May 19, 1997 - The House and Senate are meeting at this hour, hurrying through their votes to try to finish their business before tonight's midnight deadline... but the real action at the capitol is taking place behind closed doors, where DFL leaders and the Governor's staff are struggling to figure out a compromise over K-12 education tax breaks. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.
May 16, 1997 - (For Friday Morning Ed) Legislative leaders have given up trying to reach a compromise with Governor Carlson over education tax credits. Senate negotiators last night (Thurs) abandoned a plan known as "Common Schools of Excellence," which they had hoped would satisfy the Governor's desire to let families spend public dollars on private education. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste has the story: The DFL leaders of the House and Senate went into Governor Carlson's office on Thursday afternoon hoping to coax his signature for their school funding bill. By the time they came out, they's resigned themselves to a veto. Speaker Carruthers: ((Carruthers being gloomy))
May 15, 1997 - Midday looks at Governor Arne Carlson's insistence that tax breaks for education expenses, including private school costs, be part of any education funding bill passed by the legislature. On this Talk of Minnesota, listeners call in and comment on whether the governor should stick to his guns or be willing to compromise.
May 14, 1997 - Reporters are running out of synonyms for the word "standoff" to describe the K-12 education funding situation at the state capitol. Governor Carlson says he'll settle for nothing short of education tax credits; legislative leaders say tax credits are the ONE thing they won't give him. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports on this legislative game of chicken: Teachers unions and other supporters of the current public schools system are tired of losing ground at the capitol. Two years ago, they watched lawmakers cave in to the Governor and put a cap on K-12 spending... and in the years before that, they lost fights over charters schools and open enrollment. But House Majority Leader Ted Winter says this year will be different: ((We dug in on this last year and the year be
May 13, 1997 - Tobacco companies will have to disclose whether their cigarettes contain certain toxic substances under a legislative deal at the state capitol. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.
May 9, 1997 - Supporters of a state-subsidized Twins stadium continued to scramble at the state capitol today (Fri) to put together a deal before the Legislature adjourns. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: With ten days and counting, the fate of the Twins stadium now seems to hinge on the relationship between the Senate's two most powerful men: Majority Leader Roger Moe and Taxes Chairman Doug Johnson. They've both been "stadium-skeptics" since the beginning of the Legislative session, but now Johnson has come up with a last-ditch plan to save the stadium with money from a state-owned casino. The taxes committee votes on the proposal on Monday, and Johnson admits he doesn't have enough votes -- UNLESS the Majority Leader decides to twist a few arms. But Roger Moe says he's not ready to back Johnson's plan yet:
May 9, 1997 - Remember the Minnesota Budget Surplus? The state's bookkeepers made a splash in the news when they said they expected to rake in 2-point-3 BILLION dollars more in tax dollars over the next two years than they'd anticipated. The announcement set lawmakers at the state capitol to claim some of the money on their pet projects. Now, as the legislative session draws to a close, Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports on what's happened to the budget surplus: ((sound of taxes conference negotiations)) The details of the state budget have yet to be finalized in negotiations like this one, where House and Senate negotiators are slogging through hundreds of pages of new tax statutes. But you can already make out the general trend, and that's higher spending. K-12 spending is going up te
May 1, 1997 - A bipartisan deal to regularly test the progress of Minnesota schools and students could be in trouble at the state capitol. Two months ago, the Governor and legislative leaders agreed to set up a new standardized testing system in the public schools, but last night (Wed) the final negotiations hit a wall. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports: Is it possible to test kids too much? Minneapolis state senator Larry Pogemiller thinks so, and he's willing to jeopardize what seemed to be a done deal to make his point. Two months ago, legislative leaders promised Governor Carlson they'd set up a new statewide testing system. Standardized tests are a favorite cause of the Governor's, who believes the publicized test scores will make public schools more accountable. The deal was supposed to set up four tests in the years between kindergarten and 12th grade, but Pogemiller and his Senate colleagues now say three are enough:
April 29, 1997 - Criminal prosecutors will get an extra edge in the courtroom under legislation passed today by the Minnesota Senate. Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports.
April 29, 1997 - Minnesota drivers would pay an extra four-cents for a gallon of gas under a bill approved by the Senate Taxes committee last night (Mon). Minnesota Public Radio's Martin Kaste reports. The Senate bill would raise the per-gallon price you pay at the pump by two cents this summer, and then another two cents next year. That's in addition to the current 20-cent-per-gallon tax. The money raised by the gas tax is supposed to be spent solely on transportation, and that means most of the money goes to highways and bridges. The highway construction lobby and rural lawmakers have been pushing for the increase, which they say is long overdue. The last increase was in the late 80s, and the bill's author, Willmar Republican Dean Johnson, says it's time to catch up