Welcome to our new blog. With an insider’s eye, Hot Dish will track the tastiest bits of Minnesota’s political scene and keep you up-to-date on those elected to serve you.
Contributors in Minnesota:Pat Doyle, Baird Helgeson, Mike Kaszuba, Patricia Lopez, Kate Parry, Rachel E. Stassen-Berger and Bob von Sternberg
Contributors in D.C.: Kevin Diaz, Eric Roper
Click here to read previous posts in The Big Question.
More political headlines
- Cash-back offers trick consumers
- Obama to put U.S. goals on table at climate talks
- Pawlenty's lawyer defends cuts to nutrition program
- Effort builds to repeal nuclear power ban
- Legislators take a field trip to the Metrodome
- Palin stops in Fla. town that feted her in 2008
- Obama expects support for more Afghanistan troops
- Attorney says dinner crashers shouldn't need him
- New climate targets may not change daily life much
- Obama telephones thanks to 10 US service members
Home | Blogs | Hot Dish Politics
Bakk: Special session needed to pass bonding bill
Print this
E-mail this
Del.icio.us
Facebook
DiggBy Mike Kaszuba
Sen. Tom Bakk, the Senate Taxes Committee chair and a DFL gubneratorial candidate, said today he has asked Gov. Tim Pawlenty to call a special legislative session before the end of the year to pass a bonding bill that would create jobs for unemployed Minnesotans.
Pawlenty briefly addressed the proposal at his own press conference, saying that he thought such a move would make little difference.
Standing at a press conference flanked by trades workers, Bakk said the state's sputtering economy meant that Minnesota should not wait until February when the Legislature is scheduled to convene to pass a bonding bill that would authorize money for capitol improvement projects. "I see no reason that we sit around and wait, with an economy that is badly failing," said Bakk, DFL-Cook..
Having a bonding bill in place by the end of the year, said Bakk, would create momentum "so that those projects can get started when we go into session, [and] not start talking about it then." Too often, he added, the bonding bill is used as a political bargaining chip between the governor and the Legislature and does not get passed until late in the session, which typically delays passage until April or May.
The governor said he would consider the proposal, but said calling a special session of the Legislature presumes "that a 30 day window of moving up those projects would somehow make a big difference."
Join the discussion: Your Voices is a group blog featuring unique perspectives from members of your community. Find commentary on current events, public issues and day-to-day life in Minnesota.
Recent posts
Minnie's favorite perch...
See thousands of photos from other StarTribune.com readers and share your own photos and video today.
Comment on this post | Be the first to comment | Hide reader comments