Legislature restores its $130M budget, concluding legal battle with Dayton

The Minnesota Legislature moved quickly on Thursday to restore its $130 million operating budget, putting the months-long legal battle with Gov. Mark Dayton over his veto of that funding behind to rest as the legislative session gears up.

After months of bickering and a costly legal case that consumed much of the spring, summer and fall of 2017, Thursday’s votes brought the battle between branches of government to an unceremonious close. The approval by the House and the Senate comes just two days into the new legislative session, and Dayton has said he’ll sign it.

“We have a level of understanding that this was going to happen,” House Speaker Kurt Daudt said. “I’m glad that we’re moving forwarded and it will be good to put this behind us.”

The episode began in May, when Dayton signed the bulk of a $46 billion, two-year budget but used his line-item veto pen on the Legislature’s $130 million budget, hoping to bring Republican legislative leaders back to the negotiating table to rework several costly tax breaks and other measures.

Read more: https://www.twincities.com/2018/02/22/legislature-restores-its-130m-budget-concluding-legal-battle-with-dayton/