Lourey said he thinks his HHS omnibus might be the best of the budget bills passed in the hectic final days of the session.

The bills' wildly divergent conditions stem partly from the budget targets set by their respective caucuses, with the Senate looking to spend $343 million in surplus funds and the House trying to find more than $500 million in savings

Republicans have begun pressing forward with a plan to write MNsure out of the state’s control and shift Minnesota on to the federally based exchange through Healthcare.gov.

The Obama administration has been struggling to clear up data discrepancies that could potentially jeopardize coverage for millions under the health overhaul.

The increase would cost about $86 million in the current budgeting period, and advocates are hoping there will be extra cash in the state’s coffers after the November and February budget forecasts.

The legislation, which includes a 5 percent rate increase for nursing homes next year and additional spending for mental health services in schools, passed of the chamber floor on a 39-28 vote. At the start of the debate, bill author Tony Lourey, DFL-Kerrick, said the final budget bill was considerably better than a proposal passed earlier in the year. That’s because both chambers originally faced a $150 million targeted budget cut in health and human services, but that number was scaled back to $50 million when leadership reached final budget targets with Gov. Mark Dayton.

Democrats in the House have approved an $11.2 billion health and human services budget bill that would trim $150 million from spending over the next two years while also making first-ever investments in mental health programs in schools.

The bill passed off the House floor Monday night on a 70-64 vote after more than nine hours of debate. The bill would provide a 3 percent increase to cost-of-living for nursing homes and a 2 percent increase for long-term care providers while cutting about $150 million from projected HHS spending.

Rep. Steve Gottwalt is among 16 lawmakers signed onto the measure introduced as part Thursday's House floor session.

The first sign that Minnesota’s budgetary gravy days were coming to an end arrived in February 2001. The state’s budget forecast showed that a projected budget surplus of roughly $3 billion for the next biennium had shrunk by $600 million.