Lawmakers differ on status of budget discussions
DFL House and Senate leaders emerged from the Gov. Tim Pawlenty's office claiming the hour-long meeting produced a general understanding that a dedicated health care account would not be used to balance the state budget.
Pawlenty proposed using a surplus in the Health Care Access Fund to help close a $935 million deficit. DFL House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher said Democrats oppose that approach.
"We feel that that health care access fund, that it is a trust with the public in Minnesota to use that for health care purposes," Kelliher said. "And I think the governor understands that very clearly that that's our position. And I think we're getting to a point where I think we can all move forward."
Republican House Minority Leader Marty Seifert said no agreement on the fund was reached, but he still described the meeting as productive.
"It looks like we're going to try to put some things on paper in terms of what the disagreements are and what the commonalities are in the budget and what the objections are in policy," Seifert said. "That's a great start. That's a lot better than what it usually starts out as."
Participants said much of the meeting focused on the process for end-of-session budget negotiations.
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