With the first week of the 2011 legislative session behind them, local liberal legislators are looking forward to reviewing new bills and cooperating with the new Republican majority.

“I think there will definitely be different political philosophies on how to solve the problems we’re facing,” Rep. Jeanne Poppe, DFL-Austin, said. “At this point it seems like there’s going to be civil disagreement and respectful communication.”

Since the balance of political power in the Legislature has flip-flopped since last year, Poppe said she doesn’t think everything will necessarily go smoothly, but either way compromises must be reached if lawmakers want to make progress on the budget deficit.

Sen. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin, echoed Poppe’s sentiment on reaching an agreement with Republican legislators despite differences in philosophy.

“We realize there’s a lot of work to be done here,” Sparks said. “We’re facing a large budget deficit. We’re going to look for areas that we can find common ground with (conservatives).”

“That’s certainly the tone we’d like to set,” he added.

Other than the obvious budget deficit that lawmakers intend to work on immediately, Poppe said she expects the topic of nuclear power plants to surface early in bill presentation.

Currently, Minnesota has a moratorium for nuclear power plants, making it impossible to even discuss opening a plant. Poppe said Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, R-Buffalo, will most likely introduce a bill lifting the moratorium.

“She has a nuclear power plant in her district,” Poppe said. “She’s looking in her backyard and saying this is something she would like to see happen.”

The issue could prove to be controversial, but Poppe said it will spur talk between environmental groups and the Legislature, which could be a good thing. The bill will likely be passed in both houses but vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton, she said.

Whatever bills are brought up throughout this and the following weeks, both Sparks and Poppe said they are excited to get back to the grind and help solve some of Minnesota’s financial issues.

“We’re definitely going to see … people trying to make sure that in the end we’re going to come up with something that is agreed upon,” Poppe said. “The level and depth of what that compromise is, is what’s left to be seen.”