Minnesota workers won?t see an increase in the minimum wage, protections against jobs going overseas or new employment in large construction projects. Those are just a few of the outcomes ? perhaps they should be called ?non-outcomes? ? of the 2004 legislative session.

Working people can count a few small victories ? most noticeably legislation to correct some of the problems in the new federally mandated voter registration system.

In nearly four months marked by stalemate, the DFL-controlled Minnesota Senate passed a number of bills that would help workers, observers said. But most of the measures did not even get heard in the Republican-controlled House.

They included bills to raise the minimum wage to $6.65 an hour by 2005, to stop the outsourcing of state services to companies that would perform the work overseas, and to maintain overtime protections for Minnesotans who would lose their eligibility under new Bush administration regulations.

?These are modest proposals,? said Brad Lehto, legislative director for the Minnesota AFL-CIO. ?The real obstruction on getting these passed was in the House. They refused to even hear them in committee.?

Another measure that neither house acted on was a constitutional amendment that would guarantee health care for every Minnesotan. The issue won?t be going away, however, Lehto said.

?The health care amendment is the first question on the questionnaire? for union endorsement of candidates, he said. ?We?re going to try to increase the exposure of health care as an issue in the election.?

The lack of a bonding bill to fund hundreds of projects across the state is a real problem for thousands of Minnesotans who depend on construction for their livelihoods, said Dick Anfang, president of the Minnesota Building & Construction Trades Council.

?It?s a disappointment,? he said. ?Even a small one would have meant something? for workers. Anfang said he holds out hope that a bonding bill could still be passed if Gov. Tim Pawlenty calls a special session.

The Senate failed to reach agreement on a bonding bill, while the House passed legislation that did not include an important project supported by organized labor ? the North Star commuter rail line. If funding for the rail line is not approved this year, the state will lose the chance to get millions of dollars in federal transportation funds for the project.

The lack of a budget agreement also could cost jobs, Anfang said. ?It may put on hold two, maybe three construction starts for power plants.? That?s because the Legislature failed to approve property tax exemptions that routinely are received for these projects.

?That?s some $300 to $400 million in union construction,? Anfang said.

Lehto said Pawlenty?s approach to dealing with a projected state budget shortfall of $160 million was ?the worst planning and budget process of any governor I?ve ever seen.? Since the Legislature failed to reach agreement, Pawlenty is acting unilaterally, bridging the gap by cutting health care for low-income people and funding to non-profit organizations that provide community services.

Throughout the session, the governor maintained that raising taxes was not an option.

Lehto did note a few successes in the Legislature?s final hours. Early on Sunday morning, the last day of the session, lawmakers approved a bill that addresses many of the problems with new federal voting regulations. The League of Women Voters, county election officials and others had alerted lawmakers to a possible crisis in this fall?s elections if inconsistencies and confusion caused by the new rules were not addressed.

In the legislation, ?we got clarification on mail-in ballots. We will be able to do voter registration drives,? Lehto said. ?The ?Voter Bill of Rights,? slightly modified, passed and will be posted in all polling places.?

Unlike most states, Minnesota did not seek a waiver to delay implementation of the new rules, and thus is under pressure to implement the new system with only months to go until the election. The system includes matching up voter identification with state Department of Motor Vehicle information and other records to prevent possible fraud.

The Legislature said that if the new system is not up and running by Aug. 1, in time to be tested before the primary election, it can?t be implemented, Lehto said. ?They will keep the current system around as a backup.?

He lauded the work of lawmakers who put together the compromise legislation in the waning hours of the session. ?Senators (Linda) Higgins and (John) Marty did incredible work considering it was a last-minute type of thing.?

As the clock wound down Sunday morning, lawmakers also approved union contracts covering most state workers and instituted new workers? compensation protections for health care workers and fire fighters. The Legislature clarified that health care workers who become ill after receiving federally mandated vaccinations, such as those required for small pox and anthrax, are covered by workers? compensation insurance.

The lawmakers also approved legislation stating that when fire fighters and emergency medical technicians developed diseases such as heart problems, it will be presumed the health condition is related to their occupation. Police officers already have such a provision covering them, Lehto said.

While it doesn?t guarantee that fire fighters or EMTs will receive workers? compensation benefits if they develop heart disease or other illnesses, the new language does speed up what can be an exceedingly long claims process for injured workers, Lehto said.