OVERRIDDEN, UNDER PRESSURE
02/29/08
The legislature went straight for the jugular right
out of the shoot by successfully overriding Governor
Pawlenty's veto of the historic $6.6 billion
transportation funding bill. It was the first time a
Pawlenty veto was overridden and especially
gratifying for the DFL majorities after the failure
to override a similar transportation bill last
session.
The major drama was in the House, which needed 90 votes to reach the two-thirds majority necessary to override. 89 members had voted for the transportation bill originally, so a successful override was uncertain. Both Republicans and DFLer's claimed they had the edge in votes Monday morning, but in the end the new DFL majority succeeded in keeping six Republican votes and winning back the two DFLer's who initially voted against the bill to vote for the override 91-41. The Senate DFL has a veto-proof majority so they only had to keep their caucus intact, which they did, but they also gained two Republican votes to override 47-20.
Despite a personal visit from Governor Pawlenty and threats by GOP caucus leaders to strip them of their caucus positions and even staff, six House Republicans voted to override. Their support was risky and since the vote all of them have suffered political repercussions, including being stripped of their leadership positions in their caucus. Minority Leader Marty Seifert (GOP-Marshall) has since said the six will not be booted from the caucus nor will they lose their caucus-provided staff. Seifert has not been shy about sharing his disappointment in the six, and neither has the state Republican Party Chair who expects to see Republican endorsement challengers in the districts of the defectors.
Major credit for the success of the override has been given to the deal that was cut between Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher (DFL-Minneapolis) and the MN Chamber of Commerce on the bill itself. The Chamber's support for the final version of the bill was instrumental in winning and keeping those six Republicans votes. Kelliher's gamble to bypass the Governor and go straight to the Chamber, generally a bastion of Republican support, to work out a deal paid off. A notoriously anti-tax increase group, the Chamber decided to come out in favor of a gas tax increase earlier this year and last week they agreed to support a compromise on the metro area sales tax increase for transit. Their support of the bill has won them the ire of many Republicans, prompting Chamber President David Olson to send a message to the entire membership on Thursday explaining how the group came to the decision to support the bill.
It goes without saying Governor Pawlenty was disappointed at the result, but he thinks the defection is an anomaly and will actually increase loyalty amongst legislative Republicans on future efforts. Ironically, Pawlenty is likely to benefit from the override after the temporary bruises heal. The state gets a historic amount of money for transportation improvements but he didn't have to sign the tax increases that raised the funds. As for the Democrats, Pawlenty warned them to "buckle their seat belts because there may be some unexpected turbulence." Speculation is rampant on how the override will affect the Governor's relationship with the DFL majorities and whether it will create major barriers to compromise down the road on other important issues.
The major drama was in the House, which needed 90 votes to reach the two-thirds majority necessary to override. 89 members had voted for the transportation bill originally, so a successful override was uncertain. Both Republicans and DFLer's claimed they had the edge in votes Monday morning, but in the end the new DFL majority succeeded in keeping six Republican votes and winning back the two DFLer's who initially voted against the bill to vote for the override 91-41. The Senate DFL has a veto-proof majority so they only had to keep their caucus intact, which they did, but they also gained two Republican votes to override 47-20.
Despite a personal visit from Governor Pawlenty and threats by GOP caucus leaders to strip them of their caucus positions and even staff, six House Republicans voted to override. Their support was risky and since the vote all of them have suffered political repercussions, including being stripped of their leadership positions in their caucus. Minority Leader Marty Seifert (GOP-Marshall) has since said the six will not be booted from the caucus nor will they lose their caucus-provided staff. Seifert has not been shy about sharing his disappointment in the six, and neither has the state Republican Party Chair who expects to see Republican endorsement challengers in the districts of the defectors.
Major credit for the success of the override has been given to the deal that was cut between Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher (DFL-Minneapolis) and the MN Chamber of Commerce on the bill itself. The Chamber's support for the final version of the bill was instrumental in winning and keeping those six Republicans votes. Kelliher's gamble to bypass the Governor and go straight to the Chamber, generally a bastion of Republican support, to work out a deal paid off. A notoriously anti-tax increase group, the Chamber decided to come out in favor of a gas tax increase earlier this year and last week they agreed to support a compromise on the metro area sales tax increase for transit. Their support of the bill has won them the ire of many Republicans, prompting Chamber President David Olson to send a message to the entire membership on Thursday explaining how the group came to the decision to support the bill.
It goes without saying Governor Pawlenty was disappointed at the result, but he thinks the defection is an anomaly and will actually increase loyalty amongst legislative Republicans on future efforts. Ironically, Pawlenty is likely to benefit from the override after the temporary bruises heal. The state gets a historic amount of money for transportation improvements but he didn't have to sign the tax increases that raised the funds. As for the Democrats, Pawlenty warned them to "buckle their seat belts because there may be some unexpected turbulence." Speculation is rampant on how the override will affect the Governor's relationship with the DFL majorities and whether it will create major barriers to compromise down the road on other important issues.