According to Tim Pugmire’s article for MPR, the transportation bill will soon be making its way through the Minnesota legislature at the speed of light:

A multibillion dollar transportation funding bill is heading for a vote this week in the Minnesota House and Senate.

DFL Legislative leaders have the bill on a fast track this session, because they say the road and bridge projects could help jump start the state’s sagging economy.

The measure would raise the gas tax 7 1/2 cents per-gallon. Gov. Tim Pawlenty is expected to veto the bill, and the big question is whether DFL leaders in the House can get enough Republicans to support a veto override.

House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher said she thinks the votes will be there.

“I know that people want to take the courageous vote and be able to fund our transportation system. The need is out there,” Kelliher said. “It’s been clearly demonstrated that we’re in a transportation crisis both in terms of funding and the condition of the system. And the time for action is now.”

The House is scheduled to vote on the bill Thursday.

While I’m certain that Mr. Pugmire is accurately reporting Speaker Kelliher’s quote, I’m equally certain that Ms. Kelliher is as wrong as wrong gets. For me to believe that they’ve got the votes to override Gov. Pawlenty’s impending veto, I’d have to go through a twisted thought process to arrive at that belief. I’d have to believe that:

• 5 House Republicans would vote for a bigger tax increase this year than they voted against last year.
• 5 House Republicans would vote for the largest tax increase in state history at a time when polls show that 60 percent of Minnesotans don’t want a gas tax increase of any sort, much less a tax increase of that proportion.
• these theoretical House Republicans would vote with an unpopular DFL and against a wildly popular governor at a time when taxes are the driving force behind both job approval ratings.
• these Republicans would cast that unpopular vote in an election year.

With all due respect, I’m not even close to being willing to believe that. Methinks that Speaker Kelliher is telling quite a yarn. Here’s a major reason why I think that:

I believe it’s “whistling in the graveyard” on the part of the majority. Their “take it or leave it” tactics have irritated common sense lawmakers on both sides of the aisle who want to move transportation ahead in our state. If the legislative majority felt they had the votes, House Speaker Kelliher wouldn’t be wining and dining Urdahl and Heidgerken tonight. (I hope they at least get a good steak out of the deal.)

This bill contains a 7.5 cents per gallon gas tax increase, a 1/2 percent sales tax increase, license tab fees, and much more. It’s $8.4 billion in taxes and fees, almost $3 billion bigger than the bill Governor Pawlenty vetoed last year! And to make matters worse, they’ve told us there will be NO OTHER BILL offered or negotiated this session. Where is there even an ATTEMPT at compromise?

By the way, last year’s transportation veto was UPHELD bi-partisanly: All Republicans and some DFLers voted to uphold the veto; no Republicans voted to override. Minnesotans have made it clear, they do NOT want massive tax increases at a time when our economy is tottering on the brink of recession. They rank the economy as their top priority, and transportation as a distant sixth. There IS middle ground to be had on transportation, but that’s apparently not what the majority wants. They want to create a train wreck and blame it on the Governor.

State Rep. Steve Gottwalt
House District 15A

Last January, I ‘adopted’ Steve as my state representative because I was impressed with how clearly he thinks things through. Since that time, he’s only given me more reasons to trust him. I wholeheartedly believe that there are a whole bunch of freshmen Democrats who aren’t that eager to vote for a wildly unpopular tax increase heading into their first re-election campaign.

Here’s something else from MPR’s article that I couldn’t help noticing:

Gov. Pawlenty has three days to sign or veto the bill after it passes both houses.

Frankly, I doubt that it’ll take three hours for him to veto the bill, much less three days. It’s my sincere hope that, once the bill is vetoed & the veto is sustained, that pressure would be put on legislators to get a good compromise bill put together so that we can break the cycle of all or nothing transportation bills.

To top that all off, here’s what Brian McClung said on the issue:

“I’ll be curious about which legislator, especially in the House of Representatives, when they’re up for re-election in about nine months, if they’re going to raise their hands and put the jumper cables to the wallets of Minnesotans and give them a big shock,” McClung said.

It’s apparent to me that Gov. Pawlenty, Mr. McClung & company will be putting alot of pressure on vulnerable Democrats. Gov. Pawlenty’s bully pulpit can cause alot of heartburn for wayward legislators should they choose to be defiant.

UPDATE: I just got an update on the Transportation bill making its way through committee. The word I’ve received is that the CPI adjustment provision has been removed & that the gas tax increase is now 8.5 cents per gallon.

That sounds to me like the DFL is scrambling. They seem to have abandoned their take it or leave it approach.

Technorati: Gas Tax, Tax Increase, Speaker Kelliher, Veto Override, DFL, Tim Pawlenty, Veto Pen, Bully Pulpit, Steve Gottwalt, Transportation, Negotiation, Election 2008