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Capitol leaders talk but deal remains far away

"Whenever we are meeting, whenever we are face to face, that's good for all of us," said House Speaker Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove.

May 22, 2011 at 9:53PM

(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

With just one day left in this year's regular session, lawmakers and Gov. Mark Dayton met behind closed door to negotiate a two-year budget agreement.

After an hour-long afternoon meeting, they were no closer to saving the state from special session and possible shutdown than they were months ago.

(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

"We don't have anything breaking," Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, R-Buffalo said after the hour-long meeting.

"Whenever we are meeting whenever we are face to face that's good for all of us," said House Speaker Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove. "We are going to be working through the night tonight, through the night tomorrow night. However long we have to be here. If it is 24-7. We've all got a change and clothes and our toothbrush."

Despite that availability, it is a near certainty lawmakers will go back to their districts Monday with a budget uncompleted.They remain stuck. Dayton wants to raise taxes on high earners; Republicans insist that's a non-starter.

"We think the budget that we had in the last two years should be good for the next two years," said Zellers.

House Minority Leader Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, agreed that there was no progress but not the cause.

He said he continues "to be disappointed that Republicans are unwilling to move from their position, not withstanding the significant offer from Gov. Dayton," he said. Early this week, Dayton cut his tax increase proposal in half.

Dayton now is in possession of the Republican Legislature's plan for the budget and has until early next week to sign or veto those measures. He has said the bills include "Draconian" cuts and indicated he will veto them.

Late Saturday night, lawmakers did complete what had been a signature GOP issue -- getting a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage on the 2012 election ballot.

When asked about it Sunday, Zellers, who decided it was time to vote on the contentious issue, appeared to waive the issue away.

"We said we were going to do all the things after the budget was presented to the governor. The budget was presented," Zeller said. "We have a lot of other things. That's behind us now. We're talking about the budget....The votes are behind us. That's Monday morning quarterbacking."

But the issue is far from behind Zellers. The constitutional question will now appear before voters.

Meanwhile, Zellers is still dealing with fall out from the decision to allow firebrand pastor Bradlee Dean as a guest speaker Friday. Dean has advocated for jailing of gay people and many consider him virulently anti-gay.

After Dean spoke, Zellers apologized for his appearance and denounced him from the House floor.

But Saturday, Zellers also decided to scrub any mention of Dean from the official House Journal, which Democrats protested.

On Sunday, Democrats entered a "protest and dissent" in that same Journal "over the actions that occurred on Friday," said Rep. Michael Paymar, DFL-St. Paul.

"There are no do-overs," Paymar said. "Mr. Dean brought dishonor to the Minnesota House of Representatives"

Zellers' decision to expunge mention of Dean from the record of the House meant, "there is no history of the shame that that man caused to this body."