Jan 5, 2009 9:02 pm US/Central
Deficit Aside, Minnesota Lawmakers Have Issues
ST. PAUL (AP) ―
Minnesota lawmakers will have a hard time peeling their attention away from the huge hole in the state budget when they convene Tuesday. But they will also take on some thorny issues that have little to do with money.
The fight over gay marriage is expected to return after three years on the sidelines. One of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's top advisers will likely face a tough performance review in the Senate, which has the power to throw him out. Lawmakers are getting into issues ranging from foreclosures to U.S. Senate appointments.
The $4.85 billion deficit projected for the upcoming budget cycle will absorb most of the energy, as the Democrats who control the Legislature and Pawlenty, a Republican, address a gap that amounts to more than an eighth of the state's two-year budget.
Here are some of the other issues to watch:
--The gay marriage debate is expected to return, but this time it's gay rights advocates pushing to legalize same-sex marriages, not just social conservatives trying to ban such unions.
--Commissioner Dan McElroy, who heads the Department of Employment and Economic Development, is drawing criticism over mounting job losses in Minnesota. If the Democrat-dominated Senate votes against confirming McElroy, he would be out of a job, too.
--Extra cash for clean-water, habitat and arts programs got a thumbs-up from voters who approved a constitutional amendment raising the state sales tax. Now lawmakers who supported the amendment will try to protect those programs from the deficit knives.
--Fallout from Minnesota's long U.S. Senate recount could spill over into the Legislature, as lawmakers consider election-related ideas including unfettered early voting and a proposal to strip the governor's authority to fill a U.S. Senate vacancy and give the power to voters.
--Democrats may put together a limited bonding bill of public works projects designed to boost the economy and draw federal money to Minnesota. It's unclear how far they'll get, since Pawlenty's finance officials say state debt service now tops a comfortable threshold.
--Mortgage lenders would be required to renegotiate loans with homeowners before foreclosing on their homes under a proposal pushed by Attorney General Lori Swanson.
--Perennial proposals to build a new Vikings stadium, beef up early childhood education programs and divorce the state from the federal No Child Left Behind education law will be back. But their prospects for success are doubtful.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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