DONE.

FUNDING FOR YOUR RURAL E.M.S.

GOT DONE.

>> Mary: AS YOU JUST SAW, A ROT OF DRAMA, THE LAST COUPLE OF DAYS.

LATE NIGHTS, LONG DAYS, FOUR LAWMAKERS AND POLITICAL REPORTERS.

KSTP CHIEF POLITICAL REPORTER TOM HAUSER AND MINNESOTA PUBLIC RADIO SENIOR POLITICS REPORTER DANA FERGUSON.

THANKS, YOU TWO.

SO, TOM, WE'RE OLD ENOUGH TO REMEMBER REALLY LARGE BILLS BEFORE.

DURABLE OMNIBUS PRIME?

>> OH, ABSOLUTELY.

I FORGET OW MANY YEARS AGO THAT WAS?

>> SPEAKER DAUDT.

BUT DO YOU REMEMBER HOW MANY PAGES?

>> WASN'T IT A LITTLE LESS THAN THOUSAND.

>> IT WAS.

SO I TEXTED HIM TONIGHT AND SAID HOW BIG WAS OMNIBUS PRIME?

>> HE'S LIKE, 900 PAGES.

THAT'S NOTHING TO 2,800 PAGES.

IT REALLY IS UNPRECEDENTED.

>> IT WAS AND IN FAIRNESS A LOT OF THINGS IN THIS MASSIVE BILL WENT THROUGH THE COMMITTEE PROCESS.

THEY WERE DEBATED ON THE FLOOR.

BUT THEN THEY RAN OUT OF TIME ON THE AST DAY.

TO ACTUALLY DO A FORMAL VOTE AND FINAL DEBATE.

SO THEY DECIDED TO LUMP THEM ALL INTO ONE.

WHICH WAS REALLY BAD OPTICS.

>> Mary: AND IT WAS TECHNICALLY THE AX BILL WHICH THE REPUBLICANS ARE NOW ASKING THE GOVERNOR TO VETO.

ANY CHANCE OF THAT?

>> HE SAID HE ANTICIPATES HE'S GOING TO SIGN IT.

SO THAT IS A LETTER THAT THEY SENT, BUT IT DOESN'T SEEM LIKE IT'LL WIN HIM VER.

>> BECAUSE IT WOULD INCLUDE THE UBER/LYFT AGREEMENT.

WHAT FEW THINGS THEY REALLY GOT DONE SINCE THEY DIDN'T GET TO SPORTS BETTING OR THE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENT.

>> Mary: OR A BONDING BILL.

>> YEAH, OR A BONDING BILL.

>> Mary: AND THAT'S WHAT AMAZED ME.

I GAVE A SPEECH EARLY THIS MORNING TO A BUSINESS GROUND AND SOMEBODY STOOD UP AND SAID, WASN'T THE BONDING BILL LIKE THE MAIN THING, THE ONLY THING THEY WERE ACTUALLY SUPPOSED TO DO?

SO HOW DID THEY NOT GET THAT DONE?

IT AMAZED ME THAT A NORMAL PERSON KNEW THAT AND CARED.

IS THAT POSSIBLE?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, I THINK WE SAY IT SO MANY TIMES ON THE AIR AND ON THE RADIO AND IN THE NEWSPAPERS THAT IT'S BONDING BILL SESSION AND IT'S SUPPOSED TO BE THE MARQUEE BILL AND IT DIDN'T HAPPEN AND IT'S REMARKABLE HOW MANY RECENT BONDING BILL YEARS THERE HAS BEEN NO BONDING BILL.

>> RIGHT, AND IT'S BECAUSE THE ISSUE HAS BECOME SO MUCH MORE OF LEVERAGING UNRELATED ITEMS TO THE GET A BONDING BILL ACROS THE FINISH LINE AND THE REPUBLICANS PUT UP ITEMS THIS TIME THAT DEMOCRATS JUST WEREN'T WILLING TO BUDGE ON.

THE E.R.A.

>> Mary: AND BONDING BILL IS ALWAYS LINKED.

THIS WAS A NEW THING TO CLAIM, HASN'T EVERY BONDING BILL YOU'LL COVERED BEEN LINKED TO OTHER ISSUES?

>> YES?

BUT TYPICALLY THEY SAY HISTORICALLY IT'S MORE AN ISSUE OF, I WILL PUT YOUR PROJECTS IN IF YOU PUT UP VOTES FOR THIS.

> >> Mary: BUT NURSING HOMES LAST YEAR, NURSING HOME FUNDING GOT LINKED TO A BONDING BILL.

SO THESE REPUBLICAN LEADERS WERE PROBABLY EXPECTING THAT.

IT HAPPENED BEFORE.

>> YEAH, I MEAN, HORSE TRADING AT THE STATED CAPITOL IS NOTHING NEW.

THIS HAS BEEN HAPPENING SINCE STATEHOOD.

AND THIS WAS JUST ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF THAT.

BUT IN THIS CASE, ONE SIDE DIDN'T WANT TO TRADE.

>> Mary: YOU MENTIONED HORSE RACING, THAT'S KIND OF RELATED TO SPORTS BETTING PERHAPS.

SO IT'S A GOOD SEGUE.

BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT E HEAR LAWMAKERS HEARD THE MOST ABOUT FROM CONSTITUENTS.

IS THAT GOING TO BE A PROBLEM?

>> I THINK IT IS.

