Top: Rach with Minnesota House Speaker Margret Anderson Kelliher
Bottom: Rach with Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak
Showing posts with label Rachel Eggert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Rachel Eggert. Show all posts
Monday, July 6, 2009
Rach at Twin Cities Pride Parade June 2009
Top: Rach with Minnesota House Speaker Margret Anderson Kelliher
Bottom: Rach with Minneapolis Mayor RT Rybak
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Pawlenty to mayors: Quit whining, get to work mapping out cuts
Pioneer Press 5/21/09
Governor tells mayors to be realistic about cuts, give him ideas for reductions
By Bill Salisbury bsalisbury@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 05/21/2009 09:44:37 PM CDT
Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants mayors to stop complaining about state aid cuts and start telling him how large a reduction they can handle.
Starting July 1, Pawlenty will cut or delay $2.7 billion in spending over the next two years to balance the state budget.
During a press briefing at the Capitol on Thursday, Pawlenty said he would consult with local government officials, health care providers, legislators and other "stakeholders" to get suggestions on where and how much he can cut. He wants mayors to tell him what portion of their budgets they can trim.
"The answer can't be they're not going to take any cuts, because everybody else is," he said.
When families, businesses, churches and charities are all tightening their belts, he said, "to have cities come forward and say, 'We can't take any cut at all' is hogwash.
"Instead of just whining and complaining, they need to figure out how they can reduce their spending by a few percent. I don't think that's unreasonable."
Also Thursday, the governor vetoed the tax bill approved by Democratic lawmakers in the final minutes of the legislative session that would have raised $1 billion through taxes on couples making more than $250,000, alcohol drinkers and credit card companies charging high interest rates. It also would have delayed $1.7 billion in payments to schools, erasing a two-year deficit.
Pawlenty had warned Democrats that he would veto tax increases that reached his desk.
The governor's comments on cities' finances appeared to be aimed at St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and several outstate mayors who have been vocal critics of his local government aid reductions.
On Thursday, Coleman and a group of local officials held news conferences in Mankato, Albert Lea and Rochester to urge Pawlenty to minimize cuts to cities. They will continue their press tour today with stops in St. Paul, Willmar and Alexandria.
Before the Legislature adjourned Monday, Pawlenty had proposed a $450 million cut in local government aid and related programs. Mayors asserted that cutting that much would force them to lay off cops, firefighters and other essential personnel and increase their property tax levies.
Before they take such drastic actions, Pawlenty said, they should answer four questions:
Does your city have budget reserves? "If you've got a rainy-day fund, use it," he said.
Where's the property tax money? Most cities have raised their property tax levies every year, Pawlenty said. "Where is that money going?" he asked.
Has employee pay been frozen? "People across Minnesota should demand that school districts, counties and cities freeze salaries for their employees for the next two years," he said.
And what have local officials done to downsize and streamline operations?
In addition to reducing state aid to local governments, Pawlenty said he expects to cut spending on health and social services, higher education and state agencies.
He hopes to preserve funding for veterans and military programs, public safety and preschool-through-high-school education, although he said he plans to delay state aid payments to schools.
This report contains information from the Associated Press.
Governor tells mayors to be realistic about cuts, give him ideas for reductions
By Bill Salisbury bsalisbury@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 05/21/2009 09:44:37 PM CDT
Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants mayors to stop complaining about state aid cuts and start telling him how large a reduction they can handle.
Starting July 1, Pawlenty will cut or delay $2.7 billion in spending over the next two years to balance the state budget.
During a press briefing at the Capitol on Thursday, Pawlenty said he would consult with local government officials, health care providers, legislators and other "stakeholders" to get suggestions on where and how much he can cut. He wants mayors to tell him what portion of their budgets they can trim.
"The answer can't be they're not going to take any cuts, because everybody else is," he said.
When families, businesses, churches and charities are all tightening their belts, he said, "to have cities come forward and say, 'We can't take any cut at all' is hogwash.
"Instead of just whining and complaining, they need to figure out how they can reduce their spending by a few percent. I don't think that's unreasonable."
Also Thursday, the governor vetoed the tax bill approved by Democratic lawmakers in the final minutes of the legislative session that would have raised $1 billion through taxes on couples making more than $250,000, alcohol drinkers and credit card companies charging high interest rates. It also would have delayed $1.7 billion in payments to schools, erasing a two-year deficit.
Pawlenty had warned Democrats that he would veto tax increases that reached his desk.
The governor's comments on cities' finances appeared to be aimed at St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman and several outstate mayors who have been vocal critics of his local government aid reductions.
On Thursday, Coleman and a group of local officials held news conferences in Mankato, Albert Lea and Rochester to urge Pawlenty to minimize cuts to cities. They will continue their press tour today with stops in St. Paul, Willmar and Alexandria.
Before the Legislature adjourned Monday, Pawlenty had proposed a $450 million cut in local government aid and related programs. Mayors asserted that cutting that much would force them to lay off cops, firefighters and other essential personnel and increase their property tax levies.
Before they take such drastic actions, Pawlenty said, they should answer four questions:
Does your city have budget reserves? "If you've got a rainy-day fund, use it," he said.
Where's the property tax money? Most cities have raised their property tax levies every year, Pawlenty said. "Where is that money going?" he asked.
Has employee pay been frozen? "People across Minnesota should demand that school districts, counties and cities freeze salaries for their employees for the next two years," he said.
And what have local officials done to downsize and streamline operations?
In addition to reducing state aid to local governments, Pawlenty said he expects to cut spending on health and social services, higher education and state agencies.
He hopes to preserve funding for veterans and military programs, public safety and preschool-through-high-school education, although he said he plans to delay state aid payments to schools.
This report contains information from the Associated Press.
Capitol Hill restaurant has testament to Franken's pre-election confidence
Pioneer Press 5/26/09
By Anne Schroeder Mullins Politico
Updated: 05/26/2009 08:49:50 AM CDT
It's not quite a John Hancock moment, but Senate candidate Al Franken left his mark on one of Washington's elite power restaurants.
Trattoria Alberto of Capitol Hill is a quaint Italian restaurant on 8th Street Southeast, blocks from Capitol Hill, that is frequented by myriad representatives and senators.
So many happen upon the fine establishment — it's a favorite of lobbyists, as well — that a few years ago the restaurant started asking lawmakers who dined there to autograph the restaurant's own copy of a facebook. (It speaks volumes about the restaurant that it even has a facebook. A facebook, to those uninitiated, is a yearly booklet that has pictures of and information about all the current members of Congress.) Representatives like John Sullivan, Jerry Lewis, Corrine Brown, Vern Buchanan, John Boccieri and Dennis Kucinich and Sen. George Voinovich have all come, eaten and happily signed. One person familiar with all these signings was overheard saying, "I don't know if they like it, but they sign it."
Another person who has signed the facebook without his face even being in it? Al Franken, who's still in an ongoing battle with Norm Coleman for one of Minnesota's U.S. Senate seats. Franken came to the restaurant a few months before the election, we're told, and signed away — only he signed on top of Coleman's signature.
In the book, he drew a big box with an "X" inside it, signed his name and then, over to the right, put the election percentages, with the header: "CNN DECLARES FRANKEN."
After Franken's name, there's a "53%" and after Coleman's name there's a "47%."
So he's off, by a little.
Franken, always the jokester, was confident even then.
As for those in Franken's camp, they didn't comment.
Coleman spokesman Tom Erickson told Shenanigans in response to Franken's antics: "Proof positive that leopards never change their spots."
By Anne Schroeder Mullins Politico
Updated: 05/26/2009 08:49:50 AM CDT
It's not quite a John Hancock moment, but Senate candidate Al Franken left his mark on one of Washington's elite power restaurants.
Trattoria Alberto of Capitol Hill is a quaint Italian restaurant on 8th Street Southeast, blocks from Capitol Hill, that is frequented by myriad representatives and senators.
So many happen upon the fine establishment — it's a favorite of lobbyists, as well — that a few years ago the restaurant started asking lawmakers who dined there to autograph the restaurant's own copy of a facebook. (It speaks volumes about the restaurant that it even has a facebook. A facebook, to those uninitiated, is a yearly booklet that has pictures of and information about all the current members of Congress.) Representatives like John Sullivan, Jerry Lewis, Corrine Brown, Vern Buchanan, John Boccieri and Dennis Kucinich and Sen. George Voinovich have all come, eaten and happily signed. One person familiar with all these signings was overheard saying, "I don't know if they like it, but they sign it."
Another person who has signed the facebook without his face even being in it? Al Franken, who's still in an ongoing battle with Norm Coleman for one of Minnesota's U.S. Senate seats. Franken came to the restaurant a few months before the election, we're told, and signed away — only he signed on top of Coleman's signature.
In the book, he drew a big box with an "X" inside it, signed his name and then, over to the right, put the election percentages, with the header: "CNN DECLARES FRANKEN."
After Franken's name, there's a "53%" and after Coleman's name there's a "47%."
So he's off, by a little.
Franken, always the jokester, was confident even then.
As for those in Franken's camp, they didn't comment.
Coleman spokesman Tom Erickson told Shenanigans in response to Franken's antics: "Proof positive that leopards never change their spots."
Have Twitter. Will keep politicians on their toes.
Pioneer Press 5/26/09
By Julio Ojeda-Zapata jojeda@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 05/26/2009 10:21:49 AM CDT
Minnesota politicos, be warned: The Twitter throngs are watching you and influencing how the media cover you.
Twitter, the popular microblogging service for swapping online-text posts, has become a conduit for politics junkies to compare notes in a water-cooler fashion on what politicians are saying.
Many watched live video of this year's legislative session and went into tweeting frenzies when a politician uttered something juicy.
The local Twitterverse flared when former Gov. Arne Carlson was deemed Republican politician non grata at one point in the proceedings and when former Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer incorrectly called Minnesota the only state to allow one voter to vouch for another at the polls (Iowa also permits this).
These citizen observers are godsends for The Uptake, a St. Paul-based independent journalism group that specializes in video-based coverage.
While The UpTake set up live streaming video of session activity, the thinly staffed organization couldn't catch every important utterance.
So it invited its Twitter followers to serve as session spotters and tweet about them.
As a result, roughly half the edited video pieces at theuptake.org were from Twitter-based tips. UpTake executive producer Mike McIntee said editors easily could match the tweet timestamps to those on the corresponding videos.
Twitter is a good "gauge of how interesting something is for an audience" and therefore a great way to craft edited videos that will draw decent Web traffic, McIntee said.
Twitter rose to political prominence in the Twin Cities during last year's Republican National Convention, when everyone from mainstream and independent journalists to political junkies and protest organizers used the service to communicate. The UpTake, for instance, used Twitter to coordinate staffers' street movements amid mass arrests and clouds of tear gas.
This year, Twitter users chronicled the U.S. Senate race recount in all its intricacy and documented each twist and turn of the legislative session. As a result, the service emerged locally as a form of media coverage all its own.
