A warm Minneapolis?

Minnesota needs to elect Republican legislators like Brian Grogan (HD 43B, Minnetonka-Hopkins-Plymouth) who understand that big business is not the enemy, and that Minnesota's tax and regulatory policies need to attract and keep businesses instead of driving them away.

An example of one state's success in this area is Nebraska, which recently attracted Yahoo! to the Cornhusker State:

Today Gov. Dave Heineman and corporate officials announced that Yahoo! has selected Nebraska as the home of two new developments. A 150,000 square ft. Yahoo! Data Center will be located in LaVista. A Yahoo! Customer Care Center will be located in Omaha.

“I am excited to welcome Yahoo! to Nebraska,” Gov. Heineman said. “These two projects present an extraordinary opportunity for Nebraska. It leaves no doubt that Nebraska can successfully compete for technology jobs.”

Yahoo! cited the Nebraska Advantage as a major factor in selecting Nebraska. The Nebraska Advantage was updated in the 2008 legislative session allowing Internet web portal companies to qualify for business incentives. Other factors include the availability of job training assistance, abundant fiber optic providers, low-cost utility rates, and a growing information technology-oriented workforce.

To paraphrase Hubert Humphrey, apparently Nebraska is determined not to become a warm Minnesota. We need to elect legislators who can work with Governor Pawlenty to give businesses a compelling reason to locate and stay in Minnesota.

Gorgan would live within our means; Benson, not so much

Brian Grogan, who is challenging Rep. John Benson (DFL-Minnetonka) for the seat in House District 43B, recently made a promise "to the citizens of Minnesota to solve the projected 2009 state budget deficit by advocating for reductions in government spending before supporting any tax increases on Minnesota citizens and businesses."

Benson has not signed the Live Within Our Means Commitment, a one-page statement of fiscal restraint. The statement is sponsored by the Minnesota Coalition for Fiscal Responsibility in Government, an informal alliance of organizations established solely for the purpose of administering the Live Within Our Means Commitment process. According to the Live Within Our Means Commitment web site, "Coalition members agree that it would be more responsible for the Minnesota state legislature to seek first to reduce government spending before giving any consideration to increasing taxes for Minnesota families or businesses."

Minnesota is projected to have a $2 billion or greater budget deficit in 2009. Because our state constitution requires a balanced state budget each biennium, the Legislature must cut spending or raise taxes in order to address the budget shortfall.

Over sixty candidates for the House have signed the commitment so far. Visit the Live Within Our Means Commitment web site to see whether the candidates in your area have made this promise of fiscal restraint, and ask them whether they would cut spending before raising taxes.

SD 33 hosts gold coast soiree

Senate District 33 Republicans hosted a well-attended, lively fundraiser at the venerable Lafayette Club in Minnetonka Beach Thursday evening. Beyond local volunteers and candidates, the event attracted Minnesota GOP staff and activists from outside the district.

The event was also a coming-out party for Connie Doepke, the endorsed Republican for House District 33B, who will run against Republican John Hollander in the September 9 primary election. The primary winner will face the DFLer Kim Kang in the general election.

I served with Doepke (pronounced DEP-key), a former Wayzata School Board chair, on the district's Legislative Action Committee several years ago. I know her to be well-versed on education issues specifically, and the ins-and-outs of the legislative process in general. She is an active member of the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce, and currently sits on the Wayzata Citizens Financial Advisory Committee, a citizens committee that oversees district finances.

Naturally, if elected, Doepke hopes to be named to one of the House education committees, where she would be an outstanding contributor in the vein of former Rep. Barb Sykora, who served this district.

Nine-term HD 33A Rep. Steve Smith, who will have a rare DFL challenger this cycle, addressed the audience with the DFL-controlled Legislature's most significant achievements of "the worst session" of his career: spending a $2 billion surplus into a $1.1 billion deficit, and raising the gas tax.

Former state Representative and current candidate for Hennepin County Commissioner (District 7) Jeff Johnson gave a typically energetic update on his candidacy, asking supporters to vote for him in the September 9 non-partisan primary. The top two vote-getters from that election will face each other in the general election in November.

The significance of the event was underscored by the roster of Republicans from outside SD 33 in attendance: Rep. Jim Ramstad (MN-3), state Representative and Third District Congressional candidate Erik Paulsen, House Minority Leader Rep. Marty Seifert (R-Marshall), and Fourth District Congressional candidate Ed Matthews.

