UPDATED: Countdown to Shutdown

(1:10 p.m.) Talks between GOP leaders and Gov. Dayton have finished after just 30 minutes.

Senate Majority caucus spokesperson, Michael Brodkorb, says he expects more meetings later in the day but nothing is scheduled.

According to Brodkorb, nearly every state senator is at the Capitol.
“They will be here the balance of the day, working towards solutions and compromises and other discussions,” Brodkorb told the press corps.

It would seem the House has also begun gathering at the Capitol. According to one House member, "there are more (representatives) than usual on a nice summer day.”

(12:45 p.m.) Gov. Mark Dayton and GOP lawmakers have just resumed budget negotiations in an effort to avoid a government shutdown and preempt layoffs of around 22,000 Minnesotans.

This morning’s 10 a.m. meeting ended after and hour and 15 minutes with little to report. As has become the norm, neither the governor nor Republican leaders briefed the on-site media following the meeting.

While things seem to be moving slowly inside the State Capitol, community organizations have taken to the Capitol grounds in protest. A preliminary look at today’s schedule of protests is as follows:

• MN Council of Nonprofits: 10-11 a.m. (State Capitol, South Steps)   
• MAPE Union:  10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. (Andersen Building, Lobby)
• Council on Asian Pacific Minnesotans: noon-2 p.m. (State Capitol, Mall & Lower Lawn)
• Welfare Rights Committee: noon-2 p.m. (State Capitol, South Steps)
• Fighting Back the Shutdown Rally:  3-5 p.m. (State Capitol, Rotunda)
• Fighting Back the Shutdown Rally: 5-7 p.m. (State Capitol, South Steps)
• American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees: 9-11 p.m. (State Capitol, South Steps)

(12:00 a.m.) The political arena in Minnesota today was filled with potential, plans and posturing but ostensibly little progress on the $1.8 billion that separates Gov. Mark Dayton and GOP lawmakers from a budget deal.   

At around 9:30 p.m. Wednesday evening the parties concluded what, by all accounts, was their final round of budget negotiations without an agreement.

According to tweets from Star Tribune political reporter Rachel Stassen-Berger, House Majority Leader Matt Dean (R, District 52B) has said the parties are “very very close on many issues” and that it would be “difficult to explain a government shutdown.”

Moreover, Deputy Senate Majority Leader Geoff Michel (R-Edina) told Stassen-Berger after the meeting that the parties have made progress on “almost every deal.”    

Lawmakers and the governor met this morning from 9-10:30 a.m. and quietly adjourned before slipping out a back door without offering a statement or status update.

Meetings at 12:30 p.m., 3 p.m. and 8 p.m. finished much the same way.

Ramsey County Judge Ruling

In a highly-anticipated ruling, Ramsey County District Judge Kathleen Gearin decided this morning that core functions of the state government must continue to be funded even in the event of a Friday shutdown.  

For a detailed article on how the ruling will impact Minnetonka city services and schools, click .

According to MPR News, Gearin agrees with Dayton’s June 15 petition, which states that correctional facilities, nursing homes, public safety, and payment of medical services are all "core functions" of government.

The Star Tribune reported Gearin’s written response: "The Court believes that the negative impact of a government shutdown on these programs does not justify a court in over-extending its authority....the Court must construe any authority it has to order government spending to maintain critical core functions in a very narrow sense.”

Gearin’s entire ruling can be accessed here, but according to local non-profit organization Minnesota Budget Project here is what stays and what goes: 

Funding continued

• Medicaid
• Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (Food Stamps)
• Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF)
• Basic custodial care for residents of state correctional facilities, regional treatment centers, nursing homes, veterans’ homes, and residential academies and other similar state-operated services.
• Immediate public safety and health concerns
• Benefit payments and medical services to individuals
• Essential elements of government financial systems
• Computer system maintenance, Internet security, issuance of payments and other administrative services
• State aid to local cities and communities
• Education funding
• Care of animals and staff security at the Minnesota Zoo

Funding suspended (All other services. Particular attention was given to the following)

• Horse racing
• Nonprofit services that are not included as part of the critical core functions listed above.
• Childcare: Programs that are federally funded through TANF will continue, but payments for all other non-TANF childcare assistance will cease.
• Construction: Keeping a bridge from collapsing is a critical core function, but Judge Gearin ruled that all other bridge and roadwork is not.

Dayton responded to Judge Gearin’s ruling by saying that she reached an appropriate conclusion, it was reported on the political blog Politics in Minnesota.

“It appears that her order arrived at the same middle ground as my administration, and essentially agreed with my list of critical services that must continue,” Dayton said in a statement.   

The Latest in Layoffs

While Judge Gearin’s decision was welcomed by Dayton and other DFLers, MPR News put it in context by outlining the number of active employees various state agencies and organizations will have at 12:01 a.m. on Friday if no agreement is reached.

• Dept. of Corrections: 3,601
• Dept. of Employment & Economic Development: 696
• Dept. of Education: 6
• Dept. of Health: 189
• Dept. of Human Services: 5,165
• Dept. of Labor & Industry: 32
• Dept. of Military Affairs: 150
• Dept. of Minnesota Management & Budget: 183
• Minnesota Zoo: 150
• Dept. of Natural Resources: 220
• Pollution Control Agency: 13
• Dept. of Public Safety: 1,031
• Dept. of Revenue: 43
• Dept. of Transportation: 217
• Dept. of Veteran’s Affairs: 980

Politicians Behaving Badly

In a move that several state employees said was inappropriate, House Speaker Kurt Zellers and Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch sent an email to thousands of workers regarding the budget, it was reported on Monday on the Star Tribune website.

The email read: "You can be sure about one thing: Our budget keeps state agencies open on July 1 and state employees will continue getting paychecks beyond June 30.”

It continued: "We agree with the Pioneer Press editorial from Sunday, June 26, that characterized Governor Dayton's negotiations as 'This is not a compromise. This is hostage taking.' Governor Dayton promised as a candidate to not shut down government, and he reiterated that pledge during his State of the State Address this year."

After state employees and a public employees union criticized the sending of the letter, both Koch and Zellers said they had done nothing wrong.

Metro Area response

In anticipation of the government shutdown Hennepin County has issued layoff notices to around 1,300 of its 7,500 workforce.

The layoff notices—which span everything from unfinished construction projects to unfunded care at Hennepin County Medical Center—come with a 10-day waiting period before becoming effective. Hennepin County Administrator Richard P. Johnson hopes the notices can be rescinded, and the shutdown avoided, before that time.

Hennepin County is home to 1.2 million residents, employs 7,500 staff and has an annual operating budget of $1.6 billion.

Department of Natural Resources

With the July 4 holiday weekend looming, one of the most immediate, and perhaps catastrophic, affects of the shutdown will be felt by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

According to Albert Lea-based KIMT TV, this weekend more than 60,000 overnight campers and 340,000 day users are expected to use the DNR’s 67 parks across the state. In the event of a shutdown, those people and their money—an estimated $12 million per week—will go somewhere else.

According to the DNR, unless a budget compromise is reached, the parks will begin shutting down at 4 p.m. on June 30. The DNR website and Information Center services will be suspended and the administration expects to lay off most of its staff.