IT'S OVER: Lohmer, Lillie Weigh In On The End Of The SHUTDOWN

Hours after the longest continuous shutdown of any state government in United States history, Rep. Kathy Lohmer (R-Lake Elmo) is proud that there are “no new taxes.”

“After an incredibly long, intense day talking within our caucus and on the floor, I am feeling really good about what happened,” Lohmer said.

When republicans took to the floor Tuesday, “we were united,” Lohmer said. “There were no new taxes, spending was going to be capped at about $34 billion and I am really excited about some of the reforms that will curtail spending in the future.”

Throughout the special session, insults were hurled, accusations were made and pleas were ignored, but in the end, the people’s business was finished.

Gov. Mark Dayton signed into law all 12 budget bills passed in the middle of the night Wednesday by the Minnesota House and Senate. Dayton’s signatures ended the shutdown of Minnesota government—at 20 days.

Lohmer voted for 10 of the 12 budget bills. She did not support the bonding bill or the pension bill.

“I’m not in favor of borrowing to spend more money,” Lohmer said.

When the bonding bill came to the floor, Lohmer asked if any of the funds would go toward the Stillwater Lift Bridge.

“They were adamant in saying it would not,” she said. “If it did, I would have voted for it.”

When it came to the pension bill, Lohmer said she didn’t feel as though she had enough information to case a vote supporting it.

Sen. Ted Lillie—who voted for all 12 budget bills—said he got home at about 5:30 a.m.

“The sun was coming up, the robins were chirping,” he said. 

“On the whole, I believe that this is a very good deal for Minnesota,” said Lillie, a first-term Republican who represents Stillwater.

Lohmer echoed Lillie’s sentiment.

“I absolutely think the state of Minnesota got a great deal out of this,” she said. “We kept our promise to live within our means. I don’t like that the state shutdown—I don’t think the government should have been shutdown for tax increases.”

In the end, Dayton kept his promise that he wouldn’t sign any of the bills until all 12 had passed through both houses of the legislature.

While Lillie said he was pleased that the Legislature passed a budget and ended the shutdown, he also noted that similar versions of the bills Dayton signed this morning were previously presented. 

“It’s a shame that we had to go through this exercise,” he said. “That work could have been done weeks ago.”

The Special Session

At the start of the marathon special session, it seemed as though the process would be over quickly. In its first hour, the Senate passed six of 12 bills while the House passed five.

But by 1 a.m. Wednesday, just eight bills were ready to be sent to the governor, with the House passing an additional two. At that point, the legislative finish line was still well out of sight. As expected, the bills on taxes, health and human services, K-12 education and state government garnered the most spirited debates on the House floor.

Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) called the Republican-written budget “morally bankrupt,” and Minority Leader Paul Thissen (DFL-Minneapolis) said Republicans had “every reason to hang (their) heads in shame.”

House Majority Leader Matt Dean (R-Dellwood) countered by accusing DFLers of forgetting to do their jobs and “dragging (Minnesota) into a shutdown.”

 (see attached video)

In the end, the budget went the way most people expected it to go after Dayton, on July 14, accepted the Republican budget proposal, without the policy provisions first attached to the budget when it was first presented on June 30.

“On the whole, I believe that this is a very good deal for Minnesota,” said Lillie, a first-term Republican who represents Stillwater.

While Lillie said he was pleased that the Legislature passed a budget and ended the shutdown, he also noted that similar versions of the bills Dayton signed this morning were previously presented. 

“It’s a shame that we had to go through this exercise,” he said. “That work could have been done weeks ago.” 

Lillie said he was glad the state was able to hold the line on tax increases and hopes it spurs job growth in Minnesota. 

Lillie voted against the bonding bill—part of Dayton’s provisions for agreeing to the GOP budget. He said he supports the typical legislative cycle of working on a budget one year and bonding bill the next. 

“That is what we should have done,” Lillie said, adding that there was already plenty of funding in the budget for infrastructure improvements.

