Minn. Senate Passes Another Slice Of 2-Year Budget

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Senate has passed a wide-ranging spending bill that dictates state funds for programs run by the state agriculture, natural resources, commerce, pollution control and economic development agencies.

The Senate passed the Democratic-sponsored bill by a vote of 38-25. The state would spend $658 million from its general treasury on the areas covered by the bill, up from the $580 million spent over the last two years.

The bill also would put new requirements on producers or sellers of paint to collect and recycle leftover products. It directs regulators to come up with model standards that local governments could use to set silica sand mining parameters.

The bill is stocked with incentives for the film industry to use Minnesota as a backdrop and loans to businesses and grants to businesses that promise to add jobs to their payrolls.

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