ST. PAUL - Whether the 2006 Minnesota Legislature is successful may be determined this week.
"It's decision-making time," Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson, DFL-Willmar, said Friday.
Within the next few days, all major bills should pass and be sent to conference committees to work out differences between House and Senate versions. Beyond a few key issues, however, legislative leaders make no promises anything will become law.
Legislative leaders agree lawmakers will approve a bill funding public works projects around the state, adjust the $30.1 billion budget they passed a year ago and restrict local governments from taking private land for economic development uses. Also expected is authorization to build a University of Minnesota football stadium and a Minnesota Twins baseball park.
"There are some things that have fallen off the flatbed already," Johnson said, adding that "each day the load will get a little lighter and slimmer."
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With three weeks left in the legislative session, lawmakers are in a hurry to go home. Once the public works bill - popularly known as the bonding bill - passes, adjournment could come at any time.
"We're not going to wait a long time," House Speaker Steve Sviggum, R-Kenyon, said about what happens once the bonding bill gets through.
Talks on reconciling differences in the two chambers' bonding bills begin in earnest Monday morning when House Minority Leader Matt Entenza, DFL-St. Paul, cooks breakfast for legislative leaders. Johnson said he thinks the bonding conference committee - headed by Sen. Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon, and Rep. Dan Dorman, R-Albert Lea - can begin meeting on Monday and finish its work by week's end.
Sviggum, however, has been frustrated by what he calls Johnson's refusal to discuss how big the bonding bill should be. Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants to borrow $811 million for projects ranging from new college buildings to extending nature trails. The House passed a $949 million bill, while senators opted for spending $990 million.
Sviggum said the full House will debate budget changes on Monday, while Johnson said he expected the Senate's version to come up Wednesday or Thursday. Adding money to house sex offenders is a key element in both budget bills.
A slightly shrunken property tax rebate is due for House debate Tuesday. A GOP plan to send checks to more than 1 million Minnesota homeowners has been reduced from the original $307 million in rebates to $275 million, House Majority Leader Erik Paulsen, R-Eden Prairie, said to allow reducing taxes some married couples pay and to give tax breaks to dairy farmers.
Senators are not likely to go along with the GOP plan.
The spotlight has been on proposed new sports stadiums in recent days.
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On Friday, Johnson stepped in to help move a stalled proposal to build a University of Minnesota football stadium and stadiums for the Twins and Vikings. Despite his intervention, the Gophers' plan lost on a tie committee vote for the second straight day.
The House has passed Gophers and Twins stadium bills, and Johnson expects the Gophers bill to go in front of the full Senate Tuesday. The Twins bill and maybe the Vikings should come up Wednesday or Thursday.
The House plans to begin Vikings stadium hearings next week.
On Thursday, senators plan to consider a bill reducing mercury emissions and one boosting renewable energy use.
In recent days:
-- A House-Senate conference committee agreed on many provisions of a bill restricting local governments from taking private land for economic development uses. The Senate could debate the bill Tuesday.
-- The House voted to ban state money to fund abortions.
-- Committees approved state worker labor contracts.
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-- A conference committee approved a bill banning protests within 500 feet of funerals.
-- The House approved requiring discussion about organ and tissue donations during driver's education classes.
-- A bill by Rep Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead, passed a committee to fund a forum of Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Manitoba legislators.
