Beneath Budget Dispute, A Tussle Over Regulatory Power

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Minnesota legislative Republicans are moving to strip powers from Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton, ranging from limiting his team's authority to write regulatory rules to curbs on staffing.

Republicans who control only the House see the chance to have more say over workplace safety regulations, water-quality rules, health standards and environmental permitting as a crucial check against an executive branch they've been shut out of since Tim Pawlenty left office in 2011.

Dayton sees the regulatory and personnel measures as political tampering that would impede government from operating efficiently.

The Legislature and the governor jointly guide state regulatory policy in laws they pass. But executive branch agencies have the power of the rulemaking process to spell out the finer details and interpret how those fit into permitting or enforcement decisions.