Legislature should finish its work

Opinion editor's note: Editorials represent the opinions of the Star Tribune Editorial Board, which operates independently from the newsroom.

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It is beyond disappointing that legislators failed to reach agreement when the 2022 session ended, botching a chance for historic investments in the state and massive tax relief for Minnesotans.

At stake was an unprecedented projected budget surplus of $9 billion. Gov. Tim Walz, House Speaker Melissa Hortman, both Democrats, and Republican Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller had struck a deal — signed by each of them — to divide the bounty with $4 billion in spending, an equal amount for tax relief, and saving the remainder as a hedge against economic downturns.

That agreement among leaders, coming out of a deeply polarized Legislature, was an example of the best that compromise could yield. But legislators failed to reach agreement on the necessary details and, well, simply ran out of time.

Perhaps it is the fault of a system that has grown far too lax in recent years. The urgency once felt as the legislative session sped to its climax has long since vanished. Zoom played its part, allowing legislators to participate in meetings and then click off, where once they would have been at the Capitol for hallway conversations and late-night bargaining.

In an interview with an editorial writer, Sen. Tom Bakk, I-Cook, who once led the Senate as majority leader for the DFL, chalked it up to "trying to cram a whole budget into what was never supposed to be a budget year ... . It was just too much, and everything collapsed."

Ultimately, the reasons why legislators failed matter less than the impact.

Here's a brief summary of what's at stake:

Education: A $1 billion investment would have eased the burden of every school district in this state that struggles with special education requirements that are mandated — but not paid for — by the federal government. The additional funds would have freed up local money in every district to spend on its overall student population.

Health care: Another $1 billion could have been divided among long-term care facilities, disability services, group homes and other providers. These are all worthy causes, all in need. Before the session ended, long-term care groups said more than 400 facilities statewide could close because of staffing shortages. Group homes face similar problems.

Public safety: Some $450 million could have been used to fund local grants to cities for specific law enforcement needs, recruitment and retention bonuses for officers, or investments in pensions that would have amounted to a small raise. There would have been increased attention on crimes such as carjackings. (It's unlikely that gun safety measures would be included on a special session agenda, but Minnesotans should demand action from the 2023 Legislature.)

Tax relief: In its last version, this included the Republicans' top priority of eliminating the Social Security tax. That is a costly benefit that only gets more expensive as the population ages and the chief beneficiaries are those making more than $100,000. It has not been favored by the Star Tribune Editorial Board, in large measure because Social Security income is already shielded from taxation at lower levels. And yet, we are mindful that Minnesota is one of only 12 states to tax Social Security.

Infrastructure: Perhaps most importantly, this legislative session ended without the allocation of a vital state match needed to unlock some $6 billion in federal infrastructure funds. Losing out on this money would be a critical blow to the state's future and put Minnesota far behind the states that were wise enough to ensure they did not miss out.

Miller, who could not be reached for comment by an editorial writer, said in an earlier statement to reporters that, "Where I come from, deadlines mean something and when you set a deadline, you have to meet it. We made countless good faith efforts by putting forward public offers that would have earned bipartisan public support. ... I'm always willing to listen to a special session proposal, but it's important we spend some time outside the isolated bubble of the Capitol, go home to our districts and get a better sense of what people want with the surplus."

Yes, deadlines mean something. But so do signed agreements. So does the pledge, implicit in every lawmaker's oath of office, to undertake the work of the people and finish it. Sometimes that happens within a deadline, sometimes not. Hewing to a deadline will mean little against the communities that stand to lose out on school funds, group homes, disability services, capable police officers and needed infrastructure that can help them stay competitive.

Bakk said the best course now is to find compromise on the most pressing issues: long-term care, public safety, tax relief and a bonding bill that had already been agreed on. "And that's it, then go home," he said. "The rest will have to wait or we risk getting nothing."

Hortman told an editorial writer that it would take less than two weeks to reach final agreements. "We have already invested four months in this work," she said. "And we are very close on some of these. We need to get back to the table and finish because it's in the best interests of the entire state. The consequences are very real in our communities if we don't."

Lawmakers should get back to work and, for the good of all Minnesotans, work toward compromise.