By Rep. Paul Anderson
The final pieces appear to be falling into place as the last weeks of session approach. With adjournment set for no later than May 19, negotiators working on the final two major spending bills were given revenue targets late last week. And with those numbers now confirmed for the second tax bill and the omnibus supplemental spending bill, it also means that the sometimes contentious bonding bill can also be finalized. Since it appears there will also be a “cash” portion to the bonding bill, the other two major bills had to be finalized before the actual amount of money allocated to the bonding bill could be set.
Governor Dayton gave his annual State of the State message to a joint session of the Legislature last week, and he mentioned one particular program that is seeking bonding money. The Lewis and Clark water project in southwest Minnesota is actually a federal initiative but funding from Washington is “dry” at the moment. Some $70 million is needed to keep the project going and deliver badly needed water to areas such as Worthington and Luverne. The governor said he would support state funding for the project, but the total amount of the bonding bill would have to be higher than the $850 million ceiling agreed to last year. Therein lies the problem, with Republicans wanting to hold to last year’s agreement, while Dayton and legislative leaders say that our improved economy warrants a higher bonding amount. And since the bonding bill is the only piece of legislation where Republican votes are needed for passage, negotiations are expected to be intense as we move into the final days of session.
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Another piece of legislation that will probably come up for a vote this week is a measure to legalize “medical marijuana.” This bill, literally, has had nine lives as appeared to be dead several times during the session, but it keeps coming back. The latest draft of the bill surfaced last week and contained enough changes that law enforcement, which has opposed the proposal all along, is now apparently neutral. The House bill would allow marijuana in pill or liquid form to be prescribed by a doctor or advanced practice nurse for eight medical conditions, including cancer and epilepsy. The Senate version is different with the issue of inhaling vapors still needing to be clarified.
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A group of ag legislators is scheduled to meet this week with officials of the two main rail lines in Minnesota. We will hear from representatives of the Canadian Pacific and the Burlington Northern Sante Fe Railroads and discuss their efforts to improve service to agricultural interests in the face of increasing shipments of North Dakota crude oil on their lines. I will report on that meeting in next week’s column.
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