18 Minnesota Lawmakers Got Shutdown Pay Retoactively

ST. PAUL (AP) - Eighteen Minnesota House members who declined paychecks during last month's state government shutdown went back for the money.

The House payroll office released a list Monday showing that 11 Democrats and seven Republicans were paid retroactively after the shutdown.

Another 32 state representatives took a $1,600 pay cut, representing the amount they would have earned during the 20-day government closure.

Lawmakers were entitled to salaries when government closed for 20 days in July, but about a third of the 201-member Legislature declined pay.

The shutdown threw 22,000 state employees out of work and interrupted services ranging from camping in state parks to driver's license exams.

House members were allowed to go back for the pay later. That wasn't an option in the Senate, where 14 senators declined shutdown paychecks.