Today's Minnesota's legislative leaders announced a last-minute budget deal.
Well, sort of.
The deal struck by Gov. Tim Walz, House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka Monday morning sets the broad parameters of a $52 billion, two-year budget. There will be no tax increases, tax breaks for people and businesses who received COVID-19 relief, and a big spending hike for K-12 education. [Read more from Brian Bakst and Tim Nelson]
But: This agreement, which took until the last day of the legislative session to strike, doesn't actually resolve any of the hot-button policy issues that have divided the two parties all year.
There's still no agreement on new policing laws. There's no agreement on Walz's COVID-19 emergency powers. There's nothing on auto emissions. Nothing on recreational marijuana.
So the "historic" agreement by Walz, Gazelka and Hortman is just the first step — and likely the easiest step, given a huge influx of federal aid that in the end made it easier for each side to get something it wants out of the state budget. All the hard work is yet to come, to be hashed out at the committee level over the next few weeks.
A few hours after leaders announced the deal, both the House and Senate adjourned for the year. They'll be back in a month for a special session, of course.
The planned timeline:
Monday, May 17: The Legislature adjourns its regular session. Conference committees continue to meet as informal working groups.
Friday, May 28: Committees agree on numbers for each area of the budget
Friday, June 4: Committees agree on specific language for their budget bills
Early-to-mid June: Lawmakers return to debate and pass a budget
July 1: Minnesota starts a new fiscal year, with a government shutdown if a budget isn't in place
Of course, the best laid plans of mice and politicians will often go awry, as the saying goes. (I'm pretty sure I'm quoting it accurately.) We'll see if a few more weeks of work can solve all the outstanding issues.
Historical context: This is the 11th Minnesota budget this millennium. Ten of those budgets have involved some form of divided government like Minnesota has now. Of those 10, eight required a special session to pass a budget. The exceptions were 2007 and 2009, when Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty managed to work with DFL majorities to pass on-time budgets. (The only year with unified government was 2013, when DFL lawmakers sent an on-time budget to DFL Gov. Mark Dayton.) [ Read more from the Pioneer Press' Bill Salisbury]
Magnifying the usual effects of polarization this year: the unusual COVID-19 precautions means this year's session has been often remote, inhibiting the face-to-face relationships that can sometimes help smooth over disputes. [Read more from the Star Tribune's Patrick Condon]
A few measures did pass before the House and Senate adjourned today, including a bill expanding Minnesota's medical marijuana program to allow participants to smoke their prescription pot instead of just consume it. [Read more from Kyle Jaeger at Marijuana Moment]
The U.S. Supreme Court has agreed to hear an abortion rights case, the first such case since conservative Amy Coney Barrett replaced liberal Ruth Bader Ginsberg on the bench. The case concerns a Mississippi law banning abortions after the 15th week of pregnancy, but has much wider ramifications. [Read more from The Associated Press]
Something completely different: Like many people, I've sampled some of the new wave of "alcohol-free spirits," which can be used to make tasty mixed drinks without booze for those who can't or don't want to imbibe. But one thing becomes quickly evident: these things are expensive, often pricier than the booze they're replacing. It turns out that's partly because the processes used to make them are much more involved than those used for liquor. [ Read more from Jacob Grier at Inside Hook]
Listen: George Jones, 1954, "No Money In This Deal." [Listen]
