Rural senators get rolled by metrocentric GAMC fix

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This is one example of why there’s resentment sometimes toward the Twin Cities from rural Minnesota.A group of 15 rural Minnesota Senators who had voted to pass an ultimately vetoed attempt to reform and continue the General Assistance Medical Care program ended up opposing a second try, even though it passed easily Thursday.The Senate voted 50-17 to pass SF 460, a bill from Sen. Linda Berglin, DFL-Minneapolis, that cuts, but preserves the state’s insurance program for its poorest residents in a modified form.The bill was the result of a deal brokered between DFL lawmakers and Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who had vetoed Berglin’s earlier attempt at preserving GAMC.That bill had passed the Senate 47-16, and an override of Pawlenty’s veto passed the Senate on a 45-21 vote, only to fall a few votes shy of success in the House of Representatives.But 15 rural Minnesota Senators who voted yes then voted no this time over concerns that the bill only helps larger hospitals with more GAMC patients, largely in the Twin Cities.The revised bill only compensates 17 hospitals which have more than $1.5 million in annual GAMC patient care per year. Smaller hospitals can apply for GAMC payments down the road but will have to eat the entire cost of treating the poor for now.The 15 Senators who flipped were:Tom Bakk, DFL-CookLisa Fobbe, DFL-PrincetonPaul Koering, R-Fort RipleyKeith Langseth, DFL-GlyndonSteve Murphy, DFL-Red WingRick Olseen, DFL-HarrisMary Olson, DFL-BemidjiYvonne Prettner Solon, DFL-DuluthAnn Rest, DFL-New HopeTom Saxhaug, DFL-Grand RapidsKathy Sheran, DFL-MankatoRod Skoe, DFL-ClearbrookDan Skogen, DFL-HewittDan Sparks, DFL-AustinJim Vickerman, DFL-TracyThey were more than outmatched, however, by Twin Cities-oriented DFL senators who got theirs, and the addition of Republican Senators who had voted against the first bill but supported the second one’s reduced price tag.A companion bill in the House of Representatives from Rep. Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, is headed for a vote next week. Continue Reading

Pothole patrol

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In a normal March, Randy Williams would see a car or truck come into Grand Wheeler Sinclair in St. Paul with pothole damage once a week or so. 
This March, it’s been a different story. “Every day so far for the past three weeks or more,” the automobile repair shop manager said of how often he’s seen clients come in with pothole damage this year. “The streets around here are definitely worse than in the past. And it will continue for a while, I think.” Continue Reading

House Democrats put their budget cards on the table

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House DFLers on Wednesday showed the hand they say they’ll play to fix a $1 billion state budget deficit this spring.Per Minnesota Budget Bites, the House Finance Committee released targets for the remaining areas of the state government budget, including the big enchiladas of K-12 education, Health and Human Services spending and any tax changes.House DFL leaders plan to cut just $1 million from current K-12 spending, but anticipate making up $710 million worth of ground in Health and Human Services.The targets also call for cutting the deficit by $105 million through tax changes, notably cuts in state aid to cities and counties.This brings some clarity to the picture, since before now, House DFLers were only willing to outline $207 million in cuts to other areas of the state budget.Set by leadership, budget targets leave the work of deciding where to cut and where to spend to the finance divisions. But look close and you’ll see what House DFL leaders have in mind.The HHS cuts, for example, depend on $408 million in federal assistance that hasn’t yet been approved (something DFLers were quick to castigate Gov. Tim Pawlenty for doing in his budget proposal), and on $147 million in savings by passing the GAMC restructuring bill headed for a final vote this week.That leaves the Health Care and Human Services Finance Division to their own devices to find another $154 million in savings from the system. Will it come from cutting provider rates to nursing homes? Reducing public health insurance eligibility? Those are the biggest budget savings areas remaining.The Senate, meanwhile, has laid out its targets for everything except K-12 and Health and Human Services. Continue Reading

Better Know a Committee: House Health Care and Human Services Policy and Oversight

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In the first of what I hope will be a recurring feature for Capitol Report, we will try to explain what it is that committees in the Minnesota Legislature do by looking at them one at a time. Today, we’ll start with the House Health Care and Human Services Policy and Oversight Committee.One of two committees in the House of Representatives dealing with health care and the state’s human services programs, the committee is headed up by Rep. Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis.The 20-member committee currently has 13 DFL members and 7 Republicans. The lead Republican on the committee is Rep. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka.Unlike the House Health Care and Human Services Finance Division, which puts together the portion of the state government budget dealing with the state’s public health care programs, welfare and social services, Thissen’s committee is concerned with “improving programs, more efficiently deliver services, and have an overall positive impact on the health and wellbeing of Minnesota families,” he said.”Minnesotans understand that we have a moral obligation to one another, and I am proud to chair a committee that seeks to fulfill that obligation by protecting and empowering the most vulnerable among us,” Thissen said.Thissen, who has been chairman of the committee since DFLers took control of the House in 2006 and is also seeking the DFL Party endorsement to run for Governor this year, said his committee was a key player in passing a health care overhaul bill in 2008 and to extend health insurance coverage to 20,000 Minnesota children in 2009.Committee members visited rural hospitals last year to learn about the impact of Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s unallotment of funding for the General Assistance Medical Care program for Minnesota’s poorest citizens.Among the many bills coming in front of the committee this year, there is Thissen’s own bill to extend the same health care decision-making rights to domestic partnerships as to married couples. The committee recommended its passage.At its Wednesday meeting, the committee will hear a bill from Rep. Nora Slawik, DFL-Maplewood, that would prohibit smoking in a vehicle transporting a child under age 18. Other bills on the agenda deal with public health care eligibility, mental health policy for treating children, modifying the state’s welfare program and more.The committee meets at 2:45 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in Room 200 of the State Office Building. Continue Reading

