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Senate Assistant Majority Leader Tarryl Clark
208 State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155-1606
E-mail: www.senate.mn/senatorclark
Phone: 651-296-6455

Senate adjourns after most challenging session in a generation

The 2009 Legislative Session met under the cloud of the biggest deficit in Minnesota’s history.  The $6.4 billion shortfall was the sixth budget deficit in the seven years that Tim Pawlenty has been governor, and the Senate DFL put forward a common-sense proposal to balance the budget for the long-term, according to Minnesota Senate Assistant Majority Leader Tarryl Clark (DFL - St. Cloud). 

“We proposed to balance the budget for a long-term solution the way Minnesotans wanted us to, with a mix of cuts and revenue,” said Sen. Clark.  “Minnesotans can clearly see the Legislature did its job but, unfortunately, we’re only half the equation.  The governor refused to work with us in good faith, and instead of offering compromises, he issued ultimatums.”

The House and Senate traveled the state to hear input and suggestions from citizens in communities across Minnesota.  Thousands of Minnesotans attended and shared their ideas. Thousands more visited special budget web pages on the Senate and House websites to get the facts and express their views.  The Senate used that input to put together a balanced budget that relied on one-third cuts, one-third ongoing revenue, and one-third federal funds from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).
 
“The message from the people was clear: Balance the budget for the long-term,” said Sen. Clark.  “The public requisite was to avoid borrowing, shifts, and gimmicks, and instead streamline and reform government.  But they also saw the need to fairly raise the revenue to maintain vital government services, like funding for hospitals, nursing homes, and schools.”

The governor’s proposed budget was assembled without public input.  To provide the illusion of balancing the budget, it relied on shifts, one-time money, and borrowing to pay for ongoing expenses.  It would have resulted in another massive budget deficit in the following biennium and enormous interest payments for future generations.  Throughout the session, lawmakers worked to compromise with the governor.  However, in the last few days of the session, the governor put forward his plan to “unallot” to fix the budget on his own terms without compromise, according to Sen. Clark.  The unallotment process Pawlenty chose to use has been used only five times in the state’s history, twice by Pawlenty, and never as the sole budgeting tool. 

“The governor’s choice of using an emergency tool to fix the deficit goes against the spirit of cooperation and the very foundation of our democracy,” said Sen. Clark.  “It’s clear from his lack of compromise that using unallotment was the governor’s intention the entire session, and his actions will have a devastating effect on the lives of every Minnesotan.”

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