Republicans start new round in commissioner pay fight
Did you think the contentious debate over Minnesota state agency commissioner pay was put to rest last year? Think again.
As part of their supplemental budget plan, majority House Republicans are reviving the fight and proposing to slice management pay by 5 percent. A year ago, Republicans sought to block raises implemented by DFL Gov. Mark Dayton that pushed salaries for most commissioners to at least $145,000, an average increase of $20,000.
The Legislature ultimately backed down a year ago and gave Dayton a one-day window to institute the raises.
Republicans would have to get their plan through a Democratic-led Senate and by Dayton for the pay cuts to occur. But it puts the idea in play as top state leaders lurch toward negotiations over an off-year budget plan, which will also determine the fate of a projected $900 million surplus.
The bill containing the pay cuts will ultimately be rolled into a bigger budget plan the House will vote on. The GOP is also recommending a state government hiring freeze, a ban on "non-essential" travel and the elimination of a campaign finance program that provides subsidies to candidates who abide by spending limits. And the GOP is balking at Dayton's request to provide six weeks of paid parental leave to state workers after the birth or adoption of a child and it nixes his suggestion that the state explore opening a Capitol complex child care center.
All told, the plan seeks $11 million in budget cuts for state agency operations for fiscal 2017, which starts July 1.
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