The strings attached

05/21/2005

Star Tribune
May 21, 2005

Gov. Tim Pawlenty said his offer to add a 75-cent charge to every pack of cigarettes sold in Minnesota stands if the Legislature passes two of the following:

• A state-sponsored casino at Canterbury Park, with some proceeds going to northern Minnesota Indian bands.

• A proposed constitutional amendment that allows voters to put various issues on the ballot through a signature campaign.

• Some kind of school choice proposal; in the past, he has suggested offering tax deductions to businesses that pay the private-school tuition of disadvantaged students.

• A ban on teacher strikes during the school year