"You really do get the play-by-play, which is a pretty fascinating and positive thing, especially for those monitoring the news mainly via Twitter," said Eric Ostermeier, author of the Smart Politics blog at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs (and who tweets as "SmartPolitics").
"You could take any five top Twitter accounts" focused on local politics, "and I can't imagine you could find a more complete picture of what went on at the Minnesota Legislature," said the UpTake's Chuck Olsen ("chuckumentary" on Twitter).
Olsen cited his group's "uptakemn" account, along with Minnesota Public Radio's "tomscheck," the Pioneer Press' "PolAnimal," "PoliticsMN" and "radiofreenation" as notable local political Twitter feeds.
Dozens of local feeds span the ideological spectrum — from "DavidStrom," the conservative pundit and radio host, and the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life's "MCCL_org" feed, to St. Paul's "wellstoneaction" and the Norm Coleman-needling "GiveItupNorm."
However, Twitter is hardly a substitute for long-form journalism via newspaper articles and thoughtful blog posts, said Aaron Landry, a local blogger and political observer who tweets as "s4xton."
"Twitter is horrible for reading political analysis," Landry said. "But it's invaluable for finding out what's happening right now. It's the go-to place for breaking information."
Julio Ojeda-Zapata can be reached at 651-228-5467.
By Julio Ojeda-Zapata jojeda@pioneerpress.com
Updated: 05/26/2009 10:21:49 AM CDT
Minnesota politicos, be warned: The Twitter throngs are watching you and influencing how the media cover you.
Twitter, the popular microblogging service for swapping online-text posts, has become a conduit for politics junkies to compare notes in a water-cooler fashion on what politicians are saying.
Many watched live video of this year's legislative session and went into tweeting frenzies when a politician uttered something juicy.
The local Twitterverse flared when former Gov. Arne Carlson was deemed Republican politician non grata at one point in the proceedings and when former Secretary of State Mary Kiffmeyer incorrectly called Minnesota the only state to allow one voter to vouch for another at the polls (Iowa also permits this).
These citizen observers are godsends for The Uptake, a St. Paul-based independent journalism group that specializes in video-based coverage.
While The UpTake set up live streaming video of session activity, the thinly staffed organization couldn't catch every important utterance.
So it invited its Twitter followers to serve as session spotters and tweet about them.
As a result, roughly half the edited video pieces at theuptake.org were from Twitter-based tips. UpTake executive producer Mike McIntee said editors easily could match the tweet timestamps to those on the corresponding videos.
Twitter is a good "gauge of how interesting something is for an audience" and therefore a great way to craft edited videos that will draw decent Web traffic, McIntee said.
Twitter rose to political prominence in the Twin Cities during last year's Republican National Convention, when everyone from mainstream and independent journalists to political junkies and protest organizers used the service to communicate. The UpTake, for instance, used Twitter to coordinate staffers' street movements amid mass arrests and clouds of tear gas.
This year, Twitter users chronicled the U.S. Senate race recount in all its intricacy and documented each twist and turn of the legislative session. As a result, the service emerged locally as a form of media coverage all its own.
"You really do get the play-by-play, which is a pretty fascinating and positive thing, especially for those monitoring the news mainly via Twitter," said Eric Ostermeier, author of the Smart Politics blog at the University of Minnesota's Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs (and who tweets as "SmartPolitics").
"You could take any five top Twitter accounts" focused on local politics, "and I can't imagine you could find a more complete picture of what went on at the Minnesota Legislature," said the UpTake's Chuck Olsen ("chuckumentary" on Twitter).
Olsen cited his group's "uptakemn" account, along with Minnesota Public Radio's "tomscheck," the Pioneer Press' "PolAnimal," "PoliticsMN" and "radiofreenation" as notable local political Twitter feeds.
Dozens of local feeds span the ideological spectrum — from "DavidStrom," the conservative pundit and radio host, and the Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life's "MCCL_org" feed, to St. Paul's "wellstoneaction" and the Norm Coleman-needling "GiveItupNorm."
However, Twitter is hardly a substitute for long-form journalism via newspaper articles and thoughtful blog posts, said Aaron Landry, a local blogger and political observer who tweets as "s4xton."
"Twitter is horrible for reading political analysis," Landry said. "But it's invaluable for finding out what's happening right now. It's the go-to place for breaking information."
Julio Ojeda-Zapata can be reached at 651-228-5467.
I tweet, you tweet, even Pawlenty tweets
Pioneer Press 5/26/09
Welcome to Twitter, Minnesota's new frontier of political communication
Updated: 05/26/2009 10:22:55 AM CDT
By Rachel E. Stassen-Berger rstassen-berger@pioneerpress.com
Minnesota politicians long ago perfected the art of using lots of words to say almost nothing. This year, they worked on saying an awful lot with just 140 characters.
When Gov. Tim Pawlenty sent a budget offer to Democratic lawmakers during the legislative session, House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher's first public response was on Twitter, a social messaging service.
"Governor's letter a compromise? Compromise in word only, doesn't balance the budget. Not a responsible plan," wrote the speaker, who posts on Twitter as @MAKMinnesota.
If you were interested in the debate about whether police can stop drivers to enforce seat belt rules, you could find a concise explanation on Twitter.
"Primary seatbelt legislation on house floor. The various arguments boil down to personal responsibility vs. enforcing safety," wrote @laurabrod, aka Rep. Laura Brod, R-New Prague, from the House floor last week. The bill was passed and signed into law.
Welcome to the new frontier of political communication. Twitter users can send notes no longer than the first two sentences of this article. Elected officials have started voicing opinions, sharing news and connecting with supporters, reporters and others on Twitter.
"It's a nice, simple, quick way of communicating," Brod said. "We need more and more people paying attention to what we are doing from St. Paul, and I am looking for any opportunity I can get to engage people, in whatever venue or environment that works best."
Brod and Kelliher were two of the early adopters of Twitter, which really took off in Minnesota politics this year. More than 30 Minnesota politicians, state officials and staffers use Twitter to interact and get their messages out.
"I would equate it to play-by-play politics," said Blois Olson, executive vice president at Tunheim Partners and public relations guru.
The Twittering ranks include former Sen. Norm Coleman, aka @SenatorColeman — who recently posted that his knee surgery would be a good way to keep his mind off his court fight — about a quarter of the Minnesota House members, four of Minnesota's nine-member congressional delegation, several candidates for governor and Pawlenty's political arm, @pawlenty.
Pawlenty's Twitter initiation last month was a bit bumpy. At first, he had a staffer send his messages, and his Twitter page was designed with a white-on-white background, making it all but impossible to read. Now, according to Trisha Hamm, his political director, he often sends his "tweets" — as Twitter posts are known — himself.
The day after the legislative session ended, Pawlenty's Twitter channel transmitted his political take on the Legislature: "DFL #mnleg failed to enact balanced budget or any reforms. Now flying around state to brag about it. What color is the sky in their world?" (#mnleg is the hashtag — see guide inside for Twitter terms — followers of the Legislature use to keep track of events.)
A few hours later, Kelliher responded with a simple: "My Minnesota sky is blue."
The two messages were retweeted — that is, copied and sent out — to thousands of watchers.
Political Twittering can lead to unfortunate results.
Some of Rep. Paul Gardner's impassioned tweets during a tax bill debate offended two Republican members — so much so that they prepared an ethics complaint against the Shoreview DFLer.
Gardner's posts suggested Republican Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, targeted female politicians in his parries and that Rep. Mark Buesgens, R-Jordan, might have a black eye.
"This is the most bizarre thing in the world," said Emmer, who was informed of the offending tweets soon after Gardner posted them. He said the online messages were unfair and inappropriate. "This is not only bad form, this is wrong. You go after people's reputations in the sea of the Internet, and it never goes away."
The offending tweets were deleted, a high-level meeting was called, and Gardner issued a public apology: "I apologize for this transgression. We often get emotional during important debate, and tempers can flare, but that can be no excuse."
In an interview, he said the lesson was learned.
"The first thing that pops in your head is not the first thing you should say on Twitter," he said.
Gardner said with all new communications tools — e-mail, Facebook, message boards — someone tests the limits, and that helps define good and bad uses.
"I'm the first guy to hit the fence," Gardner said. "The silver lining is that I think of a lot of people who were not really helping the debate with their electronic communications should learn from my example."
But Emmer and Buesgens' ethics complaint lives on — days past the time Gardner deleted the messages — and last week, Emmer said the issue is unresolved.
House Speaker Kelliher said Twitter, like other new media, does call for a rethinking of how members communicate.
"I think sometimes people should count to 10 before they tweet," Kelliher said. "It does make us revisit again our policy on electronic media and the respectful use of electronic media in the workplace."
But Kelliher — who can talk at length about the glories of Tweetdeck, a program that helps manage Twitter — has embraced the social network, warts and all.
"I think it makes sense in the real time, especially in the fast-paced environment, (to be) able to respond and get something out there," said Kelliher, who added she sometimes tracked legislative action via Twitter during the session. "I actually think it's a tool that can add transparency to public negotiating on public matters. I think that is fascinating."
POLITICAL TWITTER
For a listing of Minnesota politicians, governments, political reporters, bloggers and others involved in politics and have a Twitter presence, go to mnpoltwitter.pbworks.com.
Welcome to Twitter, Minnesota's new frontier of political communication
Updated: 05/26/2009 10:22:55 AM CDT
By Rachel E. Stassen-Berger rstassen-berger@pioneerpress.com
Minnesota politicians long ago perfected the art of using lots of words to say almost nothing. This year, they worked on saying an awful lot with just 140 characters.
When Gov. Tim Pawlenty sent a budget offer to Democratic lawmakers during the legislative session, House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher's first public response was on Twitter, a social messaging service.
"Governor's letter a compromise? Compromise in word only, doesn't balance the budget. Not a responsible plan," wrote the speaker, who posts on Twitter as @MAKMinnesota.
If you were interested in the debate about whether police can stop drivers to enforce seat belt rules, you could find a concise explanation on Twitter.
"Primary seatbelt legislation on house floor. The various arguments boil down to personal responsibility vs. enforcing safety," wrote @laurabrod, aka Rep. Laura Brod, R-New Prague, from the House floor last week. The bill was passed and signed into law.
Welcome to the new frontier of political communication. Twitter users can send notes no longer than the first two sentences of this article. Elected officials have started voicing opinions, sharing news and connecting with supporters, reporters and others on Twitter.
"It's a nice, simple, quick way of communicating," Brod said. "We need more and more people paying attention to what we are doing from St. Paul, and I am looking for any opportunity I can get to engage people, in whatever venue or environment that works best."
Brod and Kelliher were two of the early adopters of Twitter, which really took off in Minnesota politics this year. More than 30 Minnesota politicians, state officials and staffers use Twitter to interact and get their messages out.
"I would equate it to play-by-play politics," said Blois Olson, executive vice president at Tunheim Partners and public relations guru.
