The Minnesota Legislature passed a spending bill for jobs and energy programs on Friday morning, as the special legislative session got underway in temporary quarters in the State Office Building.
The House passed the $402 million budget bill on a 78-42 vote, with a handful of DFLers joining every Republican in support of the bill. The Senate followed and approved the finance legislation 50 to 14.
It includes new money for workforce housing and broadband expansion in outstate Minnesota, although less than interest groups had sought for those projects. It also has support for poultry farmers hurt by avian flu, and for Iron Range workers affected by recent layoffs. It includes a sales tax provision for the city of Rochester that allows more local flexiibility to support the Destination Medical Center economic development initiative.
"This bipartisan budget bill respects taxpayers by reining in spending," said its House sponsor, Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington. He noted it spends $24 million less on jobs and energy programs in the next two years compared to the two previous years.
"This is not something to celebrate," said Rep. Tim Mahoney, DFL-St. Paul. "This is a lights on job bill."
Similar opposition by some state senators occured during floor debate. Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, called the bill a "step backwards." Marty voted no on the budget bill
The bill replaces a previous jobs-and-energy bill that Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed following regular session, after which GOP House Speaker Kurt Daudt and Dayton negotiated a replacement.
The passage of the first bill became controversial after the House's GOP majority brought it to the House floor with literally only minutes left in the regular session, prompting many DFLers to angrily complain they were voting on a bill they weren't able to read.
