ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The first partial government shutdown in Minnesota history ended early yesterday as Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed a temporary spending plan and lawmakers agreed on the outline of a two-year budget.
“I’m pleased to announce agreement has been reached by the legislative leadership to put Minnesota back to work,” Mr. Pawlenty announced about 2 a.m.
The Legislature overwhelmingly approved the “lights on” measure to send 8,900 furloughed state employees back to their jobs by restoring funding until Thursday.
Lawmakers now have until Wednesday night to hash out the final details of the two-year budget or risk another shutdown — but that is considered unlikely. Mr. Pawlenty said lawmakers had a framework for the budget, more than a week after the July 1 shutdown.
Minnesota had never before had to suspend services because of a budget dispute. The last state government shutdown was in Tennessee in 2002.
Many states often miss their deadline for enacting new budgets. But Minnesota, unlike other states, has no law that automatically extends spending past the end of its fiscal year if a new budget is not approved.
Democrats, who control the state Senate, had been locked in a standoff with Mr. Pawlenty, a Republican, and the Republican-controlled House over how much to spend on schools and health care and how to pay for it.
Both sides had said Friday that an agreement to end the six-week special session was close, but disputes over reforms for public schools remained.
Nearly one-fifth of the state work force had been told to stay home and use either vacation time or go without pay as lawmakers hashed out the budget. The shutdown also curtailed state-funded services ranging from driver’s license applications to job counseling for refugees.
Still, in many ways, the shutdown’s effects were small. Essential services, such as the State Patrol and some health and welfare programs, continued operating. A last-minute agreement kept state parks open.
But the failure to finalize a new $30 billion budget provoked widespread anger among Minnesotans, raising pressure on all sides to reach a deal.
“If you’re an incumbent — I don’t know who the good guys are and the bad guys are — you gotta go,” said Tom Grant, a sales manager from New Brighton. “Failure is not an option when it comes to looking out for the people of Minnesota.”
State employees had the option of taking vacation pay for the first two weeks of the shutdown, but about 3,150 employees would have used up their vacation benefits by next Friday, officials said. After July 15, the idled employees faced formal layoffs, which would have cost the state millions of dollars in unemployment and severance costs.
Mr. Pawlenty compared the timing of the deal to a parent waiting for a teenager coming home after curfew.
“I’m glad that they’re here safe, but I’m mad it’s late,” he said.
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