Partial Minnesota government shutdown averted

Lawmakers were able to avert a partial government shutdown after working into the early Thursday morning hours.

The Minnesota Legislature worked on finishing off a $52 billion, two-year budget. The final legislation was a tax bill that was approved first in the House, then the Senate.

The Senate on Wednesday evening passed the K-12 education funding bill 65-0 and sent it to Gov. Tim Walz. He hand-delivered the signed bill to Secretary of State Steve Simon, and signed three other budget bills, to avert the lingering threat of partial state government shutdown.

The House debate on the tax bill bogged down amid a partisan fight over the details of unwinding the governor’s emergency powers.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.