Government Shutdown: Wednesday Developments, Clock Winding Down

The political arena in Minnesota on Wednesday was filled with potential, plans and posturing but ostensibly little progress closing the $1.8 billion gap that separates Gov. Mark Dayton and GOP lawmakers from a budget deal.   

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

According to Michael Brodkorb, executive assistant to the majority caucus, the governor left the Capitol and there were no more meetings between the parties scheduled for the night.  

This with just more than 27 hours to go before a government shutdown.  

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 Wednesday 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
As previously reported by Richfield Patch, in a highly-anticipated ruling, ruled Wednesday that core functions of the state government must continue to be funded even in the event of a Friday shutdown.  

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.
• Child care: Programs that are federally-funded through TANF will continue, but payments for all other non-TANF child care assistance will cease.
• Construction: Keeping a bridge from collapsing is a critical core function, but Judge Gearin ruled that all other bridge and road work 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 Managment & 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

Richfield Patch will continue shutdown coverage and is currently working on more articles and updates.