Hope springs eternal when the Legislature is in session, and that's true of supporters of state building projects rejected by Gov. Tim Pawlenty when he trimmed the bonding bill by one-third with line-item vetoes in March.

Some are back at the Capitol lobbying for a second bonding bill that would include their pet projects.

One of those is St. Cloud Mayor Dave Kleis, a former legislator himself. He told Politics in Minnesota that he's been to St. Paul three times since money for the St. Cloud civic center was cut by the governor.

And he, along with others wanting state bonding for their municipal, environmental and transit interests, still hold out hope for a second bonding bill, PIM said:

“There’s discussion. Nobody is closing the door,” Kleis said.

House Capital Investment Chair Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, is in their corner, and says the state has plenty of bonding capacity left. 

"The trick would be how you pass a second bill and get 81 votes,” said Hausman, referring to the supermajority that’s needed in the House to pass a bonding bill.

That's always a trick. And then there's the Senate. PIM notes:

Senate Capital Investment Chairman Keith Langseth, DFL-Glyndon, told the Pioneer Press that he wants to wait until a new administration takes office next year to craft the next bonding bill.