Photo by manyhighways via Flickr

Photo by manyhighways via Flickr

The Minnesota House passed a $1 billion tax bill Friday evening by a 86-45 margin. All Democrats but one backed the measure, while every Republican opposed it. The bill would increase revenues in three ways: a new top income tax bracket for Minnesota’s wealthiest citizens, an increase in taxes on alcohol and a surcharge applied to credit card companies that levy interest rates higher than 15 percent. The $1 billion package was hashed out by legislators in a conference committee late last night.

The House debated the bill for five hours before passage. The rhetoric was often testy. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Delano) took issue with the way the bill was drafted. “My point is it was all done in a backroom,” he said. “The public was not given a chance to weigh in on it. And guess what? It was done in the middle of the night.”

Rep. Nora Slawik (DFL-Maplewood) countered that the Republicans had offered no credible alternative plan for closing the state’s $6.4 billion budget deficit. “The minority is offering nothing to the people of Minnesota,” Slawik said. “What we’re trying to do is get this session done.”

The measure will now be taken up by the DFL-controlled Senate, where it is expected to pass easily. Gov. Tim Pawlenty has vowed to veto the bill.

Democrats have hinted that they might be able to summon enough votes for an override. But today’s House debate suggested that Republicans are united on holding the line on taxes. Reps. Rod Hamilton and Jim Abeler — who broke with their party to override Pawlenty’s veto of the transportation funding bill during the last legislative session — both spoke out against the tax bill.