Stupid DFL Tricks, Special Edition..

Results of the bonding bill passed this last weekend:

THE NEWS: By an 84-45 margin, the House passed a bonding bill for more than a quarter-of-a-billion-dollars on Tuesday. Rep. Alice Hausman (D-St. Paul) wrote House File 886.

THE GOOD NEWS, PART 1: House Republicans held Democrats below the 90 votes they would need to override a veto of this pork-laden stew by Governor Tim Pawlenty.

THE GOOD NEWS, PART 2: This was the second such accomplishment by the House Republicans in four days. Last Saturday they held the Democrats below the 90 votes they would need to beat the Governor’s veto on the $900 million of tax and spending increases they proposed for the Transportation Bill.

THE GOOD NEWS PART 3: By hanging together in their first two tests, House Republicans have given the Governor the leverage he needs to suppress the Democrats’ appetite for bigger government, bigger tax burdens, and bigger bureaucracy. Governor Pawlenty’s veto option has credibility, teeth, and muscle.

THE INSIDE NEWS, PART 1: It is expected that no action will be taken on the bill until the end of the session. It contains $120 million of cash that could be shifted away from bonding projects, and many Democrats will want that money for their personal agendas.

THE INSIDE NEWS, PART 2: The only House Republican to vote for the bonding bill was Rep. Kathy Tingelstad. This was a strategic vote. As the Lead Republican on the Bonding Committee, Rep. Tingelstad’s vote will allow her to remain involved in the negotiations on this bill, and could earn her a spot on the House-Senate Conference Committee that will be negotiating until the end of the session in late May.

THE BAD NEWS, PART 1: We should not even be discussing a bonding bill in 2007. These bills are usually reserved for “the bonding session” in even-numbered years. But that trend is being broken again. The Legislature passed a $1 billion bonding bill in each of the last two years.

THE BAD NEWS, PART 2: When you have a bonding bill during “the budget session” in odd-numbered years, it is only supposed to deal with “emergency needs.” But the $290 million bill had only $8 million of “emergency” projects: $2 million of flood relief for Browns Valley and $6 million of emergency repairs to the Oak Park Heights prison.

THE BAD NEWS, PART 3: This bill would set four bad precedents. It would continue a three-year trend toward bloated bonding bills every year, It sets the table for a record-smashing bonding bill next year, with many proposals being heard in 2007, with promises made for 2008. It builds the hidden debt for budgets in future years that will need cash infusions to service long-term debts. And it also sets a record for putting current “cash money” from the General Fund into bonding projects that are supposed to be paid for over a long time because they serve the public over a long time.

ABUSE OF THE LEGISLATIVE PROCESS: Most of the provisions in the bonding bill were never heard by the committees that have expertise on particular proposals. The Higher Education committee did not hear about what emergency was calling for huge new funds for the University of Minnesota or MnSCU institutions. The Environment Finance committee did not get to evaluate huge DNR projects. In the Bonding Committee itself, most multi-million projects were considered for less than five minutes, with few or no questions allowed.

ABUSE OF THE POLITICAL PROCESS: The citizens Browns Valley who need quick infrastructure repairs will be held hostage to politicians who want the Governor to sign their pork projects into law before flood relief is given. Local officials from the water-torn community urgently pleaded with Democrats to pass their local relief bill quickly and separately, as has been done for past victims of natural disasters.

POLITICAL ABUSE OF THE TAXPAYERS: House Democrats took particular glee in structuring this year’s bonding bill. Although the 49 House Republicans represent 37 percent of the state’s citizens, bonding projects in their districts accounted for less than 2 percent of the bill (under $5 million). But projects in the districts of 29 freshman Democrats exceeded $58 million. You can bring home the bacon when you are grabbing the pork with both hands.

MY KIND OF TOWN: House Democrats approved $2 million to plan for a high-speed train between Chicago and St. Paul. One House Republican opined that Chicago residents could zoom to Minnesota, pick up their welfare checks, and be back in time to join Jerry Springer’s studio audience.

$61,000 MORE PER STUDENT AT RED LAKE?: By adding another $30 million for the declining enrollment at the Red Lake high school, middle school and two elementary schools, the bonding bill would bring to $80 million the bricks-and-mortar spending by state taxpayers for the four schools.

“CSI: ANDOVER”: Although there is room two expand the state’s two crime labs in St. Paul and Bemidji, House Democrats want to spend $2.5 million to plan for another lab.

OUR SCHOOL’S SWAMP IS A STATE-WIDE TREASURE: House Democrats want to spend $300,000 to buy a swamp next to an elementary school in Brooklyn Center. What students could learn by studying varmints will be a boon to happy children everywhere, so the school district should tap all of us.

“EMERGENCY APPROPRIATIONS?”: A $30 million ice rink, the third at the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center (“DECC”)? Over $71 million of new projects for the University and for MnSCU? Another $20 million for “infrastructure” for Itasca County that was never heard by the economic development committee? Another $1.2 million to add more trails when current trails are not maintained?

THE HOUSE REPUBLICANS’ FOUR AMENDMENTS

1. RESERVE THE “EMERGENCY BONDING BILL” FOR REAL EMERGENCIES: Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Delano) asked the House to cut the $290 million bonding bill down to $8 million. About $2 million of flood aid would have gone to Browns Valley. About $6 million would have gone to emergency repairs and security updates at the prison in Oak Park Heights. The Emmer Amendment failed by a margin of 39-90.

2. FIX THE ROADS WE NEED, BEFORE YOU BUILD MASS TRANSIT SYSTEMS; Rep. Chris DeLaForest (R-Andover) offered an amendment that would have cut most of the fat out of the bill, and would have shifted some of the savings for construction or repair of existing state roads, with other funds going to counties for expansion or repairs of county roads. The DeLaForest Amendment failed by a margin of 37-92.

3. REPAIR STORM DAMAGE BEFORE ADDING TO OVERBURDENED TRAILS: Rep. Joyce Peppin (R-Rogers) offered an amendment to help communities with storm damage for last year, instead of extending the state’s trail system. The DNR and other agencies already cannot keep up with maintenance of the current system. Rep. Peppin said she had offered a bill to propose similar action, but Democrats would not give it a hearing. The Peppin Amendment failed by a margin of 34-95.

4. RESTORE BALANCE BETWEEN ROADS AND MASS TRANSIT: Seeking “a balance that reflects the real life choices made by Minnesota commuters,” Rep. Steve Sviggum (R-Kenyon) offered an amendment to place more of the bill’s investments on cars than empty buses, trolleys, and commuter trains. The Sviggum Amendment failed by a 42-87 margin.

5. OOPS: On the five votes on Tuesday night, House Democrats voted against the taxpayers and fiscal responsibility by a 414-1 margin. Rep. Marsha Swails (D-Woodbury) voted for the Peppin Amendment.

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