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Location: Blogs Dan's Blog |
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| Posted by: Dan McGrath |
2/16/2010 |
Time for another bonding bill: How much are those gorilla cages going to set me back?
Without allowing any debate or minority party input, Speaker Kelliher pushed through HF2700, essentially a carbon copy of the Senate bonding bill, but with 4 amendments adopted in the House. It passed by a vote of 92-37, mostly along party lines. Republican representatives Abeler, Davids, Howes, Nornes, Lanning and Paul Anderson broke ranks and voted for the bill.
Representative Emmer had introduced an amendment to undo previous legislation that set state-level climate change goals based on a paper produced in part by the controversial Center for Climate Strategies. The amendment failed on a party line vote.
Representative Seifert decried the lack of opportunity for debate on the bonding bill, saying “What we’ve just witnessed was the passage of a bill without any opportunity to represent our constituents.”
The bonding bill is headed for a conference committee to work out the minor differences between SF2360 and HF2700 and will be heading for the Governor’s desk in short order.
Governor Pawlenty has three options:
- Sign the bill (not at all likely)
- Line-item veto some items to prioritize and reduce the size of the bonding bill
- Veto the entire bonding bill
We’re encouraging the governor to veto the entire bill. The spending projects in this year’s bonding bill can wait until Minnesota’s fiscal house is back in order. We have already exceeded the traditional state debt limit and currently owe over $7 billion and have a general fund deficit next biennium projected to be over $5.4 billion.
Like the Senate bill, the House bonding bill aims to borrow half-a-billion to renovate and buy new buildings for the U of M and state colleges as well as:
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$1.2 million for the Perpich Center for the Arts
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$32.5 million for the Minnesota Zoo
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$4 million for amateur sports
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$74.5 million for the Metropolitan Council
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$14 million for the Minnesota Historical Society
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