Minn. Senate votes to cover 2010 recount costs

Legislation is advancing to cover some state costs related to 2009 spring flooding and bills stemming from the 2010 Minnesota governor's race recount.

The Minnesota Senate voted 60-4 on Tuesday to allocate money for unforeseen expenses.

The bill includes $2 million the Department of Public Safety needed to match federal disaster assistance. Another appropriation would give the secretary of state $322,000 for recount reimbursements the elections office had already paid to counties.

The secretary of state would also get $149,000 to pay legal fees tied to a lawsuit over exit polling by several media outlets.

A federal judge ruled the state must pay the fees of news outlets, including The Associated Press. The companies sued over a law aiming to keep pollsters far away from buildings where people were voting.

(Copyright 2011 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)

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