ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Minnesota's public health care program for nearly 100,000 working poor residents will be preserved in an emerging budget deal.

House Republicans put MinnesotaCare on the chopping block this year, citing the program's growing costs and a funding source that will expire in 2019.

But House Speaker Kurt Daudt said Friday MinnesotaCare will stick around as part of a deal with Senate Democrats and Gov. Mark Dayton. They'll instead launch a task force to study the program's future.

Daudt and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk say they're closing in on an overall agreement for the state's $40 billion-plus budget that will also bump up funding for K-12 schools. They vow legislators will wrap up their work before Monday's midnight deadline.

Gov. Dayton's spokesman says the governor is reviewing the agreement.

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