What happens if there's no deal at the Capitol?

With time running out before the Legislature must adjourn, top legislative leaders and the governor seem unable to reach agreement on a new two-year budget to keep Minnesota's government functioning.

So what happens if the deadline — tonight, at midnight — passes without a budget? Here are some guesses, based on past experience.

The first few days

If the deadline passes without a deal, the Legislature will adjourn Monday night amid lots of finger-pointing, blame-casting and dueling press conferences. Unless Gov. Mark Dayton takes the unusual step of ordering an immediate special session, most lawmakers will return home to catch up on much needed sleep.

The governor and leaders of the House and Senate will soon start meeting again to discuss their differences. The goal will be to reach the agreement they couldn't during the session, so that bills can be passed in a one-day special session.

Members of budget bill conference committees and staff members may start working on details that can be agreed on in the absence of an overall agreement.

A one-day special session?

If a deal is to be made on spending and taxes, the governor and leaders will want to work out the details in advance of the special session. Because only the governor can call a special session, he will want assurances than the scope will be limited to the budget. Without that, the Legislature could continue meeting indefinitely once the special session begins.

Working out those items will be much easier than actually agreeing on the budget. If a deal comes quickly, the session will also come quickly, so as not to interfere with summer vacation plans that lawmakers and staffers might have. And that also leaves less time for dissension to build.

Countdown to shutdown

Without the mandatory adjournment date, July 1 looms as the next deadline that could help speed resolution of the budget dispute.

That's when the next two-year budget cycle is set to begin.

Without a new budget in place, parts of the government will not be funded.

As that deadline approaches, various groups will likely seek guidance from the courts about which services are essential and would keep operating even without a deal. Attorney General Lori Swanson would take a prominent role in that.

In 2011, the last time the state government shut down, a judge granted a request to keep "critical core functions" operating. They were defined this way:

• Basic custodial care for residents of state correctional facilities, regional treatment centers, nursing homes, veterans' homes and residential academies and other similar state-operated services.

• Maintenance of public safety and immediate public health concerns.

• Provision of benefit payments and medical services to individuals.

• Preservation of the essential elements of the financial system of government.

• Necessary administration and supportive services, including but not limited to computer system maintenance, internet security, issuance of payments.