Lawmakers miss deadline; Sundin says his goodbyes

In the end, the 2022 session of the Minnesota Legislature left a lot on the table after its deadline Sunday night. Plans on what to do with a huge budget surplus — cutting taxes and spending — remain in limbo as leaders of the two political parties hemmed and hawed this week on whether legislators would come back for a special session.

In Carlton County, it means more waiting on state help for the new justice center and funding for improving facilities for the Cloquet Area Fire District.

A special session would mean a hold on the official end of duties for Rep. Mike Sundin of Esko. The Democrat announced earlier this year that he will not seek re-election for a seat he’s held since 2013.

This week, Sundin touted the success of a bill that did pass, the omnibus agricultural bill that includes $18.4 million for drought and disaster relief for livestock and specialty crop farmers. The bill also includes $110 million to help build high-speed internet infrastructure. Sundin helped rein in the bill as chairman of the House Agriculture Finance and Policy committee.

“We’ve heard from farmers in our state who are facing some challenges, and they’re counting on us to come together to improve the outlook for agriculture in Minnesota well into the future,” Sundin said in a statement.

Expanding broadband to more rural areas of the state gained traction during the pandemic as more people relied on good connections for remote schooling and work.

On Monday, Sundin was one of the retiring House members to give speeches summing up their careers. He used a bit of humor in his departure, which didn’t surprise those who know him. The week before, he threw a Hail Mary measure into the legislative mix by proposing the “state soup” be cream of lutefisk. That garnered plenty of media attention and Sundin responded to one television station in Minneapolis by saying: “Lutefisk, it’s not just for breakfast any more.”

Sundin said it had always been a goal of his to serve in the Legislature, and many “powerful women” helped him along the way, such as teachers and his mother. But there was one woman who always got in his way, he said. “Mary Murphy wouldn’t retire.” Murphy is the longtime representative to the north of Sundin’s mostly Carlton County district. Until redistricting in 2012, Murphy represented the part of Carlton County where Sundin resides.

Sundin said his proudest work came in fighting for labor, leaving workers with “good wages and benefits” and “secure retirements.” He also said he was proud of his work on the ag committee.

“Leaving St. Paul has not been an easy decision,” he said, citing the many friendships he’s formed over the years, including with his roommate during sessions, Rep. Rob Ecklund from International Falls.

“Toughest of all is separating living arrangements with Representative Ecklund,” he said. “I proposed I take the TV and the toaster oven. Rob gets the kids.”

A laughing House chamber was left with a paraphrase of a quote often ascribed to Dr. Seuss. “Don’t cry because it’s over,” Sundin said. “Let’s smile because it happened.”

Whether he’ll be smiling when hauled back to a special session remains undetermined.

Gov. Tim Walz would need to call a special session, and he has said no and then yes to the prospect in the past two weeks. He met Monday with DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Republican Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller and then said he’d be willing to call lawmakers back.

The governor and legislative leaders had an agreement in place just before the deadline that would cut taxes by $4 billion, spend $4 billion on programs and leave $4 billion. The details couldn’t be worked out in time for the mandated deadline at midnight Sunday.

The state budget is balanced into 2023, meaning there is less of a push to resolve surplus issues until the next session in early 2023.

Sundin said the way the session ended is bittersweet.

“We’ve demonstrated an ability to collaborate in a bipartisan fashion, so with a $9.2 billion surplus, it’s all the more disappointing the regular session concluded without important investments in our schools, health care, and solutions to help Minnesotans with increased costs,” Sundin said in a prepared statement Tuesday. “We’re on the verge of enacting a historic passage of tax cuts for Minnesotans, including significant property tax cuts, and once and for all making social security payments exempt from state income taxes.”

“Several priorities in our region, including the Carlton County justice center and the Cloquet fire district, remain up in the air, so it’s important for lawmakers to get back to the table and get this work across the finish line.”

Republican Sen. Jason Rarick, who represents Carlton County, also touted the drought relief package and the broadband spending as major accomplishments as the session ended.

“Additional good news is that the surplus will be there next year,” he said in a prepared statement. “Most of it will not be a projected surplus but money in the bank. With the pending recession and the war in Ukraine, it is possible it will not be as large as predicted. We will also have a much better idea of where the economy is headed next January and where some new needs may be.”

Rarick said the work will continue.

“Although the differences are vast, and the political rhetoric is likely to worsen this summer, I am confident we can come to compromises and good decisions to serve Minnesota well in the future,” he said.