Session Review

This year marked another contentious legislative session for Minnesota, marked by gubernatorial vetoes and tough negotiations over the budget and healthcare.  In the end, Gov. Pawlenty vetoed twenty bills, bringing his eight-year total to 96. This year's vetoes included a wide range of measures, from a bill enabling same-sex partners to make end-of-life decisions, to a medical marijuana bill, to a bill that would have supported local government and non-profit innovation efforts.  Painful budget cuts and cost deferrals left the state's financial picture for 2012 and beyond uncertain, but legislators did manage to move important measures on broadband, energy conservation, and consumer protection, as well as a billion-dollar bonding measure that will create some jobs to cushion losses in other areas.

Tennessee’s much-publicized educational reforms overshadowed the fact that the state’s policy decisions during the 2010 legislative session took a sharp rightward turn.  Immigration and abortion were big targets, but public health and safety were also negatively affected by legislation that defied common sense.

Despite a crippling budget crisis — which has proven so divisive that adjournment of the legislature was postponed in order to reach a consensus on the 2011 budget — Illinois managed to pass a few truly progressive pieces of legislation.  But gains by low-wage workers, nursing home residents, low-income communities, and renewable energy producers were offset by atrocious pension reforms impacting teachers and other state employees, as well as a state budget that hardly solves any problems.

The longest legislative session in Georgia’s history adjourned on April 29^th.  Dominated by budget reductions, tax and revenue policy debates, and education and transportation issues, it was a difficult and mostly painful session for progressive change as extensive cuts were made targeting education, health and social service programs. After nearly a week of negotiations in the House and Senate Budget Conference Committee, an agreement was reached on the $17.8 billion state budget just hours before the legislative session was scheduled to adjourn.