Dear Neighbor,
It feels like déjà vu at the Capitol.
Just like last year, the Democrats are exhibiting a lack of leadership and are resorting to shenanigans despite having full control of the House, Senate and governor’s office.
This should have been a relatively easy session for them and there even was some thought the session would adjourn a week or so ahead of the constitutional May 19 deadline. Instead, the majority has been slow to find resolution on some key bills late this session, namely a bonding bill and supplemental tax and spending bills. They have seemed dysfunctional to the point the governor called out House and Senate Democrats for spending too much money. Imagine that!
Democrats have had plenty of time to resolve these bills. There even was last year’s agreement on the bonding bill to set it at $846 million this year. I think that price tag is too high and there is so much waste in the bill I can’t see myself voting for it, but at least they already had their number in place.
Yet, here we are, coming down to the wire this session and they still haven’t figured out some key issues. Medical marijuana is another.
We have spent much of this week hearing more minor bills on the House floor this week as we wait for the big items to emerge. The shenanigans came today when Democrats took their omnibus liquor bill, stripped it down and attached it to a gambling bill. By all practical definitions, these issues are completely separate and should not have been lumped together.
Republicans earlier tried to attach fixes to the debacle called MNsure onto a Health and Human Services, but Democrats blocked those efforts by declaring MNsure not relevant to HHS. Now, they say liquor and gambling are suitable subjects to be included in one bill. I fail to see their logic in either instance.
In any case, we are drawing nearer to the day we have to adjourn and deadlines have a way of producing action in St. Paul. We’ll see what happens next week. The sooner we get Democrats home – and away from the Capitol where they can do more damage – the better.
I’ll keep you posted.
Sincerely,
Tom