More Talks Ahead On Commissioner Pay, Agency Stopgap Bill

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — An apparent agreement between the governor and House speaker that alters Minnesota agency commissioner pay and shores up budgets at a few departments moved Monday into a holding pattern.

With no debate, the Senate deferred final action on the bill, which was approved last week by the state House. The Senate called for a House-Senate conference committee, which is due to convene Tuesday.

Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt has said the bill is an agreement he reached with Dayton, but the governor and his staff have been mostly mum about it other than to say they're eager to get beyond a pay fight that has stretched on for more than two weeks.

"The governor will wait to see the final legislation before commenting further," Dayton spokesman Linden Zakula said in a written statement Monday.

The bill would yank hefty salary increases that Dayton gave agency commissioners, freezing their pay at lower levels until June 30. But it would let Dayton set new salaries on July 1 with no strings attached. Starting July 2, any raises would be subject to legislative consent.

In January, Dayton approved double-digit percentage raises, including some topping $30,000, for a slate of commissioners. That prompted the legislative efforts to dial back the increases.

Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk said he's waiting to hear directly from Dayton about his view of the deal with Daudt, which goes further than a Senate plan to temporarily suspend the raises he once threatened to veto.

"The speaker and the governor have a deal. I haven't physically spoken to the governor about it," Bakk said. Dayton and the top Senate Democrat are due to meet Wednesday morning along with other Democratic legislators.

Bakk said he hopes to hold a final vote on the bill on Thursday as long as it has Dayton's full and clear backing.

"I have no reason to believe we're all not on the same page," Daudt said.

Senate Minority Leader David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, signaled discontent from his caucus over the bill that passed the House.

"To us the issue is the pay increases these commissioners got and this arrangement does nothing to address that," Hann said. "We think the salaries the governor has proposed are wrong, they're inappropriate. That is the issue. That shouldn't be allowed to stand. This timeout so to speak is fine if the Legislature has a commitment to try to change that."

Three Senate Democrats and two Republicans are on the conference committee. The House appointed three Republicans and two Democrats.

The bill also plugs budget holes at the Minnesota Zoo and the Departments of Health, Human Services and Natural Resources. Some of the money would account for Ebola response plans put into place at the height of a global health scare last fall and a big portion would go for new staff at the security hospital in St. Peter to satisfy restrictions placed on the facility's license.

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