Listed below are the bills and the votes that passed them:  

Special Session Bills
Senate Judiciary/Public Safety bill: 57-7
House Judiciary/Public Safety bill: 77-51

Senate Environment bill: 43-22
House Environment bill: 71-57

Senate Jobs and Economic Growth bill: 42-23
House Jobs and Economic Growth bill: 76-50

Senate Transportation bill: 38-27
House Transportation bill: 71-56

Senate Higher education bill: 35-30
House Higher education bill: 71-57

Senate Health & Human Services bill: 37-27
House Health & Human Services bill: 71-57

Senate K-12 education bill: 36-28
House K-12 education bill: 71-56

Senate State Government bill: 40-24
House State Government bill: 81-47

Senate Legacy bill: 65-0
House Legacy bill: 98-30

Senate Pension bill: 61-3
House Pension bill: 115-12

Senate Taxes bill: 37-27
House Taxes bill: 71-57

Senate Bonding bill: 53-11
House Bonding bill: 112-17

The Process

UPDATED (From 1 a.m.)

As of 1 a.m. Wednesday eight bills were on their way to Gov. Mark Dayton's office to be signed into law. An additional bill had been passed in the House but not the Senate.

Dayton has said he would not sign any bills until all 12 had passed the House and Senate.

Between 7 and 8 p.m. Tuesday, the process was moving along smoothly. Within 45 minutes, the Senate passed six bills and the House passed five. Then they recessed.

Lawmakers adjourned to discuss some of the most contentious and complex pieces of upcoming legislation: health and human services, taxes, K-12 education, bonding, pension and state government.

When the parties reconvened at 9:30 p.m., the finger-pointing began.

“This budget is morally bankrupt,” Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) said while debating on the House floor. “The GOP are the first majority to leave the state worse off than they found it financially.”

Minority Leader Paul Thissen (DFL-Minneapolis) added: “This is a beg, borrow and steal budget. It borrows and steals from Minnesota’s future and begs the people of our state to look the other way as once again (Republicans) simply kick the can down the road. ... Republicans have nothing to be proud of today. In fact, Republicans have every reason to hang your heads in shame.”

GOP House Majority Leader Matt Dean (R-Dellwood) fired back at DFL counterparts, accusing them of forgetting to do their jobs by balancing the budget and “dragging (Minnesota) into a shutdown.”  

UPDATED (from 10:05 p.m.)

It took less than an hour’s work for Minnesota lawmakers, who reconvened this afternoon, to pass five bills, the first of several that Gov. Mark Dayton is expected to sign.

The House and Senate took their seats in the legislature at around 3 p.m., opened the special session, observed a moment of silence for the late Sen. Linda Scheid (R-Brooklyn Park) and then recessed for more than three hours.

When they reconvened at around 7 p.m., they got to work. Within an hour, the Senate had passed six bills; the House had passed five. The legislature then went into recess again; lawmakers are expected back at their desks later this evening.

The remaining bills include some of the most complex and contentious pieces of legislation faced this session. They include: legacy (House only), health and human services, taxes, K-12 education, bonding, pension and state government.

Dayton has maintained that he will not sign any bills until all 12 have passed both the House and Senate.

UPDATED (from 3 p.m.)

Minnesota Department of Corrections (DOC) Commissioner Tom Roy posted a shutdown update this afternoon telling DOC staff members to be ready to go back to work.

There is reason to be optimistic that Minnesota’s government shutdown may be coming to an end, Roy posted.

Gov. at 3 p.m. today to begin considering appropriations bills that will reestablish the authority of government agencies to spend state revenues, the post states. The first six bills have been finalized and posted online for lawmakers to review.

One of those bills, the Public Safety Bill (SF 1), includes the funding for the Department of Corrections.

While debate on these bills will be permitted, no amendments or changes will be allowed, the post states. Only budget bills and a bonding bill for the next biennium will be considered during the special session.

"I am hopeful that the compromise legislation will have the votes necessary to pass and the shutdown will end when the Governor signs these bills into law," Roy posted. "Once the Office of Management and Budget gives us the green light to move ahead you will be contacted to come back to work. Please be available at the email or phone number you left with DOC before the shutdown began."

The to the Department of Corrections staff was minimal, but visitation and some inmate activities have been suspended since the shutdown began July 1.

At Stillwater prison, 72 of the correctional facility’s 520 staff members were laid off during the shutdown. Of the 354 staff members at the Oak Park Heights prison, 64 were furloughed. Statewide, 125 of the 1,970 prison staff members have been out of work.