A well-dressed group from the Minnesota Young Republicans were also in attendance, which is an encouraging sign at the type of event that typically attracts just the "old guard" who can afford a Lafayette Club membership.

There was also a large screen TV monitor showing coverage of the Democratic National Convention, but more were occupied by the silent auction, the bar, and the outstanding soup-to-nuts hors d'oeuvres table (mea culpa) than by even Barack Obama's acceptance speech.

Behind closed doors

After the pundits at the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce's June 6 panel discussion (at the Doubletree Park Place hotel in St. Louis Park) generally agreed that "a lot got done" at this year's legislative session, they also agreed on a less sanguine development:

"The lack of transparency in the process I think is very, very unfortunate," [Taxpayers League of Minnesota president Phil] Krinkie said.

Added moderator Mary Lahammer of Twin Cities Public Television, "I have never been a part of a more angry and frustrated press corps. There was extreme anger and frustration about how much happened behind closed doors."

Lahammer said the governor's press secretary accused her of stalking Pawlenty after she took a picture of him through a window as negotiations progressed.

"No governor gives a rip" if the press corps is upset, [Politics In Minnesota publisher Sarah] Janecek responded, although she agreed, "It really is amazing because everything really did get decided behind closed doors."

Media-driven, backroom politics has come to Minnesota, said panelist Blois Olson, executive vice president of public relations firm Tunheim Partners and a DFL commentator.

("TwinWest panelists consider politics in Minnesota," Sun Newspapers, June 13, 2008)

Laws and sausages are made behind closed doors for a reason. Some persons become vegetarians after touring a meat packing plant. I'm guessing that the rest of the story about this year's session won't be revealed until after November, if at all.

Grogan on the issues

Republicans in state House District 43B are pinning their hopes on endorsed candidate Brian Grogan to win the district, not just because the incumbent Rep. John Benson (DFL-Minnetonka) has only a 25% rating on the Taxpayers League of Minnesota legislative scorecard, but also because every seat is crucial to help sustain Gov. Tim Pawlenty's vetoes of the worst DFL legislation, and help get a Republican agenda through the legislative process, to shape the quality of life in this state for generations to come!

I asked Brian to comment on some of his legislative prorities. Here is what he wrote:

I firmly believe that Minnesota's raising health care costs are more related to our current regulations than to insurance company pricing practices. We need to bring down the anti-competitive walls and remove the HMO regulatory exemptions established by the Minnesota legislature.

Educational funding and the inadequacies of it, especially within my district, are related more to current law than the need to raise taxes. Currently, the Minnesota legislature restricts how much of the property taxes we pay can be retained within our school districts. And, the Minnesota legislature feels the Minneapolis and St. Paul districts deserve a higher per pupil fee than the suburban schools. I support legislation that would readdress the current, disproportionate school district per student funding laws.

In regard to our environment on a state legislative level, it is important we are excellent stewards of our resources but let us make sure we are making legislative decisions based on concrete scientific evidence. For example the idea that wind or solar energy will ever be able to meet a significant amount of our energy needs is false and is misleading the public debate. It can be a good alternative resource especially for homes but it is not a viable source for manufacturing plants and other type of businesses which are the largest user of energy within the state. The idea that nuclear energy isn’t a viable option is erroneous-it is being used effectively in many European nations. The key to nuclear energy is addressing the nuclear waste issue and we can address it through effective tax incentives and laws. In addition, coal can be burned very efficiently, is cost effective and our nation has enormous supplies of it. And, we can address the pollution concerns through current technology while further eliminating our reliance on foreign oil.

Lastly, the idea that global warming is scientifically proven to be related to our carbon dioxide emissions has not been scientifically established. It is plausible but not proven. Our planet is definitely going through a climate change but its cause and long term certainty has not been scientifically explained nor certified. Our state has the ability to address our energy needs in an economically viable way but not by over regulating businesses or by forcing costly alternatives on consumers and businesses.

I will propose viable solutions and bring a new vision for health care, education, job creation and energy policy. A vision to reshape government, achieve greater economic security for our citizens and enhance our schools and businesses. My vision believes and understands that our local businesses and citizens are best at solving and offering solutions to the Government and it is the legislature’s responsibility to be responsive to those needs.