Asian-Pacific, African-American centers among Pawlenty bonding victims

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Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s signing Sunday of a $1 billion bonding bill came at a price — he cut $319 million in state construction projects from the bill to show his “commitment to fiscal discipline and an attempt to prioritize important state projects.”For Twin Cities projects included in the bill, the news was mixed. Large requests for the arts and culture, including money for the Ordway, Minneapolis’ Orchestra Hall and the Minnesota and Como zoos survived.But other, smaller cultural projects included in the bill for items such as an Asian-Pacific Cultural Center in St. Paul and an African-American History Museum and Culture Center in Minneapolis were killed.Pawlenty vetoed the largest single item in the bill for the Twin Cities, a $43.5 million allocation to the Metropolitan Council to improve transit in the Twin Cities, saying that the Legislature left him no choice but to veto the entire item instead of unspecified projects contained within it that he didn’t like.Also cut out of the bill by Pawlenty’s line-item veto pen:* $13 million for Minneapolis Community and Technical College to renovate instructional and support space.* $10.6 million for library and student services renovations for Hennepin Technical College in Eden Prairie and Brooklyn Park.* $6.5 million for an addition to the Arden Hills MnDOT training center.* $5.3 million to renovate and equip a fine arts classroom and lab building at Anoka Ramsey Community College in Coon Rapids.* $5 million for St. Paul to build and equip an Asian-Pacific Cultural Center.* $4 million for drainage and infrastructure on Minneapolis’ Granary Road.* $3 million for a regional fire training facility for Ramsey County in Maplewood.* $2 million for renovating the Minneapolis Sculpture Garden, located next to the Walker Arts Center.* $1.1 million for St. Paul and Ramsey County to renovate the Phalen-Keller Regional Park.* $1 million for the Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board to design an Olympic-class training center at the Theodore Wirth Regional Park.* $1 million for improvements at the Hoffman interlocking rail yard in St. Continue Reading

Finance takes center stage

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WIth the first deadline behind them, this week will see lawmakers turn more and more away from policy matters and toward financial items, specifically how to tackle the $1 billion deficit that remains for the current state budget cycle.In the House of Representatives this week, a vote could come as early as Monday on HF 2624, a bill from Rep. Jean Wagenius, DFL-Minneapolis, that spends the environment and natural resources trust fund dollars from Minnesota Lottery proceeds.House Taxes Committee Chairwoman Rep. Ann Lenczewski, DFL-Bloomington, on Monday will introduce her jobs bill, based around providing tax credits to small businesses who hire new employees.Rep. Tom Huntley, DFL-Duluth, on Tuesday will review in his Health Care and Human Services Finance Division HF 2614, the compromise that preserves the General Assistance Medical Care program this year and establishes an intensive care management program for enrollees going forward. Look for that bill to come to the floor for a vote this week if the compromise holds.The Senate on Monday is reviewing in the Taxes Committee SF 3223, a big omnibus budget bill from Sen. Richard Cohen, DFL-St. Paul, that makes cuts to higher education, environment and natural resources, energy, agriculture, veterans affairs, transportation, economic development, public safety, judiciary and state government financing to reduce the deficit.Expect that bill to come up for a vote before the Easter/Passover break set for the end of the month. And notice what items are missing from the bill — K-12 education and health and human services — more than 50 percent of the state’s budget.The GAMC fix from Sen. Linda Berglin, DFL-Minneapolis, will also come to the Senate Finance Committee in the form of SF 460 on Monday, and could end up on the Senate floor before the end of the week.And of course, keep an eye out for Gov. Tim Pawlenty to sign or veto HF 2700, the bonding bill by midnight Monday.  A letter signed by 44 of 47 House Republicans urged Pawlenty to line-time veto all but $250 million of the $1 billion bill, and two others urged him to veto the entire thing. Minnesota Public Radio has links to the letters here and here. Continue Reading

