Prepared and Paid for by Citizens to Elect Al Juhnke

May 18, 2004NEWS COLUMNState Representative Al Juhnke  

rep.al.juhnke@house.mn

281 State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155                        

651/296-6206

3951 Horizon Hills Circle, Willmar, MN 56201                         

320/235-4442

SESSION 2004: KEY ISSUES SACRIFICED TO SIDE ISSUES

   When the Legislature started meeting last February, many pundits made predictions.  None, so far as I know, predicted that reopening the hunting season on mourning doves would be among the major accomplishments of the year.  The fact that mourning dove hunting is one the headline items to come out of the 2004 session shows just how thin the record of this session was.

   Amid the wreckage of a session gone bust are the key issues that should have been the centerpiece this year: A budget-balancing plan and a bonding bill to fund state construction projects. A great deal of time was spent talking about stadiums, casinos, death-penalty politics and other divisive social issues.  Not enough time was spent talking about good jobs, good schools, or good health care - the things that Minnesota needs the most right now.

   That's not to say the session was entirely without accomplishments.  I am pleased and proud to report that my "pickle" bill passed and is now awaiting signature by the governor.  This is a measure that allows people who home-can pickles and other vegetables to sell them at farmers' markets or roadside stands without having to obtain a costly state inspection and license.

   Unfortunately, many other local bills did not fare so well.  The special legislation that would have given Prinsburg residents the ability to maintain their independent school district was killed in the state Senate on a procedural motion launched by Republican senators on the final day of session. It was already passed by the House, and Sen. Leroy Stumpf was attempting to add it to an education bill when the Republicans blocked action.  Right now, it's unclear what happens next for Prinsburg.  So far, it is still facing a June 30 deadline to merge with another district.

   The great failing of the 2004 session was in the "big picture" items, and the failing was not strictly DFL-versus-GOP feuds.

   Even among the Republicans who hold the majority and therefore control of the House, there were constant battles and arguments.  Gov. Pawlenty's major initiatives, like the North Star Commuter rail project, were shot down by his fellow Republicans.  The Speaker of the House, Republican Steve Sviggum, simply refused to appoint conference committees to negotiate budget issues with the state Senate.  That was contrary to all rules, custom and laws, and clearly an effort to avoid divisive confrontations between moderates and conservatives in his own caucus.

   Republicans couldn't even agree among themselves on how big to make the bonding bill - and when Senate Republicans tried to play games and killed the bill, they discovered they had in fact killed it for good.  Dozens of important local projects went down because the Senate Republican leadership decided to get cute.  The sad thing is, killing the bonding bill destroyed the chance to create thousands of jobs across Minnesota - good paying construction jobs - at a time when our economy desperately needs them.

   On the other side of the coin, the lack of a budget agreement also meant that the Legislature didn't do anything to make matters worse.  For example, Gov. Pawlenty proposed further massive cuts to both nursing homes and health care in his budget solution.  Those would have been disastrous, coming on the heels of the major cuts imposed in those areas in 2003.

   After six years in control of the House of Representatives, Republicans clearly demonstrated an inability to govern effectively this year.  Their strategy has always been "say no, go slow" - and this year, when their bluff was called, they had no real proposals.

   It's time for moderate Minnesota to find its voice again.  The 2004 session demonstrates, as none before, how little gets done if everyone just sits on their hands.