Dayton, Republicans Meet for Second Day, Trying to Avert Government Shutdown

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders will spend a summer Saturday behind closed doors trying to head off a state government shutdown that would hit in less than a week if they can't agree on a budget.

Dayton, House Speaker Kurt Zellers, Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch and other prominent lawmakers and administration officials met for about seven hours on Friday. They were mum afterward about whether they got any closer to bridging the fundamental divide between Dayton and the GOP over how much the state should spend in its next two-year budget.

But Dayton and the legislative leaders said Friday's meeting was constructive and productive and they hoped for a repeat Saturday. Failure to agree on a new budget would mean a state government shutdown starting July 1.

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