to break out in the presidential field, has been cheering on the Republicans in his home state -- and likening them to Republicans in Washington who are holding out on the debt ceiling. On Thursday, during an Iowa/Facebook Townhall event, he boasted in remarks that were e-mailed out on his campaign press-list:

Read more »