ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Legislative leaders started chipping away at a budget deal on Thursday, finalizing high-level spending numbers for Minnesota’s public universities, courts and public safety programs while leaving larger slices of the state’s $40 billion-plus budget for later.
After more than 24 hours of private talks this week at the governor’s residence that yielded little outside of vague promises of progress, smaller pieces of a wide-ranging budget deal started falling into place. In a sign of what’s to come as the Legislature races toward its Monday deadline, the total spending number released for those programs was higher than House Republicans aimed for and lower than in Senate Democrats’ budget.
In one of a few prolonged interviews top negotiators have given since negotiations ramped up Monday, Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk tried to lower expectations Thursday evening for doling out the state’s nearly $1.9 billion surplus. He noted the deal struck with Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt and Gov. Mark Dayton on higher education wouldn’t provide enough money to freeze tuition at all state institutions.
“There’s just not enough money to avoid (tuition increases),” the Cook Democrat said. “We’re having to be much more conservative I think than a lot of the different advocacy groups had hoped.”
Other more contentious negotiations over larger chunks of the state budget are still in flux. After meeting for more than three hours at the governor’s residence, legislative leaders planned to reconvene to discuss health and human services funding and other areas.
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MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Members of a Twin Cities Somali community task force that is partnering with the Department of Justice say they are committed to finding solutions to combat terror recruiting.
The group was created out of a federal pilot project designed to engage youth and address what makes kids vulnerable to radical messages.
The group said Thursday it is led by Somalis and is working with the U.S. attorney - but not for the U.S. attorney.
Some community members have been skeptical and said there are problems with partnering with the federal government.
The group and the U.S. attorney have signed a memorandum that states the pilot project will not be used to conduct surveillance on the Somali community or build intelligence databases.
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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - The Minnesota Lottery’s experiment with paperless, instant-play tickets sold over the Internet and other platforms will come to an end because Gov. Mark Dayton decided Thursday against vetoing legislation suspending the games.
The Legislature had sent Dayton the bill to stop the virtual games after overwhelming votes in the Senate last week and the House on Thursday. Spokesman Matt Swenson said Dayton would defer to their will rather than veto it, which could have subjected him to a possible override attempt.
After it goes into effect early next week without Dayton’s signature, the lottery must halt the games within four months. The games were seen as a way to connect with next-generation players who do much of their business on laptops, tablets and smart-phones.
Dayton vetoed a similar bill last year that would have suspended the electronic “scratch-off” ticket sales at gas pumps, through ATMs and over the Internet. Lawmakers had adjourned for the year so lacked they chance to override him.
Lawmakers insist the lottery overstepped its bounds by branching out into electronic games without explicit approval. When those games went live early last year, Minnesota was the first state to sell instant-play games on the Internet in addition to a subscription service for draw games like Powerball.
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ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources is lifting burning restriction in many counties, thanks to recent rain and green-up.
The agency lifted the restrictions Thursday. But burning restrictions will remain in place in northern Minnesota until there is enough green-up.
Although the state is lifting restrictions, local counties or municipalities may have specific regulations that affect burning. And because fire danger can change quickly, DNR foresters can restrict burning permits whenever conditions warrant.
The DNR advises anyone doing burning to keep burn piles small, have a water supply nearby and stay with the fire until it is completely out. If a fire escapes, the person who started the fire is responsible for the damage and suppression costs.
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