Democrats unveiled their top piece of legislation today (Jan. 12), a commentary on the health of the state budget.

House/Senate File 1 is vehicle bill designed to help utilize anticipated Obama Administration economic stimulus funding.

House Majority Leader Tony Sertich, DFL-Chisholm, said the legislation currently lacks specifics, but argued the lack of specifics creates flexibility.

"We don't want to get into the details and need to reinvent the wheel over and over again,” he said.

by T.W. Budig
ECM Capitol reporter

Democrats unveiled their top piece of legislation today (Jan. 12), a commentary on the health of the state budget.

House/Senate File 1 is vehicle bill designed to help utilize anticipated Obama Administration economic stimulus funding.

House Majority Leader Tony Sertich, DFL-Chisholm, said the legislation currently lacks specifics, but argued the lack of specifics creates flexibility.

"We don't want to get into the details and need to reinvent the wheel over and over again,” he said.

House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, said the bill sends the message to both the Minnesota Congressional Delegation and the incoming Obama Administration that state lawmakers are ready to receive the federal assistance.

"That could be up in the air if there was not a House File 1 or Senate File 1,” she said.

Democrats portray the bill as dovetailing with their committee bills.

They spoke of transparency and accountability — the federal funding is too important to be left to bureaucrats, said Sertich.

But several House Republicans criticized the  bill, arguing it was shameful that the first bill was tailored for deficit spending out of Washington.

Rep. Mark Buesgens, R-Jordan, said today (Jan. 12) that he would consider turning away federal state budget assistance, depending on the strings attached to it. Buesgens made his comment after Democrats presented their top piece of legislation, a vehicle bill for receiving dollars from Washington.

They argued for lower taxes, fewer mandates, incentives for business as means of economic recovery.

Although some of the Republicans indicated they would not turn down federal funding, Rep. Mark Buesgens, R-Jordon, indicated that he just might.

"Nothing is ever free — there's no such thing as free money,” he said.

What strings will the federal government attached to the expected federal dollars, Buesgens asked.

"What state sovereignty or autonomy are we going to be asked to give up even for a short period of time?” he said.

If he found the strings too binding, he'd turn down the money, said Buesgens.

Kelliher indicated that other top Democrat bills will deal with reform — removing mandates — and creating "green” jobs, among others.

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