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It was a busy week for Minnesota politics!
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Posted March 05, 2008 at 10:22 AM
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In a rare move, the Minnesota State Legislature voted to override Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s veto of a $6.6 billion transportation bill that would raise the state gas tax and fund the maintenance of roads and bridges.
The DFL controlled Minnesota State Legislature passed the landmark transportation bill last Monday.
Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty, a staunch opponent of raising taxes, promptly vetoed the bill.
Democrats responded by garnering enough support to secure the two-thirds majority (90 votes) needed to override Pawlenty’s veto.
In addition to all 85 Minnesota House Democrats, six Republicans crossed party lines to vote in favor of overriding the veto. The final vote was 91-41.
Senate Democrats, who hold a veto-proof majority, easily overrode the veto with a 47-20 vote.
Gubernatorial veto overrides in Minnesota are very uncommon. Since 1939, only 14 of 477 vetoes have been successfully overridden. In fact, 12 of these 14 overrides took place when Jesse Ventura (an Independent with few party members in the state legislature) was governor.
Republicans supporting the veto override worry about the fallout.
In an interview with Minnesota Public Radio, Rep. Jim Abeler, a Republican from Anoka who voted to support the veto override said, “I hope that when my own local Republicans understand the actual bill, the merits, the need, and how this is not going to become a habit where I override the governor, but this is a one time override based on a very critical need, that they’ll understand that.”
There have already been repercussions for some of the republicans who supported the veto override. Rep. Bud Heidgerken told the Star Tribune he was asked to step down as the lead Republican on the House K-12 Finance Committee.
“I was told that if I don’t fall in line, this is what’s going to happen. I had to weigh it. Is this a good bill? Yes it is. We sat for 20 years and did nothing,” Heidgerken said.
Since the 35W bridge collapse last August, which left 13 people dead and over a hundred people injured, transportation and infrastructure funding has become an important issue in Minnesota.
The transportation bill will increase the state’s gas tax for the first time in 20 years. Currently, Minnesota’s gas tax is 20 cents per gallon – well below the national average of 28.6 cents per gallon. The Minnesota gas tax will increase by five cents per gallon by this fall.
Opponents of the bill contest the link between the bridge collapse and transportation funding.
“There is no relationship between the greatest tax increase in [modern] Minnesota history and the tragedy that occurred last summer,” Rep. Tom Emmer told the Star Tribune.
Other Minnesota representatives disagree. Rep. Shelley Madore from Apple Valley said, “The bridge went down on August 1, and a gentleman from my district died. If you’re asking me, is his life worth a nickel a gallon, I’m telling you it is.”
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