Minnesota lawmakers lightly jog to legislative finish line with no budget in place

How long do we have to be here for The Minnesota Legislature adjourns Monday night for having failed to accomplish its biggest task passing a budget bill that will fund the state ruling body for the next two years Gov Tim Walz will now have to call a special session of the Legislature which could last multiple days as lawmakers struggle to resolve major differences Lawmakers are also struggling to resolve minor differences or really differences of any size shape or variety Seemingly noncontroversial bills have crawled their way through the Legislature amid heated and in the opinion of Senate President Bobby Joe Champion DFL-Minneapolis excessively loud floor debates Meanwhile bills to fund the Departments of Training Human Services and Transportation which merely make up over of state spending feel light years away from passing through the House and Senate The chaplain this morning disclosed we should temper our deep frustration and remember the work we do for the people of Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy DFL-St Paul described reporters Monday But my mouth is full of cuss words Here is where we stand on completing a budget which will likely cost to billion over the next two years according to Anha Minge the state budget director I thought lawmakers had a budget deal Walz and legislative leaders crowed last week that they reached a pact on how much money should go into each spending bill while also achieving compromises on key spending and protocol flashpoints But their agreement left a number of contentious issues hanging One is whether to let undocumented immigrants apply for MinnesotaCare the state venture that helps pay for the vitality care of low-to-moderate income Minnesotans The deal publicized last week ceded to Republican arguments by barring undocumented immigrant adults from accessing this scheme while keeping access in place for children But an array of DFL lawmakers have made clear they will vote no on limiting MinnesotaCare for undocumented immigrants Minnesota House Democratic Floor Leader Jamie Long DFL-Minneapolis speaks during a news conference at the State Capitol Monday May in St Paul Minn Credit AP Photo Ellen Schmidt We will not acquiesce to the Republicans cruel agenda of taking things away from people Emma Greenman DFL-Minneapolis revealed at a press conference Monday Greenman also pledged to fight against spending cuts for working people Whether that takes us the next hours or the next four weeks The state administration will shut down if budget bills aren t passed by June In response to this intraparty dissent Murphy wants to lop off the undocumented immigrant issue from a larger spending package I think it s got to be a standalone bill Murphy narrated reporters in her Senate office But Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson R-Grand Forks was noncommittal on whether his caucus would sign off on a larger soundness care spending bill coupled with a standalone that limits MinnesotaCare for undocumented immigrants In fact Johnson was noncommittal about a lot of things Monday noting that while he partook in closed-door budget talks he never greenlighted any deal Demanded how long a special session might take Johnson replied Oh I have no idea It just depends on how well those committees and different jurisdictions get along Minnesota Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson R-East Grand Forks speaks during a news conference at the State Capitol Monday May in St Paul Minn Credit AP Photo Ellen Schmidt At least legislative leaders admit they spoke with Walz about MinnesotaCare for undocumented immigrants Other issues were apparently never hashed out For example last week Speaker Lisa Demuth R-Cold Spring advised reporters We have made great strides in protecting the funding for non-public coaching a reference to a Walz proposal to cut private school aid On Monday Demuth reported an agreement regarding aid to private school students was not part of the deal However there were never the votes to kill private school aid Demuth reported so perhaps it was not part of the deal but she still isn t worried about it Nonetheless cutting private school aid is part of the Senate training spending bill a billion measure wallowing in the mud in the Senate more on this in a second So did last week s agreement accomplish anything besides the spending targets Yes The clearest instance is a compromise on letting hourly school workers apply for unemployment benefits when school is out in the summer The issue had stymied advancing the mammoth K- tuition spending bills But the handful of Minnesotans turning away from the lopsided Knicks-Celtics battle Friday night to MN House Info Video were treated to the chamber unanimously passing million in one-time funding for the unemployment insurance activity Under the deal the state would take away million from a project to build an express train between Minneapolis and Duluth and million from special mentoring aid The Minnesota House of Representatives is in session at the Minnesota State Capitol Monday May in St Paul Minn Credit AP Photo Ellen Schmidt The bill took more time to pass in the Senate On Sunday afternoon Sen Jason Rarick R-Pine City proposed amending the unemployment insurance bill by effectively adding onto it the entire billion House Training Finance spending package a creative way of killing dozens of birds with one stone We can get of the state budget done before we get into a special session Rarick revealed That is a signal to the people of Minnesota that we can get our work done Sen Mary Kunesh DFL-New Brighton called the Rarick amendment sloppy lazy irresponsible and banana pants The bill would basically take the entire Senate out of the ability to create an guidance finance bill Kunesh noted The amendment failed and the rule eventually passed despite misgivings about moving transportation money onto the coaching bill Got it So the training spending bill is now ready to go Absolutely not The Legislature will adjourn Monday night with the House having passed its K- finance package and the Senate still not having even debated its version of the spending bill on the Senate floor So the bill must still clear the Senate and then be reconciled in a conference committee where the myriad differences on funding for everything from special schooling transportation to replacing Native American-themed mascots must be worked out Wow Walz must be worried In a seven-minute press conference Monday afternoon Walz appearing in blue jeans and white sneakers reported reporters he is totally not worried This is very typical Walz noted noting that agreements on big spending packages invariably come last While yes Walz has to call a special session the governor disclosed It s going to be mostly perfunctory with the biggest challenge perhaps the logistical paperwork that comes with accurately printing the bills What happens now Walz gave his remarks prior to meeting with legislative leaders behind closed doors In lieu of conference committees where lawmakers publicly meet to go over differences in spending bills legislators will now privately meet likely with the governor or his staff to go over differences in spending bills These meetings termed working groups during Monday s press avails will presumably lead to deals on spending for healthcare care teaching transportation taxes and any other bills the House and Senate do not pass before the midnight deadline Then those bills will be presented and passed in a special session the date of which is selected by the governor If the pivotal dealmaking among lawmakers is going on privately what is going on publicly In fairness lawmakers have been working evenings and weekends the past week passing smaller spending bills Their toil has led to theatrical moments like when Sen John Hoffman DFL-Champlin took to the Senate floor to argue that a spending bill was defunding the Taste of Minnesota It s the the bulk diverse cultural event in the state of Minnesota Hoffman wailed into his microphone as Senate President Champion visibly winced When we speak louder on the mics it s rough on the ears of senators Champion revealed when Hoffman was through It also led to more serious moments of frustration On Sunday evening both DFLers and Republicans expressed anger that the governor revealed the closing of Stillwater Correctional Facility without going through the legislative process The Legislature should not abdicate its responsibility and oversight in this matter noted Michael Kreun R-Blaine Erin Maye Quade DFL-Apple Valley explained she agreed with closing the prison but understood her colleague s frustration We have to have a better process she stated The post Minnesota lawmakers lightly jog to legislative finish line with no budget in place appeared first on MinnPost