mnpACT!: Dayton Took The Heat But Saved Us From Draconian Cuts
Posted: 07/20/11 00:45 by Dave Mindeman
Well, finally, the budget bills are beginning to pass in a sputtering, coughing sort of way. Let me give you some first impressions as I read the various news reports… 1) Bakk and Thissen have indicated there will be no DFL votes on the financing bill. This includes the education shift and tobacco fund borrowing. I doubt Governor Dayton will begrudge them that and I sense the seeds of a 2012 issue brewing. 2) Higher education got hammered, although not as severely as the original GOP bill. And the blow has been softened somewhat because the bonding bill has a number of higher ed projects in it. I think the Governor’s hand was working here. 3) The Transportation bill cutting was softened and it looks like they will be able to prevent a rate hike. Mostly because some other transportation funds will be shifted around. The rate hike seemed imminent before the new bill was crafted, so that is another draconian prevention for the governor.