For Swenson, the problem centers on attitudes — particularly among the key figures involved in the final negotiations.

“It seemed to me that over the last period of years it’s escalated — the animosity,” said Swenson, a former dairy farmer and Nicollet School Board member.

Disagreements are inevitable, but disrespect isn’t, he said.

“The only way to get done is for both sides to have some give-and-take and have a serious discussion and still have respect for each other,” Swenson said.

Maintaining mutual respect and civility can be important in the final days of a regular session when a compromise is needed.

“There should be more cooperation,” he said. “And I don’t know why it’s changed and whose fault it is.”

Time for bipartisanship

Johnson sees a number of potential fixes.

Foremost, state leaders need to focus on the core duties of government in Minnesota — how to provide quality educational opportunities across the state, how to preserve and enhance the transportation system, how to protect the environment, how to ensure that health care is available to as many Minnesotans as possible, and how to pay for it through a fair tax system.

A growing focus on divisive social issues distracted lawmakers from the key issues, according to Johnson. Even when it was clear that a social-issue bill wouldn’t pass the Senate, the debate would drag on for hours in the House.

Republicans, and a few Democrats, have made the same case about DFL proposals to raise taxes on high-income Minnesotans — proposals that faced certain doom in the House or via a gubernatorial veto but consumed a great deal of time in the Senate.

Another improvement, according to Johnson, would be for the leaders of the majority party to listen to — and sometimes, at least, agree to include — the ideas of the minority party.

The House Republican majority wrote rules designed to undermine the minority Democrats’ ability to offer amendments when budget bills are being considered, she said.

When the end days of the session come, the Republican legislation from the House is so different from the Democratic legislation produced by the Senate that compromise is difficult. If minority views had been considered earlier, the two bills could be more easily reconciled, Johnson reasons.

“It’s easier to close a gap of 10 miles than 100 miles,” she said.