Conference committee at work

A number of fiscal questions are yet to be answered, but the issue of policy has apparently been resolved by the Omnibus Supplemental Budget Bill Conference Committee.

Rep. Lyndon Carlson (DFL-Crystal) and Sen. Richard Cohen (DFL-St. Paul), the committee co-chairs, requested April 14 that working groups be created within the separate divisions of the bill (HF1812/SF3813) to determine what policy in the respective provisions has a fiscal implication and what is just plain policy. The House file is loaded with policy provisions; the Senate not so much. Nonpartisan staff has been asked to help with the determination.

“The expectation is that policy bills will be created, so members don’t lose what they’ve been working on,” Cohen said.

Conferees hope to quickly get some sense from the chairs as to what works and can be incorporated into the final conference committee report.

Sen. Don Betzold (DFL-Fridley) and Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia) said it would be tough for discussions to occur without having a financial goal for the respective divisions. “Until a fiscal target is decided, how do we begin to discuss the end product?” Rukavina said.

An E-12 working group completed its work April 15, and a higher education group met April 16. An agriculture and veterans working group scheduled for April 18 was canceled.

Conferees also heard from various state commissioners on how potential budget changes would affect their agencies.

After meeting with Gov. Tim Pawlenty April 16, DFL leaders said a general understanding had been reached that the governor would not use $250 million from the Health Care Access Fund as part of his budget-balancing plan. House and Senate proposals both use none of that money, saying it should be used to improve and expand health care.

However, Republicans countered that the governor only said that he understood the DFL position, but he did not agree to remove the cut from his proposal.

It was also announced that a coin flip resulted in Pawlenty being asked to present the first offer in the negotiations to erase a projected $938 million biennial budget deficit.