Surplus or Deficit? Minnesota Lawmakers Will Soon Learn

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) _ Minnesota lawmakers are about to learn how much of a
budget surplus they'll have this year or if they'll need to solve a deficit.

Budget officials were to present an update Wednesday on the state's current financial status. It will set the stage for the rest of the 2018 legislative session.

Gov. Mark Dayton and legislative leaders were expecting a modest budget surplus. It would be a reversal from a December estimate that the state may face a slight budget deficit.

One of the Republican-controlled Legislature's top priorities was squaring the state's tax code with the recent federal tax overhaul. But Dayton and lawmakers may also leverage a budget surplus to fund safety improvements at Minnesota schools in the wake of the deadly Florida school shooting this month.