A Senate committee held hearings Thursday on the use of Support Our Troops license plate revenue to pay part of the salary of an appointee in Gov. Tim Pawlenty's office.

Facing a roomful of veterans concerned that any criticism of the plate funds might affect other programs, the committee took no action on two bills designed to address how revenue from the plate fund is accounted for.

But the hearing did result in an apology from Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, who last week had angrily raised concerns about taking money from the plate fund to support a staffer in the governor's office. Murphy made his apology after representatives from several veterans groups testified that the work that was done produced strong results.

"I didn't know what we were using the money for," Murphy said. "Any time the governor's office has been involved in negotiations that I've been involved with, it hasn't come out very good. That's why I questioned the program. I was wrong. The money has been well spent."

Questions arose last week during budget hearings for the governor's office when it was determined that $30,000 from the license plate fund was used to pay a portion of the salary of Lee Buckley, a $92,000 adviser on faith and community services. The Department of Veterans Affairs, which receives a portion of the funding from the license plates, used what is known as an interagency agreement to pay for Buckley, who was to engage underserved veteran communities such as women and minorities for 10 hours a week.

Buckely's position in the governor's office was eliminated last year, and she has since been hired to perform a similar function at the Department of Corrections.

But Veterans Affairs Deputy Commissioner Michael Pugliese testified that the connections Buckley made during the one-year contract continue to pay dividends in outreach.

"That was worth every penny of that $30,000. I would do it again in a second," he said.

Motorists pay an extra $30 to obtain the plates. Money from the license plates generated almost $930,000 last year and is split between programming at the Department of Military Affairs and the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Mark Brunswick • 612-673-4434