After adjourning the special legislative session late last Thursday night, the Minnesota Legislature presented Gov. Mark Dayton with their budget and tax bills on Friday. The presentment date triggers the timeline by which the Governor must take action on the bills.
It’s a bit more complicated this time around because several of the budget bills were passed during the regular session, which ended on midnight of May 22. The Governor must act on these bills within three days of presentment (not including Sunday) or they become law without his signature.
The bills of interest to MREA, the E-12 and Tax bills, were passed during the special session. Because the special session adjourned sine die, meaning the special session is over for good, a different timeline is triggered. The Governor has 14 days to take action on these bills. He can sign them, veto them or he can ‘pocket veto’ the bills. A pocket veto is triggered if the 14 days transpires and he hasn’t signed a particular bill.
Late last week the Governor expressed heartburn over the price tag of the tax cut package. He also indicated that he didn’t agree to sign all of the tax and budget bills.
There’s still a great amount of pressure from the teachers’ union to veto the E-12 bill because of the licensure reform measures contained in it. Vetoing the tax bill will cause great consternation among GOP members and the many interests, including MREA, who have major provisions in the bill. Ag2School is in the tax bill.
A veto of any of the budget bills likely means another special session in June in order to keep that portion of state government operating into the new fiscal year, which begins on July 1.
