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February surprise: Deficit shrinks 40 percent
After two months of negligible action at the Capitol, serious work will now begin on the main agenda for the 2013 legislative session: crafting a budget for the next biennium.
Forecast: Good news, for now
Positive budget news has been in short supply at the Capitol in recent years. So it’s no surprise that Republicans and DFLers alike greeted with relief the surprise announcement that the state is projected to have an $876 million surplus in the current two-year budget cycle.
The long, strange year that was: Top MN political stories of 2010
Here's a rundown of the year's top 10 political stories.
Deficits have legislators once again looking to expand gambling
The gaming machine may have provided a novel wrinkle in Minnesota's never-ending debate over legalized gambling. But otherwise, Thursday's hearing on various gaming measures introduced by legislators was as predictable as a blackjack deal.
Constitutional amendment efforts take a back seat in 2010
Constitutional amendments aren't at the forefront as lawmakers try to pass a bonding bill before they move on to the strenuous task of solving another general fund budget deficit in excess of $1 billion.
White House, Democrats reach accord on debt panel
Congressional Democrats and the Obama administration reached a tentative accord to set up a commission to study deficit reduction as part of the effort to extend the U.S. government's borrowing authority, House Democratic aides said.
DFL legislators prepare to go after unallotment powers
With the Legislature set to reconvene next month, DFLers are preparing to pass legislation that would constrain - or perhaps eliminate - the unallotment authority of the state's top official.
State scrambles for fixes as cash-flow crisis approaches
State finance officials again told a legislative panel on Wednesday that Minnesota may need to borrow money as early as this spring simply to keep the state's cash flow in the black.
2010 session outlook: Hurricanes, floods, a chance of locusts
Whatever the 2010 Minnesota Legislature does to confront the state's massive budget deficit will have to be a long-term solution rather than a short-term fix, or legislators will find themselves merely "kicking the can down the road," legislative leaders declared this week.
Moe: A difficult 2010 session just got more difficult
Roger Moe might be one of the few people in Minnesota not surprised by this afternoon’s ruling from Judge Kathleen Gearin stopping Gov. Tim Pawlenty from unalloting money for the Minnesota Supplemental Aid Special Diet program.
State’s unemployment trust fund plunges into long-term deficit
Minnesota’s unemployment insurance trust fund, overburdened by a 7.3 percent jobless rate that is showing few signs of improvement, has been out of money for weeks and will likely be close to $300 million in the hole by the end of the year.
Pawlenty worried about bonding bill
Improved budget outlook may fuel demand for new spending After two months of negligible action at the Capitol, serious work will now begin on the main agenda for the 2013 legislative session: crafting a budget for the next biennium. The February forecast released on Thursday contained unexpectedly strong economic data, with the state’s projected deficit ...
Top News
- Target faces ‘non-drowsy’ meds suit
- Melodie Rose named president at Fredrikson
- Supreme Court lawyers have rituals of their own
- Minnesota artists consider what’s next in AI copyrights
- Defining ‘and’ in sentencing statute falls to Supreme Court
- Hashtag rates higher libel protection
- Court: Performance issues, not bias, prompted union to fire organizer
- Robot milker case yields $122M
Expert Testimony
- Briefly: A chat with Supreme Court Commissioner Tim Droske
- Perspectives: Oral arguments at high court stir lively debates
- Quandaries & Quagmires: Advance waivers: Lessons from Paul Hastings vs. Coca Cola
- Perspectives: Recent cellphone ruling recalls high court cases
