Sunday, July 17, 2011
Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican leaders report considerable progress after a weekend of negotiations.
Sunday, 6:15 p.m. — Gov. Mark Dayton, House Speaker Kurt Zellers (R-Maple Grove) and Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch (R-Buffalo) report reaching “considerable progress” during weekend budget negotiations. The parties struck a positive tone with their joint statement, released at 5:30 p.m. on Sunday. MPR News reported on Sunday evening that a handshake deal has been reached on an $11 billion Health and Human Services bill. But despite any supposed progress—and contrary to Dayton’s intent, the governor won’t call a special session on Monday morning. “Work on the detailed budget bills continues to move in a positive direction, with an urgent focus on getting Minnesotans back to work,” the joint statement read. “A special session will be …
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Citizens demonstrated and converged on the state Capitol this afternoon to voice their displeasure with the impending state government shutdown.
Citizens marched through St. Paul to the steps of the State Capitol today where they voiced their displeasure at the current budget deadlock and impending government shutdown. Barbara Hall of St. Paul, who was at the Capitol with the community action group L.I.F.T., said she was there to represent the people in her area that could not and come voice their opinion. "The people in my apartment building, a lot of the people can't come here," she told Haines. "So I am here standing for them, too." A group of a few dozen citizens marched from Kellog Park to the Capitol where they met up with other demonstrators gathered on the Capitol lawn and steps, according to Haines. Demonstrators went inside the Capitol building in hopes that lawmakers …
Friday, June 24, 2011
The Board of Commissioners heard a detailed report this week on what will be affected if a budget deal is not passed by July 1.
- GOVERNMENT
- Tom Egan
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Friday, June 24, 2011
Editor's Note: Dakota County Commissioner Tom Egan represents Mendota Heights, Lilydale, Mendota and a portion of Eagan. He was elected to office in 2004 and is now serving his second four-year term. Egan will write regularly to Patch readers about county government. In this column, Egan reports on the first budget workshop on 2011, which was dominated by talk of a shutdown. Even without the threat of a state government shutdown, June 21 was already scheduled to be a very busy day for the Dakota County Board of Commissioners. After a full County Board Meeting including confidential discussion of five claims and lawsuits followed by a meeting of the Board acting as the Dakota County Regional Railroad Authority, the County Board held its…
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Rep. Mindy Greiling discusses the budget and possible government shutdown.
DFL politicians came to town to talk about the state budget and how action (or inaction) in St. Paul may affect the schools. Rep. Mindy Greiling, Rep. Nora Slawik and Rep. Carlos Mariani spoke with educators and school district officials at the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage District Administrative Offices on Thursday morning. Here is a short segment of the conversation. More to come.
From state parks to invasive species inspections, Department of Natural Resources hammering out contingency plans.
- GOVERNMENT
- Jay Corn
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Thursday, June 23, 2011
A shutdown of state government would suspend virtually all services and divisions within Minnesota’s Department of Natural Resources. All 74 state parks, recreational areas and camp grounds, visited by millions of people every year, will close. Conservation and enforcement operations will also cease, and ecological monitoring will come to a halt. “We don’t have an agency master list of services affected by the potential shutdown,” said Colleen Coyle, a communications and outreach specialist with the department. “We are still in the midst of contingency planning, and the court has not yet ruled which of our services will be considered essential.” Each DNR division director is being asked to lay out the effects of a potential shutdown on …
Wednesday, June 15, 2011
In court on Wednesday, Gov. Mark Dayton outlined the programs and services that he says need to remain in place in the event of a government shutdown.
In Ramsey County Court on Wednesday, Gov. Mark Dayton outlined the state services and programs he feels need to continue in the event of a government shutdown. In Dayton's response to a petition filed by the attorney general Monday, the governor said he believes "as the Minnesota Constitution declares, that Minnesota's government was 'instituted for the security, benefit and protection of the people.'" He went on to say a "government shutdown would threaten lives and safety of the people of Minnesota." All told, thousands of employees would be kept at work despite the fact the state would lack the authority to spend money because of the budget impasse. But the governor also proposed closing more than 50 boards and agencies, while keeping …
Terry McCall
2:10 pm on Saturday, July 2, 2011
Wow! I count at least 22 demonstrators. What a mob. This shut down thing must be the armegeddon the BM (Big Media) thinks it is. more ›