Monday, February 4, 2013
Several bills concerning gun laws will take center stage in the Minnesota Legislature starting Tuesday with discussions and public testimony in the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee. Rep. Kathy Lohmer (R-Stillwater) sits on that committee
The debate over gun control will dominate politics in Minnesota this week. President Barack Obama will start the discussion with a visit to Minneapolis on Monday to deliver remarks and discuss with local leaders and law enforcement officials his “comprehensive set of commonsense ideas” to reduce gun violence. "Minneapolis is a city that has taken important steps to reduce gun violence and foster a conversation in the community about what further action is needed," a White House news release states. "President Obama will visit with members of the community about their experiences and discuss additional steps that can be taken at the federal level to reduce gun violence." On the local level, several bills concerning gun laws were introduced …
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Tuesday, the Southwest Minneapolis legislator opened the first day of the 2013 legislative session
Tuesday, state Rep. Paul Thissen (DFL-61B) formally accepted his position as Speaker of the House of Representatives with a speach to the entire House. "We come together with ideas that need to be acomplished," he told the assembled legislators, "but everyone in this room is here for the right reason. They have the best interests of Minnesota at heart." Thissen told his colleagues that they have to "govern well" this session, because "we owe that to our constituentents. (Video courtesy of TheUptake)
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Dibble, Hayden join Rep. Paul Thissen at head of new DFL majority.
The 2012 elections ushered in a new DFL majority in the Minnesota Legislature. Its fallout, though has ushered several members of Southwest Minneapolis' delegation into top leadership positions in St. Paul. Last week, Rep. Paul Thissen (DFL-61B) was elected Speaker of the House of Representatives. Now, according to the Star-Tribune, Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-61) has been elected chair of the Senate's Transportation Finance subcommittee. According to MinnPost, Sen. Jeff Hayden (DFL-62). MinnPost quoted Hayden saying he was ready to "roll up his sleeves" to move Minnesota beyond "political stalemates." Dibble's elevation is also good news for the Southwest Light Rail line and other mass-transit projects.
Wednesday, October 3, 2012
Young Republican Nate Atkins could be the first candidate to base his message around an internet meme.
Nate Atkins is probably the first Republican candidate in Minnesota to base his campaign around an Internet meme. When he filed his papers, he immediately became the talk of the State Capitol twitterati for listing his middle name as "Honey Badger," quotation marks included. It's a reference to a goofy YouTube video created around two years ago. A YouTube user going by "Randall" dubbed his own narration over a segment from a National Geographic nature program about the honey badger, an aggressive omnivore from Africa and Southwest Asia. So far, the video has gained over 51 million views on YouTube, and seeped into the nooks and crannies of pop culture. Atkins said he picked the "Honey Badger" nickname via a coworker because of what he …
Tuesday, October 2, 2012
Thissen serves as Minority Leader in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
Name: Paul Thissen Age: Place of Residence: 1219 West 51st Street Attended College: Yes College: Harvard University Degree: Year of Graduation: 1989 University: University of Chicago Law School Area of Study: Law Year of Graduation: 1992 Job titles held: Law Clerk for The Honorable James B. Loken, Public Defender, Partner. Employers: United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, Minnesota State Public Defenders Office, The law firm of Lindquist and Vennum. Party affiliation: Democratic Farmer-Labor Running for a: Sate Office Running for position: MN House of Representatives Chamber/district: 61B Incumbant: Yes First elected: 2002 Previous elective offices: Unsuccessful bids for offices: Address Name : Title : Website : …
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
The state representative sends out his monthly e-newsletter.
Editor's Note: The following is an e-newsletter from Minneapolis House Rep. Paul Thissen. Dear Friends: We've had a hot and wet start to our summer when many originally predicted drought. Our friends in the Northland are working hard to rebuild roads and bridges, homes and businesses. The state has received major federal disaster declarations for thirteen counties and three tribal nations following severe storms and flooding last month. Dayton recently requested $108 million in federal disaster aid in a letter to the Obama administration. The Governor has said that there is "no question" a special session will be needed to approve state matching funds for repair costs. He anticipates a special session could be held in about a month, but …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
House passed package of state funding for new stadium, Senate to take it up Tuesday.
While he may be on the way towards seeing his Vikings stadium dream come true, it looks like Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak couldn't sway at least two of his Southwest Minneapolis constituents with promises of lower property taxes. In Monday night's state House vote to aprove public funding for a new Minnesota Vikings Stadium, DFL Reps. Frank Hornstein and Susan Allen joined 56 of their colleagues in opposing the measure. House DFL minority leader Paul Thissen was the lone exception, voting in favor of the measure along with many fellow DFLers. The final vote was 73-56. According to WCCO reporter Pat Kessler, Hornstein told colleagues he wanted Minnesota's biggest companies to pitch in for the stadium. Stadium boosters have said the Vikings …
Tuesday, March 20, 2012
The Minnesota House will discuss on vote on the bill at 5 p.m. tonight.
The controversial Voter Photo ID bill will go before the Minnesota House at 5 p.m. Tuesday. If passed by the legislature, voters will vote to amend the constitution in the fall election. If the amendment is passed, all voters will have to present a valid Minnesota photo ID when casting their votes in future elections. Rep. Paul Thissen (D-Richfield/Minneapolis) along with Reps. Ryan Winkler (D-Golden Valley) and Steve Simon (D-St. Louis Park) held a preview press conference Tuesday morning criticizing Republican priorites and the amendment itself. Watch a replay of the press conference in the video box above.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
Major changes to Southwest Minneapolis legislative boundaries ordered by redistricting panel.
Updated 10:12 a.m. 2/22/12: State Rep. Frank Hornstein has announced he will run in 2012. Four prominent Minneapolis DFL legislators have been thrust into electoral combat with each other after new legislative districts were unveiled on Tuesday by a special court-appointed panel. In the 2012 election, State Sens. Scott Dibble and Ken Kelash could face off in a redrawn Senate District 61. A map of the new district can be seen at right. Dibble, an Uptown resident, currently represents much of the area in the new district, while Kelash, a Kenny resident, will see much of his current district cut off. Tuesday afternoon, Dibble's office confirmed that he will be running in the 2012 election, and Kelash has informed Richfield Patch he also …
Monday, January 23, 2012
Rep. Paul Thissen said he will be focusing on long-term job creation this session.
With the Minnesota State Legislature set to resume Jan. 24, Patch spoke with House Minority Leader Paul Thissen (D-Richfield/Minneapolis) about the upcoming session, his priorities, his opinions on recent scandals and the Vikings stadium debate. *** Patch: What are your top priorities for this upcoming legislative session? Thissen: My top priority is doing everything we can to get people back to work and get the economy going again. Last week the DFL rolled out some proposals to get people into long-term careers, so I’m hopeful we can work with the Republicans to get it passed. Patch: Are there any bills you authored in 2011 that are carrying over or new bills you plan to push in 2012 that you want your constituents to be aware of? …
Will Waylon
2:22 pm on Thursday, October 4, 2012
What faction pushes social conservatives out of the Republican Party? Libertarians, the party with minority status, disliked more than the GOP in Minneapolis. LOL. Nice try at novelty, though. more ›