The Twittering ranks include former Sen. Norm Coleman, aka @SenatorColeman — who recently posted that his knee surgery would be a good way to keep his mind off his court fight — about a quarter of the Minnesota House members, four of Minnesota's nine-member congressional delegation, several candidates for governor and Pawlenty's political arm, @pawlenty.
Pawlenty's Twitter initiation last month was a bit bumpy. At first, he had a staffer send his messages, and his Twitter page was designed with a white-on-white background, making it all but impossible to read. Now, according to Trisha Hamm, his political director, he often sends his "tweets" — as Twitter posts are known — himself.
The day after the legislative session ended, Pawlenty's Twitter channel transmitted his political take on the Legislature: "DFL #mnleg failed to enact balanced budget or any reforms. Now flying around state to brag about it. What color is the sky in their world?" (#mnleg is the hashtag — see guide inside for Twitter terms — followers of the Legislature use to keep track of events.)
A few hours later, Kelliher responded with a simple: "My Minnesota sky is blue."
The two messages were retweeted — that is, copied and sent out — to thousands of watchers.
Political Twittering can lead to unfortunate results.
Some of Rep. Paul Gardner's impassioned tweets during a tax bill debate offended two Republican members — so much so that they prepared an ethics complaint against the Shoreview DFLer.
Gardner's posts suggested Republican Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, targeted female politicians in his parries and that Rep. Mark Buesgens, R-Jordan, might have a black eye.
"This is the most bizarre thing in the world," said Emmer, who was informed of the offending tweets soon after Gardner posted them. He said the online messages were unfair and inappropriate. "This is not only bad form, this is wrong. You go after people's reputations in the sea of the Internet, and it never goes away."
The offending tweets were deleted, a high-level meeting was called, and Gardner issued a public apology: "I apologize for this transgression. We often get emotional during important debate, and tempers can flare, but that can be no excuse."
In an interview, he said the lesson was learned.
"The first thing that pops in your head is not the first thing you should say on Twitter," he said.
Gardner said with all new communications tools — e-mail, Facebook, message boards — someone tests the limits, and that helps define good and bad uses.
"I'm the first guy to hit the fence," Gardner said. "The silver lining is that I think of a lot of people who were not really helping the debate with their electronic communications should learn from my example."
But Emmer and Buesgens' ethics complaint lives on — days past the time Gardner deleted the messages — and last week, Emmer said the issue is unresolved.
House Speaker Kelliher said Twitter, like other new media, does call for a rethinking of how members communicate.
"I think sometimes people should count to 10 before they tweet," Kelliher said. "It does make us revisit again our policy on electronic media and the respectful use of electronic media in the workplace."
But Kelliher — who can talk at length about the glories of Tweetdeck, a program that helps manage Twitter — has embraced the social network, warts and all.
"I think it makes sense in the real time, especially in the fast-paced environment, (to be) able to respond and get something out there," said Kelliher, who added she sometimes tracked legislative action via Twitter during the session. "I actually think it's a tool that can add transparency to public negotiating on public matters. I think that is fascinating."
POLITICAL TWITTER
For a listing of Minnesota politicians, governments, political reporters, bloggers and others involved in politics and have a Twitter presence, go to mnpoltwitter.pbworks.com.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Other last-day actions at the Minnesota Legislature
Pioneer Press May 19, 2009
Lawmakers started this year's session with big ideas about how to change Minnesota election laws.
On Monday, the House and Senate passed a gutted compromise that contained only the least sticky parts of the bill. No early voting, no photo ID and no registering online.
Left in the bill: The now-September primary would be moved up to August, and measures would be put in place to standardize absentee balloting, which has become a major issue in the still-unfinished 2008 U.S. Senate race.
But what the bill lacked — particularly a photo ID requirement — led Republicans to vote against it in the House and Senate.
Although the measure passed with hefty majorities in both chambers, it didn't win much Republican support, and that may doom the measure to a veto.
"Election reform needs to be done on a bipartisan basis, and this bill does not appear to meet that test," Gov. Tim Pawlenty's spokesman Brian McClung said.
— Rachel E. Stassen-Berger
House and Senate pass marijuana bill
After a decade of debate, the Minnesota House and Senate passed a bill to sanction medical marijuana in the state.
The Senate passed its version last month, and the House — taking up the issue for the first time — approved a version 70-64 during the waning hours of the 2009 session. The Senate concurred with the House's version on a 38-28 vote.
The House debate sometimes was emotional, with Democrats and Republicans recalling family members lost to cancer.
"We're talking about the quality of people's life at the end of life," said Rep. Mark Buesgens, R-Jordan, one of a handful of Republicans to support the bill.
The House version was narrowed from the original bill considerably. A provision allowing patients to grow their own marijuana plants was removed on the floor, and a controversial amendment was added restricting the use of marijuana to terminally ill patients suffering a debilitating illness.
That amendment removes medical marijuana eligibility for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy who need the drug to combat nausea. Rep. Joe Atkins, DFL-Inver Grove Heights, said he offered the amendment in the hopes of making it more likely that Gov. Tim Pawlenty would support the bill.
Senate sponsor Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, called the Atkins amendment "unneeded."
The bill would establish a licensing system for patients with a doctor's recommendation for marijuana. They then would be issued a photo identification, allowing them to purchase marijuana at state-licensed marijuana dispensaries.
The bill now heads to Pawlenty's desk. Citing law enforcement concerns, he and others have opposed the bill.
"I'm just not willing to give up the war on drugs," said Rep. Tony Cornish, R-Good Thunder, the police chief in Lake Crystal.
If medical marijuana continues to stall at the Capitol, backers have said they would consider a constitutional amendment, taking the issue straight to voters.
"If this bill's not good enough for the governor, then we're going to bypass his office next year," Murphy said. That would put the issue on the same ballot as next year's gubernatorial race.
Of the 13 states with medical marijuana laws, nine have passed through popular vote.
— Jason Hoppin
Tougher seat belt law on the way
After years of stalling in the Minnesota House, legislation giving police more power to ticket unbuckled motorists was cruising toward becoming law Monday
The House passed the so-called primary seat belt law, 73-60. The Senate later approved the bill, 47-19, and sent it to the governor, who has voiced his support.
The bill would give police the authority to pull over and ticket motorists solely because they or their passengers aren't buckled up. Currently, law enforcement must spot another traffic offense to make the stop.The violation would carry a $25 fine.
Minnesota has $3.4 million in federal transportation money riding on the change.
Opponents say seat belt use should remain a personal choice, and they worry it will be a basis for racial profiling.
— Associated Press
Next session's start scheduled for Feb. 4
The Minnesota Legislature will be back in town in 8 1/2 months.Both houses have adopted a resolution setting the start of the 2010 session as Feb. 4.
Typically, sessions held in even years start later than January, because the main work of adopting the two-year budget is done in odd years. But other issues can crop up during the break.
Democrats, who control the Legislature, originally aimed to start the session on Groundhog Day, Feb. 2, but pushed the date back so it wouldn't conflict with precinct caucuses held that evening.
Lawmakers started this year's session with big ideas about how to change Minnesota election laws.
On Monday, the House and Senate passed a gutted compromise that contained only the least sticky parts of the bill. No early voting, no photo ID and no registering online.
Left in the bill: The now-September primary would be moved up to August, and measures would be put in place to standardize absentee balloting, which has become a major issue in the still-unfinished 2008 U.S. Senate race.
But what the bill lacked — particularly a photo ID requirement — led Republicans to vote against it in the House and Senate.
Although the measure passed with hefty majorities in both chambers, it didn't win much Republican support, and that may doom the measure to a veto.
"Election reform needs to be done on a bipartisan basis, and this bill does not appear to meet that test," Gov. Tim Pawlenty's spokesman Brian McClung said.
— Rachel E. Stassen-Berger
House and Senate pass marijuana bill
After a decade of debate, the Minnesota House and Senate passed a bill to sanction medical marijuana in the state.
The Senate passed its version last month, and the House — taking up the issue for the first time — approved a version 70-64 during the waning hours of the 2009 session. The Senate concurred with the House's version on a 38-28 vote.
The House debate sometimes was emotional, with Democrats and Republicans recalling family members lost to cancer.
"We're talking about the quality of people's life at the end of life," said Rep. Mark Buesgens, R-Jordan, one of a handful of Republicans to support the bill.
The House version was narrowed from the original bill considerably. A provision allowing patients to grow their own marijuana plants was removed on the floor, and a controversial amendment was added restricting the use of marijuana to terminally ill patients suffering a debilitating illness.
That amendment removes medical marijuana eligibility for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy who need the drug to combat nausea. Rep. Joe Atkins, DFL-Inver Grove Heights, said he offered the amendment in the hopes of making it more likely that Gov. Tim Pawlenty would support the bill.
Senate sponsor Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, called the Atkins amendment "unneeded."
The bill would establish a licensing system for patients with a doctor's recommendation for marijuana. They then would be issued a photo identification, allowing them to purchase marijuana at state-licensed marijuana dispensaries.
The bill now heads to Pawlenty's desk. Citing law enforcement concerns, he and others have opposed the bill.
"I'm just not willing to give up the war on drugs," said Rep. Tony Cornish, R-Good Thunder, the police chief in Lake Crystal.
If medical marijuana continues to stall at the Capitol, backers have said they would consider a constitutional amendment, taking the issue straight to voters.
"If this bill's not good enough for the governor, then we're going to bypass his office next year," Murphy said. That would put the issue on the same ballot as next year's gubernatorial race.
Of the 13 states with medical marijuana laws, nine have passed through popular vote.
— Jason Hoppin
Tougher seat belt law on the way
After years of stalling in the Minnesota House, legislation giving police more power to ticket unbuckled motorists was cruising toward becoming law Monday
The House passed the so-called primary seat belt law, 73-60. The Senate later approved the bill, 47-19, and sent it to the governor, who has voiced his support.
The bill would give police the authority to pull over and ticket motorists solely because they or their passengers aren't buckled up. Currently, law enforcement must spot another traffic offense to make the stop.The violation would carry a $25 fine.
Minnesota has $3.4 million in federal transportation money riding on the change.
Opponents say seat belt use should remain a personal choice, and they worry it will be a basis for racial profiling.
— Associated Press
Next session's start scheduled for Feb. 4
The Minnesota Legislature will be back in town in 8 1/2 months.Both houses have adopted a resolution setting the start of the 2010 session as Feb. 4.
Typically, sessions held in even years start later than January, because the main work of adopting the two-year budget is done in odd years. But other issues can crop up during the break.
Democrats, who control the Legislature, originally aimed to start the session on Groundhog Day, Feb. 2, but pushed the date back so it wouldn't conflict with precinct caucuses held that evening.
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
Legislature: It's over -- No deal
In an act of defiance in the final hour, DFLers passed a revised tax bill that faces a certain veto. Gov. Tim Pawlenty stayed firm in his decision to make $1.2 billion in budget cuts all by himself.
