State wants evey dime of stimulus, maybe
Gov. Tim Pawlenty's chief financial advisor is assuring legislators that Minnesota will accept its share of the federal economic stimulus bill.
Management and Budget Commissioner Tom Hanson told a joint hearing of the House Finance and Ways and Means committees today hat his office is preparing a certification letter to accept the estimated $4 billion available to Minnesota. Gov. Pawlenty has said he doesn't like the stimulus, but he wants the money anyway. Hanson told lawmakers that the federal money is a good thing.
"It's hard to anticipate a situation where we wouldn't accept the federal money," Hanson said. "But if it requires matching money in the current biennium and we have to make budgeting decisions, if it requires an ongoing, things like that. But I think in general you can anticipate we're going to do our best to accept every dime."
Hanson said any decisions to decline small portions of the federal stimulus would be made jointly with legislators. President Obama told the nation's governors today that Medicaid money from the stimulus will be available to states by Wednesday.
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