We’ve reached the point in the legislative session where everyone is a little punchy from lack of sleep and a little more prone to dramatics. Governor Pawlenty just announced that he will not call the legislature back for a special session if they can’t negotiate a budget agreement by Monday’s deadline. Instead, he’ll use his line-item veto power to carve up the budget bills that the legislature has already passed. If that happens, health care programs are likely to take a big hit. And we’re likely to repeat this whole drama in a couple years (assuming Pawlenty does get reelected for a third term) because the structural imbalances in the state budget will not be addressed.
There’s no reason not to take Pawlenty’s threat seriously, which might prompt Democrats to attempt an override of the governor’s veto of a tax bill. But Republicans are still smarting from their failure to block an override last year and they are not likely to let it happen again. A negotiated agreement would be a much better solution, but nobody is blinking yet.
