The Shape of Things To Come

Tempers flared in the MN House yesterday during debate on the Omnibus Transportation bill.

If Tuesday paints a picture of how the 2009 legislative session will end, it won't be pretty.

An exchange between legislative leaders and a key Pawlenty administration official Tuesday morning was as tense of an exchange as seen in the Capitol this year. And things got worse a few hours later in the House chamber.

Republicans shouted down the Democratic speaker when she ruled that time had expired on a transportation debate, with two GOP amendments not yet heard.

Let's hop in Mr. Peabody's way back machine for just a moment to set the stage for yesterday's fireworks. Back in February, the House Floor Rules were changed to limit the amount of time for floor debate on issues. Discussion of this started last summer (as reported by the St. Paul Legal Ledger and apparently no where else). Even back then there was objection to the limit saying that it would not not allow representatives the ability to offer amendments and changes to the bills. Well yesterday those predictions came to fruition.

Back to today - house Minority Leader Marty Seifert was understandably concerned about the turn of events...

"I don't know if this is some type of flexing of the muscles or what," an angry House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, said. "If you gag these two people from offering their amendments, who's next ... who are you going to gag next?"

Representative Bernie Lieder(DFL Crookston) also expressed concerns about the tone that this sets for the remainder of the session given that the real work of the body - balancing the budget deficit - has yet to be done!

Lieder was not optimistic for a smooth end to the session, which must pass a $33 billion budget while plugging a $4.6 billion deficit.

"I don't think the last three weeks are going to be easy," he said.

When the Speaker finally realized that she could not allow debate to end without hearing the final two amendments, she waived the white flag.....

The hour-long dust-up ended when House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, sent word to Seifert that if Republicans quit objecting, Democrats would allow the debate to resume and GOP Reps. Torrey Westrom of Elbow Lake and Mark Buesgens of Jordan could offer the remaining amendments.

Which is as it should have been.

Yesterday's dust up is the calm before the storm. Without a doubt the most contentious bill will be the Tax Bill once it comes out of conference. The House and Senate leadership is going to have to lean hard on their more vulnerable members (members who represent more conservative districts). They got away with voting against the bill once - they will not be afforded that luxury again! As we saw last session with Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba (who reportedly was threatened with losing her committee chairmanship if she voted against the final Transportation Bill) was not allowed to vote her conscience and for her constituents even though she knew the Transportation Bill was not in their best interests. The Tax Bill just barely passed both chambers - 35-31 in the Senate and 68-65 in the House - and those Democrats (Will Morgan - Burnsville, Sandra Maisin - Eagan and Maria Ruud - Eden Prairie for example) who voted against it will be under intense pressure to make sure that they vote the way that their leadership dictates on the final bill.

Those vulnerable members of the House and the Senate have a very painful choice to make in the coming days. They are either going to have to vote their leadership or their district! Given their past records, I am willing to stick my neck out and say that the answer will be they will vote as their leadership dictates...for they fear the Speaker and her first lieutenant Tony Sertich more than they fear the voters back home! If you live in their districts, you may want to help change that perception.