"Minnesota Senator employs tactic of putting a 'hold' on business"

Saturday, September 13, 2003

Dayton again employs tactic of putting a 'hold' on business
By Elizabeth Dunbar 
The Minneapolis (MN) Star Tribune


WASHINGTON, D.C. -- When Sen. Mark Dayton learned that Sen. Trent Lott,
R-Miss., had helped broker a deal with Northwest Airlines that could limit
funding for noise abatement, he vowed in August to come back to Washington
and hold up Senate business.

Dayton kept his word, saying in a Sept. 3 letter to Democratic Minority
Leader Tom Daschle that he would object to any future judicial nominations
from Mississippi and most other federal nominations until the issue was
resolved.

"I thought it was very inappropriate for [Lott] to be taking an action under
the cover of the conference committee that's harmful to thousands of people
in the state that I'm representing," the Minnesota Democrat said. Dayton
said he didn't know about a provision Lott had inserted in the Federal
Aviation Administration conference committee report until after the report
had been distributed.

It wasn't the first time Dayton has tried to stop legislation by putting
holds on nominees. Two years ago Dayton put holds on two Bush nominees after
Lott and others proposed legislation to lengthen the duck-hunting season in
several southern states. 

This week Dayton said he put holds on two Postal Service governor nominees
to get the Postal Service to look at funding for a post office in
Montevideo, Minn., and relocation plans for the downtown Minneapolis and St.
Paul post offices.

"It did result in a prompt inquiry from the Postal Service," Dayton said,
adding that a meeting about the downtown projects is scheduled for next
week. "You use the tools that you have at your disposal."

Holds are a custom in the Senate, allowing senators to block a vote on
executive nominees. 

Dayton said he is currently trying to get a hearing scheduled for
legislation he's sponsoring that would limit imports on milk protein
concentrate. If Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, continues to oppose a hearing
on the issue, Dayton said he would consider putting a hold on nominations
from Iowa.

"We have limited options in terms of how to proceed," Dayton said of being
in the minority party. "It's one of the things you can do to help your state
or prevent it from being harmed."

On the noise abatement issue, Dayton said the issue appears to be resolved.

Dayton and Sen. Norm Coleman, R-Minn., asked for clarification on Lott's
provision from the FAA. Coleman got verbal clarification from the FAA in
August, said Tom Steward, Coleman's communication director. But Dayton said
he wanted a written opinion from the FAA; he received it on Sept. 4, a day
after he wrote the letter to Daschle. 

In it, the FAA confirmed that the Lott provision would still allow airport
sponsors, such as the Metropolitan Airports Commission, to use passenger
facility charges to pay for soundproofing near the airport.

Nigel Finney, deputy executive director of environment and planning at the
Metropolitan Airports Commission said plans for the noise mitigation program
would continue. 

"The two senators worked hard to clarify the intent" of Lott's provision,
Finney said.


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