Introducing Brian Grogan

Brian Grogan is the endorsed Republican candidate to challenge John Benson (DFL-Minnetonka) for the state House seat in District 43B. I have already documented on North Star Liberty what little I know about Brian: basically, he seems like he will make a great candidate. So I asked Brian to introduce his campaign positions, and here is what he wrote:

As the Republican endorsed candidate for House District 43B, I am excited to bring a new vision to address the challenges that Minnesota faces. We need to bring change to how we address job growth and our economy, raising health care cost, inadequate funding levels for our schools and being good stewards of our environment.

Most importantly, it is my firm belief that these challenges can be achieved without raising corporate or personal income taxes. We are, after all, already the 12th highest taxed state in the nation. In addition, we are rank 49th in the nation for our state’s business tax policy. Our citizens are taxed enough as a state. The key to solving our budget challenges is not more taxes but a better prioritization of what we need to do as a government for our citizens.

My priorities will be to create jobs by developing tax neutral policy incentives for business investment in infrastructure and equipment. Secondly, I want to create jobs by proposing legislation that reduces regulations and offers tax incentives which induce businesses to locate to Minnesota.

The leadership response in St. Paul for meeting our state’s challenges is, too often, to increase taxes and regulation in order to force compliance and support supervision. We can do better than this. The belief that higher taxes, more regulation and bigger government are better approaches to addressing the challenges within our society is misguided. I believe a Tibetan Monk said it quite well when he commented that "the only way to implement our vision for society is to bring it down to the situation of a single household" or as I would add, single neighborhood or single business. Our citizens and small businesses know what they need and what they need is a responsive government not a big brother.

Watch this blog for more from Brian during the campaign. Next we'll hear what he has to say on health care, education funding, and the environment.

Legislators: "It could have been worse"

On Tuesday evening, the Taxpayers League of Minnesota hosted an informal end-of-session meet-and-greet in one of the tony paneled club rooms at the Metropolitan in Golden Valley. (It was as close as I'll ever get to a smoke-filled room, thanks to the Minnesota Clean Air Act.)

The most common thing that people were saying about the legislative session now adjourned sine die was, "It could have been worse." The best thing that people could say about the session was, "It's over." The take-away message from conservative legislators was, "Send us some help!"

Among the notable conservatives working the crowd were former gubernatorial endorsement candidate Sue Jeffers, Hennepin County Commissioner candidate Jeff Johnson, Pioneer Press columnist Craig Westover, fellow True North founders Derek Brigham and Brian Mason, Wright County Republican's Drew Emmer, and of course the lovely Margaret Martin, co-host of the David Strom Show, heard Saturdays from 9:00-11:00 am on AM 1280 The Patriot.

The food and drink at 5:00 pm fooled everyone into staying for a wide-ranging recap of the session from some very hard-working, fiscally-conservative legislators at 6:00 pm. After consuming, as Minnesota Free Market Institute president David Strom put it, "Mike Wigley's wine" and the delish D'Amico hors d'oeuvres, the aloha-shirted chairman of the Taxpayers League Wigley opened the program by introducing League president and former state Rep. Phil Krinkie. Krinkie presented a special award to Rep. Marty Seifert (R-Marshall): the Worst Friend of the Gorillas Award, for opposing state funding of the gorilla exhibit at the Como Park Zoo.

Seifert thanked the Taxpayers League for their work, and explained that sustaining Gov. Tim Pawlenty's (R-MN) vetoes is only possible because the DFL is five votes short of a veto-proof majority in the House. He said end-of-session negotiations with the majority party leaders, notably Sen. Larry Pogemiller (DFL-Minneapolis), were particularly brutal this year.

Several legislators provided a recap of the session in their areas of expertise.

Sen. Geoff Michel (R-Edina) and Sen. David Hann (R-Eden Prairie) represented Minnesota's conservative state senators. Michel reported that 80% of the state budget reserve ("rainy day" fund) was used to balance the biennial budget, in spite of the expected November budget forecast of a $2-$3 billion deficit. Although state law requires a balanced budget, conservatives would prefer cuts in spending to depleting the reserve.

