Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton visited Bruce Vento Elementary School in St. Paul Thursday as a backdrop for a rare public veto to block a GOP-backed tax overhaul from becoming law.
With a group of second- and third-graders standing behind him, Dayton stamped the voluminous tax bill as the students said “veto.” The bill was the Republican-led Legislature’s first attempted to align the state tax code with recent federal changes.
“This bill is cake to the rich and big corporations and crumbs to people who need it,” Dayton said, later adding: “This veto is for these children and their futures.”
The governor has refused to sign a tax overhaul unless he gets $138 million in one-time money to help districts avoid budget gaps. The bill vetoed Thursday didn’t contain the spending.
Republican leaders, who ushered the tax rewrite through the House and the Senate this week, quickly responded to the veto with frustration. They sent Dayton a letter Thursday morning saying it was imperative they meet soon to negotiate.
RELATED: MN GOP sends Dayton tax code overhaul. He’s promised a veto.
“What the governor did today was veto a bill that would have put money in low- and middle-income Minnesotans pockets,” House Speaker Kurt Daudt said after a news conference on the Capitol steps.
“I am incredibly disappointed the governor has decided to play politics with this bill, instead of giving Minnesotans some certainty in allowing them to file their taxes more easily next year,” he said.
The letter from Daudt and Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, R-Nisswa, took a familiar position on Dayton’s request for “emergency” school aid. They’ve argued the state’s current $17 billion two-year education budget is already generous and districts can make ends meet for another year until the next budget is crafted.
Republicans also have noted that not every district faces a budget gap and many that do have healthy savings accounts they could use to get by next year. Yet, GOP leaders signaled Thursday they were open to more discussions on the topic.
Dayton, Republican leaders and top Democrats, House Minority Leader Rep. Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, and Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, met for about an hour Thursday afternoon. They planned to meet again Friday.
“I’m willing to make concessions if they’re willing to acknowledge this is my top priority,” Dayton said earlier Thursday referring to the school funding. He said he’s willing to accept some things he doesn’t like in the tax bill, but it needs to benefit “working families” rather than the wealthy and businesses.
Republicans have said their bill shields nearly all Minnesotans from tax hikes and cuts taxes for 82 percent of filers. Democrats have said the legislation puts off much of its cost until later years.
With three days to go, much of the Legislature’s work is undone. Lawmakers want to pass bills that make schools safer, combat the opioid crisis, protect vulnerable adults and borrow money for state infrastructure projects before their lawmaking session ends May 21.