Jobs and federal dollars are getting Republicans and Democrats together at the State Capitol. The Governor's Green Jobs Task Force unveiled its plan to "retain and grow 70,000 jobs." The press release also had a nod to the fed, the savior of lawmakers, saying "These efforts, which were also a focus of the federal Recovery Act, would result in thousands of jobs for unemployed construction workers." DFL Sen. Ellen Anderson stood next to GOP Sen. Michael Jungbauer who mentioned the federal money saying "one of the great things coming up in the stimulus package is money for retrofitting public buildings for energy efficiency."
Gov. Pawlenty's Federal Stimulus Coordinator (who's also the finance the budget commissioner, but was recently given that lofty title) testified before several legislative committees today. Several times he had to side with DFLers as Republicans questioned the federal money. Conservative Rep. Mary Liz Holberg had to question to speed with which they were moving remembering "the public, nobody has weighed in... nobody has a firm sense of the federal money." But Ways and Means Chair Loren Solberg stood with the administration saying "I appreciate your concern, we have to get it into law so the February forecast can take it into account."
And that's the key, lawmakers along with the governor are moving fast to bank the federal money to bail out the state. So, so much for all that talk about major reforms and drastically changing the way the state does business. The federal money is actually making major changes in the state budget more unlikely all the time.
