Deficiency spending

A bill to address a quartet of budget deficiencies that, according to the administration and Department of Finance, needs immediate action, was passed by the House 112-17 on Feb. 28.

“This deficiency bill is for very small amounts of money that will solve those particular problems for very small organizations that have no other opportunity than the Legislature appropriating some money for them,” said Rep. Loren Solberg (DFL-Grand Rapids), sponsor of HF3055.

The bill would appropriate $175,000 from the General Fund for the administration of the Minnesota Sesquicentennial Commission.

“In the last legislative session they were given an appropriation, and there were some restrictions on that appropriation,” Solberg said. “Some of it went to small grants for the programming throughout the state, and they were restricted on the amount of money they could use for their staff. At the present time, with that restriction put in place, they should really be laying off their staff in order to account for things like unemployment, vacation pay and the other things that go along with terminating somebody. This will bring them, for their staff only, through the celebration.”

In another provision, Special Revenue funds totaling $304,000 would be divided between the state’s Board of Chiropractic Examiners ($150,000), Board of Dentistry ($100,000) and Board of Veterinary Medicine ($54,000). All three have licensing-fee funded accounts within the fund.

The money is needed to reimburse the boards’ costs incurred while conducting contested case hearings involving individuals.

“They do have the funds available at this present time, but they are not allowed to pay them out without us appropriating the money,” Solberg said. The board may have to make up the funding at some point.

A companion bill, SF2766, sponsored by Sen. Richard Cohen (DFL-St. Paul), awaits action on the Senate floor.