Minnesota Lawyer

The state's two primary labor unions for public employees have reached an agreement with state officials on what benefits workers will continue to receive if a government shutdown begins on Friday.

A Minnesota state government shutdown could have a lasting effect on the finances of businesses that contract with the state.

Support for Gov. Mark Dayton is slipping as an impasse with the Republican-led Legislature heads towards a potential government shutdown, according to a new poll conducted by SurveyUSA. Of those surveyed, 42 percent expressed support for the job Dayton is doing, while 43 percent expressed disapproval.

The Coalition of Minnesota Businesses has launched a statewide TV ad buy. The group's ads in support of the Republican Legislature's budget proposal contrast current ad campaigns by unions and liberal groups supporting Gov. Dayton's budget proposal.

Former Democratic U.S. attorney will advise Dayton on legal matters related to a potential state government shutdown.

The leaders of Minnesota’s two largest public employees unions today announced they’re spending $300,000 on statewide advertising in support of Gov. Mark Dayton’s proposed budget.

As acrimony and posturing continue to dominate relations between DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and GOP legislative leaders, the countdown to a July 1 state government shutdown proceeds. Yet even as the zero hour draws closer, many basic questions — such as the scope of services to be shuttered and the likely public impact — remain mysteries that would ultimately be settled in a courtroom.

The labor union-backed Alliance for a Better Minnesota will buy cable TV, radio and Internet advertisements that specifically criticize 12 GOP state legislators. The buys are the second part of an ad campaign for which ABM is spending $500,000 and $1 million.

As the Republicans and DFL Gov. Mark Dayton persist in a stalemate that could result in a government shutdown, Minnesota Chamber of Commerce President David Olson said he’s not getting pushback from his members on the Legislature’s central budget choice: to hold the line on tax increases.

For five months DFL Gov. Mark Dayton and the GOP-controlled Legislature sparred at the Capitol over how to eliminate the state’s $5 billion budget deficit. But with the legislative session concluded and no end to the budget impasse in sight, the debate will now move beyond St. Paul as legislators face constituents in their home districts.