At a hearing of the State Government Finance Committee last Thursday House members debated two bills that are part of the GOP effort to impose a bit of fiscal reality on Minnesota's heretofore pampered state employee workforce.  

HF127 (McNamara, 57B) would institute a salary and wage freeze and prohibit the state's contract negotiators from offering or accepting any contract provisions that would give the 13 state-level unions more taxpayer money.

The bill (as introduced) specifically prohibits "across-the-board increases; cost-of-living adjustments; increases based on longevity; step increases; increases in the form of lump-sum payments; increases in employer contributions to deferred compensation plans; or any other pay grade adjustments of any kind." 

In case the Dayton administration and/or the unions bring it to court, the bill establishes that  "Neither a state appointing authority nor an exclusive representative of state employees may request interest arbitration in relation to an increase in salary or wages that is prohibited by this section, and an arbitrator may not issue an award that would increase salary or wages in a manner prohibited by this section."

Here are a couple of great clips from the hearing:  Bill author Denny McNamara | Committee member Keith Downey

The McNamara bill was rolled into the second tasty bill on the agenda, HF125 (Gunther, 24A).  That bill requires the Dayton administration to make $200 million in cuts to spending in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, 2011.  Section 3 imposes specific dollar amounts (amounts to be filled in today) to be cut in the Senate, the Minnesota House and the offices of the State Auditor, Attorney General and Secretary of State. 

Both bills are headed for today's hearing in Ways and Means were Mary Liz Holberg is fast-tracking her efforts to stop the bleeding. 

Fiscal years defined (Leg. Reference Library) " The Minnesota state budget operates on a two-year cycle, or biennium, covering two fiscal years. A fiscal year (FY) begins on July 1 and ends on June 30 of the following year and is designated by the year in which it ends; thus FY2012 begins on July 1, 2011 and ends on June 30, 2012. The biennium begins on July 1 of odd-numbered years.