Gov, Mark Dayton
Governor Mark Dayton says this morning he’ll veto five major budget bills — health and human services, agriculture, state agency funding, environment and E-12 education — that the Republican-controlled legislature sent him, and is waiting for the rest to veto before he resumes negotiations. Dayton says with this weekend’s Fishing Opener and Sunday being Mother’s Day, Monday is probably the first day he and legislative leaders could meet. He says, “Eight days starting Monday, which is plenty of time to resolve the budget issues. And if they keep 609 policy provisions out of those bills, then I think we can readily get it finished by May 22nd. If they’re gonna include 609 policy provisions, we’ll be here until January.” Republican lawmakers have been urging Dayton to meet with them over the weekend.
The two sides remain far apart on tax cuts and spending. Talks broke down earlier in the week and Republicans decided to proceed without Dayton’s blessing and pass their budget bills, which the governor said he’d veto.
Complicating the situation is that Republicans, with a one-vote majority in the Senate, have not been able to vote on the remaining budget bills because a key lawmaker is out on a family medical emergency. Rochester Senator Carla Nelson’s father is gravely ill.
The governor says he totally respects and understands that personal tragedy, but adds Senate Republicans need to get their bills to him before negotiations resume. “This is the course of action that they chose,” Dayton says. “I didn’t choose this action. This is the course of action they decided upon, so they’re responsible for carrying it out.”