Shutdown: No deal, but new goals

07/05/2005

Associated Press
July 6, 2005

With parts of Minnesota government closed for a fifth day, top legislators set twin goals Tuesday of completing the state budget by the weekend and getting 9,000 locked-out employees back at their posts even sooner.

“My hope and prayer is that by week’s end you will not be able to see 201 state legislators because of the dust of us heading toward home,’’ said Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson, DFL-Willmar.

Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty and an almost evenly divided Legislature have been unable to agree on how much to spend on schools and government health insurance and whether to raise taxes or expand casino gambling to pay for it all.

Johnson met privately with Pawlenty’s senior aides, Republican House Speaker Steve Sviggum and other legislative leaders. While they didn’t reach a deal, Johnson and Sviggum expressed a determination to forge one by midnight Wednesday.

As soon as the framework of a budget deal is in hand, Sviggum said the House would pass a temporary spending measure that would let affected employees return to work. On Saturday, the Senate passed a 10-day stopgap bill, but it failed again Tuesday in the House.

Nearly one in five state workers have been idled since Friday, when the deadline for enacting a new budget passed without key components in place. Unlike some other states, Minnesota has no law that keeps the previous budget in force if a new one isn’t passed.

The departments of Health, Human Services, Transportation and Education are among those operating with slimmer staffs and offering only those services deemed critical for protecting health, safety and public property.

The full Legislature returned to action — briefly — after a holiday break in which some lawmakers heard from fed-up voters.

Sen. Dave Kleis, a St. Cloud Republican who runs a training academy for drivers, said 70 of his students graduated on Friday but can’t get permits or licenses because of the shutdown. Understandibly, he said, they’re angry.

“I’m hearing it not just from my customers,’’ Kleis said. “I’m hearing it from my neighbors, my friends at the gym, my friends at church. I’ve heard it strong and loud that there needs to be some kind of resolution.’’

A House-Senate panel charged with coming up with a revenue plan for the two-year, $30 billion budget was told to get done before Wednesday or leaders would take over those discussions.

House Tax Chairman Phil Krinkie, R-Lino Lakes, said the panel was stuck. “I do not see or know what is going to break the logjam,’’ he said.

Krinkie said the main problem is that lawmakers made too many promises for higher spending, such as increases in school aid of 4.5 percent or more in each of the next two years.

“Everyone needs to ratchet down their expectation levels,’’ he said.

Even some supposedly dead issues still have a pulse.

Supporters of a casino at Canterbury Park racetrack held a news conference to push the proposal, which Pawlenty had pulled off the table last week. They said the $200 million a racino would bring in would not only solve the budget woes but also leave enough left over to give state workers a raise.

“It’s just such a no-brainer,’’ said Rep. Mark Buesgens, R-Jordan, who said he’s part of a bipartisan group that could deliver the votes to pass a racino bill in the House. “This is how we get the job done.’’

American Indian tribes now have a monopoly over casino gambling in Minnesota and keep virtually all of the profits. Republicans have argued the state deserves a cut, while Democrats have worked to uphold the arrangment, saying the state shouldn’t use gambling profits to balance its budget.