By PATRICIA LOPEZ and MIKE KASZUBA, Star Tribune staff writers
Last update: May 19, 2009 - 7:28 AM
Working to a truly bitter end, the Minnesota Legislature adjourned at midnight Monday, following a final gesture of defiance toward Gov. Tim Pawlenty, as the DFL-led House and Senate passed a massive $2.7 billion bill that would wipe out the state's deficit through a $1 billion tax increase and a one-time shift.
Speaking at a rapid-fire clip and ignoring the shouts of Republican legislators, House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, muscled the bill through in moments on an 82-47 vote. That's well short of the 90 votes needed for a veto override, but strong enough to send the intended message to Pawlenty and the public. Minutes later, the Senate approved the bill on a 35-1 vote.
The bill, which mirrors an earlier version vetoed by Pawlenty that raised income taxes on the wealthy, liquor and credit card companies, is destined for a certain veto by Pawlenty, who now will be left to make good on his promise to balance the budget through unilateral cuts, or "unallotments."
With 30 minutes to go, House Taxes Chairwoman Ann Lenczewski, DFL-Bloomington, introduced the hastily composed bill that contained a tax increase of more than $1 billion and $1.8 billion in shifts.
House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, protested "tax increases that you're trying to cram down our throats in the dark of night."
House Republicans desperately tried to prolong debate and run out the clock but failed, as did their counterparts in the Senate moments later.
"Let's not finish this way," pleaded Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem, R-Rochester. "This is a disgrace. I cannot believe what we have just done."
The scene on the Senate floor was chaotic. At least five Republican senators tried to get formally recognized by Senate President James Metzen in what they said was an attempt to get more details of the DFL's budget bill. When one Republican senator, Sen. Julianne Ortman, R-Chanhassen, tried to ask the budget bill's Senate DFL author, Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, for details on the proposal, Bakk sat silently at his desk and did not respond.
Metzen, in the end, ignored the Republican pleas as the DFL senators sat quietly in their chairs and the budget bill was quickly approved. Day, at one point, carried a roll of silver duct tape to Pogemiller's desk, trying to show that the DFLers were trying to stitch together a last-second budget plan.
"Mr. Pogemiller, can't you do something about this?" said Sen. Paul Koering, R-Fort Ripley, who suddenly shot up out of seat and looked back at Pogemiller.
DFL leaders said the blame for any unallotments would lie with Pawlenty's refusal to sanction any new tax revenue even in the face of a $4.6 billion deficit and his insistence on one-time solutions.
Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said Minnesotans would thank Pawlenty for protecting them from tax increases. He said the governor would meet with agency heads today to review the budget challenges ahead, while Democrats fly around the state trying to explain why they failed to balance the budget.
Minnesotans are "going to remember that the Democrats couldn't pass a balanced budget ... so they left it to the governor to clean up their mess," McClung said.
While the latest tax bill would be dead on arrival, it could be an important component in the messaging wars that may soon replace the legislative battle.
DFL leaders will begin touring the state today to warn of the consequences of Pawlenty's solution, while mayors said they would mobilize their own efforts.
A lack of trust
"Minnesota is now headed toward the unallotment cliff," said Wadena Mayor Wayne Wolden, president of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities. Facing unallotments to the local government aid that is the lifeblood of some smaller cities, Wolden said that "while the governor and legislative leaders are content to blame each other, Minnesota communities are about to be delivered a huge body blow in the form of huge property taxes and cuts to public safety, libraries and other critical services."
Sen. Linda Berglin, DFL-Minneapolis, a leading voice for Democrats on health care, had said earlier in the day that she intended to work till "the last minute" to mitigate health care cuts, particularly to General Assistance Medical Care, the state's program for the poor that Pawlenty vetoed, effective July 2010. But she said she had little hope.
Fear of Pawlenty's unallotment zeal ran so deep, she said, "we would need an ironclad agreement" from him that if legislators helped restore funds to GAMC by cutting elsewhere, "he wouldn't turn around and unallot GAMC."
In the House, rookie Rep. Andrew Falk, DFL-Murdock, became a near-hero in his caucus for quickly crafting a bill that would rescind the governor's unallotment powers -- a proposal that in 24 hours had gained 34 cosponsors. Falk said that if his bill did not get a hearing on Monday, he would bring it back next year.
"This is an abuse of power," Falk said. "It was intended as a surgical tool, not a blunt instrument. He [Pawlenty] put his name on all our budget bills, but vetoed the bill that helped pay for it all. Then, he turns around and says he'll unallot while we're still in session. That's not a good way to govern."
Veteran House Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, agreed, saying that unallotment was authorized during the '80s recession and multiple special sessions. "It was used sparingly until this governor," she said.
How the late bill came about
House Tax Chair Lenczewski said that she, Senate Taxes Chairman Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, Kelliher and Pogemiller had worked on the revised tax bill throughout the day. But when the time came for a vote, Bakk withheld his.
Later he told reporters he was concerned about the size of the shift and acknowledged that, unbeknownst to House leaders, he had been meeting privately with Pawlenty on a plan of his own.
Bakk said he had met Management and Budget Commissioner Tom Hanson for breakfast on Friday to talk over impasse. On Saturday night, he said, while sitting in a Legislative Planning and Fiscal Policy Committee meeting with Kelliher and others, he was slipped a note asking him to meet with Pawlenty and Hanson. The night before adjournment, Bakk called Hanson at 10:30 p.m. to propose a 5 percent, across-the-board income tax surcharge, a smaller shift and a promise from Pawlenty not to unallot until April, giving the Legislature another chance to resolve the deficit.
"Pawlenty never got back to me on that," Bakk said.
Kelliher said it became clear to legislative leaders that Pawlenty was unwilling to budge from what she called his "borrow and spend" solution. The last-minute tax bill, she said, answered the charge that DFLers had not balanced the budget.
"It was important to pass a balanced budget that made it all the way through to the governor's desk," she said.
In the weeks to come, she said, "there probably will be a lot of talk about whether Gov. Pawlenty has kind of crossed a line," with his unallotment ultimatum.
"This is one of the most difficult sessions anyone can remember in modern times," she said.
House Republicans, by contrast, said they would leave St. Paul feeling that many Minnesotans would applaud Pawlenty's political and budgetary maneuvering in the past week and their own successful blocks of DFL veto overrides.
Sen. Geoff Michel, R-Edina, called Monday "a brutal night for Minnesotans and taxpayers. ... After the bad theater tonight, the good news is that when Minnesotans wake up tomorrow, this will not be law. The governor in the corner office will take this $34 billion of spending and he's going to roll it back so that we have a balanced budget."
Upending the chess table
Rep. Keith Downey, R-Edina, a freshman legislator, said that the "seeming lack of interest in progress on the part of the DFL was really quite shocking to me. They wanted to bash the governor and his budget for as long as they could." Downey said it was the DFL's "vacuum of leadership" that likely turned the House Republican minority into a tight group that showed few signs of wavering. In his district, he said, people are not necessarily pleased with the budget cuts but "most people are very pleased that we're going to exert some fiscal responsibility."
DFLers have defined progress differently, saying that Pawlenty fenced off tax revenues early in the session despite what was then a $6.4 billion deficit, willingly accepted federal money that brought it down to $4.6 billion and then proceeded to block off any new potential source of revenue.
Some Republicans said last year's veto override on a gasoline tax, in which six Republicans joined forces with DFLers, actually helped the GOP stay together politically this year. Two of the six were bounced from office in the November elections.
"The 47 of us are stronger than the 49 of us were last year," said Rep. Michael Beard, R-Shakopee, a fourth-term legislator. Beard said Pawlenty had showed in the past week that he had matured politically. "I've watched him grow" as governor, Beard said. "He's done a masterful job."
Pawlenty upended the chess table last week with his surprise decision to use unallotments at an unprecedented level. DFLers said that House Republicans who backed Pawlenty would face criticism once Minnesotans felt the depth of the budget cuts they authorized.
"I can't believe all 47 [House Republicans] are walking the plank" with the governor, said Rep. Jeremy Kalin, DFL-North Branch. "I have a hard time believing they're not hearing [criticism from Minnesotans]. It may be they're not listening."
Staff writer Kevin Duchschere contributed to this report.
--Patricia Lopez • 651-222-1288
--Mike Kaszuba • 651-222-1673
By PATRICIA LOPEZ and MIKE KASZUBA, Star Tribune staff writers
Last update: May 19, 2009 - 7:28 AM
Working to a truly bitter end, the Minnesota Legislature adjourned at midnight Monday, following a final gesture of defiance toward Gov. Tim Pawlenty, as the DFL-led House and Senate passed a massive $2.7 billion bill that would wipe out the state's deficit through a $1 billion tax increase and a one-time shift.
Speaking at a rapid-fire clip and ignoring the shouts of Republican legislators, House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, muscled the bill through in moments on an 82-47 vote. That's well short of the 90 votes needed for a veto override, but strong enough to send the intended message to Pawlenty and the public. Minutes later, the Senate approved the bill on a 35-1 vote.
The bill, which mirrors an earlier version vetoed by Pawlenty that raised income taxes on the wealthy, liquor and credit card companies, is destined for a certain veto by Pawlenty, who now will be left to make good on his promise to balance the budget through unilateral cuts, or "unallotments."
With 30 minutes to go, House Taxes Chairwoman Ann Lenczewski, DFL-Bloomington, introduced the hastily composed bill that contained a tax increase of more than $1 billion and $1.8 billion in shifts.
House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, protested "tax increases that you're trying to cram down our throats in the dark of night."
House Republicans desperately tried to prolong debate and run out the clock but failed, as did their counterparts in the Senate moments later.
"Let's not finish this way," pleaded Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem, R-Rochester. "This is a disgrace. I cannot believe what we have just done."
The scene on the Senate floor was chaotic. At least five Republican senators tried to get formally recognized by Senate President James Metzen in what they said was an attempt to get more details of the DFL's budget bill. When one Republican senator, Sen. Julianne Ortman, R-Chanhassen, tried to ask the budget bill's Senate DFL author, Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, for details on the proposal, Bakk sat silently at his desk and did not respond.
Metzen, in the end, ignored the Republican pleas as the DFL senators sat quietly in their chairs and the budget bill was quickly approved. Day, at one point, carried a roll of silver duct tape to Pogemiller's desk, trying to show that the DFLers were trying to stitch together a last-second budget plan.
"Mr. Pogemiller, can't you do something about this?" said Sen. Paul Koering, R-Fort Ripley, who suddenly shot up out of seat and looked back at Pogemiller.
DFL leaders said the blame for any unallotments would lie with Pawlenty's refusal to sanction any new tax revenue even in the face of a $4.6 billion deficit and his insistence on one-time solutions.
Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said Minnesotans would thank Pawlenty for protecting them from tax increases. He said the governor would meet with agency heads today to review the budget challenges ahead, while Democrats fly around the state trying to explain why they failed to balance the budget.
