The Senate passed its bill after Senate Republicans with meager success attempted to amend the broad bill incorporating education, human services and other budget areas unsettled by the $935 million projected budget deficit for this spending cycle.
by T.W. Budig
ECM Capitol reporter
The Capitol buzzed late into Thursday (April 3) night as House and Senate debated their finance bills.
The Senate passed its bill after Senate Republicans with meager success attempted to amend the broad bill incorporating education, human services and other budget areas unsettled by the $935 million projected budget deficit for this spending cycle.
"I think to a great extent that will be up to the governor," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman Dick Cohen, DFL-St. Paul, of achieving a budget settlement by end of session in May.
Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, argued a point of the bill early in the floor debate on Thursday.
The biggest difference between the Legislature and Gov. Tim Pawlenty's budget approach, Cohen opined, was the use of the health care access fund - the governor proposed tapping into it for $250 million.
Democrats look to the access fund for health care proposes.
No surplus
"There is no surplus in the health care access fund as long as we have uninsured people in the state," said House Health Care and Human Service Finance Committee Chairman Tom Huntley, DFL-Duluth, during floor debate.
One highlight of the Senate finance bill is a $35 per pupil funding increase for K-12 education - the Senate tapped into the governor's alternative teacher pay initiative, Q Comp, for extra dollars.
Pawlenty has expressed unhappiness over the move and a perceived wantonness among Democrats for finding funding dollars by ransacking his initiatives.
Senate Republican Minority Leader David Senjem, R-Rochester, attempted during Senate floor debate to tap the state budget reserve for $14 million to support a guarantee by the state that private money will be raised to pay for the Minneapolis-St. Paul host committee's share of the expense of the 2008 Republican National Convention.
But the Senjem effort failed on the Senate floor.
The action by the Senate, Senjem opined, would probably soon find its way into the national media.
While the Senate approved its finance bill by 8 p.m., the House continued into the night with lengthy debates over procedures.
Garbage bill
Indeed, House Republicans condemned the House DFL finance bill as a "garbage bill" - a collection of this and that - and bumptious debate had Republicans challenging rulings by House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis.
Rep. Mark Olson, R-Big Lake, repeatedly arose to argue points of order.
"The truth of the matter is the bill is unconstitutional," said Olson.
Rep. Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, breaks into a smile during debate on a provision of her's in the big budget bill.
Rep. Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove, keying on the bill number, styled floor debate as "The War of 1812."
The House in its K-12 funding efforts offers a one-time infusion to school districts of $51 per student.
"I think it's the ray of sunshine in this bill," said House K-12 Finance Committee Chairwoman Mindy Greiling, DFL-Roseville.
The House, unlike Senate, has a provision in its K-12 bill that has the state withdrawing from the federal No Child Left Behind program.
Kalin amendment
Rep. Jeremy Kalin, DFL-North Branch, amended the language to require the commissioner of education and finance to certify that the state's schools realize a net financial benefit by the state dropping out of No Child.
"The amendment guarantees we'll withdraw from No Child Left Behind responsibly," said Kalin.
Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, unsuccessfully attempted to take out of the school funding formula concentration factors he argues provides a superabundance of school funding to Minneapolis and St. Paul while providing leaner funding elsewhere.
Democrats called it geographic warfare.
Rep. Tom Hackbarth, R-Cedar, attempted to amend a gun provision - the Castle Doctrine - onto the bill that would impact state law in the use of deadly force.
Hackbarth argued all the provision did would allow those threatened to stand their ground instead of retreat.
Out of order
After a protracted debate, Kelliher ruled the amendment out of order.
Rep. Tom Tillberry, DFL-Fridley, under the broad, lit House dome listens to debate on the House supplemental budget bill on Thursday (April 3).
But an appeal of the ruling produced one of the closer votes of the evening.
Like the Senate finance bill the House bill trims state government and taps into various state accounts to finance the package.
The bill gives nursing home workers a two percent cost of living increase.
House Majority Leader Tony Sertich, DFL-Chisholm, called it responsible and balanced.
Speaking off the House floor, Sertich commented on the perceived difficulties of negotiating with the governor.
Pawlenty's negotiation approach seems to be "
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