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Dayton, Daudt and Bakk begin 'cordial' budget target discussions

UPDATED at 8:23 p.m. to include reaction after evening meeting

With more cards on the table, legislative leaders are hoping joint budget targets are within reach.

Although transportation remains the biggest sticking point, House Speaker Kurt Daudt (R-Crown), Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) and Gov. Mark Dayton began discussing the entire budget framework Tuesday afternoon and evening in the State Office Building and plan to continue negotiations Wednesday.

During an afternoon break in meetings, Dayton spoke to the press but declined to comment on details of the ongoing negotiation process.

Progress and process “are two very different, separate matters,” he said. “We’re in process now. … What exists today at 4 o’clock will be different from what exists tonight at 7 o’clock.” After gathering for about an hour in the early evening, the governor said he didn’t have anything to add except that the meetings had been “cordial.”

“I wouldn’t say we’re getting to the point where we’re coming to final numbers, but we’re making progress,” Daudt said.

The new House Republican budget plan announced in a press conference Tuesday morning would spend $835 million of the state’s projected $900 million budget surplus as follows:

  • $450 million for tax relief;
  • $300 million for roads and bridges;
  • $65 million on the supplemental budget; and
  • $20 million for bonding debt service.

Both the Senate DFL and Dayton have proposed spending more than $450 million in supplemental sending.

Although House Republicans presented their latest plan as a compromise, Daudt acknowledged that it is still significantly different from what the governor and Senate DFLers have proposed.

“It’s not easy, we’re not just $20 million apart here and there, we’re significantly apart,” Daudt said.

Bakk said he thinks budget targets could be reached Wednesday – except on transportation, where House Republicans and Senate DFLers show no signs of agreeing on metro area transit projects.

“Until transit gets back in the conversation, there’s probably not a lot to talk about in transportation,” Bakk said.

Transit has been set aside for the moment since it’s the area of most disagreement, Daudt said. Meanwhile, the supplemental budget and taxes conference committee chairs are working on joint budget proposals to bring back to leadership.

The supplemental budget conference committee met Tuesday night following the leadership meeting. The taxes conference committee is scheduled to meet Wednesday at noon.

Daudt said committee chairs are also working on adopting policy and technical language articles of their omnibus bills to send to the revisor’s office, which has set a deadline of Thursday for end-of-session drafting.

“Sometimes it takes a deadline to get people to move from their perspectives,” Daudt said.


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