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The House and Senate cleared the docket of most peripheral issues until they could put the major budget blocks in place. An accord eluded legislative Democrats and Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
They were trying to find a mutually acceptable plan to rid the state of a $935 million deficit while slowing the rise of property taxes and getting cash-strapped schools a few extra bucks. The session must end by May 19.
In deference to discussions involving top lawmakers and Pawlenty, DFL House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher said tax and spending bills were on hold. She said the Legislature was prepared to move ahead if no deal came together early in the week.
“Flexibility is going to be the name of the game,” she told reporters.
Pawlenty said floor votes on the bills without an overarching agreement would indicate that negotiations had soured.
“Once they bring it to the floor and vote on it that would be kind of the signal that they’re going a different route,” Pawlenty said after signing an agriculture and veterans bill.
The tax bill was seen as the centerpiece of a deal. Legislators and Pawlenty’s administration struggled to fashion a limit on increases in city- and county-approved property taxes. In the same package, they were hoping to provide extra aid to local governments and more direct-to-homeowner tax assistance.
The Legislature was also ready to authorize the city of Bloomington to raise a menu of sales, lodging and restaurant taxes to help subsidize a $2.1 billion Mall of America expansion. The mall’s owners first would have to open their books to more scrutiny, though, to prove they need the public dollars.
An education bill awaiting a vote would send schools $51 more per student on a one-time basis. But it also seeks to freeze a Pawlenty-pushed program that gives more money to school districts that adopt performance-pay contracts for teachers; he has opposed that move.
Both chambers of the Legislature processed smaller bills in floor sessions expected to stretch into the wee hours.
The Senate unanimously approved a canine-oriented bill allowing dogs to accompany their owners to outdoor dining areas if local cities approve and imposing new restrictions on dog ownership for people who have used animals in violent crimes or had pets involved in vicious attacks.
The dine-with-your-dog measure got roughed up a bit in the House before passing by a wide margin. Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, said it raises sanitation concerns, especially if the dogs try to lick patrons’ plates or soil the patio.
“Are they going to come in with a pooper scooper next to my table?” Emmer asked.
It would be up to the restaurant to clean up dog waste immediately.
The House voted 91-43 for a constitutional amendment asking voters to approve a citizens council to set legislative salaries and daily expense payments. Republicans protested bitterly, saying it was a ploy to give lawmakers a raise without having to vote on it directly. Rep. Kent Eken, the bill’s DFL sponsor, said legislators shouldn’t be in charge of their own pay.
Tougher regulations for pool drains won unanimous approval in the House, in a bill named after Abigail Taylor, the Edina girl who died after being injured in a pool last summer. It now heads back to the Senate, which gave its version unanimous support last month.
A bill regulating contracts between surrogate mothers and would-be parents set off skirmishes in the House about abortion, profit and the definition of family.
Rep. Steve Simon, DFL-St. Louis Park, said the “gestational carrier” legislation establishes ground rules for arrangements that are already happening, including requirements that the surrogate be at least 21 and undergo a mental health evaluation. Opponents, including Rep. Dan Severson, warned of unintended consequences.
“You’re going to have rich people who jump into this game and they’re going to want a basketball team of boys or a swim team of girls,” said Severson, R-Sauk Rapids.
The bill passed 86-46.
