Leaders hope to block shutdowns

02/22/2006

Previous budget would stand during deadlocks

BY RACHEL E. STASSEN-BERGER
Pioneer Press

Gov. Tim Pawlenty and legislative leaders hope to change Minnesota law so that a partial government shutdown like last year’s could never happen again, they said Tuesday.

Right now, Minnesota law requires lawmakers to pass, and the governor to sign, budget measures before June 30 every other year so the state’s bills can be paid. Last year, lawmakers and the governor didn’t agree on a budget until July 8, and a judge had to step in and order the state to pay bills for essential services. That left many state employees out of work and many nonessential state functions unattended to.

This year, the leaders want to create a law that would allow the state temporarily to continue paying bills at the previous year’s level even if they fail to pass a new budget. Federal lawmakers and many states already have such laws, generally known as continuing resolutions.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty and some Senate Republicans also want to link budget agreements to lawmakers’ salaries. They want to dock salaries for every day they fail to reach an agreement.

Last year, Pawlenty would have lost about $30,000 of his $120,000 salary if such a measure had been in place.
House Minority Leader Matt Entenza, DFL-St. Paul, said he supports a continuing resolution but not Pawlenty’s idea of performance pay for politicians. It would allow the richer lawmakers to hang on and wait for a better deal. Less-wealthy legislators, who rely on their $31,100-a-year salary, might cave in early, he said.

“It strikes me as an odd approach to dealing with things,’’ said Entenza.

House Speaker Steve Sviggum said he’s got some doubts about the worth of a state continuing resolution law.
“It’s not the answer to everything,” said the Kenyon Republican. “What it says is: You don’t have to make a decision. There is no pressure — there’s no force to make a decision.”

Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson, DFL-Willmar, and Deputy Minority Leader Tom Neuville, R-Northfield, both said the prospect of passing some form of continuing resolution legislation was worthy of consideration.