There was a group hug in the Governor’s Reception Room Monday afternoon when Gov. Mark Dayton signed a seemingly small-potatoes “tax conformity law” that reduces taxes to college students and their parents, among other entities.
 
“It’s nice to have a bipartisan tax bill for once,” said DFL Sen. John Marty.
 
“People are wondering, ‘How are we going to do this year?' " said Republican Senate Tax Chair Julianne Ortman. “We’re doing well, and we’re off to a great start.”
 
The happy talk was the result of legislation designed to cut $13 million in taxes for some Minnesotans.
 
At Dayton’s urging, it allows some state income tax deductions for higher education tuition expenses, classroom expenses for teachers, and deductions to Minnesota businesses for charitable contributions of used computers.
 
The law also authorized the Minnesota Department of Revenue to release $97 million in business tax refunds that were delayed last year to help Gov. Tim Pawlenty balance the state’s budget.  

 
There was an air of ceremony and positivity in the ornate venue just outside the governor’s office for, as Dayton put it, “this bipartisan achievement.”
 
But Dayton still had time to display some wry humor. As he used different pens to sign his name and give to lawmakers as souvenirs, Dayton noted the state’s current austerity mode.
 
Of the pens, Dayton said, “By the end of the session, we be auctioning them off.”