Gov. Dayton seeks meeting with GOP leaders over post-session differences

ROCHESTER – Facing a possible court battle with the Legislature, Gov. Mark Dayton on Tuesday defended his veto of legislative funding even as he prodded Republicans anew to revisit a handful of spending and policy disputes.

At news conferences in Rochester and Mankato, the DFL governor sought to explain why he eliminated the Legislature’s operating budget last week. Though the legislative session ended late last month with the two-year state budget finalized, Dayton now wants Republicans to come back in special session and undo several changes he finds objectionable — most notably some of the $650 million in tax cuts that were the centerpiece of the GOP’s agenda in St. Paul.

“It’s about a tax bill that will cost our state treasury over $5 billion in revenue over the next 10 years,” Dayton said at Rochester City Hall. “It would be a catastrophic effect on our fiscal security.”

By lining out legislative funding from the state budget, Dayton picked a fight with lawmakers that could linger for months. Republican legislative leaders are planning a lawsuit in response, with the prospect of 201 lawmakers and several hundred legislative employees losing pay and benefits later this summer.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/dayton-seeks-meeting-with-gop-leaders-over-post-session-differences/426786721/