Dayton, GOP in talks to end Minn. shutdown
Published 2:47 pm Thursday, July 14, 2011
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders are in budget talks after Dayton offered to accept a Republican revenue plan to end Minnesota’s two-week-old government shutdown.
The two sides went into Dayton’s office at 2 p.m. on Thursday. It was their first session since last week.
Top GOP lawmakers have yet to respond publicly to Dayton’s offer to accept a proposal to raise $1.4 billion from delayed school aid payments and tobacco payment bonds. Dayton put conditions on the offer, saying the GOP would have to drop a list of policy changes and a plan to reduce the state workforce by 15 percent.
Republicans put the revenue offer on the table in a round of negotiations just before the shutdown began on July 1.