Beat the clock Friday at the legislature

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With the clock counting down toward zero on the Minnesota Legislature’s first deadline for bills that need recommendations to survive, let’s take a quick look at a couple Twin Cities-specific bills that are scrambling Friday to stay alive.SF 3115 from Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, would authorize the city of Minneapolis to set limits on how long mobile food operations (chuckwagons, hot dog carts, etc.) can operate in one location without moving. The bill is scheduled for a hearing Friday in the Senate State and Local Government Operations and Oversight Committee.SF 2957 from Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope, would allow Hennepin County to purchase energy (motor vehicle fuel, natural gas, etc.) at a locked-in price in a contract so that the county won’t face deficits from higher-than-expected fuel costs than what they budgeted. The bill is up for a hearing Friday in the same Senate committee as Dibble’s, which Rest just happens to run.A couple other noteworthy bills from Twin Cities authors trying to beat the clock Friday include:HF 1270 from Rep. Michael Paymar, DFL-St. Paul, would authorize pilot programs for housing offenders with stayed sentences or sentences of less than one-year as an alternative to jail. The bill mentions Hennepin and Ramsey Counties as participants. Continue Reading

Wait begins for Pawlenty bonding bill vetoes

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The Minnesota House of Representatives and Senate sent a $986 million state construction borrowing bill to Gov. Tim Pawlenty on Thursday.The final votes were 89-44 in the House and 49-17 in the Senate, but those numbers might not be important, as Pawlenty said he’ll sign the overall bill, vetoing individual projects that he doesn’t like.With that, and Pawlenty’s general disdain for all things Minneapolis and St. Paul in mind, here’s as comprehensive a list of Twin Cities projects in the final bonding bill as I could put together. I’ll keep an eye on them to see how they fared under Pawlenty’s veto pen:* $43.5 million for the Metropolitan Council to improve transit in the Twin Cities, including Central Corridor improvements, preliminary design of the Southwest Corridor light rail line, Cedar Avenue bus rapid transit engineering, St. Paul’s Union Depot renovation, desiging a transit connection in Minneapolis for commuter and light rail lines and more.* $23 million to renovate Folwell Hall at the University of Minnesota for the Liberal Arts College.* $21 million for improvements to the Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley.* $16 million to expand the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul.* $16 million to renovate and expand Minneapolis’ Orchestra Hall and Peavey Plaza.* $14.8 million to build a Center for Business and Technology at North Hennepin Community College.* $13 million for Minneapolis Community and Technical College to renovate their Workforce program.* $11 million for renovations at St. Continue Reading

Should judges be appointed instead of elected?

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Minnesota voters would decide this fall whether they want to keep electing judges to office or change the system in an attempt to prevent partisan election campaigns for the juducial branch, if a bill headed for a vote in the Senate is approved.SF 70, from Sen. Ann Rest, DFL-New Hope, would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot this fall with the following wording:”Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to reaffirm the impartiality of the judiciary by providing that judges be appointed by the governor, with their continuation in office determined in a retention election after a public, nonpartisan evaluation of their performance by a judicial performance commission rather than be determined under the current system of contested elections?”So, instead of having candidates for each judicial seat on the November ballot and choosing between them, as is now the case, adoption of this amendment would leave the initial choice of a judge to the governor, create an independent commission to review judicial performance on the bench, and then the appointed judges’ names would appear on the ballot alone, with the question being whether they should be retained or not. (See Bipartisan coalition seeks to reform Minnesota judicial elections.)The bill, which was introduced last year and hasn’t had any hearings, is before the Senate Rules and Administration Committee Wednesday, a potential last stop before coming up for a floor vote.Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric Magnuson, along with former chief justices Russell Anderson and Kathleen Blatz, former Gov. Al Quie and former Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe testified on behalf of the House of Representatives’ version of the amendment last month, saying that election contests in the judiciary with partisan backing, expensive advertising campaigns and politicization of judicial issues could be just around the corner in Minnesota.Opponents, including Republican Party of Minnesota Chairman Tony Sutton, said that only an election-based system keeps accountability in the hands of Minnesota voters.The system would be the same for local district court trial judges, appeals court judges and even Minnesota Supreme Court justices. Continue Reading

The budget dance begins in earnest (not)

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From our friends at the Minnesota Budget Project’s Budget Bites blog comes word that the Minnesota Senate under Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller has started to roll out its budget plan to counter Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s proposal to deal with a nearly $1 billion budget deficit.Senate Finance Committee members on Monday laid out details of budget proposals covering state funding for Higher Education, Judiciary, Environment, Energy and Natural Resources, Agriculture and Veterans Affairs.The highlights of the Senate DFL proposals include:* A $48 million reduction in higher education funding, compared with $53 million in Pawlenty’s proposal. The main difference seems to be on state financial aid programs.* $19 million in cuts to the environment, energy and natural resources budget, compared with $15 million in cuts from Pawlenty. The Governor wants accounting shifts, the Senate insists on real cuts.* $18 million in cuts to the judiciary budget, compared with $19 million in cuts from Pawlenty.* $5.7 million in cuts to agriculture and veterans affairs, compared with $8 million from Pawlenty. The Senate would delay ethanol subsidy payments.While these proposals would seem to cover a lot of ground, if you add up the cuts, it’s less than $100 million out of a $1 billion deficit.So what’s left? State government, K-12 education and Health and Human Services are the main areas. Continue Reading