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Lawmakers upbeat in show-n-tell tours
When lawmakers embarked Monday on their traditional post-session show-and-tell tours, they could actually say without any need to spin they'd brought home the goods this year. "Government should not be expected to everything, but we should at least do our part," House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher told reporters before boarding a plane in Saint Paul for a statewide fly-around. "And I think what we have done is, we have put some strategic investments in place." Governor Pawlenty, in a Capitol news conference, also remained upbeat about the outcome of the 2008 session. "I think it's the State Capitol equivalent of catching a nice big walleye," Pawlenty remarked, "It's a keeper. This session was a good catch, and it's going to result in a good result for the people of our state." The harmony that marked Sunday's breakthrough on a budget deal will eventually give way to partisan politicking, and some of their favorite initiatives will have to wait until next year. And next year they'll be back wrestling with another projected budget deficit, for 2010-2011. But for now most of those involved in the process believe it was one of the most productive sessions in recent memory, with room for credit on both sides of the aisle. Budget and taxes Working on virtually no sleep, legislative leaders and Governor Pawlenty early Sunday morning finally came up with the right combination of reserve funds, spending cuts and fee tweaking to plug the $935 million gap in the 2008-09 budget. The deal also imposes a 3.9 percent cap on local property tax hikes by cities and counties. That limit on local levy power won't necessarily translate to lower taxes, but it will slow the growth of your property taxes for the next three years. By some estimates it will lower the expected rise in property taxes by more than $400 million over the three-year period. And, although local property taxes have no impact on the state government's bottom line, that cap had been on Governor Pawlenty's wish list since he took office. It also allows the Governor and legislators to offer tangible proof they do more than just fight in Saint Paul. The potential revenue blow to cities and counties will be softened with a $60 million boost in state aid. And they'll be allowed to exceed that cap for hiring new police officers and firefighters. 11th hour winners and losers The 11th hour highlights included a health care reform package that will add more working poor to state-subsidized health programs, while instituting cost-saving reforms in tracking and billing. Lawmakers also managed to squeeze another $51 per pupil boost in aid to local schools, with part of that permanently added to the school finding formula. The state's youngest drivers will now have a midnight to 5am curfew and a passenger limit during their first six months behind the wheel. But a companion measure, the primary seat belt law, did not make it through the session. You can still be ticketed for failing to buckle up, you can't be pulled over solely for that offense. The city of Bloomington will be given the local option to subsidize a $200 million parking ramp at the Mall of America, but a late change in the bill would require Bloomington to cover most of the cost if it chooses to go forward with it. The MOA considers the ramp crucial to the $2 billion Phase Two addition. But, according to the Mall's executives, the final version makes it difficult to finance the ramp. The bill also included a bar the MOA from including a 6,000 seat dinner theater, or any other live theater. The Central Corridor light rail project in Saint Paul, axed earlier in the session by a line-item veto, roared back to life on the bargaining table. The Governor revived it as part of trade-off for two of his favorite bonding projects, including the Minnesota Veterans Home and the proposed Lake Vermillion State Park. "It will be the first new park in 30 years," Pawlenty said of the land the state wants to acquire around the lake in northeastern Minnesota. "And it will be one of the most beautiful parks not only in the state, but in the country." Earlier in the session With all the attention to the last-minute budget talks it was easy to lose sight of some of the other decisive moments of the 2008 session. The 35W bridge collapse led to a $38 million victims compensation package that made it clear the tragedy and its survivors were truly unique. Another tragedy also led to the passage of the Abigail Taylor Pool Safety Act, which will require all pool drain covers to meet industry standards and be inspected regularly. During the opening days of the session in February lawmakers passed the Great Outdoors and Heritage Amendment, setting up a public vote to constitutionally dedicate funding to the outdoors and the arts. If voters approve the amendment, the state sales tax would go up by three-eights of a cent, dedicating the $300 million raised to the outdoors and arts for 25 years. But by far the most dramatic moment of the session came February 25th, when the lawmakers voted to override Governor Pawlenty's veto of the $6.6 billion transportation funding bill. It will eventually add a nickel per gallon to the state's fuel tax, plus up to extra three and a half cents to retire highway bonds. It also increased license tab fees on new cars, and gave metro counties the option of imposing a quarter-cent sales tax for mass transit. TheHouse Republican Caucus has already launched an ad campaign, blaming Democrats for the high prices at the pump. DFL leaders say they expect people to focus on what they're getting for the money. "I think people are going to say this was really about safe roads and bridges," Kelliher said Monday, "It's long overdue, and we like the result." Rukavina and Fireworks The "keeper" for the Capitol press corps came late Sunday night, during Representative Tom Rukavina's last rhetorical outburst on the floor of the House. The booming sounds of fireworks exploding over the Capitol dome, as part of statehood celebration going on at the same time, caused Kelliher to interrupt him. "Representative Rukavina," she joked, "I think you're causing fireworks now!" He took the ball and ran with it. "Good!" he quipped, pointing to the ceiling of the chamber, "Send down a message to these people God! Thank you for showing me at least you're on my side!" Amid the applause and laughter Kelliher shot back, "Representative Rukavina, She's angry!" "She might be angry," he conceded, "She must be angry!"
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