Krinkie presented Rep. Mark Buesgens (R-Jordan) with the Best Amendment Award for his amendment that would have renamed the "per diem" payment to legislators as "Walking Around Money." Longtime education reform stalwart and teacher Buesgens described the "one-time" $51 per-student grant to schools that passed this session, which will enable the DFL to claim a Republican funding "cut" if not appropriated next session. Buesgens also made the point that true reform (in the form of vouchers) is the only way to improve how education is delivered in Minnesota, rather than simply throwing more money at the current system.

Assistant Minority Whip and lead Republican on the Health and Human Services Finance Committee Rep. Matt Dean (R-Dellwood), praised the defeat of Education Minnesota's socialized medicine for teachers plan, although thousands more Minnesotans now qualify for state welfare health plans due to a raising of the maximum qualifying income. He also recommended Pat Shortridge's recent article on National Review Online, "Yes we can," on rebuilding the conservative movement in this country.

Rep. Mary Liz Holberg (R-Lakeville) received the Most Likely To Be Run Over By A Light Rail Train Award, because she is always standing in the way of light rail spending (and gas tax increases)!

Rep. Paul Khols (R-Victoria) sounded like the Son of Dr. No (former Rep. Krinkie) when he said that "no" can be a good word when voting against tax increases. He explained that the DFL was promoting twenty-five tax increases this session alone that would have cost taxpayers $10 billion in new taxes. The $6+ billion tax increase in the transportation bill was bad enough!

Rep. Tom Hackbarth (R-Cedar) explained how political horse-trading perverted the proposed constitutional amendment to dedicate a one-eighth percent of the existing state sales taxes to preserving hunting and fishing into a three-eighths percent sales tax increase to promote radical environmentalism, the arts, and parks, in addition to the original outdoors programs. He warned that special interest groups will be promoting the constitutional amendment, and that its passage would open the door to millions of dollars of grants to those groups (as the Minnesota State Lottery already does to environmental groups).

Strom concluded the program with a fundraising pitch, reminding the group that legislators and the Taxpayers League cannot do it alone. The big tip jar at the door was filled to the top with tens and twenties, a good sign, and contribution envelopes were also distributed with the League's popular lawn signs and "wanted" poster, and a session scrapbook of editorials and Krinkie op-eds. The evening's co-sponsor, AM 1280 The Patriot, also had a table with information and bumper stickers.

Conservatives need to remind the electorate that higher quality of life does not mean ever-larger government, in fact, the opposite is true. As Margaret Thatcher was quoted during the event, "First you win the argument, then you win the vote." If conservatives fail to win the argument and get like-minded candidates elected to the Minnesota House this fall, the 2008 tax-and-spend session will only be another step in our long march to the "cold Detroit" of even higher taxes and an accelerated taxpayer and business exodus from the Land of 10,000 Taxes.

All about Terri Bonoff

On April 12, at one of the most anticipated DFL endorsing conventions in years, a 30-year-old, ex-Republican, ex-U.S. Marine attorney from Plymouth with a compelling, immigrant American Dream story came out of political nowhere to win the Third Congressional District DFL endorsement after an eight-ballot showdown, over incumbent state Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka), the early-on presumptive nominee with name recognition, union support, and proven fundraising chops. The venue was Wayzata Central Middle School in Plymouth, in the heart of Bonoff's Senate District 43.

Yet curiously, in the post-endorsement issue of the Plymouth newspaper of record Sun Sailor, it was all about Bonoff.

The local weekly ran Bonoff's post-election letter-to-the-editor (in its own box, complete with three-column headline, pull-quote, photo, and prominent by-line), thanking supporters and her opponent, plus a news story of the endorsement. The news story by Joe Keiser covered the endorsement, but from Bonoff's point-of-view, featuring quotes from her but not from the endorsee, illustrated with a second copy of Bonoff's Senate mug shot but no photo of the endorsee.

It's as if the Sun Sailor narrowly avoided its own DEWEY DEFEATS TRUMAN moment.

I assume that Bonoff's endorsement opponent will eventually get some ink in the Sun Sailor. In the meantime, perhaps Bonoff can give him a few pointers on getting earned media.

