ST. PAUL - The Pawlenty administration and Democrats who control the Legislature issued widely differing assessments on how the newly signed federal health care reform law will affect Minnesota, but on Tuesday evening the two sides agreed to sit down together to figure it out.
Legislative health care leaders, including Rep. Tom Huntley of Duluth and Linda Berlin of Minneapolis, are to meet with Pawlenty administration officials today.
Besides agreeing to work together on the federal law, House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, agreed to bring a compromise health care for the poor program up for a full House vote today or Thursday. Senators already approved it.
The General Assistance Medical Care program affects 30,000 single Minnesotans who earn $8,000 or less a year. It expires April 1 if lawmakers and Pawlenty do not act.
Also Tuesday, leaders and Pawlenty discussed a $313 million budget-cut bill the House and Senate passed Monday, and now is subject of a conference committee.
ADVERTISEMENT
While Pawlenty's spokesman said the governor could veto the measure, legislative leaders promised to finish negotiations by Monday, sending it to the governor for his consideration.
Unbottled argument
An international group is lobbying Minnesota government to stop buying bottled water, saying it costs the state millions of dollars a year.
She said water already flows from Minnesota taps, and bottles are not needed.
Right left turn
How to make a left turn the right way is the subject of a Sen. Katie Sieben bill.
"The current practice will stay the same," the Cottage Grove Democrat said, but law is being rewritten so illegal left-turn tickets are not thrown out.
A Washington County judge recently said state law is too vague on left turns, and tossed a ticket. So Sieben's bill, which tentatively passed the Senate on Tuesday, says a car turning left generally must turn into the lane closest to the right of the center line.
ADVERTISEMENT
Davis reports for Forum Communications Co.
