ST. PAUL – While budget negotiations in all areas of state government are happening between the Minnesota House and Senate, one key participant has so far refused to enter the discussion: Governor Dayton.
State Representative Tony Cornish (R-Vernon Center) who is co-chairing a joint House/Senate conference committee on public safety spending, said this is troublesome.
“We were led to believe that the governor wanted to enjoin in targets before May 1, so we approved our spending bills prior to Easter so we could make this happen,” Cornish said. “Now he’s changed his mind and moved the goalposts once again.”
Cornish said House and Senate conferees were also led to believe that the governor’s commissioners could negotiate on his behalf. He recently learned that is not the case.
“In areas as important as public safety, judiciary and homeland security, we’re talking about core functions of government,” Cornish said. “It puts us in a really tough spot if they refuse to share their priorities as we get closer to the end of session.”
“We want to send Governor Dayton bills he will sign, and the only way that can happen is if he tells us what he wants,” Cornish said. “I hope he joins us at the negotiating table very soon.”