Senator Mark Johnson’s interview with The Flag’s Steve Hallstrom on The Steve Hallstrom Show
(ST. PAUL, MINN) – The Minnesota Legislature will meet in a special session to complete its work.
The Minnesota Senate adjourned last night at just before 10 p.m., which was two hours before the deadline, while the House continued their work late into the night.
Minnesota Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks) said this year’s legislative session has been ‘something historic.’
“We’ve had a tie in the Minnesota House,” he said on The Flag’s Steve Hallstrom Show. “After two years of trifecta, Democrat trifecta, and what they’ve railroaded through this state in that time, this year, they actually have to slow up a little bit as they have a check in the House. And then here in the Senate, we’re only one seat away. And so, we’ve got some negotiating room.”
The special session is due, in part, to the fact that Democrats were not present for the first 23 days – which Johnson said, ‘were absolutely wasted.’
He says the pathway to completing the work ‘is pretty cloudy.’
“We’re pretty far apart,” Johnson said. “Even though we have a global agreement on budget targets, there’s a lot of small details within that.”
Healthcare for illegal aliens
The small details include a choice on whether to pay for healthcare of illegal aliens in the state.
“Everything kind of hinges on paying for the health care of illegal aliens in the state of Minnesota,” Johnson said.
He says continuing to offer Minnesota Care to illegal children in the state was a good compromise.
“They’re here in the state. Can we take care of those,” Johnson said. “That ended up being part of the deal and I think it’s a good compromise to make is making sure that those who are most vulnerable in that community are able to access the health care.”
Spending
Minnesota’s state budget increased from a $52 billion budget to $72 billion in one biennium. Of that, some was one-time money. Johnson says the budget will settle at around $66 billion by the time session ends.
“When you look at what’s been happening in the state of Minnesota, look at the fraud, Feeding Our Futures fraud or the autism fraud or the child care fraud that’s happened,” he said. “You can count up to nearly a billion dollars if you add all that up.”
Additionally, Johnson said, more than a billion dollars was spent on non-profits and non-government organizations in the state, with a majority of them in the metro. Johnson said that, while some do great work, a lot ‘are the basis for some pretty mischievous activity.’
“Taxpayers really look for, ‘okay, if we’re going to fund these programs or you’re going to reach into my pocket and take that money, are you using that money in a way that’s effective and efficient?’’ he said.
The pace of spending in Minnesota is nearly doubling the revenue intake, which Johnson said is not sustainable.
“We cannot be doing that,” he said.
The increase is 26 percent, Johnson said.
