After Weeks of Clashing, Lawmakers Move on MNLARS Funding

ST. PAUL (AP) -- Minnesota lawmakers are advancing nearly $10 million in emergency funding to fix the state's troubled driver's registration system.

The Senate passed a bill funding the platform dubbed MNLARS Thursday on a 48-17 vote. The House was expected to follow suit later Thursday, and Gov. Mark Dayton has indicated he'll sign it.

Its passage will end a monthlong slog to authorize the money state officials said they needed to keep MNLARS repairs on track. The new platform has struggled since its summer launch, frustrating drivers and deputy registrars alike with glitches and long delays.

State information technology officials had asked for the money March 1, saying it was necessary to keep key contractors from leaving. But Dayton and the Republicans who control the Legislature clashed over how to fund those fixes.