Minnesota’s political leaders reached a deal Thursday to delay pay raises for state commissioners after weeks of controversy about the increases, reported the Star Tribune.
Gov. Mark Dayton’s proposal to raise the salaries of commissioners earlier in the month by about $800,000 in total has caused a divide between the Senate Majority Leader, Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, and the governor, according to MinnPost.
Dayton, Bakk and Speaker of the House Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, came to an agreement to delay the pay raises until July 1, reported KMSP-TV.
A 2013 law granted the governor the ability to issue raises to cabinet officials without the consent of the Legislature. The Star Tribune reported the compromise will restore authority to the Minnesota Legislature in approving any future salary changes for the state’s commissioners, starting July 2.
Last week, Dayton accused Bakk of backstabbing him for not backing the raises in the face of scrutiny from some of the state’s Republican lawmakers, causing tensions between Minnesota’s Democratic leadership, reported MinnPost.