Leaders say there is still hope to address their biggest priorities: Transportation funding, tax cuts, new state spending and a borrowing plan to pay for state infrastructure projects known as a bonding bill.
Advertisement
In the meantime, Dayton has signed more than two dozen bills in recent days, mostly relatively minor ones.
What we do know is little headway was made with transportation funding and the public works bill. That allows lawmakers to pivot to extra state budget spending.
Dayton spoke on Minnesota Public Radio on Thursday.
Legislative leaders agreed Friday to put $275 million toward a tax relief package.
Earlier Friday, Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk said he and Republican Speaker Kurt Daudt were closing in on supplemental budget plans that would come close to meeting the governor’s demands.
He also stressed that there are items in the budget discussions he won’t accept, namely a private school tuition assistance program that Republicans have proposed.
It’s one of several major hurdles remaining for lawmakers as they aim to divvy up a $900 million budget surplus before adjourning on Monday.
“They have 48 hours to get their work done”. He said leaders are close enough to agreements on three major issues that he thinks they can be reached in time.
In their joint “Almanac” appearance, Daudt and Bakk played it cool and said they didn’t anticipate running long, the tight logistics aside. The expectation is that the session will last to, or near, that deadline. But legislative leaders had not blessed that number. He said Thursday he has no information on the progress in private negotiations and jokingly asked reporters for some.
Negotiators from the House and Senate started assembling a final bill Friday afternoon.
Dayton put the onus on lawmakers to gain his approval for the tax cuts for farmers, businesses, college graduates and parents with child care costs.
Advertisement
DFLers called the changes a “poison pill” that likely result in a veto by Dayton, but he said he was not familiar with the provision.
