DFL leaders say they'll have a counter offer for Gov. Pawlenty tonight
Democratic legislative leaders this evening (9 p.m.) (May 16) recessed a committee examining Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s budget offer of earlier today, saying they’ll have a counter offer for the governor later tonight.
Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, and House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, indicated they would submit their budget offer to the governor and restart the committee hearing later to publicly examine it.
Public testimony on the offer would be taken, said the leaders.
About four hours of testimony was taken on the governor’s offer, almost all of it detailing the perceived hardships it would inflict on the state.
“Nobody in this room has a corner on compassion,” said Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, when the hearing broke up for recess.
Some Republicans questioned whether the testimony against the DFL budget offer would get anything like the coverage testifiers in the afternoon got as the night is growing late.
The Senate recessed until 4 p.m. tomorrow afternoon.
The House could reconvene again tonight.
The governor is continuing to sign bills.
Although he line-item vetoed the higher education finance bill, he signed into law the state government finance bill without any vetoes.
Kelliher said that was evidence that the Legisalture had done a good job.
