Breakfast session yields little other than full stomachs

The French toast was hot, the bacon tasty, but the legislative leaders' Summit Avenue "Breakfast at Timothy's" on Thursday did not produce any breakthroughs in a session that is stalling.

By Patricia Lopez, Star Tribune

Last update: May 10, 2007 - 11:04 PM

The French toast was hot, the bacon tasty, but the legislative leaders' Summit Avenue "Breakfast at Timothy's" on Thursday did not produce any breakthroughs in a session that is stalling.

"It was pleasant," said Assistant Sen. Majority Leader Tarryl Clark. "We had face time with the governor."

There was little more movement over at the Capitol, where floor action in both the House and Senate ended early and major bills were pushed into today.

The Senate did pass a House tax proposal to fund property tax relief by raising income taxes on the rich, but did so with only one vote to spare, with eight DFLers jumping party lines to vote no.

Brian McClung, spokesman for Gov. Tim Pawlenty, called the bill a "nonstarter" that would invite another split-second veto if it reached the governor's desk.

The Senate had planned to send the bill straight to the House for immediate passage, but the House adjourned early, leaving the property tax relief bill, a strict statewide smoking ban and the outdoor amendment all in a holding pattern, with possible action today.

Senate Taxes Chairman Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, who proposed the Senate's version of the House plan, offered a gloomy assessment of his own bill, saying that he expected a veto and that he had reservations about how far the House plan went.

The House proposal would increase the state's highest income tax rate to 9 percent, raising $452 million for property tax relief. Much of that tab would be picked up by Minnesotans who net more than $1 million annually.

A competing Senate plan to raise income taxes even higher but use the money for education appeared to be gathering dust on Thursday, with Clark saying the Senate had brought the proposal neither to the House-Senate tax conferees nor those negotiating the K-12 bill.

McClung called Thursday's breakfast "a positive and important meeting" because it demonstrated a willingness to "keep the lines of communication open."

Also, he said, "the speaker gave the governor some really nice fishing lures."

Pawlenty is headed to Walker for the Saturday fishing opener.

Patricia Lopez • 651-222-1288 • plopez@startribune.com

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