ST. PAUL - The Minnesota Senate overwhelmingly passed a public works funding plan this morning, one of the major bills of the 2008 legislative session, with about 15 minutes of discussion.
The 51-7 vote came two days before the House is expected to pass a very similar bill. House and Senate negotiators should begin talks as early as this weekend and get the bill to Gov. Tim Pawlenty's desk early next week, Sen. Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon, said.
The nearly $1 billion bill, which funds projects ranging from fixing college facilities to building hockey arenas, will put thousands of Minnesotans to work, said Langseth, chairman of the Senate committee that recommends what projects to fund.
State and local agencies requested about $3.5 billion in borrowed funds, which Langseth's committee whittled down to just under $1 billion.
Langseth promised to fight to keep spending at his bill's level, even though his House counterpart appears ready to lower the spending and Gov. Tim Pawlenty insists on a smaller bill.
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Langseth said he and Pawlenty disagree on how to figure interest the state must pay on bonds sold to fund projects. Traditionally, the state keeps such interest payments to 3 percent of the budget, but the question is how to determine that 3 percent.
A few Republicans criticized the bill as being too rich during a recession, but Langseth said that is when the state needs to spend money. He said it would create jobs and contractors looking for work will offer the state lower prices during a slow economy.
Assistant Minority Leader Michelle Fischbach was among seven senators to vote against the public works package.
Fischbach, R-Paynesville, said the bill borrows too much and relies on general tax revenue the state does not have.
"Overall, it was too big," she said.
Fischbach said the package includes too many local projects, such as events centers, that do not have statewide impact.
Most of the bill is paid for by the state selling bonds, but some projects would be paid with cash. That's also a problem, Fischbach said.
"There's no money in the general fund," she said. "They added to the deficit today."
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A smaller bonding bill still would create jobs, she added.
When Pawlenty asks lawmakers to trim their bills, he has said, he wants arenas and events centers such as those proposed in Bemidji and Crookston to come out of the measure.
The Duluth Entertainment Convention Center addition proposal is in the House, Senate and Pawlenty's proposals and the governor said it should go ahead despite his resistance to other such proposals.