Minnesotans are "going to remember that the Democrats couldn't pass a balanced budget ... so they left it to the governor to clean up their mess," McClung said.
While the latest tax bill would be dead on arrival, it could be an important component in the messaging wars that may soon replace the legislative battle.
DFL leaders will begin touring the state today to warn of the consequences of Pawlenty's solution, while mayors said they would mobilize their own efforts.
A lack of trust
"Minnesota is now headed toward the unallotment cliff," said Wadena Mayor Wayne Wolden, president of the Coalition of Greater Minnesota Cities. Facing unallotments to the local government aid that is the lifeblood of some smaller cities, Wolden said that "while the governor and legislative leaders are content to blame each other, Minnesota communities are about to be delivered a huge body blow in the form of huge property taxes and cuts to public safety, libraries and other critical services."
Sen. Linda Berglin, DFL-Minneapolis, a leading voice for Democrats on health care, had said earlier in the day that she intended to work till "the last minute" to mitigate health care cuts, particularly to General Assistance Medical Care, the state's program for the poor that Pawlenty vetoed, effective July 2010. But she said she had little hope.
Fear of Pawlenty's unallotment zeal ran so deep, she said, "we would need an ironclad agreement" from him that if legislators helped restore funds to GAMC by cutting elsewhere, "he wouldn't turn around and unallot GAMC."
In the House, rookie Rep. Andrew Falk, DFL-Murdock, became a near-hero in his caucus for quickly crafting a bill that would rescind the governor's unallotment powers -- a proposal that in 24 hours had gained 34 cosponsors. Falk said that if his bill did not get a hearing on Monday, he would bring it back next year.
"This is an abuse of power," Falk said. "It was intended as a surgical tool, not a blunt instrument. He [Pawlenty] put his name on all our budget bills, but vetoed the bill that helped pay for it all. Then, he turns around and says he'll unallot while we're still in session. That's not a good way to govern."
Veteran House Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, agreed, saying that unallotment was authorized during the '80s recession and multiple special sessions. "It was used sparingly until this governor," she said.
How the late bill came about
House Tax Chair Lenczewski said that she, Senate Taxes Chairman Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, Kelliher and Pogemiller had worked on the revised tax bill throughout the day. But when the time came for a vote, Bakk withheld his.
Later he told reporters he was concerned about the size of the shift and acknowledged that, unbeknownst to House leaders, he had been meeting privately with Pawlenty on a plan of his own.
Bakk said he had met Management and Budget Commissioner Tom Hanson for breakfast on Friday to talk over impasse. On Saturday night, he said, while sitting in a Legislative Planning and Fiscal Policy Committee meeting with Kelliher and others, he was slipped a note asking him to meet with Pawlenty and Hanson. The night before adjournment, Bakk called Hanson at 10:30 p.m. to propose a 5 percent, across-the-board income tax surcharge, a smaller shift and a promise from Pawlenty not to unallot until April, giving the Legislature another chance to resolve the deficit.
"Pawlenty never got back to me on that," Bakk said.
Kelliher said it became clear to legislative leaders that Pawlenty was unwilling to budge from what she called his "borrow and spend" solution. The last-minute tax bill, she said, answered the charge that DFLers had not balanced the budget.
"It was important to pass a balanced budget that made it all the way through to the governor's desk," she said.
In the weeks to come, she said, "there probably will be a lot of talk about whether Gov. Pawlenty has kind of crossed a line," with his unallotment ultimatum.
"This is one of the most difficult sessions anyone can remember in modern times," she said.
House Republicans, by contrast, said they would leave St. Paul feeling that many Minnesotans would applaud Pawlenty's political and budgetary maneuvering in the past week and their own successful blocks of DFL veto overrides.
Sen. Geoff Michel, R-Edina, called Monday "a brutal night for Minnesotans and taxpayers. ... After the bad theater tonight, the good news is that when Minnesotans wake up tomorrow, this will not be law. The governor in the corner office will take this $34 billion of spending and he's going to roll it back so that we have a balanced budget."
Upending the chess table
Rep. Keith Downey, R-Edina, a freshman legislator, said that the "seeming lack of interest in progress on the part of the DFL was really quite shocking to me. They wanted to bash the governor and his budget for as long as they could." Downey said it was the DFL's "vacuum of leadership" that likely turned the House Republican minority into a tight group that showed few signs of wavering. In his district, he said, people are not necessarily pleased with the budget cuts but "most people are very pleased that we're going to exert some fiscal responsibility."
DFLers have defined progress differently, saying that Pawlenty fenced off tax revenues early in the session despite what was then a $6.4 billion deficit, willingly accepted federal money that brought it down to $4.6 billion and then proceeded to block off any new potential source of revenue.
Some Republicans said last year's veto override on a gasoline tax, in which six Republicans joined forces with DFLers, actually helped the GOP stay together politically this year. Two of the six were bounced from office in the November elections.
"The 47 of us are stronger than the 49 of us were last year," said Rep. Michael Beard, R-Shakopee, a fourth-term legislator. Beard said Pawlenty had showed in the past week that he had matured politically. "I've watched him grow" as governor, Beard said. "He's done a masterful job."
Pawlenty upended the chess table last week with his surprise decision to use unallotments at an unprecedented level. DFLers said that House Republicans who backed Pawlenty would face criticism once Minnesotans felt the depth of the budget cuts they authorized.
"I can't believe all 47 [House Republicans] are walking the plank" with the governor, said Rep. Jeremy Kalin, DFL-North Branch. "I have a hard time believing they're not hearing [criticism from Minnesotans]. It may be they're not listening."
Staff writer Kevin Duchschere contributed to this report.
--Patricia Lopez • 651-222-1288
--Mike Kaszuba • 651-222-1673
Parties swap blame on budget outcome
The use of unallotment looms. DFLers say it's an abuse of power. The governor says it's a duty.
By PAT DOYLE and BOB VON STERNBERG, Star Tribune staff writers
Last update: May 19, 2009 - 9:57 PM
As DFLers toured the state to blame Gov. Tim Pawlenty for the legislative session's budget breakdown, Pawlenty on Tuesday defended his decision to unilaterally cut state spending and downplayed its impact on health, welfare and education.
"The sky isn't going to fall," Pawlenty declared at a noon news conference. "We can get through this."
Pawlenty insisted he made real compromises during the legislative session, but now must use special gubernatorial power -- called unallotment -- to singlehandedly reduce spending and balance the upcoming budget.
DFLers said Pawlenty's threatened use of the tool in the final days of the session was an abuse of power and questioned whether it would withstand a court challenge, should one be filed.
"I believe that this is an abuse of what is supposed to be an emergency power," said Sen. Tarryl Clark, DFL-St. Cloud, assistant majority leader.
Rep. Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley, noted that state law said unallotment is supposed to be used when the finance commissioner determines that revenue "will be less than anticipated." Instead, he said, the state had expected a revenue shortfall for months.
"I think there is a real question whether the unallotment statute can be pushed that far," Winkler said, accusing Pawlenty of using the tool late "to create a budget on his own."
Winkler said he was "certain" that school districts, hospitals and nursing homes facing state cuts would consider challenging the governor's use of unallotment.
Pawlenty said an economic downturn of historic proportions demands that state government "tighten our belt and live on a little less money." He said his office has set up an e-mail address where Minnesotans can make budget-cutting suggestions: budgetideas@state.mn.us.
He reiterated his opposition to DFL proposals to raise taxes on the wealthy, liquor and credit card companies to help close the budget gap, saying, "It is not wise to raise taxes in the worst recession in 60 years."
But DFLers took the offensive in what promises to be a war over public opinion on who is responsible for the remaining $2.7 billion state budget shortfall in the two years beginning July 1.
DFL legislative leaders took off from St. Paul Downtown Airport at 8 a.m. on a fly-around of the state to give their side of the session that staggered to an acrimonious close at midnight Monday.
"We had a chance to bring back long-term stability to the budget the way Minnesotans wanted us to," said Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, in a prepared statement. "We took an approach of shared sacrifice and used a mix of cuts and revenue, and Minnesotans can clearly see the Legislature did its job. The governor refused to work with us and instead of offering compromises he issued ultimatums."
Entire budget to be examined
Pawlenty defended his plan to use unallotment, saying the law says the governor "shall" make cuts when receipts fall behind proposed spending. "I think we're on firm legal ground," he said.
"It's not an option -- it's a duty," Pawlenty said. "That job didn't get finished. I'm going to finish it."
While avoiding many specifics, Pawlenty sought to minimize the impact of what he called the "trimming" that he's expected to make. The overall spending reduction, he said, amounted to less than 4 percent.
He said a reduction in higher education spending would be "significantly less than 5 percent." He had earlier proposed a $190 million cut, but he said the final number is likely to be less than that.
Pawlenty repeated a desire to cut back on state aid to local government -- his administration had talked about a roughly half-billion-dollar reduction.
Such reductions could translate to higher property taxes if cities and counties lose state aid.
Pawlenty said he would try to hold elementary and secondary education spending steady.
"All of state government is going to be looked at," Pawlenty said. He had earlier acted to cut back state subsidized medical care for the poor.
The governor echoed a concern of some conservatives that people from other states are coming to Minnesota to receive its welfare benefits.
"They're coming because we have one of the most generous welfare systems in the country," he said. "That can probably be trimmed back."
Dueling verdicts
Pawlenty promised that an unallotment plan would be developed in time for the beginning of the new biennium on July 1.
The governor accepted a $1.7 billion shift in funding for schools to make up a portion of the deficit, but rejected the $1 billion in tax increases proposed by the DFL.
DFLers said the GOP governor rejected every possible tax increase they proposed. The DFL, in turn, ruled out a $1 billion borrowing plan Pawlenty proposed, which would have used future tobacco lawsuit settlement payments as collateral.
Within moments of the legislature's adjournment, dueling assessments were offered up by interest groups.
The conservative Taxpayers League of Minnesota issued a statement that said, in part, "We applaud Governor Pawlenty's leadership rather than listening to more whining from the Democrats whose only solution has been to raise taxes on every working Minnesotan. Even with their billion dollar tax proposal that they passed last week, House and Senate DFL leadership are still two billion dollars short of solving the budget deficit."
Countered Minnesota 2020, a liberal group, "The governor's decision to end budget negotiations and slash vital programs including hospitals, health care and local government aid hurts our state and the people who live here.
The governor's actions have terrible consequences for Minnesotans. ... His unilateral cuts will harm our state and the people who live here for years to come."
DFLers and Pawlenty agreed on one point: They said there would be no special session or government shutdown.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Pat Doyle • 651-222-1210
By PAT DOYLE and BOB VON STERNBERG, Star Tribune staff writers
Last update: May 19, 2009 - 9:57 PM
As DFLers toured the state to blame Gov. Tim Pawlenty for the legislative session's budget breakdown, Pawlenty on Tuesday defended his decision to unilaterally cut state spending and downplayed its impact on health, welfare and education.
