Social Services Beg for Money in Minn. Shutdown

Post-Bulletin Company ^ | Jul 05, 2011 | Post-Bulletin Company

[Son House]

Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and Republican leaders restarted budget talks Tuesday for the first time since Minnesota's government shut down five days earlier, but with no progress to speak of the focus shifted from the Capitol to a courtroom where recipients of government money pleaded for their services to continue.

Dayton, House Speaker Kurt Zellers and Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch met for about an hour and said they would resume talks Wednesday.

The possibility of a lingering shutdown raised the stakes for dozens of groups who spent Tuesday in a courtroom before a court-appointed special master. In the second day of such hearings, the special master — former state Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz — heard pleas from advocates for the homeless and indigent and sexual assault victims, as well as child care providers, police officers and prosecutors, hospital officials and more.

With 10 beds and a waiting list 21 people long, the Emily Program had planned to open a second in-patient facility for people with serious eating disorders later this month.

The private, St. Paul-based treatment program was waiting on a July 18 inspection by the licensing division of the Department of Human Services. The division closed in the shutdown, and "without that last step in the licensing process, the program will be unable to open," said Jillian Lampert, director of licensing for The Emily Program.

The shutdown that started Friday resulted from a budget impasse over how to erase a $5 billion deficit. Dayton wants to raise income taxes on the state's wealthiest residents to provide more money for social services and public education. Republican lawmakers oppose any tax increase.

Until a budget deal materializes, state spending decisions fall to Blatz, who stepped down as the state's chief justice in 2006. A state district court judge has ordered programs essential to life, health and public safety to continue during the shutdown, and Blatz must make recommendations to her on which programs qualify.

As she presided over the parade of need, Blatz repeatedly reminded those before her that she had limited power.

"It's not a comment on the value of your services. It goes to the limits of the court's power," she said, trying to downplay the expectations of two representatives from the Minnesota Indian Women's Resource Center, a treatment and counseling center that holds a number state contracts to provide social services.

The center focuses on "prevention and advocacy," which Blatz suggested wasn't essential to the public's health and safety. With no "disruption," she said, "We're limited until they figure things out across the street."

Many requests came from people and groups worried services would shut down because they couldn't get state licenses, background checks and inspections required by law. Ben Peltier, legal counsel for the Minnesota Hospital Association, said hiring at its 45 member hospitals has halted because state background checks required by law aren't available.

Large hospitals can probably shuffle existing staff for a few weeks, but some 65 smaller hospitals that typically treat 25 or fewer patients could end up short-staffed, Peltier said. "The only option is to ask people to work longer hours, and they won't always do that," he said.

A similar dilemma faces police departments, whose new hires must obtain a state license from an office that's closed. Chief Daniel Hatten of the Hutchinson Police Department said he's currently down three patrol officers on his 22-officer team, and he's had to swap several specialized investigators back into patrol shifts.

"It's not just a fatigue factor," Hatten said. "It's the ability to deliver the protection at a level not only that the community expects but also from a basic safety perspective."

Dayton's legal team asked Blatz on Tuesday to expand the list of critical services and recommend funding be continued for special education, mental health and chemical dependency programs, child care assistance and other services to the vulnerable.

After Tuesday's brief negotiating session, Republicans emerged to say they had asked Dayton again to call a special session so they could pass a so-called lights-on bill. That would restart government while negotiations continue, but Dayton has consistently refused.

Dayton sounded pessimistic about the chances the GOP would accept his call for higher income taxes and said Tuesday's session included talk of other revenue sources, including tobacco and alcohol taxes, an expanded sales tax and other ideas.

"I don't give up on anything, but every time I suggest it — even on millionaires, 0.3 percent of the people in the state of Minnesota, it's soundly rejected by the Republicans," he said of the income tax proposal. "They've got control of the Legislature. They're in the majority in both the House and the Senate. If they're not going to support something, I can't singlehandedly get it passed."

Also Tuesday, two of the state's political veterans — former Republican Gov. Arne Carlson and former Democratic Vice President Walter Mondale — launched an independent commission they said would offer ideas to resolve the deadlock. They said they hoped to do so by the end of the week.

[Grams A]

$11,000,000 for a grant to the city of St. Paul to predesign, design, construct, furnish, and equip Phase 2 renovation of the polar bear and gorilla exhibits at the Como Zoo.”

Don’t they have a Friends of the Zoo or some such group to raise private money for this project? Sounds like they have a lot of potential members in their state.

[PLMerite]

“”It’s not a comment on the value of your services. It goes to the limits of the court’s power,” she said, trying to downplay the expectations of two representatives from the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, a treatment and counseling center that holds a number state contracts to provide social services. “

I guess them casinos ain’t making any money...

[PLMerite]

“”It’s not a comment on the value of your services. It goes to the limits of the court’s power,” she said, trying to downplay the expectations of two representatives from the Minnesota Indian Women’s Resource Center, a treatment and counseling center that holds a number state contracts to provide social services. “

I guess them casinos ain’t making any money...

[Will we know the moment]

It takes 22 people to provide 24 hour per day coverage 7 days per week. That provides 1 officer per each 8 hour shift.

[maggief]

http://www.lmc.org/page/1/specialmaster.jsp

Special master on shutdown
In the court order on June 29, Judge Gearin approved the special master process recommended by the attorney general. The special master is being appointed to “promote judicial economy and efficiency” by creating an orderly process to resolve requests for or objections to agency funding. The special master process is intended to prevent the necessity for multiple individual lawsuits to be filed and adjudicated.

The appointed special master, former Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz, will begin taking input from interested parties on “core function” designations starting July 1. The process is expected to continue into next week. Staff with the attorney general’s office is helping to identify parties interested in appearing before the special master.

http://www.twincities.com/politics/ci_18380861?source=rss

Retired Minnesota Chief Justice Kathleen Blatz chosen to oversee state spending pleas during shutdown

http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.aspx?id=10065

Bio

[DH]

Now, now....

These projects are very important so that college graduates with worthless degrees will have a job....simply to prove that you need a college degree to hold ANY good job.

Without the government, they would be at home watching Captain Kangaroo while admiring their worthless diploma hanging on the wall.

[EvilOverlord]

"I don't give up on anything, but every time I suggest it — even on millionaires, 0.3 percent of the people in the state of Minnesota, it's soundly rejected by the Republicans,"

So, it's okay to do what you want to anybody, as long as the perecentage is small enough? Because the population is too small to fight back? Because they're ...ugh...millionaires?

I hate the way these people think. It's only .3%, so let's suck them dry.

[ken5050]

Thanks..but I still don’t understand how executive and legislature can voluntarily cede their responsibilities to a judge..

[Gaffer]

“Starting the program” means keeping their jobs for the whiners. If these “eating disorders” were really that bad, then shouldn’t Medicaid take care of it? Why? Likely, it does and this clinic just wants to make money using state funds. let the eaters pay for it ....

[laredo44]

It takes 22 people to provide 24 hour per day coverage 7 days per week. That provides 1 officer per each 8 hour shift.

Setting aside for a moment why a town of 14K needs 24/7 police coverage, there are three 8 hour shifts per day, seven days per week, equals 21 shifts per week. Each officer works one shift per week? Why not one shift per month? One per year? What's going on in that town, besides expenditures of inordinate amounts of tax dollars, that requires 22 police officers? If MN is looking for $5 billion, the public sector payrolls are a good place to start.

[WOBBLY BOB]

And only in America are poor people fat.

Song: “Crazy Dayton Eyes”
http://www.bombsquadradio.com/customs/Betty%20Davis%20Eyes%20(Crazy%20Dayton%20Eyes)%20KTLK.mp3