MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton offered Thursday to end a two-week government shutdown by accepting a Republican proposal to bring more money into Minnesota's budget.
Dayton announced that he is willing to agree to an offer Republican legislative leaders made just before the shutdown started, if they will agree to drop a list of policy changes and a plan to reduce the state workforce by 15 percent. The Republican proposal would raise $1.4 billion, half by delaying state aid checks to school districts and the other half by selling tobacco payment bonds.
Aides said GOP leaders were reviewing Dayton's offer and had no immediate comment.
If they agree to Dayton's proposal and the pieces fall in place, the first-term governor said he is prepared to call a special session within three days.
The move was a major concession by Dayton, who has sought to soften the effect of budget cuts by raising income taxes on the highest earners. More recently, he has offered to consider an array of other revenue raisers, including cigarette and alcohol taxes and a broader sales tax.
Dayton has been on the road this week, holding public events around the state, and said he received a clear message from the people he met: End the shutdown.
"They want this resolved and they don't even care how. I care how," Dayton told a University of Minnesota audience in Minneapolis.
Dayton said he is reluctant to accept the Republicans' way out of the budget impasse.
"Despite my serious reservations about your plan, I have concluded that continuing the state government shutdown would be even more destructive for too many Minnesotans," he said in a letter to GOP leaders that he read aloud. "Therefore, I am willing to agree to something I do not agree with — your proposal — in order to spare our citizens and our state from further damage."
Dayton is also asking lawmakers to approve a construction projects bill totaling at least $500 million.
The shutdown has closed state parks and rest stops, prevented many people from getting licenses they need to launch careers or move ahead with businesses, and cut off funding streams to countless social service programs. It has also cost the state millions in preparation costs and lost revenue.
Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.
Comments (23)
Add commentmore throwing the ball down the road.......
Well, SOMEONE had to be the grown up. When Pawlenty was governor he did not have to do this. Dayton cares about the hurt that is going on in MN.
Dayton is also NOT conceding to the 'tack on' legislation that the GOP added to the budget: Voter ID, banning stem cell research, abortion restrictions, etc. Those are SOCIAL policies and they DID NOT BELONG in the budget bill.
"Voter ID, banning stem cell
"Voter ID, banning stem cell research, abortion restrictions, etc. Those are SOCIAL policies and they DID NOT BELONG in the budget bill."
Very true, Mars.
I am with Marsbar
Like marsbar said, plus he want Minnesota to start working again. It is to bad the some others didn't feel that way and meet him 1/2 way.
A Pawlenty rerun
Great! More borrowing from schools, more shifting and then leveraging what's left of the tobacco money.
Gee, we've got old "kick the can down the road" Governor Pawlenty back. I thought he was gone trying to be President.
Mediocrity inhabits every corner of our Capitol. Any high school civics class could do better than the numbskulls we have elected.
Delaying payments does not solve the problem
Electing to pay a bill next month that is due this month doesn't absolve responsibility for the bill. Delaying payments to schools does not fix the budget problem at all, it just puts it off until later. So the state will send less money to schools this year. So what? It just increases the amount they owe to schools next year. And do you think that all the companies the the schools buy supplies from and all of their employees are willing to wait a year to get paid until the state releases the funding? Of course not. The schools will have to borrow money to fill the gap. And what happens when they borrow money? They have to pay interest. And where does that interest payment ultimately come from? The taxpayers. And who does that interest payment benefit? Not the kids in the classrooms, I'm sure of that.
Delaying payments to achieve the facade of a balanced budget that didn't work for MN before (that's part of the mess we are in now). Why would we repeat the same mistake again? That's just insanity.
And next year when the payment to school districts is higher (to make up what they shorted schools this year), republican legislators will try to call it an "increase". Let's just watch history repeat itself.
I think
It must have been the report of beer shortages !! Who whould have thought it!! Beer can start up a government, but we still can't have it at the CWC Fair. :)
Just remember
that the Republicans did compromise with Dayton. Our state is going to increase spending by 6%. Of course Dayton and the tax and spend liberals wanted way more than that as usual. It is interesting that Dayton learned on his self promotion tour of the state that the people of MN wanted him to "end the shut down". Maybe the message he really heard was, quit trying to spend money that we do not have and start to act like a responsible leader to get our state back to a stable and sensable level of taxes and spending.
2012
I would like to see some new candidates run. How about you Rolf? Want to run? They need some smart scientists! How about some retired teachers who will stick up for our kids? And be sure they know how to answer email. I never get an answer when I email those in office now.
I sure hope those add on social items are gone. I look forward to a debate on each and every one with expert witnesses.
voter ID
Voter ID is not a social policy. It is a legal policy.
You have to show ID at the Doctors office, when you
write a check etc. Now you have to get your picture
taken at the Dr office.
Voter ID is about being legal to vote and also makes
a cleaner election.
My mother got a ID recently, it cost $11.00 and she
is on a more limited budget than many.
Point is ---legal not social.
The State government was SHUT DOWN
Wow when did that happen?
Don't count your chicken's folks...
As the article states, the GOP'ers haven't responded yet.
Dayton is basically caving in to a plan they floated more than a week ago, without the add-ons. He's still baiting them: if they refuse they look bad to mainstream voters, but if they accept, they look bad to most of the Tea Partiers.
Seepmeister
I doubt if the cook was all that high on Dayton's list.
THis has been a showdown for all sides, with all sides hoping to reap some kind of political reward from it. I think all side lose, including Dayton. I agree...I was OK with it lasting a lot longer...long enough for some real hardship to turn up, long enough for the voters to accept nothing less than a real, functioning government. I still think a number of seasoned pol's will decide to retire and a greater number than normal will be unseated in 2012.
Fish learned that sometimes its faster and cheaper to work on human connections over just following the letter of the law. Someone in the DNR considered some part of Fish's operation a threat to THEIR operation. People often feel less threatened by their friends.
6% Increase
Yeah, exactly what I meant walleye hunter.
TPaw "balanced" his budget by delaying payments to schools. Now you are claiming there is a 6% increase in spending in this budget. Did you figure that a portion of that increase is due to having to pay THIS year what was still owed to schools from LAST year? That's not an increase in spending...that's making good on a past due debt obligation.
diversity
too bad the 60 day waiting period for welfare is gone-see murder punk living with a divirsity from chicago also! we pay higher welfare for him to sponge off of!
DELTA TO END BRAINERD AIR SERVICE -WHATS NEXT ??? PP of MN
All you people out there who actually DO HAVE THE RIGHT & RESPONSIBITY TO VOTE IN 2012 -TAKE NOTE. Thats assuming you have the right ID with you ... Thanks to our state GOP lawmakers OUR Gov. is being forced to continue the failed lets borrow more money /accounting gimmicks created by Timmy Pawlenty. And all those bright bulbs who got James Oberstar our Congressman who always protected rural air service in N MN replaced by Chip C. from the metro twin cities ,great job !!!
Chip Cravaack
Chip just bought a house in New Hampshire. He is selling his Lindstrom home and moving to North Branch. That should make the Iron Range feel better served. He says he will be in MN every Saturday.
$7.5 million
we are spending 7.5 million so we can have less air service besides millions in federal subsidies to the airline-WASTE.
good/bad
i think it's good that the State may get back to business. same time, i am saddened that things are not going to get better by those who want to line their pockets. band-aid solution for a band-aid state
voter id
forget the id's, start checking IQ's.. Look at resident O'Bama and Mark "I quit" Dayton who could have avoided this shut up by acting two months ago.