"The sky isn't going to fall," Pawlenty declared at a noon news conference. "We can get through this."
Pawlenty insisted he made real compromises during the legislative session, but now must use special gubernatorial power -- called unallotment -- to singlehandedly reduce spending and balance the upcoming budget.
DFLers said Pawlenty's threatened use of the tool in the final days of the session was an abuse of power and questioned whether it would withstand a court challenge, should one be filed.
"I believe that this is an abuse of what is supposed to be an emergency power," said Sen. Tarryl Clark, DFL-St. Cloud, assistant majority leader.
Rep. Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley, noted that state law said unallotment is supposed to be used when the finance commissioner determines that revenue "will be less than anticipated." Instead, he said, the state had expected a revenue shortfall for months.
"I think there is a real question whether the unallotment statute can be pushed that far," Winkler said, accusing Pawlenty of using the tool late "to create a budget on his own."
Winkler said he was "certain" that school districts, hospitals and nursing homes facing state cuts would consider challenging the governor's use of unallotment.
Pawlenty said an economic downturn of historic proportions demands that state government "tighten our belt and live on a little less money." He said his office has set up an e-mail address where Minnesotans can make budget-cutting suggestions: budgetideas@state.mn.us.
He reiterated his opposition to DFL proposals to raise taxes on the wealthy, liquor and credit card companies to help close the budget gap, saying, "It is not wise to raise taxes in the worst recession in 60 years."
But DFLers took the offensive in what promises to be a war over public opinion on who is responsible for the remaining $2.7 billion state budget shortfall in the two years beginning July 1.
DFL legislative leaders took off from St. Paul Downtown Airport at 8 a.m. on a fly-around of the state to give their side of the session that staggered to an acrimonious close at midnight Monday.
"We had a chance to bring back long-term stability to the budget the way Minnesotans wanted us to," said Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, in a prepared statement. "We took an approach of shared sacrifice and used a mix of cuts and revenue, and Minnesotans can clearly see the Legislature did its job. The governor refused to work with us and instead of offering compromises he issued ultimatums."
Entire budget to be examined
Pawlenty defended his plan to use unallotment, saying the law says the governor "shall" make cuts when receipts fall behind proposed spending. "I think we're on firm legal ground," he said.
"It's not an option -- it's a duty," Pawlenty said. "That job didn't get finished. I'm going to finish it."
While avoiding many specifics, Pawlenty sought to minimize the impact of what he called the "trimming" that he's expected to make. The overall spending reduction, he said, amounted to less than 4 percent.
He said a reduction in higher education spending would be "significantly less than 5 percent." He had earlier proposed a $190 million cut, but he said the final number is likely to be less than that.
Pawlenty repeated a desire to cut back on state aid to local government -- his administration had talked about a roughly half-billion-dollar reduction.
Such reductions could translate to higher property taxes if cities and counties lose state aid.
Pawlenty said he would try to hold elementary and secondary education spending steady.
"All of state government is going to be looked at," Pawlenty said. He had earlier acted to cut back state subsidized medical care for the poor.
The governor echoed a concern of some conservatives that people from other states are coming to Minnesota to receive its welfare benefits.
"They're coming because we have one of the most generous welfare systems in the country," he said. "That can probably be trimmed back."
Dueling verdicts
Pawlenty promised that an unallotment plan would be developed in time for the beginning of the new biennium on July 1.
The governor accepted a $1.7 billion shift in funding for schools to make up a portion of the deficit, but rejected the $1 billion in tax increases proposed by the DFL.
DFLers said the GOP governor rejected every possible tax increase they proposed. The DFL, in turn, ruled out a $1 billion borrowing plan Pawlenty proposed, which would have used future tobacco lawsuit settlement payments as collateral.
Within moments of the legislature's adjournment, dueling assessments were offered up by interest groups.
The conservative Taxpayers League of Minnesota issued a statement that said, in part, "We applaud Governor Pawlenty's leadership rather than listening to more whining from the Democrats whose only solution has been to raise taxes on every working Minnesotan. Even with their billion dollar tax proposal that they passed last week, House and Senate DFL leadership are still two billion dollars short of solving the budget deficit."
Countered Minnesota 2020, a liberal group, "The governor's decision to end budget negotiations and slash vital programs including hospitals, health care and local government aid hurts our state and the people who live here.
The governor's actions have terrible consequences for Minnesotans. ... His unilateral cuts will harm our state and the people who live here for years to come."
DFLers and Pawlenty agreed on one point: They said there would be no special session or government shutdown.
The Associated Press contributed to this report. Pat Doyle • 651-222-1210
Sunday, May 17, 2009
I will do play by play on last day of 2009 session at the Capitol
Hello readers and Minnesota Legislative Junkies,
I will be at the Capitol during last day of 2009 regular session but I am not going to write while I am there. Instead, I will be tweeting since I have Internet on my cell phone. As for stories I will have to dig them when I have more time sometimes this week and post them here. I will cover it on MnCapitolgirl Twitter and hope you could read play by play I am doing. Politics in Minnesota, some other Capitol junkies will do that as well. In addition, some legislators will do floor play by play or commentaries on Twitter.
MnCapitolgirl Twitter
Hope you will enjoy hearing me on Twitter. If any questions, feel free to email me at senatoreggert@yahoo.com
Politics in MN Twitter
Speaker Kelliher Twitter
Rep. Steve Gottwalt twitter
Minority Leader Marty Seifert Twitter
Majority Leader Tony Sertich Twitter
Rep Jeff Hayden Twitter
Rep Tina Liebling Twitter
I will be at the Capitol during last day of 2009 regular session but I am not going to write while I am there. Instead, I will be tweeting since I have Internet on my cell phone. As for stories I will have to dig them when I have more time sometimes this week and post them here. I will cover it on MnCapitolgirl Twitter and hope you could read play by play I am doing. Politics in Minnesota, some other Capitol junkies will do that as well. In addition, some legislators will do floor play by play or commentaries on Twitter.
MnCapitolgirl Twitter
Hope you will enjoy hearing me on Twitter. If any questions, feel free to email me at senatoreggert@yahoo.com
Politics in MN Twitter
Speaker Kelliher Twitter
Rep. Steve Gottwalt twitter
Minority Leader Marty Seifert Twitter
Majority Leader Tony Sertich Twitter
Rep Jeff Hayden Twitter
Rep Tina Liebling Twitter
If there are any more that I am missing, please let me know or if you have blogger account, you could add more on comment box which is much appreciated.
Pawlenty line-item vetoed $85 million from bonding bill.
Posted at 12:06 AM on May 17, 2009 by Tom Scheck
Governor Pawlenty line-item vetoed $85 million from a $300 million bonding bill. Here are the victims:
Governor Pawlenty line-item vetoed $85 million from a $300 million bonding bill. Here are the victims:
$24 million for U of M's Bell Museum,
$11 million for Health and Science Center addition at Lake Superior Community and Technical College
$5.25 million for Carpentry and Industrial Mechanical Technology and Shops and Mesabi Range Community and Technical College
$5.75 million for Metropolitan State University Smart Classroom Center
$13.3 million for North Hennepin Community College Center for Business and Technology
$3.625 million for classroom renovations and MnSCU
$5.78 million for Ind. School District No. 38, Red Lake
$3 million for Rail Service Improvement
$2 million for Early Childhood Learning and Child Protection Facilities
$6.5 million for Mankato-Civic Center expansion
$2 million for Minneapolis-Shubert Performing Arts and Education Center
$3 million for St. Cloud Civic Center expansion
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Pawlenty makes budget offer, DFL counters
by Tim Pugmire, Minnesota Public Radio
May 16, 2009
Gov. Tim Pawlenty and DFL Legislative leaders resumed negotiations today to try to erase a $4.6 billion deficit.
They met for about an hour in the governor's office at the State Capitol.
DFL Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller and House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher said Pawlenty was preparing an offer that hinges on another $1.2 billion in budget cuts.
St. Paul, Minn. — They said the Republican governor also agreed to a $1.8 billion shift in education payments and had backed off his $1 billion appropriation bond plan. Pawlenty also restated his opposition to any tax increases.
Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said the governor remains poised to use line-item vetoes and his unallotment authority to end the session on time, but he's willing to keep talking to the Democrats.
"The governor's preference is to work out a negotiated compromise with the Legisalture," McClung said. "But, that will take the Democrats in the Legislature showing a willingness to compromise as the governor has shown a willingness to compromise throughout this process."
Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis said any agreement must serve the best interests of the state.
"Our emphasis today and for the next two days will be on getting a negotiated settlement that is balanced, fair and shared sacrifice," Pogemiller said. "We are absolutely not interested in the governor flexing his muscles to show how powerful he is."
Details of the governor's offer won't be available until later in the day. The Legislature must adjourn by midnight Monday.
May 16, 2009
Gov. Tim Pawlenty and DFL Legislative leaders resumed negotiations today to try to erase a $4.6 billion deficit.
They met for about an hour in the governor's office at the State Capitol.
DFL Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller and House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher said Pawlenty was preparing an offer that hinges on another $1.2 billion in budget cuts.
St. Paul, Minn. — They said the Republican governor also agreed to a $1.8 billion shift in education payments and had backed off his $1 billion appropriation bond plan. Pawlenty also restated his opposition to any tax increases.
Pawlenty spokesman Brian McClung said the governor remains poised to use line-item vetoes and his unallotment authority to end the session on time, but he's willing to keep talking to the Democrats.
"The governor's preference is to work out a negotiated compromise with the Legisalture," McClung said. "But, that will take the Democrats in the Legislature showing a willingness to compromise as the governor has shown a willingness to compromise throughout this process."
Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis said any agreement must serve the best interests of the state.
"Our emphasis today and for the next two days will be on getting a negotiated settlement that is balanced, fair and shared sacrifice," Pogemiller said. "We are absolutely not interested in the governor flexing his muscles to show how powerful he is."
Details of the governor's offer won't be available until later in the day. The Legislature must adjourn by midnight Monday.
Minneapolis mayor pushes for DFL endorsment today, jets to China tomorrow
by Jessica Mador, Minnesota Public Radio
May 16, 2009
Minneapolis — Rybak is looking for the DFL's endorsement of his 2009 mayoral campaign, although he is also reportedly considering running for Governor in 2010.
The mayor was one of many candidates seeking the Democratic party's support at the convention, which was held at Washburn High School.
More than 1,000 delegates attended the convention to endorse a candidate for mayor and other offices up for election this year.
Rybak said he's continuing to focus on the agenda he's been pushing all year.
"I want to come out of here with a unified party, a unified city and just come roaring into these next few years moving the economy forward, continuing to keep crime going down, improving our schools," Rybak said
"We have a very aggressive agenda in very tough times; we need a united city to get it done and my job is to unite the party and then go on and unite the city and make sure that we keep building a great Minneapolis."
The mayor's endorsement push kicked off with a short rally outside the school.
