News Highlights

Reps. Cornish, Gunther make their cases

Reps. Bob Gunther and Tony Cornish say the legislative session could still be very successful, if an agreement can be reached quickly.

2006-04-09
By Tim Krohn, Free Press Staff Writer [published in The Free Press, Mankato, MN 5/26/2005]

MANKATO — Reps. Tony Cornish and Bob Gunther aren't happy the Legislature has gone into overtime, but they don't think it would be fair to label the session a failure.

"Overall, I think the session was going very well. I think the session could be very successful yet, if we can just close it now," said Cornish, of Vernon Center.

The two Republican House members were, like many of their colleagues in both parties, making the rounds in their home areas to press their party's case one day after the regular session ended and Gov. Tim Pawlenty called a special session.

The two said several pieces of important local legislation — approval for towns like Mankato to have local sales taxes, money for the Rapidan Dam, funding increases for MSU — have been passed by the House and have a good chance of being approved in final bills.

Still, Gunther, of Fairmont, and Cornish know the attention and pressure is on lawmakers and the governor to deal with the final big tax and spending bills necessary to keep the government operating for the next two years. They, not surprisingly, place most of the onus on Democrats who control the Senate. (The House and governor's office are held by Republicans.)

"I hope the Democrats (in the Senate) don't just hold things up thinking they picked up 13 seats last time and they could do it again," Cornish said. He was referring to a 13-seat Democratic gain in the House in the last elections following the unproductive 2004 session.

Gunther said Senate Democrats are still stinging from two years ago when they felt that then-Senate Majority Leader John Hottinger, DFL St. Peter, gave in too much to Republicans.

"They are digging their heels in," Gunther said of Senate Democrats. "They are trying to recoup something they thought they lost last time."

One of the biggest differences that must be dealt with is the Senate's proposal for a $1.4 billion income tax increase on the wealthy compared to a $380 million increase in cigarette fees proposed by the governor.

"I really do believe making Minnesota the highest taxed state in the country would be a job killer," said Gunther in opposition to the Senate proposal.

"There are three things you can do to balance the budget. Cutting (spending), increase taxes ... (or) growing jobs," Gunther said. He said the reason the state had budget surpluses and was able to spend more on programs in the '90s was because of exceptional job growth. "That's what made us whole. I think it's what we need to work on doing now."

Cornish said he hopes Senate Democrats will give on the income tax idea, accept the governor's cigarette fee hike and work on negotiating the rest of the difference between needed revenue and expenditures.

"If there's one thing they should know about this governor by now it's that he's not going to raise taxes, the cigarette fee is as far as he's going to go," Cornish said. "They're not going to get anywhere sticking on the income tax proposal."

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