Pawlenty says his latest budget offer is `pathway' to deal
by The Associated Press
 
ST. PAUL -- Governor Tim Pawlenty's latest offer in end-of-session negotiations calls for a property tax cap and revives funding for a Twin Cities light rail line and northern Minnesota state park.

The back-and-forth is expected to play out for a few more rounds before top legislators and Pawlenty strike a deal on resolving a $935 million budget deficit and other outstanding items.

Pawlenty says his offer provides ``a pathway to close the session.''

He has floated the tax cap before, but Democrats have opposed it. They also are resisting his proposal to use a dedicated health care account as an element in the budget fix.

But the Republican governor and his legislative allies are dangling an item important to many Democrats: state money for the Central Corridor line under narrow conditions.

Pawlenty says he expects closed-door deliberations to pick up this weekend.