The long-awaited compromise bonding bill, agreed on by a conference committee, passed in the House this afternoon on a vote of 90 to 42.
House Republicans fought hard enough to stretch the debate to some three hours, taking issue with a number of items in the $925 million bill. The compromise bill takes $45 million out of the original Senate bill and $40 million out of the original House bill, but it is still $100 million higher than the $825 million figure Gov. Tim Pawlenty wanted.
DFLers said the bill was a “jobs bill,” while GOPers decried pet projects and doubted the “fiscal responsibility” of the bill. Gov. Tim Pawlenty and other Republicans have indicated the entire bill might get vetoed at that figure, though Pawlenty could use line-item vetoes.
i should point out that the headline (of my own doing) here, while accurate, does not necessarily reflect the nuances of the voting. any general obligation bonding bill requires a 3/5 majority, which means the House bill needed 81 votes.
a wide margin, yes, but 90 is certainly closer to 81 than it is to 42.