Dayton’s State of the State Faces Skeptical GOP

ST. PAUL  (AP) - Governor Mark Dayton will deliver his second State of the State speech by calling for renewed cooperation after a rocky start to the 2012 legislative session.

The Democratic governor addresses a joint session of the Legislature on Wednesday night in the House chamber. His advisers say he'll emphasize the three chief aspects of his job-creation plan, which are a $775 million construction bonding bill as well as construction of a new Vikings stadium, along with a tax credit for businesses that hire new employees.

Dayton will also argue there's still time for him and Republican lawmakers to make the session productive despite its testy start. Just three weeks into the session, Dayton has already referred to Republicans as "unfit to govern" and "too extreme to lead."

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved)