(St. Paul, MN)  --  Governor Pawlenty says the budget-balancing plan he rolls out later this morning, will protect veterans and military support programs, core public safety functions, and K-12 education -- but he says all other areas will have to be reduced.  The governor's previous budget-cutting plans hit health and human services programs harder than other areas and state aid to cities and counties also took hits.  Meanwhile Democrats are talking about doing budget cuts in several steps, with the third and final addressing possibly the most volatile issues -- potential teacher layoffs and health care. There's also the possibility that, by the time Democrats get to that part of the budget, the state appeals court may have ruled on whether the governor's unilateral budget cuts last summer were constitutional. If they weren't, Democrats are in a much stronger negotiating position.
2010 Metro News