Latest news with #governmentshutdown
CBS News
2 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
Minnesota lawmakers continue to finish work behind the scenes, layoff notices go to most state workers soon if they don't pass budget
Minnesota lawmakers continued their behind-the-scenes work on Tuesday as they eye a partial government shutdown next month if they don't complete the next two-year state budget by July 1. Most state employees will receive layoff notices next Monday if a special session approving those spending plans isn't over by then, Gov. Tim Walz's office said. Walz won't officially call lawmakers back to the capitol until all of the remaining bills are ready to go. Lawmakers have been in mostly private meetings to make that happen, finding agreement and then sending it to the revisor's office for drafting. Key lawmakers have been meeting in "working groups" since the May 20, after the regular session ended, to sort out the details of each unifinished bill. Some broader agreements and actual proposals are posted on the Legislature's website, including a K-12 spending package. If they don't complete their work by the deadline at the end of the month, state services and programs would only partially shut down because some parts of the budget did pass before adjournment last month, including funding for the courts, attorney general's office, and agriculture and veterans departments. State workers in those agencies would be held harmless. The last time there was a government shutdown was in 2011. Four years ago in 2021, lawmakers in a divided capitol narrowly avoided one, passing the remaining parts of the budget June 30 during a special session. DFL Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy told WCCO Sunday she hopes there will be a special session this week, but legislative leaders and key negotiators have blown past other self-imposed deadlines the last few weeks. What's unclear is how the Legislature will approve a part of a budget deal between legislative leaders and the governor that would remove undocumented immigrant adults from a state program providing health care coverage, which is sparking outcry among several DFL lawmakers. Murphy has said it needs to be a stand-alone bill, while GOP House Speaker Lisa Demuth wants it to be part of a broader health package.
CBS News
5 days ago
- Business
- CBS News
State leaders hopeful for Minnesota budget deal ahead of special session
Thousands of Minnesota state workers will be getting layoff notices in the next few days because the Legislature has failed to come to a budget agreement. If the budget standoff continues through the end of this month at the Minnesota Capitol, there will be a state government shutdown on July 1 — the first time that's happened since 2011. For weeks, legislative leaders insisted they would have a balanced budget by the end of the session on May 19. That obviously didn't happen. The state is required to adopt a balanced budget every two years, and this is one of those years. And right now, the Legislature has a lot left to do. Among the bills not passed is the E-12 Education budget, representing about 30% of the total state budget, and the State Health and Human Services budget, which accounts for about 28%. Despite half the budget unfinished, leaders continue to be optimistic. DFL Majority Leader Erin Murphy, who was a guest on WCCO Sunday Morning at 10:30 a.m., says she's hopeful a budget will be ready so Gov. Tim Walz can call a special session for the Legislature to vote on it. "Gosh, even this week, we're hoping that it can be this week. I know everybody needs to give the revisors the time to draft the legislation," Sen. Murphy said. While the Minnesota House is tied at 67 Republicans and 67 Democrats, the Senate has a one-vote DFL Majority at 34 to 33. That slenderest of margins is one reason that reaching an agreement has proved so difficult. Another hold up has been the issue of free health insurance for undocumented immigrants. Legislative leaders — including GOP Speaker Lisa Demuth, DFL Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, Sen. Murphy and Walz — agreed to roll back the benefit for undocumented adults and leave it in place for children. But the pushback has been swift and strong. DFL legislators immediately protested the rollback agreement, even demonstrating at the governor's offices. Sen. Murphy says with the slim majorities, a compromise had to happen. "It is a very, very difficult vote for me and it is a very contentious issue for my colleagues, and rightfully so," she said. "But it was a chief priority for the Republicans." With DFL legislators deeply fractured, it's unclear how and when a new budget deal will be finalized. Walz says only when the deal is completely set will he call a one-day special session so the legislature can vote on the budget and he can sign it.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Beer shortages, dirty parks: What happens without a Minnesota budget deal?
