Almanac: At the Capitol

Lawmakers began passing final bills on the environment and transportation, while hospitals and the House speaker called on the governor to protect kids' health care.

View the Capitol Update for May 04, 2009.

Based on the tone today, the end of session will be nearly impossible. Legislative leaders met with Budget Commissioner Tom Hanson and attacked Pawlenty's assumptions.

View the Capitol Update for April 28, 2009.

The House stops an effort to limit state spending, lawmakers want to pass a law making human trafficing a specific crime, and home schoolers seek relief from state mandates.

View the Capitol Update for March 2, 2009.

You could call it a MAK SMACKDOWN.  House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher (nicknamed by Capitol insiders MAK) put the pressure on the Gov. Pawlenty's Budget Commissioner Tom Hanson. 

Because of the federal stimulus money, Kelliher said "we're talking about a do-over budget for the governor."  Hanson disagreed saying it's "not a whole budget do-over."  But Kelliher quickly jumped in at said Health and Human Services is 30% of the budget and education is 40% so "it's kind of whole thing."

Republican Rep. Paul Kohls tried to salvage the situation for his party by pointing out a DFL weakness, a lack of budget saying "while the governor has a do-over, the legislature has yet to do, we're still at the do stage."  This is why lawmakers don't have much to do for the next two weeks other than figure out how much stimulus money is coming until the next budget forecast arrives on March 3.