Budget Fights Brew as Legislature Starts Assembling Bills

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- Minnesota lawmakers' budget-setting spree is in full swing.

Cuts to state agencies and big tax breaks began to materialize this week as House and Senate Republicans started releasing detailed budget plans with a $1.65 billion surplus in hand. Both chambers are plotting a roughly $45 billion budget for the next two years that puts a premium on tax relief.

But it's just the first act in a battle that will eventually be settled in private negotiations with Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton. Dayton has bristled at the scope of tax cuts Republicans are planning, saying they could reverse years of financial stability.

And there's more to it than just dollars and cents. House and Senate budgets for environmental agencies would delay the governor's prized buffer law.

Dayton vowed to veto it.