The Brief Minnesota is now one month away from its first government shutdown since 2011. For 20 days that July, the state laid off 19,000 workers. State parks and rest areas didn't get cleaned. Horse tracks couldn't operate because the Minnesota Racing Commission was closed. And liquor stores, restaurants, and bars started to run out of beer because the DPS employees who renewed alcohol licenses were laid off. Leaders are optimistic they'll avoid a shutdown in 2025. They're expecting a special session as soon as next week. But some high hurdles still need to be jumped for that to happen. ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - There was no obvious movement on Friday towards a complete budget deal at the Minnesota Capitol, but legislative leaders say they're confident a special session should come next week. They have one month to avoid the first government shutdown since 2011. What's shaking? A few privately arranged agreements popped up on the legislature's website Friday, leaving just three omnibus budget bills to sew up. But there are still some big hurdles to jump and legislators who were at the Capitol for the last shutdown are hearing some echoes of 2011. Like a semi overturned in the Lowry Hill tunnel blocking traffic, cutting MN Care insurance for undocumented adults while keeping it for kids could block the road to a budget."If that is to pass, it's going to have to pass separately," said Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy (DFL-St. Paul). "That has not been a part of the discussion in the rooms," said her House counterpart, Speaker Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring). Maybe we have For now, the blockage doesn't seem as immovable as it was in 2011 when a GOP majority in the House and Senate couldn't convince DFL Gov. Mark Dayton to sign off on a budget. Then-Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch says this year sometimes feels the same, but she sees differences. "They have more like pots of trouble where we had like the one big thing," Koch said. Parks, horses, beer During a 20-day government shutdown in 2011, the state had to lay off 19,000 state workers, forcing closures at state parks and rest areas, and stressing out a lot of people. "I didn't know if it was going to last two hours, two days, two months, two weeks," state worker Brice Wickstrom told FOX 9 after the 2011 shutdown ended on July 21. Horse tracks couldn't operate because the state racing commission was shut down, so Canterbury Park lost nearly $3 million. That won't happen this year because a new law allows the commission to continue working with outside funding. But a beer shortage could once again ail liquor stores, bars and restaurants. "They're just disgusted," Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association rep Tony Chesak told FOX 9 about those businesses in 2011. "They're upset to the point where they're just trying to stay in business."State employees responsible for renewing alcohol licenses could be out during a shutdown. Koch believes that was a major motivating factor convincing Gov. Dayton to agree to Republican terms and end the shutdown. She hoped it would be a political winner. "We're going to run on this budget," she told FOX 9 in 2011. "We're going to talk about closing $5 billion forecast deficit without raising taxes. That's a big thing." The GOP lost both the House and the Senate in the next election, but budget forecasts have stayed sunnier. "Since then, we've never had a deficit," Koch said Friday. Until now, that is. The latest forecast predicted nearly a $6 billion deficit by 2029, which is one of many reasons this year's negotiations have been so difficult.
CBS News
28-05-2025
- Business
- CBS News
Budget talks continue at Minnesota Capitol as health insurance for undocumented adults drives DFL wedge
Budget talks continue at the Minnesota Capitol but still no breakthrough in reaching an agreement on a balanced budget. Legislative leaders walked into talks some without saying much on Tuesday. "People have worked through the last few days, so we will see," said Speaker of the House Lisa Demuth. DFL Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman sounded slightly more optimistic, saying "we are hoping to wrap things up this week." One of the biggest obstacles is a DFL divide over free health insurance for adult undocumented immigrants Protestors took over the hall outside the governor's office, furious that he and DFL Senate Majority leader back a compromise that would take the health insurance benefit away from undocumented adults but leave it in place for children. "The governor is saying he will stand strong but will he, if he goes back on his promises on immigrants what else is he going to go back on," said Erika Zurawski, who protested the policy. If no agreement is reached by June 1, layoff notices will start going out to state employees. The final deadline is June 30. If there is no agreement by then the state will enter a government shutdown — the first since 2011. During the 20-day 2011 shutdown thousands of nonessential state workers were furloughed. And while public safety employees including the state patrol kept working, state parks were all shut down
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Purcellville residents want answers on budget as shutdown looms
The Brief Residents in Purcellville, Va., still don't have answers about the town budget as a shutdown looms. Two emergency meetings to address the crisis were abruptly canceled. One was finally held on Tuesday. Purcellville faces a $3 million budget deficit and must find a solution by June 30 to avoid a state takeover. PURCELLVILLE, Va. - The Purcellville Town Council remains in turmoil. Tuesday night's meeting drew a large crowd of residents demanding answers about the town's budget after two emergency meetings to address the crisis were abruptly canceled. Without a resolution, the town faces the real threat of a government shutdown. What happened The mayor opened Tuesday night's meeting with a warning: no disorderly conduct, no speaking out of turn, and no exceeding the two-minute time limit after the last meeting saw angry outbursts from dozens of frustrated residents. Purcellville faces a $3 million budget deficit and must find a solution by June 30 to avoid a state takeover. One proposal to close the gap was to eliminate the town's police department, costing just over $3 million a year, but public outcry forced the council to reverse course, on the condition that an emergency meeting be held to explore alternatives. Those meetings, set for April 28 and May 6, were canceled by the mayor, who insisted the full council be present. The holdup is Vice Mayor Ben Nett, who has been barred from police-related discussions by the Loudoun County Commonwealth's attorney due to a criminal conflict-of-interest investigation. Nett voted to defund the department just a week after being fired from it. But with the council now voting to fully fund police in 2026, the town attorney has ruled Nett can rejoin the conversation. A town divided The council remains divided, with the majority and minority disagreeing over how to balance the budget — the main issue being the utility fund, which carries the bulk of the town's debt by undercharging approximately $17 for every 1,000 gallons of water. Part of the mayor's proposal suggested increasing the amount of the meals tax revenue allocated to the utilities fund from 50 to 84 percent, which equals a difference of approximately $1.2 million and cutting just over $1.6 million from the general fund, directing the town manager to identify what can be eliminated. Both items passed by a vote of 4-3. Dig deeper There is a petition with nearly 2,000 signatures on each calling for the recall of the mayor and three council members who voted to defund the police department. It will be sent to the Commonwealth's attorney in Stafford on May 15. If they find cause, the case will go before a judge and a trial date will be set.