YOU KNOW, I'VE HEARD PEOPLE SAY BEFORE, WELL, PEOPLE AREN'T GOING TO VOTE BASED ON THE ACK OF A SPORTS BETTING BILL.

BUT IF ON THE MARGINS, IF PEOPLE GO TO THE BALLOT BOX AND THESE PEOPLE WHO ARE PASSIONATE IN OUR POLLING AT KSTP SHOWS 57% SUPPORT FOR LEGALIZED SPORTS BETTING, THAT'S A BIG NUMBER, A BIG MAJORITY -- >> Mary: IN TODAY'S SOCIETY.

>> ABSOLUTELY.

AND THEY'RE GOING TO GO IN AND GO, OKAY, THIS PARTY IN CHARGE DIDN'T GET IT DONE EVEN THERE'S SOME BLAME TO GO AROUND TO REPUBLICANS.

SOME PEOPLE MIGHT VOTE ON THAT ISSUE.

NOT A BIG NUMBER, BUT IN A CLOSE RACE -- CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE.

>> BUT AT THE SAME TIME, IT WAS A BIPARTISAN AGREEMENT THAT GOT REACHED AT THE VERY END OF SESSION, THERE ARE DEMOCRATS THAT DON'T SUPPORT IT THAT DO SUPPORT IT, REPUBLICANS THAT DON'T SUP IT AND DO SUPPORT IT.

SO IT'S LIKE WHO'S REALLY THE ONE WHO'S GOING TO HELP YOU?

>> BUT THE VOTER GOING INTO THE VOTING BOOTH DOESN'T KNOW WHAT WE KNOW.

THEY JUST KNOW IT DIDN'T HAPPEN.

THEY WANT TO FLAME SOMEONE.

>> Mary: WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT T THE TONE?

DO YOU THINK FOLKS ARE GOING TO WANT TO BLAME LAWMAKERS FOR THE TONE?

>> WELL, IF YOU ASK EITHER OF THE PARTIES, THEY WOULD TELL YOU THE EITHER PARTY IS THE ONE TO BLAME.

WE HEARD A LOT OF BACK AND FORTH ABOUT, WE ONLY HAD TO TAKE THIS STEP BECAUSE OF WHAT THE MINORITY WAS DOING.

THE MINORITY SAYS THAT THE MAJORITY IS OPPRESSING THEM.

SO CLEARLY THEY'RE NOT HAPPY WITH ONE ANOTHER.

IT'S PROBABLY GOOD THEY GOT A CHANCE TO TAKE A BREAK AND LEAVE THE BUILDING.

>> SESSION AFTER SESSION AFTER SESSION IS THAT THEY LEAVE EVERYTHING TO THE LAST MINUTE.

AND THEY DON'T REALIZE, THE MAJORITY, WHETHER IT'S REPUBLICAN OR DEMOCRATIC MAJORITY, THEY DON'T UNDERSTAND THAT YOU CAN WEAPONIZE THE DEADLINE IF YOU DON'T GET YOUR WORK DONE EARLY.

BECAUSE GUESS WHAT.

A FILIBUSTER ON IT A TWO-PAGE JUNK FEES BILL IN EARLY TO MID-APRIL IS NOT GOING TO HAVE THE SAME IMPACT AS THE LAST WEEK OF SESSION.

THEY KNOW, THE MINORITY KNOWS, THEY LOOK AT EVERYTHING THAT'S ON THE PLATE AND THEY GO, ALL WE GOT TO DO IS TALK THIS DEATH AND WE'RE GOING TO -- >> Mary: BUT IS THAT THE END OF IT?

ARE WE AT THE END OF FILIBUSTERS AND TALK IT TO DEATH BECAUSE IT SOUNDS LIKE LEADERS ARE INTERESTED IN CHANGES.

>> WE DON'T HAVE TIME LIMITS HERE.

IT'S ODD FOR A LEGISLATURE TO NOT HAVE SOME SORT OF A BOARD TO ONLY LET PEOPLE BE ABLE TO SPEAK.

EVERYONE'S MICROPHONE IS ON ALL THE TIME.

THAT'S REALLY BIZARRE.

>> Mary: THAT'S WHY THE AUDIO IS SO TERRIBLE.

WASN'T IT A NIGHTMARE TO CUT SOME OF THAT AUDIO AT THE END?

>> I THINK IF WOULD BE HARD FOR THEM TO PASS TIME LIMITS HERE, BUT IT WORKS IN OTHER STATES.

YOU CAN YIELD YOUR TIME TO OTHER MEMBERS.

AND IT REALLY KEEPS THINGS GOING FASTER.

>> KIND OF LIKE THEY DO IN CONGRESS.

AND WE DON'T KNOW WHO'S GOING TO BE IN CHANGER OF THE HOUSE NEXT YEAR.

SO MAYBE IF IT'S THE REPUBLICANS, THEY MIGHT SAY NOPE, WE'RE GOING TO LEAVE IT THE WAY IT IS, OR MAYBE THEY WILL CHANGE IT.

>> Mary: AND THAT'S WHERE WE PIVOT TO NOW.

CONTROL OF THE HOUSE IS WHAT WE'LL BE COVERING ALL SUMMER AND FALL, RIGHT?

>> ABSOLUTELY.

THOSE EARTH MARQUEE RACES.

134 RACES ARE WHAT PEOPLE ARE GOING TO BE WATCHING.

>> FRANKLY, THE CONTROL OF THE SENATE TOO, BECAUSE ONE, POSSIBLY THREE SEATS ARE GOING TO BE UP FOR SPECIAL ELECTIONS.