Cuba libre

Both houses of the Minnesota Legislature have passed a resolution that "supports national efforts to remove all trade, financial, and travel restrictions to Cuba." Unfortunately, this resolution as written is silent on the suffering of the Cuban people and economy under the brutal dictatorship of Fidel Castro, darling of the socialist left. Calling for free trade without quid pro quo expansions of political, legal, and economic freedoms for the Cuban people amounts to not much more than the further exploitation of a people who have suffered too much. It would be like trading with Communist China for goodness sakes. (Er, wait a minute...)

I find it disappointing, but not surprising, that the corporate mass media did not bother to get any reactions from the Cuban expatriate community in Minnesota. A doctor friend of mine fled Cuba in the early 1960s after Castro became prime minister and began "nationalizing (confiscating with the power of armed force without compensation or legal recourse)" private property. We often have conversations about how the liberals in this country love Castro's Cuba so much that they are trying to recreate it in America.

(For a dramatization of what my friend and an entire generation of Cubans experienced during the Cuban Revolution, I recommend the film The Lost City, expat Andy Garcia's love note to his home country. Beautifully written and filmed, it's a Caribbean Casablanca.)

Kudos to reporter Hilary Brueck at the University of Minnesota's student newspaper, the Minnesota Daily, for her concise statement of what's wrong with the Cuban government (even as the rest of her article gives chief author Phyllis Khan (DFL-Minneapolis) a free ride to promote the resolution): "But many still say it will take more than the recent regime change to change U.S. policies on relations with Cuba. A need for free elections, open markets, more human rights, the restoration of political prisoners and property taken during the Fidel Castro regime are just a few of the lingering deal-breakers."

Governor Pawlenty should veto this resolution with apologies to the Cuban people and its expatriate community in Minnesota. As Minnesota Public Radio reported, "House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, questioned the value of spending time on a memorial resolution when the state's budget deficit still isn't resolved." The Legislature should stop wasting time on resolutions outside its purview and get back to the business of the citizens of the State of Minnesota.

Money for nothing

Thanks to classic Twin Cities agitprop like the following, the liberal DFL in the Legislature still believes in the "Minnesota Miracle," a.k.a. Money for Nothing:

"Given how tight money and budgets are these days, it's hard to imagine any county government turning its back on millions of dollars. But on Tuesday, there were indications that Carver and Scott counties would do just that by not partaking of a $100 million pot of money for metro-area counties that implement a recently approved quarter-cent optional sales tax for transit projects." ("Smaller counties not sold on new tax," StarTribune, March 12, 2008)

"Money for Nothing" is an illusion, but this year's session has been an orgy of redistribution of wealth. If you live outstate, vote against the sales tax increase. If you live in the Twin Cities, contact your county commissioner and urge him or her to oppose the sales tax increase. Otherwise, the DFL will keep singing their same old song...

Now look at them yo-yos, that's the way you do it
You raise their taxes for the LRT
That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Money for nothin' and pork for free
Now that ain't workin', that's the way you do it
Lemme tell ya them guys ain't dumb
Maybe get a mention in a right-wing blog
Maybe get a ho-hum from the voters next fall

We gotta get those trains to nowhere
Commuter rail to Saint Cloud
We gotta get those trains to Chi-Town
We gotta get that Central Corridor rail

Raise the sales tax without referendum
Raise the sales tax, the voters they won't care
Raise the sales tax for an open-air ballpark
It's for Pohlad, he's a billionaire!

We gotta get those trains to nowhere
Commuter rail to Saint Cloud
We gotta get those trains to Chi-Town
We gotta get that Central Corridor rail

Borrow money for new college classrooms
Borrow money for the Como Zoo
Get taxes for hockey in Bemidji and Duluth
Man we could have some fun
Pay Big Ag to burn our food for fuel
Metro roads and bridges can wait in line
That ain't workin' that's the way you do it
Get your money for nothin' and your pork for free

I want my
I want my
I want my LRT
I want my
I want my
I want my LRT
Money for nothin'!
Pork for free!

Faust to challenge Anderson in 43A

The Plymouth Sun Sailor has reported that Clint Faust of Plymouth will seek the DFL endorsement for the Minnesota House of Representatives in District 43A. Republican Sarah Anderson is the first-term incumbent.

According to the report, "Faust, who has lived in Plymouth for 13 years, is a Certified Financial Planner (CFP) and financial advisor. He has been involved in the TwinWest Chamber of Commerce and has served on the board of directors of the Business Democrats."

