Shutdown: Restarting Minnesota Government Will Take Time

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) - Minnesota may soon have an end to its government shutdown, but re-starting the machinery of the state will probably take a few days.

Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and top Republicans struck a budget deal last week to end an impasse that shut down government starting July 1. Weekend negotiations on the details were aiming for a special session to start as early as Monday.

But government can't officially re-open until Dayton signs a number of budget bills, and passage of those will require rank-and-file lawmakers to sign on to a deal that some will have a hard time with.

And, once everything is in order, time to re-start scores of agencies and programs will vary. Parks and rest stops will likely need to be cleaned before they can re-open.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)

Read Previous WJON.com Coverage of the Minnesota State Government Shutdown.