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Capitol View®
Tim Pugmire

Talks underway to find bonding bill compromise

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Top lawmakers in the Minnesota House and Senate have begun private discussions aimed at reaching a bonding bill compromise that can achieve the needed three-fifths majority for passage in both chambers.

DFL leaders have described a bipartisan bonding deal as the lynchpin for ending the 2014 session ahead of the May 19 deadline for adjournment. House Speaker Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, said conversations are underway on what that final bill could look like.

“I’m hopeful that we’re going to be able to move forward, and if we get to a point where have a bill that people agree upon, if we can take it up Monday, that would be great,” Thissen said.

The basic parameters are set for $846 million in general obligation bonds and a separate measure for $200 million in cash from the budget surplus. Negotiators must now come up with the right list of public construction projects. Democrats need at least eight GOP votes for the bonding portion in the House and two in the Senate. They can pass the cash measure without Republican votes.

House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, said the House and Senate DFL bonding chairs and Republican leads are working on the list of projects. Daudt said he favors the approach of reaching an agreement before taking floor votes.

“We would prefer to pre-conferee something, because I think it could save us a couple of days here in session,” Daudt said.

Senate Minority Leader David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, said he also wants to see a bonding resolution as soon as possible.

“When we’re getting down to the wire as we are in the session, anything that we can do to get that done quickly and effectively, then we ought to pursue that,” Hann said.

Gov. Mark Dayton released a $986 million bonding bill proposal back in January. Then during last week’s state-of-the-state message, he urged lawmakers to pass a $1.2 billion bill, to accommodate more projects.  But Republicans refused to go above $846 million. Dayton repeated his concern today about using cash to augment the bonding bill.

“I don’t think using cash for a bonding bill is wise,” Dayton said. “That’s the reason we bond because it makes more sense to make those capital investments though that kind of financing.”

Dayton said he expects the debate over the bonding bill to go until the end of the session.