HometownSource Blogs

Senate Tax Committee Chairman Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, candidate for governor, today (Nov. 5) called on Gov. Tim Pawlenty to call a special session in order to pass a bonding bill by the end of the year.

“It’s time to increase the state’s bonding limits to create good paying construction jobs that will spur white- and blue-collar jobs, update Minnesota’s neglected state colleges and universities to train the workforce of the future, and catch up on the deferred maintenance on wastewater treatment facilities to improve our water and environment,” said Bakk in a statement.

At the Capitol, the senator spoke of using bonding dollars for projects at the Duluth airport.

But the governor, while saying the administration is willing to examine Bakk’s proposal, noted that currently there’s some $1.5 billion in authorized bonding that remains unused.

Some of this is to be expected.

State Economist Tom Stinson has noted that a very small percentage of a bonding bill actually enters the economy first year after the bonding is authorized.

Pawlenty styled having a special session within 30 days of the start of the legislative session for bonding — session begins Feb. 4 — “just silly.”

Administration officials are currently working on a revised calculation for determining how much bonding the state can afford to do, Pawlenty explained.

He questioned whether DFLers had any intentions this upcoming session to pay attention to the old mark.

But DFLers had a few observations to share too, one of them being if some $1.5 billion in authorized bonding is sitting idle, why doesn’t the chief executive work to make sure it’s utilized.