Dayton, GOP leaders to meet for more budget talks

Published 12:49 pm Wednesday, June 8, 2011

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Mark Dayton and GOP legislative leaders are meeting again for another attempt at breaking a budget standoff as the threat of a state government shutdown gets closer.

Dayton will meet with House Speaker Kurt Zellers, Senate Majority Amy Koch and their deputies for an early-afternoon meeting in his office. In their last meeting Monday, Republicans offered to match Dayton’s desired spending levels for public schools, public safety and the judiciary.

But they continued to insist they won’t exceed $34 billion in total state spending for the next two years, which Dayton says is not enough.

Lack of a new state budget by July 1 would mean a state government shutdown that would affect tens of thousands of workers and interrupt delivery of most state services.