By Rachel E. Stassen-Berger

St. Paul Pioneer Press,

ST. PAUL — Immigrants’ driver’s licenses, a long-simmering issue at the Capitol, came to the fore Wednesday in a House debate over the federal Real ID standards.

Shortly before a House panel approved a measure to usher in the federal rules, Rep. Rod Hamilton made clear that he did not want the final measure to bar the state from creating driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants.

“I’m passionate about it,” said Hamilton, R-Mountain Lake. “I simply think it is the right thing to do.”

But other Republican House members are equally passionate about barring undocumented immigrants from getting Minnesota licenses. Until Wednesday, the House would have had the state only issue Real ID compliant licenses in the future, rather than offering Minnesotans a choice between the Real ID licenses and non-compliant licenses. Only citizens can meet the federally approved Real ID standards.

On Wednesday, the House moved to allow that choice. But in doing so, the House legislation would bar future adoption of driver’s licenses and identification cards for immigrants.

Hamilton, who received congratulations for his stance from DFLers and others Wednesday, said he could not support the bill if that language remained and would press the issue when the Real ID bill gets to the House floor.

Supporters of immigrant licenses say allowing them to those in the country illegally, as a dozen states already do, would improve safety for all. Opponents believe allowing undocumented immigrants state-issued driver’s licenses could open the door to election fraud.

Neither Gov. Mark Dayton nor his administration has announced plans to create driver’s licenses for undocumented immigrants, although the governor has said he would sign a bill ushering in such licenses for immigrants.

The Senate is expected to vote on its version of the Real ID bill on Thursday. The House measure awaits a full floor vote.

Cities demand action

Officials from outstate cities went to the Capitol on Wednesday to say they are worried that the Legislature may “do nothing.”

“We need both sides of the Legislature working together. That seems to be the hold-up, always, and this year it seems to be even more so,” Alexandria Mayor Sara Carlson said. “We don’t care (about partisan politics), we just need to get something done.”

The Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities most wants to see an increase in state aid to local governments, transportation funding, and a bonding bill that supports clean water infrastructure grant and loan programs, members said.

“I believe very much (that) everyone should get a piece of the pie and no one should think they’ve been taken advantage off,” coalition president and Le Sueur mayor Bob Broeder said.

Transportation talk, but …

What was supposed to be a chance for progress on transportation Wednesday turned into a stalemate.

House Republicans were scheduled to present a new offer on a transportation deal, five days after the Senate DFLers had modified their own proposal.

But Republicans decided not to offer any new concessions, such as funding for mass transit, because the Democratic-Farmer-Labor offer continued to call for an increase in the state’s gas tax. Republicans have said any gas tax increase is off the table.

“We didn’t think they took the gas tax issue very serious,” said Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Red Wing, who is the House’s chief transportation negotiator. “To come out and put transit funding in immediately didn’t make sense to us.”

Sen. Scott Dibble, the Minneapolis DFLer who is the Senate’s chief transportation negotiator, said he was “disappointed” the House stuck to its guns after the Senate changed its gas tax hike from 16 cents or more to 12 cents phased in over three years.

“It feels a lot like a recitation of what you already brought to the table,” Dibble said. “I don’t see a lot of change, and I feel we changed a lot.”

The two big divisions between the parties: how to pay for $600 million per year in road and bridge funding and whether to include funding for mass transit. DFLers prefer to pay for the transportation package with new revenue, while Republicans want to shift existing state revenue to roads and bridges. Democrats insist on funding mass transit, but many Republicans are skeptical.

Family leave

All Minnesota workers would be eligible for up to 12 weeks of paid family and medical leave under a bill passed Wednesday by the state Senate, 37-30.

The DFL majority included the leave provision in a larger tax bill that. House and Senate negotiators are expected to reach agreement on a package of tax cuts and other tax provisions in the final days of the legislative session. The Republican-controlled House has not acted on a similar leave proposal.

“The bill would provide for partial wage replacement for workers who need to take time away to care for a new baby… or to care for an ailing family member,” said Sen. Katie Sieben, a Cottage Grove DFLer and leading advocate for paid leave.

The measure would require employers that don’t offer paid leave to participate in a new state insurance program. It would cost about $113 million a year, starting in 2020, and be paid for with payroll taxes levied equally on workers and employers. A worker earning $50,000 a year would pay $45 annually in leave taxes, as would his or her employer.

State officials estimated 41,000 workers a year would request leave, which would provide a benefit of up to 80 percent of their pay while away from their jobs. The maximum weekly benefit would be $1,000.

Republicans argued the leave program would impose new taxes and regulations on businesses.

The Senate measure also would expand the state’s Working Family Tax Credit to about 110,000 more low- and moderate-income families. It would increase the size of the credit and make more families eligible by boosting the incomes they can earn and still qualify for the credit, reducing taxes by an average of $125 a year for about 386,000 families.

Dayton supports that proposal, but House Republicans have not.

Tory Cooney, David Montgomery and Bill Salisbury contributed to this report.

—Distributed by Tribune Content Agency