State Senate Defers Action on Pay Raise Deal

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — A supposed agreement altering Minnesota agency commissioner pay and shoring up budgets at a few departments is in a holding pattern.

With no debate Monday, the Senate deferred final action on the bill, which was approved last week by the state House after that chamber's GOP leaders there reached an apparent deal with Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton. A House-Senate conference committee will be convened Tuesday.

The bill yanks hefty salary increases that Dayton gave agency commissioners but lets him set new salaries this summer.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk said he's waiting to hear directly from Dayton about his view of the deal, which goes further than a Senate plan he once threatened to veto.

The bill also plugs budget holes at three state agencies and the Minnesota Zoo.