ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton gave Republican legislative leaders an ultimatum on Monday by saying he wouldn’t sign a tax bill unless they provide $138 million in emergency school funding, halting budget negotiations before they even began.
The Democratic governor and Republican-controlled Legislature have less than a week to work out massive differences, from how to cut taxes while matching the state’s tax code with the recent federal overhaul to an array of government spending. But Dayton’s demand started that bargaining off on a rocky foot, with GOP Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka calling it “next to impossible.”