The Sun Sailor reported Faust's potential campaign themes as property tax relief (presumably more local government aid funded by income and sales taxes), controlling health care costs (even more state health insurance), reducing the tax burden on the middle class (tax the rich), funding education adequately (blank check for Education Minnesota) and improving Minnesota's transportation infrastructure (tax for light rail trains instead of roads and bridges, bonding for zoo gorilla exhibits).

The incumbent House member in 43B is John Benson (DFL-Minnetonka). The state Senate is not up for election this year.

Both the DFL and Republican SD 43 BPOU conventions are tomorrow, March 8.

Chili & Chat redux

It seems like SD 45 just had their first Chili & Chat, and now here comes another one in just a few weeks! The last one drew grassroots activists from three or four surrounding BPOUs. In addition to meeting and greeting, I'll be looking to catch the residual buzz on the Republican State Central Committee meeting. I anticipate another fun evening to hobnob with my fellow Republicans and have some great home cookin' without the constraints of Robert's Rules of Order. I hope they do another presidential straw poll (Newt won the first one, but Fred Thompson wasn't even on the radar back in March).

Bravo to SD 45 for this wonderful series of BPOU-building events. It should be replicated and adapted by other BPOUs across the state. Hat tip to Rob Hewitt and SD 63 for this great idea.

Here's your invite:

Here's a great opportunity to hear some inside war stories from this year's stormy session. Just how bad did it get? Please join us to find out at our second Senate District 45 Chili & Chat. This night's topic: The 2007 Legislative Session —DFL Lowlights & GOP Highlights.

The DFL legislators gambled on busting our state budget with over $4 billion dollars worth of spending with some outrageous bills. But GOP leadership sent them home by holding firm and united. Hear first-hand accounts of this year’s session and meet activists who helped us all win.

Mark your calendars on June 19, 2007 to listen to and ask questions of these stars of movement conservatism in Minnesota:

Rep. Tom Emmer, Deputy Minority Leader, 19B

And Special Guest Speakers, Radio Show Hosts and Bloggers:

Northern Alliance Radio’s “Final Hour” Hosts
—King Banaian “SCSU Scholars”
—Michael Brodkorb “MN Democrats Exposed”

Tuesday, June 19, 6:30-8:30 pm
Cooper High School, New Hope
8240 47th Avenue (one block west of Winnetka Avenue)

Fee: $10 per person (FREE with $50 BPOU donation)
Includes Chili dogs, BBQ pork sandwiches & trimmings, cookie & beverage.
Chili Chat—Good Food. Good Friends. Good Politics.

See the SD 45 web site for details.

I love the smell of amendments in the morning

Minnesota House Minority Leader Rep. Marty Seifert sent me a wonderful summary of the various omnibus bills currently before the Legislature. Actually, Rep. Seifert sent the same summary to everyone else on his e-mail mailing list, too (add yourself to the list by visiting his web page).

Reading through this makes me wistful for a job at the Capitol, watching the dance of legislation from ground level, taking a brisk walk through the tunnel between the Capitol and the State Office Building, watching a raucous demonstration in the rotunda, waving in the background while Mary Lahammer or Tom Hauser tries to tape a report, nodding off during citizen testimony during a stuffy Senate committee hearing, schmoozing with the LAs in the Senate Republican caucus, filing the business card of the new governmental affairs director from that non-profit in Minneapolis, catching a press conference in SOB Room 181 — well, enough about me, here is Rep. Seifert's most excellent update from the front lines, or, "Sleepless in Saint Paul:"

Two Weeks to Finish Session

The legislature has two weeks from tomorrow to meet the Constitutional deadline and finish. There are many Omnibus Finance Bills yet to finish, but some progress is being made. Let me share the specifics:

1) The Omnibus Agriculture and Veterans Finance Bill passed easily and was signed into law last week. I voted "yes" on passage of this bill. It spends less money than Governor Pawlenty originally recommended. It funds programs relating to agriculture like ethanol, grain inspections, alternative energy studies & items relating to state veterans programs and military affairs. The Governor line-item vetoed two agriculture provisions worth $1.35 million. In Minnesota, the Governor does have the authority to strike out specific appropriations, but cannot strike out individual language items, only spending money. As Minority Leader, I consult with the Governor on line-item vetoes and vetoes on entire bills.

