Capitol View: April 27, 2012 Archive

Hunting and fishing fees to increase under Game and Fish bill

Posted at 2:34 AM on April 27, 2012 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: MN Legislature, Mark Dayton

Republicans in the House and Senate have signed off on a Game and Fish bill that would raise fees on hunting and fishing licenses. Rep. Dennis McNamara, R-Hastings, says the joint House/Senate Conference Committee agreed to raise the individual, annual fishing license $5. He said the fees will help the Department of Natural Resources manage hunting and fishing issues in Minnesota.

"It's a good thing to allow the DNR to continue to good stuff around fishing and hunting," McNamara said. "It's been 11 years so they're pretty stretched to their limit right now. They and we need this increase to continue the good things that they do.

The bill also establishes a wolf hunt in Minnesota that allows the Department of Natural Resources to issue 6,000 permits to kill up to 400 wolves a year. The conference committee also declined to make an earlier fishing opener for this year. The House and Senate have to vote on the bill before it heads to Governor Dayton's desk.

Senate panel puts Ehlinger hearing on hold

Posted at 11:26 AM on April 27, 2012 by Tim Pugmire
Filed under: MN Legislature, Mark Dayton

Senate Republicans have postponed a confirmation hearing for Health Commissioner Ed Ehlinger.

The abrupt change in plans came after a private meeting this morning between Gov. Mark Dayton and the chair of the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, Sen. David Hann, R-Eden Priaire.

Dayton then released a statement thanking Hann.

"I am deeply grateful to Senator Hann for his very gracious willingness to postpone Commissioner Ehlinger's confirmation hearing," Dayton said. "It is a responsible and commendable resolution, for which he deserves full credit."

Earlier this year, Senate Republicans ousted Ellen Anderson, who was Dayton's pick to chair the Public Utilities Commission. At the time, GOP leaders said they had two other Dayton appointees, Ehlinger and PCA Commissioner Paul Aasen, on their watch list.

It's unclear if the Senate now plans to take up any confirmations before the anticipated adjournment of the session on Monday.

MMB: State has $1.5 billion left to spend from past bonding bills

Posted at 8:28 PM on April 27, 2012 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)
Filed under: MN Legislature, Mark Dayton

Minnesota Management and Budget released a report that details how much money has yet to be spent from past bonding bills. The report says $1.5 billion has yet to be spent on projects. The report comes at a time when Gov. Dayton is negotiating the importance of a new bonding bill with legislative leaders.

The report, which was released at the request of MPR News, shows that hundreds of millions of dollars have yet to be spent on projects that are either in progress or haven't started yet.

Republicans in the House and Senate have suggested that they don't need to do a large bonding bill this session because there are plenty of unspent funds from past bonding bills. They started making the claims after Gov. Dayton and other Democrats said a bonding bill was need to boost hiring in the construction sector (MPR wrote about this issue last week).

The bonding bill is one of the key items being negotiated among legislative leadership. House and Senate Democrats have suggested the state spend $686 million on a bonding bill that includes $77 million for the State Capitol renovation. Republicans countered with a $496 milion bill that now includes projects favored by Democrats.

Here's the report from MMB:

Bonds Fund Level Balances 04242012

No Friday Night Lights at the Minnesota Legislature

Posted at 8:37 PM on April 27, 2012 by Tom Scheck
Filed under: MN Legislature, Mark Dayton

There won't be any breakthrough deals on the main issues being debated between Governor Dayton and legislative leaders. The Minnesota House adjourned this afternoon after doing limited work on the floor. The House is scheduled to come back in session on Saturday at 3p.m.

GOP House Majority Leader Matt Dean said legislative leaders are continuing to negotiate with Gov. Dayton on a tax bill and a public works construction bill. He said the focus on negotiations is on getting a deal that Gov. Dayton will sign.

"It's like the last two minutes of a basketball game. It's a lot of starting and stopping and waiting," Dean said.

