One-vote majority in Senate leaves GOP little wiggle room

Taking the daily attendance is usually an afterthought in the Senate. Now it's a critical exercise.

If any of the 34 Republicans is gone — say, down with the stomach flu, at a child's piano recital or facing a can't-miss appointment for an outside job — any legislation with controversy will have to be set aside.

Quite simply, there's no room to spare for Republicans in the 67-member Senate.

Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-Nisswa, said that will dictate a lot of what his caucus does and doesn't do in the 2017 session.

"The agenda will be narrower both in how many issues we will be to accomplish in one session and then what is it we're going to try to get through," he said. "If we don't have 34, then we can't do it."

Building consensus will be key. But you can bet Gazelka will be keeping close tabs on where his people are.

"The other thing about 34 is it means that any day we are missing somebody we really can't do much," he said, "so it slows down the whole process."

It might also mean that Gazelka has to do more to build ties within the Democratic caucus. Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, said he senses that Gazelka will extend a hand.

But keeping the peace in the Senate isn't Gazelka's only challenge opposite a stronger House Republican majority, Bakk said.

"When you have both bodies, the expectations of your constituencies go up exponentially," Bakk said. "Some of their traditional Republican constituencies are pretty excited about where find themselves today. Trying to keep a lid on people's expectations when they have both bodies is going to be very challenging."

DFL Gov. Mark Dayton is also in the mix. He's pressing lawmakers to act quickly on a health care rebate proposal for people who buy coverage on the individual market.

Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt said he hopes to start moving a health care bill through the House next week.

Reform is necessary at some point, he said, because some Minnesotans face high rate increases.

"While we ultimately have to reform MNsure, we can't leave it the way it is long-term," Daudt said. "Otherwise we will be in the same situation on January 1st in 2018, and we don't want that to happen."

Dayton is also calling for swift action on a construction borrowing plan and some tax deductions that people filing their returns in coming months will need certainty on.

Gazelka said he's on board with passing a construction projects bill, known in Capitol parlance as a bonding bill. But that will come at a price, he said.

"We want tax relief with a bonding bill. I realize the governor wants capital investment," Gazelka said. "So do we. But we think that tax relief is important too."