As the hours tick down on the Legislature's parliamentary May 18 deadline, both the House and Senate are racing today to pass budget bills to finish off a $42 billion two year budget.
After the House passed a $17 billion education budget early this morning, the Senate is taking up the compromise measure, which would add $400 million to the education budget, including adding 1.5 percent to the education per-pupil funding formula in the coming year and 2 percent the year after.
Gov. Mark Dayton has pledged to veto the bill because it does not include universal prekindergarten.
The House and Senate will also take up major budget bills on environment and conservation funding, Legacy Amendment spending, a jobs bill and a transportation package, though not a major package of road and bridge construction that both sides hoped to pass but could not agree on.