The mayor leaves tomorrow for China. The trip is part of Minneapolis' strategy to strengthen the city's ties to major Chinese cities.
Rybak was invited to speak at the International Forum on Development of High-Tech Enterprises at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Rybak is the only U.S. Mayor and one of a few Americans speaking at the Forum. The mayor also plans to visit Minneapolis' Sister City Harbin, including a stop at the new "Minneapolis Hall" in Harbin's Sister Cities Museum.
Rybak said the recent Northwest-Delta merger has well-positioned the Twin Cities as a global and regional business destination with a major airline hub.
"If we can build these bridges now, we can bring millions of dollars into the community when there is a job to be had," Rybak said. "I'll grow it in Minneapolis or I'll grow it in China and this is a good use."
Officials said the trip, which will cost about $3,000, is funded through a designated convention and tourism expansion fund.
May 16, 2009
Minneapolis — Rybak is looking for the DFL's endorsement of his 2009 mayoral campaign, although he is also reportedly considering running for Governor in 2010.
The mayor was one of many candidates seeking the Democratic party's support at the convention, which was held at Washburn High School.
More than 1,000 delegates attended the convention to endorse a candidate for mayor and other offices up for election this year.
Rybak said he's continuing to focus on the agenda he's been pushing all year.
"I want to come out of here with a unified party, a unified city and just come roaring into these next few years moving the economy forward, continuing to keep crime going down, improving our schools," Rybak said
"We have a very aggressive agenda in very tough times; we need a united city to get it done and my job is to unite the party and then go on and unite the city and make sure that we keep building a great Minneapolis."
The mayor's endorsement push kicked off with a short rally outside the school.
The mayor leaves tomorrow for China. The trip is part of Minneapolis' strategy to strengthen the city's ties to major Chinese cities.
Rybak was invited to speak at the International Forum on Development of High-Tech Enterprises at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing. Rybak is the only U.S. Mayor and one of a few Americans speaking at the Forum. The mayor also plans to visit Minneapolis' Sister City Harbin, including a stop at the new "Minneapolis Hall" in Harbin's Sister Cities Museum.
Rybak said the recent Northwest-Delta merger has well-positioned the Twin Cities as a global and regional business destination with a major airline hub.
"If we can build these bridges now, we can bring millions of dollars into the community when there is a job to be had," Rybak said. "I'll grow it in Minneapolis or I'll grow it in China and this is a good use."
Officials said the trip, which will cost about $3,000, is funded through a designated convention and tourism expansion fund.
Minneapolis mayor heads to China to promote city
KARE 11
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak is traveling to China to promote the city as a travel destination and to promote Minneapolis companies doing business in the country.
Rybak is leaving Sunday and will return on May 28. He is addressing an international economic development forum in Beijing where he will be the only U.S. mayor and one of only a few Americans speaking.
Rybak will also travel to the cities of Shanghai and Harbin, and will meet with a variety of government, business, technology and academic leaders.
The mayor says it's important to promote Minneapolis as a global city for business and tourism, especially given that China's travelers are the world's fastest growing travel market.
MINNEAPOLIS -- Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak is traveling to China to promote the city as a travel destination and to promote Minneapolis companies doing business in the country.
Rybak is leaving Sunday and will return on May 28. He is addressing an international economic development forum in Beijing where he will be the only U.S. mayor and one of only a few Americans speaking.
Rybak will also travel to the cities of Shanghai and Harbin, and will meet with a variety of government, business, technology and academic leaders.
The mayor says it's important to promote Minneapolis as a global city for business and tourism, especially given that China's travelers are the world's fastest growing travel market.
Clock winds down on 2009 Legislative Session, still no budget deal
KARE 11
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Gov. Tim Pawlenty proposed $1 billion in fresh spending cuts Saturday, turning again to local governments, health and welfare programs, colleges and universities to close a budget gap.
Democrats who run the Legislature were weighing the Republican governor's offer under pressure of a Monday deadline.
Their options are limited after Pawlenty vowed to balance the budget without their consent using line-item vetoes and his authority to delay payments and cancel spending in a deficit. Minnesota's budget is running $4.6 billion short over the next two years.
Pawlenty proposed slicing $450 million from cities and counties, $250 million from health and social service programs and $190 million from higher education -- areas he targeted for a round of cuts in December and in this year's budget plan. Another $100 million in savings would come from reducing or eliminating tax credits for renters, political contributors and others.
University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks said the loss in state aid would result in close to 15 percent tuition increases and layoffs of as many as 750 people, on top of jobs already being eliminated.
"The cuts would be really savage and severe," he told a legislative commission. "I think they would cost the state money, cost the state opportunity and cost the state additional jobs in the private economy, so I think it's a really bad bargain for the state to make."
Cities, hospitals and others were also bracing for worst-case scenarios.
Mayors from around the state urged lawmakers and the governor to settle on a budget fix that would spare cities and counties from the deepest reductions. Such cuts would push up property taxes sharply and slice into police, fire and other city services, they said at a Capitol news conference.
Floodwood Mayor Jeff Kletscher said his city operates close to the wire financially, with little to trim other than two police officers, a maintenance worker, an administrator and four occasional part-timers.
"I can't afford to lose them, and that's what cuts in local government aid mean to my small city and many other small cities," he said. "My toolbox is empty."
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman urged lawmakers and Pawlenty to consider all forms of revenue.
"We have 48 hours to get out of the situation and to do it in a way that doesn't break the backs of cities across the state of Minnesota," he said.
Pawlenty signed spending bills for state agencies and higher education after trimming nearly $2.6 million from the higher education bill. He nixed $2 million for a free tuition program for inner-city students, $500,000 for tuition scholarships for early childhood educators and $80,000 for a higher education board in Cook County.
He was also due to act Saturday on budget bills for K-12 schools, agriculture and veterans programs and construction projects.
DFL leaders met with Pawlenty and top Republican legislators for about an hour earlier in the day. Both sides emerged from the closed-door talks saying roughly the same thing about the overall picture: The GOP governor would agree to a $1.8 billion delay in payments to schools and lawmakers will examine the proposed cuts.
It's unclear whether Senate Democrats will accept the delayed school payments, a proposal that came from House DFLers. The differences between Pawlenty's and Democrats' proposals amount to about $2.7 billion, or roughly $1 billion if Senate DFLers accept the school shift.
Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller said DFL support for the whole approach rests on "budget stability."
Democrats have been holding out for new revenue. But Pawlenty vetoed a $1 billion package of tax increases on the wealthy, credit card companies and alcohol drinkers.
An override attempt is a long shot in the House, though leaders haven't ruled it out.
"The governor is very entrenched on his thinking on this. He does not seem to want to budge on it," said House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis. "We are still interested in finding a way to make that happen."
Proposals to expand gambling and Pawlenty's plan to borrow $1 billion against the proceeds of tobacco settlement payments are not being considered.
Pawlenty and lawmakers are working against the deadline for a negotiated settlement, if one can be reached. Democrats were holding back on saying if Pawlenty's offer would lead to a deal.
"If they don't want to go down that route, the unallotment route is there but it's a little bumpier ride, I think, and a little bit more turbulence than if we did it legislatively," said House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall.
Kelliher and Pogemiller said they don't know if the cuts can pass the Legislature. More talks were possible later Saturday.
ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Gov. Tim Pawlenty proposed $1 billion in fresh spending cuts Saturday, turning again to local governments, health and welfare programs, colleges and universities to close a budget gap.
Democrats who run the Legislature were weighing the Republican governor's offer under pressure of a Monday deadline.
Their options are limited after Pawlenty vowed to balance the budget without their consent using line-item vetoes and his authority to delay payments and cancel spending in a deficit. Minnesota's budget is running $4.6 billion short over the next two years.
Pawlenty proposed slicing $450 million from cities and counties, $250 million from health and social service programs and $190 million from higher education -- areas he targeted for a round of cuts in December and in this year's budget plan. Another $100 million in savings would come from reducing or eliminating tax credits for renters, political contributors and others.
University of Minnesota President Robert Bruininks said the loss in state aid would result in close to 15 percent tuition increases and layoffs of as many as 750 people, on top of jobs already being eliminated.
"The cuts would be really savage and severe," he told a legislative commission. "I think they would cost the state money, cost the state opportunity and cost the state additional jobs in the private economy, so I think it's a really bad bargain for the state to make."
Cities, hospitals and others were also bracing for worst-case scenarios.
Mayors from around the state urged lawmakers and the governor to settle on a budget fix that would spare cities and counties from the deepest reductions. Such cuts would push up property taxes sharply and slice into police, fire and other city services, they said at a Capitol news conference.
Floodwood Mayor Jeff Kletscher said his city operates close to the wire financially, with little to trim other than two police officers, a maintenance worker, an administrator and four occasional part-timers.
"I can't afford to lose them, and that's what cuts in local government aid mean to my small city and many other small cities," he said. "My toolbox is empty."
St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman urged lawmakers and Pawlenty to consider all forms of revenue.
"We have 48 hours to get out of the situation and to do it in a way that doesn't break the backs of cities across the state of Minnesota," he said.
Pawlenty signed spending bills for state agencies and higher education after trimming nearly $2.6 million from the higher education bill. He nixed $2 million for a free tuition program for inner-city students, $500,000 for tuition scholarships for early childhood educators and $80,000 for a higher education board in Cook County.
He was also due to act Saturday on budget bills for K-12 schools, agriculture and veterans programs and construction projects.
DFL leaders met with Pawlenty and top Republican legislators for about an hour earlier in the day. Both sides emerged from the closed-door talks saying roughly the same thing about the overall picture: The GOP governor would agree to a $1.8 billion delay in payments to schools and lawmakers will examine the proposed cuts.
It's unclear whether Senate Democrats will accept the delayed school payments, a proposal that came from House DFLers. The differences between Pawlenty's and Democrats' proposals amount to about $2.7 billion, or roughly $1 billion if Senate DFLers accept the school shift.
Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller said DFL support for the whole approach rests on "budget stability."
Democrats have been holding out for new revenue. But Pawlenty vetoed a $1 billion package of tax increases on the wealthy, credit card companies and alcohol drinkers.
An override attempt is a long shot in the House, though leaders haven't ruled it out.
"The governor is very entrenched on his thinking on this. He does not seem to want to budge on it," said House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis. "We are still interested in finding a way to make that happen."
Proposals to expand gambling and Pawlenty's plan to borrow $1 billion against the proceeds of tobacco settlement payments are not being considered.
Pawlenty and lawmakers are working against the deadline for a negotiated settlement, if one can be reached. Democrats were holding back on saying if Pawlenty's offer would lead to a deal.
"If they don't want to go down that route, the unallotment route is there but it's a little bumpier ride, I think, and a little bit more turbulence than if we did it legislatively," said House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall.
Kelliher and Pogemiller said they don't know if the cuts can pass the Legislature. More talks were possible later Saturday.
Bachmann balks at expansion for rail line
The Northstar commuter rail line would run through her district -- but it also runs into her opposition to spending by "earmarks."
