HOT issues

ISSUE: Vikings want a new stadium and want taxpayers to fund two-thirds of the cost. What the taxing plan might be -- hospitality taxes, casino proceeds or something completely different -- no one quite knows yet.

OUTLOOK: Before the Saints kicked that game-winning field goal last Sunday, the chances seemed to be heating up. But with the Vikings' season ending in disappointment -- imagine having quarterback Brett Favre, fresh off a Super Bowl victory, testifying at the State Capitol -- things are cloudier. Other nagging issues keep getting in the way, such as the 2010 governor's race and the state's numbing budget deficit.

ISSUE: Minnesota is a leader in DWIs, but get-tough approaches? Not so much. Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants to put a breath-activated ignition system in the cars of offenders or pull their licenses for six months or longer.

OUTLOOK: On the surface, a no-brainer. Who doesn't want to get tough on drunken drivers? But the DFL-controlled House and Senate have not been in the mood to do Pawlenty any favors [and vice versa], and even this one may get complicated.

ISSUE: At a time when almost no one at the State Capitol is getting new money, the 2008 Legacy constitutional amendment will funnel $228 million to the outdoors, clean water, arts, cultural heritage and parks and trails.

OUTLOOK: Expect grumbling, not much more. The amendment is in place for 25 years, and is something voters OK'd. But with legislators having to approve requests for money, there may be complaints that funds are being used to build new bureaucracies and that special-interest groups are steering the money to themselves.

ISSUE: A majority of legislators want to give the sick and dying access to marijuana to slake their pain, without fear of state arrest, as more than a dozen other states have done.

OUTLOOK: Up in the air. Pawlenty opposes the bill, has already vetoed a similar measure and says he would do so again. Supporters may try to pass a medical marijuana constitutional amendment, which wouldn't require Pawlenty's signature, but several legislative backers reject that route.

ISSUE: After the recount turmoil of the 2008 U.S. Senate race, legislators want to smooth out the ballot process. They also need to move up the date of the state's 2010 primary to comply with federal law and may take a whack at legislative redistricting to make that process less political.

OUTLOOK: Mixed. A bipartisan group of legislators and election experts has agreed on some changes but need to sell the proposals to everyone else. The primary date will likely move from September to August this year to make voting easier for the military. Chances for redistricting changes seem slim. It would punch all sorts of political buttons in what will be a very political year.

ISSUE: Schools always kvetch about too little money, but this time things are much worse. State school funding is frozen and may be clipped further. No one knows when the state will repay the $1.7 billion it borrowed from schools to patch last year's mammoth deficit. Meanwhile, new contracts will cost larger districts millions more.

OUTLOOK: Gone are the days when legislators jockeyed to see who could get the biggest raise for schools. Now, status quo is looking pretty good. Some legislators will try to schedule repayment of that $1.7 billion. Others will look for ways to scare up a little spare change for schools. There may be bills to let school boards raise taxes on their own. Many districts, however, seem to be battening down for a tough dose of fiscal medicine.

ISSUE: The multi-jurisdictional anti-gang unit became the worst police scandal in decades last year over allegations that strike force cops violated forfeiture laws, took home-seized property and violated people's rights. The force was abolished. Now leaders need to determine whether it was an aberration or revealed flaws in the legal system.

OUTLOOK: Legislators likely will reform forfeiture laws, so that seized cash and property can no longer be kept if there is no charge or conviction. The Department of Public Safety may wind up with greater authority to regulate similar drug task forces. Pawlenty backs a bill to use some forfeited funds to update squad car cameras.

ISSUE: Funding for roads and bridges.

OUTLOOK: No gas tax debates are on the horizon, but it's a bonding year, so legislators will be deciding which local projects get a financial boost from the state. The "Transportation Interchange" at the new Twins ballpark and the Lowry Avenue bridge are among the projects to watch. Another looming question: How will the state's budget crunch affect transit services?

ISSUE: Health and Human Services has been a target in the past for cost-cutting by Pawlenty. DFLers want to restore his earlier cuts to General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC), the $300 million health program for the state's poorest, sickest adults.

OUTLOOK: House and Senate leaders will seek agreement on a scaled-back version of GAMC that would include a messy mix of spending cuts and tax increases on hospitals and insurers to keep alive the program, which is scheduled to end March 1. But other cuts could be in store as the state seeks to eliminate another projected deficit.

ISSUE: The state issues bonds to build or repair university buildings, bridges, dikes and other public works projects. DFLers want an estimated $1 billion bonding bill, while Pawlenty wants to hold the line at $685 million.

OUTLOOK: DFLers will push for early passage of a bonding bill to get job creation projects off the ground quickly, and include local proposals that Pawlenty didn't put in his plan. They hope to pass a bill as early as mid-February, but bonding proposals often become political pawns held till the end of a legislative session.

ISSUE: Proponents of state-authorized casinos at horse-racing tracks say they'd bring $250 million of new cash to the state annually.

OUTLOOK: Previous attempts for racinos have sputtered amid opposition from DFLers allied with casino-owning Indian tribes and conservative Republicans morally opposed to gambling. A decisive DFL majority in the House and Senate would seem to deliver slim odds for racinos this year. But the yawning budget deficit, popular support for a racino in an election year, and pressure to find money to build a Vikings stadium could deal better cards to proponents.

ISSUE: The U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that corporations can spend unlimited amounts of money on ads to support or oppose candidates. While the ruling dealt with federal laws, it could well result in legislative repeal or judicial reversal of Minnesota's law prohibiting such practices in state elections.

OUTLOOK: DFLers are likely to push for new disclosure requirements on corporate spending. Meanwhile, companies may take tentative steps to flex their new political muscle, buying ads in the run-up to the November elections. Experts say judicial elections could be especially attractive targets for corporate ad buys.

Staff and Associated Press file photos