Capitol Review

Legislature Passes Omnibus Finance Bills to Mixed Reviews

If signed by the governor, the finance bills would inflict deep cuts on state spending across the board.

Editor's note: Capitol Review is a weekly look at what your state legislators are doing at the Minnesota Capitol—how they're voting, the bills they're writing and the issues they're getting behind. Come back to Southwest Minneapolis Patch every Monday for a new Capitol Review. The Minnesota House of Representatives passed five omnibus finance bills last week, which left Republican leaders optimistic while DFLers worried about the deep cuts. The omnibus finance bills passed were for education, taxes, judiciary and public safety, higher education and agriculture. In addition, the Minnesota Senate passed all of its omnibus bills with the exception of taxes and transportation, which should both be addressed this week, the release stated. …

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Hayden Proposes Report on Mistreatment in Child Welfare System

Our weekly roundup of bills introduced by Southwest Minneapolis legislators.

Rep. Jeff Hayden (DFL-Minneapolis) Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Minneapolis) Sen. Ken Kelash (DFL-Richfield)

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Capitol Review

Thissen: All-Cuts Budget Won't Work

Our weekly update on bills introduced by Southwest Minneapolis legislators includes a revised procedure to remove school board members and a helmet requirement for kids on bikes.

The budget battle continued at the capitol last week as House Minority Leader Paul Thissen called for Republican's to submit their "all-cuts" budget proposal. While Thissen and the minority are anxiously awaiting the Republican budget proposal, Thissen said the all-cuts budget approach won't work. "It’s the very approach that made our great state perform below average over the last decade. Case and point—between 2002 and 2010, Minnesota ranked 15th from the bottom of states in job growth," he said in a press release. "That is unacceptable." In addition, with a $5 billion gap to close, the proposal needs to be put on the table so Minnesotans can weigh in on what is best for the state, Thissen said in the release. "Minnesota’s economic …

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Capitol Review

Proposed Bills Range from Closing Corporate Tax Loopholes to Background Checks at Gun Shows

Every week, we round up bills introduced or voted on by Southwest Minneapolis legislators.

Background Checks at Gun Shows SF465 State Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Minneapolis) introduced a bill requiring background checks at gun shows. It was also proposed last year but found little traction. The intent is to close the loophole that allows guns to be purchased without a background check at a gun show. "The public is with us, of course, by a factor of 80 percent but the NRA, which holds tremendous political influence, is deadset against it," Dibble said. "We're sailing upstream to say the least." HIV Education SF466 Dibble also introduced SF466 requiring the commissioner of health to implement an education and awareness program about HIV. Dibble is working with the Minnesota Aids project on the bill. "Every one instance of new HIV …

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Capitol Review

Video: Hayden Concerned About Health and Human Services Budget Cuts

State Rep. Jeff Hayden (DFL-Minneapolis), spoke in the Health and Human Services Finance Committee about the impact of proposed budget changes to the Department of Human Services.

Gov. Mark Dayton's proposed budget and a spreadsheet outlining health and human services changes are posted as PDFs (you can click on the black boxes above and they'll pop up). The video is provided by The Uptake as part of a new regular collaboration with Minnesota Patch. Weekly Legislative Update

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Capitol Review

Q&A with Sen. Scott Dibble on Stadiums and Bullying

Dibble said he was dubious about whether his anti-bullying bills would move in a Republican-dominated legislature, but that it's unacceptable that kids are being "bullied to death."

Sen. Scott Dibble has served in the state Senate since 2002, before that he served one term in the state House. He represents District 60. The Minneapolis resident has championed sustainable transportation, as well as introduced high-profile legislation against bullying in schools. Southwest Minneapolis Patch talked to Dibble last week about a possible Vikings stadium, his anti-bullying bills and his priorities for the session. Southwest Minneapolis Patch: You’ve played a very vocal role in the Senate so far this year, how has your approach changed as you moved into the minority? Sen. Scott Dibble: I’ve spoken up on a couple things here and there, I’m don’t know that it was intentional. I’m becoming one of the senior members of the DFL …

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Capitol Review

Dibble and Kelash Vote Against Lifting Nuclear Energy Ban

The Senate passed a similar bill in 2009, although the House rejected it. Last year, a similar proposal passed the House as an amendment to a larger energy bill but failed in the Senate.

State Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL- District 60) was one of only 14 senators to vote against lifting a moratorium on new nuclear plants in Minnesota, which passed the Senate in the first month of session.   Supporters said it was time to lift the ban, which has been in place since 1994, in order to provide what Sen. Amy Koch (R- District 19) described as “clean, affordable and reliable” energy options in the state. Dibble told Southwest Minneapolis Patch he voted against lifting the ban partly because Minnesota isn’t currently in need of more energy and won’t be for another 15 years or so. “It’s kind of an academic exercise, we don’t have any utilities that was asking for this,” Dibble said. Dibble also has economic and environmental concerns. “…

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Capitol Review

Hayden Authors Bill for Universal Health Care

This is the first piece of legislation of this session from a Minneapolis representative.

In the opening weeks of the legislative session, South Minneapolis Rep. Jeff Hayden  (DFL-District 61B) introduced a bill that, if passed, would guarantee universal healthcare for all Minnesotans. The bill would "ensure all Minnesotans receive quality health care, regardless of their income" and "cover all neccesary care." It would also "allow patients to choose their own providers" and guarantee "adequate and timely payments to providers."   Hayden said one of the bill's goals is to change the way health care is paid for and administered, by making it more of a public service like 911. "When you call 911, you expect them to come because you paid your taxes for them to do so," he said. "By [passing this bill], more people will be able to …

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Capitol Review

Q&A with DFLer Paul Thissen

Southwest Minneapolis Patch talks to the new House minority leader about political civility, property taxes and the looming $6.2 billion state budget deficit.

Southwest Minneapolis Patch: You recently became House minority leader. Where are we headed this session? House Minority Leader Paul Thissen: What I think is going to be really important for our Democratic caucus during this session is focusing on getting the economy going as much as we can and getting a balanced budget. But being the minority, our job is to be constructive but also to hold the Republican majority accountable for their decisions. The other thing that’s really important to me and our caucus is that we don’t just spend time inside the Capitol, but also get out of the Capitol and talk to real Minnesotans in their communities about what’s going on. That’s going to be a very big focus for us. Southwest Minneapolis Patch: You’re…

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Capitol Review

On First Day of Session, Dibble Strikes at Partisanship

Republican appointees to influential positions were confirmed, despite some Democratic opposition.

On the first day of the 2011 legislative session, state Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, expressed concern about Republican appointees to the positions of Senate President and Secretary of the Senate.  Dibble said in a statement that the Secretary of Senate candidate, Cal Ludeman—a former Republican legislator who served as Gov. Tim Pawlenty's Commissioner of Human Services—has a "proven track-record of putting party ideology over public interest." Dibble said Senate secretary is a non-partisan "role that requires complete impartiality, and the utmost trust of members and staff on both sides of the aisle." Dibble also abstained from the confirmation vote of Sen. Michelle Fischbach, R-Paynesville, as Senate President. He told the Star …

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