State officials have two words for Minnesotans anxious to have their government up and running again: Be patient.
And even if legislators manage to pass a dozen bills overnight and Gov. Mark Dayton signs them into law, "it seems unlikely [state employees will come back tomorrow," Jim Schowalter, Dayton's management and budget commissioner, said Tuesday.
The reason, he said, is that even after a bill becomes law, it takes a day for money to be appropriated so it can be spent.
"Just because a bill is passed, it doesn't mean that agencies are up and running," Schowalter said. "We're asking your understanding because offices may or may not be available immediately."
In many cases, agencies should be operating in a matter of days, he said.
"We're planning to get back as soon as we can," said Tina Smith, Dayton's chief of staff. "The goal here is really to restore government as smoothly and quickly as we can."
Smith and Schowalter had no definite answers about the timing for restarting specific government functions, as in when parks will reopen, how quickly a variety of state licences will be available or when such state-regulated businesses as the Canterbury Park racetrack will reopen.
Road construction projects will take the longest to restart, Schowalter said, "probably a period of weeks."
