From staff reports

Rep.

Monday, June 25, 2001

Rep. Henry Kalis, DFL-Walters, said Thursday that the House Republicans were using &uot;irresponsible&uot; tactics in refusing to take up legislation that’s already completed.

&uot;There’s no good reason why we can’t take up the spending bills we’ve already agreed upon and have them ready to send to the Governor whenever a final budget agreement is reached,&uot; Kalis said in a statement.

A number of bills fall into that category, Kalis said, including the Higher Education Bill and the Agriculture and Environ-ment Bill, both of which have a direct impact on Southern Minnesota.

&uot;There’s a lot riding on both of the bills. A lot of livelihoods are at stake. A lot of plans are up in the air,&uot; Kalis said.