Mediation Talks at Impasse

Governor Mark Dayton addressed the media Friday, September 22, to explain his decision to cease court-ordered mediation talks with the Republican-led legislature. Earlier, retired Judge Rick Solum, who agreed to mediate the dispute between Governor Dayton and the Minnesota Legislature, released a statement saying, “I concluded that the mediation was at impasse, the understandable views of the parties being irreconcilable.”

Governor Dayton said the talks were not in good faith because the legislature had argued that his line-item veto of their two-year budget appropriation was an attempt to abolish the legislature. Dayton accused Republican leaders of “duplicity” when he learned that the legislative leaders intended to meet obligations through the use of carry-forward funds and transfers from other budget areas until the 2018 legislative session, while arguing that the legislature was being abolished.

Following the Governor’s remarks, Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka and House Speaker Kurt Daudt also spoke to the press. Speaker Daudt expressed disappointment that the Governor angrily walked out of discussions, saying “We will certainly continue to talk with him at any time, in any place, to resolve these issues that we know are important to Minnesotans.” Majority Leader Gazelka offered, “There’s too many big issues we have to work on. If you allow the legislative branch to be crippled, we cannot function the way that we want to function and need to function.” Leaders further explained that regardless of their ability to transfer funds from the Legislative Coordinating Commission, the available funding is insufficient to fund the legislature through the biennium.

The results of the failed two-day mediation attempt will be reported to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which had required the two parties to attempt to reconcile their differences before ruling further on the matter.

In other news, Dayton began the press conference by telling reporters that he’d just received “absolute assurance” via telephone from Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price that Minnesota’s 1332 Innovation Waiver, which would institute the health care “reinsurance” program passed by the legislature during the 2017 session, would be approved by the Trump administration.