Gov. Mark Dayton may not be up for election in November, but he is campaigning this week.
The Democratic governor launched a three-day statewide tour Wednesday to sell Minnesotans on the need for a public works finance bill. He emphasized higher education facility needs at his first stop, Rochester Community and Technical College, and will do the same much of the rest of the week.
“We put Minnesota back on sound fiscal standing,” Dayton told about 200 people at the college, “so we have the ability to make these investments in our future.”
The governor argued in favor of legislators passing public works funding, one of two main issues that could come up in a special legislative session. Since the regular session adjourned, Dayton and House Republicans have discussed a “trust issue” between them, making negotiations tough.
“We have to set the emotions aside,” Dayton said. “We have work to do; 201 legislators and I have work to do.”
Dayton is promoting the need to pass public works financing legislation, to be funded by the state selling bonds. A $1 billion proposal to fund public works and transportation projects statewide failed in the final chaotic minutes of the legislative session last month.
While the governor pushes bonding, House Republicans are making a move to round up support for a bill cutting taxes $260 million. Dayton, a Democrat, allowed that bill to die Monday night without his signature.
Legislative leaders plan to gather key lawmakers together to look into the public works bonding bill, probably early next week, to see if they can draw up something acceptable to the Democratic-controlled Senate, Dayton and the Republican House. Dayton and legislative leaders are to meet Wednesday of next week to see what progress has been made.
Dayton, who has the sole power to call a special session, said if one is held it should come this month.
“I think the (Republican) caucus is very open to coming back,” said Rep. Duane Quam, R-Byron, who sat in the front row for Dayton’s comments.
Sen. Carla Nelson, R-Rochester, also in the front row, said that the public works bill passed both chambers in the last minutes of the regular session, and a similar bill probably would pass again.
“There is broad support,” she said.
However, Nelson said, to get that support from many Republicans, a bill needs to keep a transportation funding provision. “This is a winning proposal and let’s bring it back.”
Usually, transportation funding runs through the Legislature separate from other public works projects, but this year legislative leaders merged the issues in an last-ditch attempt to pass something.
In Rochester, Dayton had an audience that has done well with bonding projects for years. After leaving the medical city, he went to North Mankato and other college stop.
On Thursday, the governor plans a Moorhead visit to discuss higher education again, as well as stopping in Worthington to talk about the Lewis and Clark water system bonding needs. On Friday, he said, he will visit St. Cloud and Duluth.
Dayton said his top bonding priority is a $68 million renovation of the University of Minnesota Health Science Education Facility.
In Rochester, the governor said the project would return the university medical school “to its former standing.” That, in combination of Rochester’s world-famous Mayo Clinic, would attract more medical organizations to the state.
“It will be one of the key cornerstones of Minnesota’s economic future,” he said.
Also in the area of higher education, Dayton wants to add $28 million for campus repair and maintenance work and $12 million to replace Bemidji State University’s Hagg-Sauer Hall with a new center, and renovate unused space on campus.
Dayton also seeks money to upgrade state mental health and sex offender treatment facilities.