Politics & Government

Dayton to Tour State With Budget Message

Republican lawmakers say their counter-offer on the state budget is in the works.

Gov. Mark Dayton is scheduled to embark on a statewide tour to explain his side of the Minnesota budget debate that has resulted in a state government shutdown.

The tour is scheduled to begin Tuesday in St. Cloud, and Dayton also will visit Rochester, Winona, Albert Lea and Austin over the next two days. Dayton has preliminary plans to fly to Moorhead later in the week.

“The people of Minnesota overwhelmingly want us to compromise," Dayton told reporters at the state Capitol on Monday. "I am willing to consider other possibilities, other reasonable alternatives.”

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Among the possible compromises Dayton would consider is lowering and broadening the sales tax, increasing taxes on cigarettes and alcohol and ending certain tax breaks. The governor’s preferred method of closing the $1.4 billion gap between proposed budgets remains an increased income tax on Minnesota’s 7,700 wealthiest residents.

The governor also released a budget message on YouTube.

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In a news conference after Dayton’s announcement Monday, GOP leaders renewed their call for a lights-on bill that would temporarily keep the state government in business while lawmakers work on the budget deal.

Sen. Amy Koch (R-Buffalo) also said a GOP counter-offer is “in the works.” She did not expand on the details of the budget offer or say when it would be presented to Dayton.

Apart from the temporary-funding bill, the GOP has yet to make a counter-offer since the beginning of the government shutdown July 1.

Despite talk of a counter-offer, it appears GOP leaders and Dayton are still miles away from a deal.

“Any talk of increased taxes is generally off the table,” Assistant Majority Leader Sen. David Senjem (R-Rochester) told reporters. “We compromised in the room. We felt we compromised enough.”


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