2) The Omnibus Public Safety Finance Bill passed easily on Friday. This was after a provision relating to trial lawyers originally added to the bill got dropped on Thursday. This provision may come back as a stand-alone bill later in session. I voted "yes" on passage of this bill, which funds prisons, courts, victim's programs, etc. The Governor will not line-item any provisions from this bill and it spends about $1 million less than his original request.

3) The Omnibus Environment, Energy and Commerce Bill passed on Friday. It funds agencies like the Department of Natural Resources (DNR), the Pollution Control Agency (PCA), among others. This bill spends about $19 million more than the Governor requested and raises various fees. In addition, there are also some troublesome regulatory provisions in this bill, which triggered my "no" vote on the bill. The Governor is very likely going to sign this bill, but strike out some appropriations via a line-item veto on this bill.

4) The Omnibus Education Finance Bill is in conference committee. A Conference Committee is a group of 10 members of the legislature (5 from the House and 5 from the Senate) who work out differences in the original bills. The conference report is the final bill, which cannot be changed or amended once it reaches the floor. Both the House and Senate spend more than the Governor's recommendation in their original bills, but I am hopeful that savings from other bills and line-item vetoes can be moved to this budget area to be able to successfully finish session, fund education and not have to have a tax increase. This bill has not returned for a vote.

5) The Omnibus Health and Human Services Bill is still in conference committee. It spends hundreds of millions of dollars more than the Governor's recommendation and will likely be vetoed if it stays on the spending track that the original bills took. In the next biennium (two year budget period), the House bill grew in spending by 19% and in the biennium after that, it grew this area by over 40%. That is simply unsustainable. This bill has not returned for a vote as of yet.

6) The Omnibus Jobs and Economic Development bill was passed on a mostly party-line vote last Friday. It spends over $50 million more than the Governor's recommendation, including many pork-barrel provisions. There are some key anti-job provider provisions in the bill too. The bill is being vetoed this weekend and the legislature will have to address those concerns in a new bill this week. I voted "no" on the bill.

7) The Omnibus State Government Finance Bill barely passed on Friday with all Republicans voting "no" and some DFLers voting against it too. This bill has some troublesome language issues. It also grows the budget of the legislature by 19% over the biennium. This is just unacceptable and too large. Why should legislative budgets grow that much, while important areas in other parts of the budget get measly increases? This bill is being vetoed over the weekend and a new bill will come out later this week. I voted "no" on this bill.

8) The Omnibus Transportation Finance Bill is in a conference committee. The big sticking point is the difference between Governor Pawlenty's opposition to the 10 cent per gallon gas tax increase and the one in the bill proposed by House and Senate Democrats. If a gas tax is included in the final bill, it will be vetoed. This bill has not returned for a vote as of yet.

9) The Omnibus Higher Education Finance Bill is still in a conference committee. The big sticking point is a provision pushed by Democrats to give in-state tuition to illegal aliens. If this is in the final bill, it will be vetoed by the Governor. This is the bill that has a tuition freeze included. I offered the amendment to do the tuition freeze on the House floor and it passed easily. The Senate does not have a tuition freeze in their bill. This bill has not returned for a vote as of yet. I will not support it if it includes the provision to give in-state tuition for illegal aliens.

10) The Omnibus Capital Investment or "Bonding" bill passed the House on a straight party line vote about two weeks ago. It was vetoed in its entirety by the Governor. It spent over $300 million, much on pork projects or items that can be funded in next year's bonding bill. This is supposed to be an emergency only bill and it went far beyond that. I will vote to sustain the Governor's veto if and when it comes up. I voted "no" on passage of the bill.

11) The Omnibus Tax bill is still in conference committee. Both the House and Senate bills raise income taxes. The House bill also raises taxes on tobacco, institutes a "gift tax" on people, a new hockey ticket tax, taxes on job-providers, amongst others. The state budget will grow almost 10% over the biennium without a tax increase, so I question the need for a tax increase to throw a wet blanket on our economy. The Senate bill would make Minnesota have the higher income tax rate of all states in the United States. The Governor will veto this bill if it returns with tax increases. Generally, most families do not have their incomes grow by this rate and state government should too.

