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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
NEWS COLUMN
Session finishes with a flurry
By State Rep. Paul Anderson
It's over. The first session of the legislative biennium finished amid a flurry of parliamentary procedures at midnight this past Monday, the May 18. A last-minute tax bill was presented on the House floor shortly after 11:30 p.m. and was hastily passed in less than 15 minutes.
It was then sent quickly over to the Senate chamber, presumably in electronic fashion, 10 minutes before adjournment. The measure, designed to fill the gap between the DFL spending plan and projected revenues for the coming two years, was quickly approved, literally as the clock ticked off the final seconds before adjournment.
It was a wild finish to a session that started with so much promise and rhetoric about reform and changing the way we deliver government. In the end, the finish was a better indication of how the past nearly five months transpired; strong partisan debate from which neither side moved far enough for any real compromise.
Bear in mind that this was my first year in St. Paul, so my observations do not come blessed with the knowledge of experience. But, it seemed to me that, after Gov. Pawlenty's press conference May 14, during which he announced that there would be no special session or state shutdown and he would be signing all spending bills sent to him, the dynamics of the Legislature changed.
Opinion is strong on both sides as to whether the Governor acted properly when he, in effect, ended the stalemate that was staring the Legislature directly in the face. In my opinion, the chances of us finishing our work on time were slim to none, and “Slim” was saddling his horse as Gov. Pawlenty made his surprise announcement. It’s estimated that the cost to the state for a special session is around $40,000 per day!
He told a packed news conference that, instead of vetoing any of the spending bills sent to him, he would be signing them and using line-item veto and unallotment to pare spending levels down to the range of expected revenue. The plan is simple and direct, and one that is fully within the confines of state government, although it’s not been used to this magnitude before.
Four days remained before Monday's adjournment, and the Democrats still talked about reaching a negotiated settlement with the Governor. But time was of the essence and a joint House-Senate committee spent large parts of the day Saturday hearing testimony from witnesses on the effects of the Governor’s action. Each side in the stalemate made a late offer, but no real progress was made.
One thing is certain, no matter how this might have been settled, there would have been cuts to state programs. I talked with the Governor on the last night of the session and expressed to him my concerns with LGA cuts to cities and counties. I urged him to mitigate the cuts, especially to the smaller towns and cities in rural Minnesota. He was willing to listen, and we had a good dialogue.
The other cut that has drawn much attention is his line-item veto of the General Assistance Medical Program (GAMC). This is a concern as it affects about 32,000 Minnesotans, although many of them are eligible for other state programs. The veto pertains only to the second year of the biennium which, hopefully, gives us time to make changes next year.
With the adjournment of the Legislature (and my spring planting close to being finished), I look forward to visiting with as many of you as possible this summer. Don't hesitate to get in touch with me, if you have any concerns.
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Rep. Anderson encourages constituents to contact his new office with input regarding any state legislative issue. He can be reached on the web at www.house.mn/13A and via email at rep.paul.anderson@house.mn. To contact Anderson by phone, call (651) 296-4317. Mail can be sent to Rep. Paul Anderson, 239 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55155.
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