From winonadailynews.com:

Minnesota lawmakers balanced the state budget and erased a $3 billion deficit Monday, wrapping up their work for the year in a way that allowed Democrats and Republicans alike to claim some credit but also set the terms of the election debate to come.

The deal struck by Gov. Tim Pawlenty, presiding over his last legislative session, and DFL House and Senate leaders headed off what could have been a serious cash-flow problem and potential government shutdown within just a few weeks.

But the deal does little to address an even bigger deficit for lawmakers to tackle next year, with the DFL favoring new revenue sources and Republicans preferring more drastic spending cuts.

“It’s really easy to kick the can down the road like this,” said state Rep. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, who voted against the compromise. The single biggest source of money to close the deficit is a delay in nearly $2 billion in state aid to school districts — money lawmakers have vowed to repay in the next budget cycle, though they are not legally bound to do so.

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