Other Remaining Issues

Some issues that the House of Representatives will consider in the next two weeks, in addition to the above omnibus bills will include: disaster relief for Brown's Valley, Rogers and Warroad (I was appointed to the House-Senate Conference Committee on Friday by the Speaker of the House); a bill to allow smoking of marijuana for medicinal reasons; a bill to disallow cigarette smoking on private property such as bars; a bill to create a mandatory state-wide insurance pool for school employees; a bill to regulate energy providers, among many others. Go to www.house.mn to check the schedule.

Governor's Legislative Log

A bill that passes both houses of the legislature is called an act. In order to view the acts presented to the Governor and see if he signs or vetoes them, go to this log:
http://www.governor.state.mn.us/priorities/legislation/index.htm

Schedule

Due to the amount of activity in the legislature, it will be very difficult to contact me via phone in the next two weeks. I do personally check my e-mail almost every day, so please send your thoughts on legislation to me at rep.marty.seifert@house.mn

Have a great week!

Rep. Marty Seifert

A correction and an apology

Yesterday I posted a report that Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-Minnetonka) left an E-12 Budget Division committee hearing in the Senate to avoid a difficult vote on Senate File 276, which would establish a mandatory statewide health insurance pool for all public school district employees. I based this report on a number of sources from whom I occasionally receive information relating to legislation on ed policy and finance.

This report was in error. SF 276 has never appeared before the Senate E-12 Budget Division, so there was obviously never such a vote. In fact, when an amendment allowing individual school districts to opt-out of the plan was offered on the floor of the Senate by Sen. Betsy Wergin (R-Princeton), Sen. Bonoff joined the Republicans to support it (the amendment was defeated roughly along party lines). The bill was passed by the Senate with a similar margin, and again Sen. Bonoff voted with the Republicans against it. (The companion bill did appear before the House E-12 Education Committee.)

I apologized to Sen. Bonoff for the error by phone last night, and I apologize to her and you, my readers, today. To avoid further confusion, I have removed yesterday's post from the blog.

In the future, I will try my best to provide the political observations and commentary you have come to expect at North Star Liberty, specifically: well-written, biased yet factual, passionate yet not hyperventilated, aggressive at times yet always ethical. After all, it's political, not personal.

Matt Abe
North Star Liberty blog

Too much time on their hands

Since 1973, the Minnesota Legislature has met in session every year, the result of a 1972 constitutional amendment, which allowed for "flexible sessions." The 1972 amendment did not require annual sessions of the Legislature. Rather, it just allowed for them to happen.

From 1877 until 1973, when lawmakers redefined the term, legislative days were measured consecutively, meaning that the clock began ticking the moment the Legislature convened, excluding Sundays. Exactly 120 calendar days (plus Sundays) after convening, the Legislature had to adjourn. Following the passage of the 1972 amendment, lawmakers in 1973 redefined a legislative day as only those days when either the House or Senate met in full session. Days on which only committees meet are not considered official legislative days. This definition of "day" left the 120-day constitutional maximum untouched, but allowed lawmakers to spread the days over a two-year period. This "flexible" system is unique in the United States.
— Minnesota Legislature web site

The Legislature should go back to the pre-1973 practice of meeting for 120 calendar days every other year. By splitting the constitutionally-mandated 120-day limit between two calendar years, and by redefining the meaning of the word "day," legislators have enough time on their hands to grow government, turn their public service into careers, and crank out needless bills like this, authored by Sen. Ann Lynch (DFL-Rochester) in the Senate (SF 1454), and Rep. Phyllis Khan (DFL-Minneapolis) and Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester) in the House (HF 1385):

A bill for an act relating to state government; creating a task force to study the design of the state flag.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA:

Section 1. LEGISLATIVE TASK FORCE ON DESIGN OF STATE FLAG.

Subdivision 1. Establishment. The legislative task force on the design of the state flag consists of three members of the senate appointed by the Subcommittee on Committees of the Committee on Rules and Administration, and three members of the house of representatives appointed by the speaker.

Subd. 2. Form and style of state flag. The task force shall study the form, style, and design of the state flag and suggest any desired changes, while preserving its basic symbolism. The task force may solicit and secure the voluntary service and aid of persons who have either technical or artistic skill in flag construction and design.

Subd. 3. Report; expiration. The task force shall make its report and recommendations to the legislature by January 15, 2008. The task force expires after submitting the report.

Hat tip to the Taxpayers League of Minnesota.