On Monday, Attorney Lori Swanson filed court papers regarding the functioning of essential services during a possible government shutdown.
Dayton filed a petition in Ramsey County District Court outlining the government functions that he views as essential. The long list of recommendations includes prisons, state troopers, emergency highway repair and programs for the poor, elderly and disabled.
In a news release, Dayton said he submitted the list with a "heavy heart." He indicated that the services he left off his list should not continue during a shutdown.
"My decisions were not based upon personal preferences or policy considerations,” Dayton wrote. "Rather, they were instructed by the words of the Minnesota Constitution, which I took an oath of office to uphold, and ensuing case law. Agency heads, their staffs and the staff at the MN Department of Management and Budget and the Governor\'s Office have spent many hours developing these recommendations."
Dayton\'s court documents also ask a judge to appoint a mediator to oversee budget negotiations between him and Republican legislative leaders. He recommended former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz for that role.
A shutdown would begin July 1 if the governor and Legislature don\'t reach a budget agreement. But a judge could order the continuation of essential services.
Swanson asked a judge on Monday to keep needed services open in the event of a government shutdown, according to media reports.
The attorney general said in a Ramsey County court filing that without a court order to pay for essential services, "Minnesotans would be deprived of their rights ... and that the life, health, safety and liberty of citizens would be profoundly and irreparably impacted."
The attorney general argued that without such a court order, 1,288 mentally ill patients would no longer get care, 9,000 prisoners would have to be released and that 616 of the most dangerous sex offenders would be out on the streets.
The attorney general argued that Minnesotans who participate in health care programs that receive federal funding should continue to get their full payments. All told, about 600,000 Minnesotans receive federally-backed Medical Assistance.
Swanson also asked the judge to unlock money for the 754 veterans in the state\'s five veterans homes to ensure their care is not interrupted in the event of a government shutdown.
Governor Dayton and the legislative majorities in the House and Senate differ on how to resolve $3.6 billion of the $5 billion state budget deficit for the 2012-2013 biennium beginning July 1, 2011. The governor offered a compromise, with half of the remaining $3.6 billion budget deficit coming in the form of spending cuts and half from new revenue. The legislative majorities have refused to negotiate away from their “all cuts” budget approach. Only agriculture programs have been funded at this point.
Reprinted from the website of MAPE, the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees.
Share
On Monday, Attorney Lori Swanson filed court papers regarding the functioning of essential services during a possible government shutdown.
Dayton filed a petition in Ramsey County District Court outlining the government functions that he views as essential. The long list of recommendations includes prisons, state troopers, emergency highway repair and programs for the poor, elderly and disabled.
In a news release, Dayton said he submitted the list with a "heavy heart." He indicated that the services he left off his list should not continue during a shutdown.
"My decisions were not based upon personal preferences or policy considerations,” Dayton wrote. "Rather, they were instructed by the words of the Minnesota Constitution, which I took an oath of office to uphold, and ensuing case law. Agency heads, their staffs and the staff at the MN Department of Management and Budget and the Governor\’s Office have spent many hours developing these recommendations."
Dayton\’s court documents also ask a judge to appoint a mediator to oversee budget negotiations between him and Republican legislative leaders. He recommended former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz for that role.
A shutdown would begin July 1 if the governor and Legislature don\’t reach a budget agreement. But a judge could order the continuation of essential services.
Swanson asked a judge on Monday to keep needed services open in the event of a government shutdown, according to media reports.
The attorney general said in a Ramsey County court filing that without a court order to pay for essential services, "Minnesotans would be deprived of their rights … and that the life, health, safety and liberty of citizens would be profoundly and irreparably impacted."
The attorney general argued that without such a court order, 1,288 mentally ill patients would no longer get care, 9,000 prisoners would have to be released and that 616 of the most dangerous sex offenders would be out on the streets.
The attorney general argued that Minnesotans who participate in health care programs that receive federal funding should continue to get their full payments. All told, about 600,000 Minnesotans receive federally-backed Medical Assistance.
Swanson also asked the judge to unlock money for the 754 veterans in the state\’s five veterans homes to ensure their care is not interrupted in the event of a government shutdown.
Governor Dayton and the legislative majorities in the House and Senate differ on how to resolve $3.6 billion of the $5 billion state budget deficit for the 2012-2013 biennium beginning July 1, 2011. The governor offered a compromise, with half of the remaining $3.6 billion budget deficit coming in the form of spending cuts and half from new revenue. The legislative majorities have refused to negotiate away from their “all cuts” budget approach. Only agriculture programs have been funded at this point.
Reprinted from the website of MAPE, the Minnesota Association of Professional Employees.