Democrats hand off counter budget offer to Gov. Pawlenty
Democratic leaders at about 9:30 p.m. tonight delivered to Gov. Tim Pawlenty a counter budget offer that includes a provision for about $1 billion in new revenue.
House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, said the Senate agreed to a $1.8 billion K-12 funding shift, something both the House and governor had in their budgets at different amounts, but only on the condition that the $986 million in new revenue is included.
Other provisions in the DFL budget offer includes cuts to local government aid, the restoration of $363 million in general medical assistance funding that the governor vetoed, and other provisions.
Kelliher said the legislative committee on fiscal policy would reconvene at 10:30 p.m. to take testimony on the offer.
She also indicated that the much talked about override attempt of Pawlenty’s veto of the $1 billion tax increase bill the DFL-controlled Legislature sent the Republican governor a week ago is still in the making.