Legislative leaders have met privately with Gov. Dayton's staff throughout the day. A spokeswoman for Dayton said he did not attend any of those meetings. Dayton is scheduled to do a comedy sketch at MinnPost's fundraising event, known as MinnRoast, tonight.

It appears that we're at the point in the legislative session where legislative leaders are hoping that their opponent is the first to blink. Gov. Dayton and Democrats are pushing for a Vikings stadium and a bonding bill that spends more than $500 million.

Republicans are pushing for a tax bill that cuts business and residential property taxes.

The negotiations come at a time when GOP leaders are inching closer to a self-imposed deadline to adjourn. Dean said they're aiming to complete their work on Monday. But Rep. Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, says there isn't enough time to get all of their work done.

"It's pretty clear to me that we're going to be in session next week," Lanning said. "The Monday adjournment is unrealistic because we've got too much unfinished business that's going to take longer than that."

Lanning, co-author of the Vikings stadium bill, said it's clear GOP leaders want to get some sort of agreement on a bonding bill and a tax bill before they start plowing forward with the stadium bill.

"There has to be a resolution in sight," Lanning said. "Not that we have to have something passed but at least an agreement among the three major players here is required before we can keep moving."

And that means DFL House Minority Leader Paul Thissen has a bigger seat at the table. Republicans in both the House and Senate need DFL votes to pass a bonding bill. The last offer put forward by Democrats spent $686 million. Republicans countered with a $496 million bill that included more projects that could attract DFL votes. A person with knowledge of the GOP offer also said it still includes $77 million for the Capitol restoration but does not include funding for the Southwest Light Rail line or regional civic centers

Thissen said he'd like to see a bonding bill that includes funding for downtown regional centers, the Southwest LRT and more money for higher education. Thissen wouldn't commit to how much he'd like to see spent from the bonding bill.

"It depends on what projects are in there and then the size of the bill depends on what projects fit within it," Thissen said.

The debate over the Tax bill and bonding bill is being held at the same time as the Senate Tax Committee is discussing the Vikings stadium bill. If the committee approves the bill, it would be the last committee stop before the bill is considered by the full Senate.

Senate targets stadium vote for Sunday

Posted at 11:41 PM on April 27, 2012 by Tom Scheck (1 Comments)
Filed under: MN Legislature, Mark Dayton, Vikings stadium

With MPR's Tim Nelson...

The Vikings stadium bill is being targeted for a Sunday vote in the Minnesota Senate.

GOP Senate Majority Leader Dave Senjem said that was the plan after the bill was narrowly approved by the Senate Tax Committee. The committee held a nearly six hour hearing on the bill. The hearing was divisive as stadium opponents made every attempt to derail the bill.

The Senate Tax Committee approved the bill by one vote after stadium supporters urged the committee to get the bill to the Senate floor.

Senjem, who voted for the bill in committee, told reporters after the hearing that the Senate will vote on the bill regardless of whether it has enough votes to pass.

"By in large, the idea of a vote on the Minnesota Vikings this year is something we talked about for a long time," Senjem said. "Up or down, whatever people decide in terms of their views, their faith in the bill, their districts, their personal convictions."

The stadium author in the Senate, Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Fairmont, says she believes it has enough votes to pass.

Stadium opponents will push for changes to how the stadium is funded and aren't willing to sign off on the deal Rosen and Gov. Dayton reached with the Vikings.

Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, said he believes stadium users, not gamblers, diners or drinkers, should pay for the stadium. He backed a measure to pay for the stadium's mortgage with on-site fees.

"To me, that's a lot fairer way to do it," Marty said. "Everybody who 's using the stadium would pay for it."

Marty's effort to amend the bill in the Tax Committee failed. He and several other stadium opponents are expected to work every angle to defeat the bill on Senate floor.

The House is also ready to vote on the bill. GOP House leaders, however, won't say when that vote will be held.

GOP legislative leaders in both chambers say they hope to finish their work by Monday but members of both parties say that's becoming less likely because of the amount of work that's left to do.