By KEVIN DIAZ, Star Tribune
Last update: May 15, 2009 - 9:58 PM
WASHINGTON -- With Congress poised to unveil a $450 billion, multi-year transportation package next month, backers of the long-awaited Northstar commuter rail line see a fresh chance to extend the project from Minneapolis to St. Cloud, its original destination.
But the potential federal funding has become embroiled in a political squabble over congressional "earmark" spending, as Rep. Michele Bachmann, a Republican whose district includes much of the rail line, has declined to sign off on the Northstar request.
The dispute surfaced Friday as Minnesotans in Congress rolled out transportation funding requests worth hundreds of millions of dollars under the federal government's upcoming six-year surface transportation bill.
As chief architect of the spending bill, Minnesota Democrat Rep. Jim Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, submitted $112.6 million in Minnesota projects, most of them in his northern district. Oberstar, however, left out the Northstar proposal, saying he will support the funding request when Bachmann does.
Oberstar's move may prove largely symbolic. He launched the Northstar project in 1991 and has been its leading champion. Meanwhile, two other Minnesota Democrats -- Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Keith Ellison -- included the extension in their funding requests, ensuring it will get a hearing.
30-mile extension
Local officials are asking Congress to authorize a 30-mile extension from Big Lake to St. Cloud, which represents nearly a doubling of the $310 million line that is scheduled to start operating out of Minneapolis in November. The extension would add an estimated $150 million to the project, with as much as two-thirds of the cost shouldered by the federal government.
Bachmann, an outspoken critic of earmarks, submitted five other road and bridge projects for funding. A spokesman said that unlike the Northstar extension, those projects already have been formally approved by the Minnesota Transportation Department (MnDOT).
"She feels it is not right for the federal government to circumvent state and local priorities," said spokesman Dave Dziok. "It hasn't been vetted, and that's the problem she has with earmarks."
Northstar proponents, however, say the extension has won the strong support of top state officials, including Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Rail authority request
"It certainly would be helpful if we had the congresswoman from our district put in the request," said Sherburne County Commissioner Felix Schmiesing, who is overseeing the extension plan as a member of the development authority.
The rail authority made the extension request last month to Bachmann, Ellison, Oberstar and Klobuchar.
"That's always been our goal," said Anoka County Commissioner Dan Erhart, chairman of the authority. "What we're looking at is to connect Minneapolis to St. Cloud."
Erhart said that though he understands Bachmann's position on earmarks, he expects "we may ultimately have support from her."
Local rail officials face regulatory as well as political obstacles. MnDOT officials say the Minneapolis-to-St. Cloud plan does not meet current federal cost-effectiveness standards, even though it is the highest- population growth corridor in the Upper Midwest.
Schmiesing said state officials are waiting on new federal rules that may help them qualify.
In the meantime, they need a leg-up from Congress in getting legal authorization for the project under the new surface transportation bill, which will replace spending programs that expire Sept. 30.
But another obstacle remains: As yet, there is no consensus in Congress on how to pay for the new transportation programs.
By KEVIN DIAZ, Star Tribune
Last update: May 15, 2009 - 9:58 PM
WASHINGTON -- With Congress poised to unveil a $450 billion, multi-year transportation package next month, backers of the long-awaited Northstar commuter rail line see a fresh chance to extend the project from Minneapolis to St. Cloud, its original destination.
But the potential federal funding has become embroiled in a political squabble over congressional "earmark" spending, as Rep. Michele Bachmann, a Republican whose district includes much of the rail line, has declined to sign off on the Northstar request.
The dispute surfaced Friday as Minnesotans in Congress rolled out transportation funding requests worth hundreds of millions of dollars under the federal government's upcoming six-year surface transportation bill.
As chief architect of the spending bill, Minnesota Democrat Rep. Jim Oberstar, chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, submitted $112.6 million in Minnesota projects, most of them in his northern district. Oberstar, however, left out the Northstar proposal, saying he will support the funding request when Bachmann does.
Oberstar's move may prove largely symbolic. He launched the Northstar project in 1991 and has been its leading champion. Meanwhile, two other Minnesota Democrats -- Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Keith Ellison -- included the extension in their funding requests, ensuring it will get a hearing.
30-mile extension
Local officials are asking Congress to authorize a 30-mile extension from Big Lake to St. Cloud, which represents nearly a doubling of the $310 million line that is scheduled to start operating out of Minneapolis in November. The extension would add an estimated $150 million to the project, with as much as two-thirds of the cost shouldered by the federal government.
Bachmann, an outspoken critic of earmarks, submitted five other road and bridge projects for funding. A spokesman said that unlike the Northstar extension, those projects already have been formally approved by the Minnesota Transportation Department (MnDOT).
"She feels it is not right for the federal government to circumvent state and local priorities," said spokesman Dave Dziok. "It hasn't been vetted, and that's the problem she has with earmarks."
Northstar proponents, however, say the extension has won the strong support of top state officials, including Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty.
Rail authority request
"It certainly would be helpful if we had the congresswoman from our district put in the request," said Sherburne County Commissioner Felix Schmiesing, who is overseeing the extension plan as a member of the development authority.
The rail authority made the extension request last month to Bachmann, Ellison, Oberstar and Klobuchar.
"That's always been our goal," said Anoka County Commissioner Dan Erhart, chairman of the authority. "What we're looking at is to connect Minneapolis to St. Cloud."
Erhart said that though he understands Bachmann's position on earmarks, he expects "we may ultimately have support from her."
Local rail officials face regulatory as well as political obstacles. MnDOT officials say the Minneapolis-to-St. Cloud plan does not meet current federal cost-effectiveness standards, even though it is the highest- population growth corridor in the Upper Midwest.
Schmiesing said state officials are waiting on new federal rules that may help them qualify.
In the meantime, they need a leg-up from Congress in getting legal authorization for the project under the new surface transportation bill, which will replace spending programs that expire Sept. 30.
But another obstacle remains: As yet, there is no consensus in Congress on how to pay for the new transportation programs.
Pawlenty offers spending cut in budget talks
By Patricia Lopez, Star Tribune
Last update: May 16, 2009 - 4:37 PM
In a closed-door meeting with top legislators on Saturday morning, Gov. Tim Pawlenty offered to slice another $1.2 billion from the state spending and adopt a $1.8 billion accounting shift proposed by the House as a way to close the state's budget gap and end the session on time.
DFLers appeared open to the proposal, but said they wanted to bring Management and Budget Commissioner Tom Hanson before their Legislative Commission on Planning and Fiscal Policy to air the details in a public meeting.
"We may need public input on this in the next 24 hours," said House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis.
DFLers said they remain reluctant to allow the accounting shift _ a one-time device that delays spending just long enough to be counted in the next budget period _ without some type of "budget stabilization." Asked if that necessarily needed to include tax increases or fees, Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Mpls., said they had made their position clear.
Brian McClung, Pawlenty's spokesman, said the governor "has made it abundantly clear that he is not going to raise taxes in the worst recession in 60 years."
Pawlenty also foreclosed gambling as a revenue option. Pawlenty's spokesman, Brian McClung, said that the Legislature lacks the votes to pass additional gambling measures. "Democrats in the Legislature have shown that they are unwilling to pass those bills. We're recognizing that is the status."
A small number of legislators had been pushing for either a racino, which would have added slots to Canterbury Park, or a broader proposal to allow bars to have electronic pulltabs, which some estimated could have generated about $1 billion.
Still a gap
The state faces a $4.6 billion deficit and budget proposals by the House and Senate still contain a $3 billion gap.
Both bodies offered a variety of tax increases to help fill that gap, but Pawlenty has rejected them all and now proposes to close it with a negotiated agreement of cuts and a one-time shift.
With less than three days before adjournment, DFL leaders said the proposal is not their preferred option, but the alternative could be worse. Late last week Pawlenty said that if no agreement could be reached by Monday's adjournment deadline, he would cut the budget himself through a process known as unallotment rather than call legislators into special session.
On Saturday, McClung reiterated that position.
While Pawlenty prefers negotiated compromise, McClung said, "We're not going to have a costly special session. We're not going to have a government shutdown."
Also due today is gubernatorial action on five bills, which will be signed or line-item vetoed by Pawlenty sometime before midnight. Those are: Higher education, K-12 schools, state governments, agriculture and veterans and the capital investment bill.
Of those, McClung indicated that bonding will come in for a significant trim. He said none of the bills would be vetoed outright.
Last update: May 16, 2009 - 4:37 PM
In a closed-door meeting with top legislators on Saturday morning, Gov. Tim Pawlenty offered to slice another $1.2 billion from the state spending and adopt a $1.8 billion accounting shift proposed by the House as a way to close the state's budget gap and end the session on time.
DFLers appeared open to the proposal, but said they wanted to bring Management and Budget Commissioner Tom Hanson before their Legislative Commission on Planning and Fiscal Policy to air the details in a public meeting.
"We may need public input on this in the next 24 hours," said House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis.
DFLers said they remain reluctant to allow the accounting shift _ a one-time device that delays spending just long enough to be counted in the next budget period _ without some type of "budget stabilization." Asked if that necessarily needed to include tax increases or fees, Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Mpls., said they had made their position clear.
Brian McClung, Pawlenty's spokesman, said the governor "has made it abundantly clear that he is not going to raise taxes in the worst recession in 60 years."
Pawlenty also foreclosed gambling as a revenue option. Pawlenty's spokesman, Brian McClung, said that the Legislature lacks the votes to pass additional gambling measures. "Democrats in the Legislature have shown that they are unwilling to pass those bills. We're recognizing that is the status."
A small number of legislators had been pushing for either a racino, which would have added slots to Canterbury Park, or a broader proposal to allow bars to have electronic pulltabs, which some estimated could have generated about $1 billion.
Still a gap
The state faces a $4.6 billion deficit and budget proposals by the House and Senate still contain a $3 billion gap.
Both bodies offered a variety of tax increases to help fill that gap, but Pawlenty has rejected them all and now proposes to close it with a negotiated agreement of cuts and a one-time shift.
With less than three days before adjournment, DFL leaders said the proposal is not their preferred option, but the alternative could be worse. Late last week Pawlenty said that if no agreement could be reached by Monday's adjournment deadline, he would cut the budget himself through a process known as unallotment rather than call legislators into special session.
On Saturday, McClung reiterated that position.
While Pawlenty prefers negotiated compromise, McClung said, "We're not going to have a costly special session. We're not going to have a government shutdown."
Also due today is gubernatorial action on five bills, which will be signed or line-item vetoed by Pawlenty sometime before midnight. Those are: Higher education, K-12 schools, state governments, agriculture and veterans and the capital investment bill.
Of those, McClung indicated that bonding will come in for a significant trim. He said none of the bills would be vetoed outright.
House Television Archives 2009 - 2010 - House Press Conferences Archives
You could find some from earlier today press conferences by clicking here.
Governor's Communication Director Brian McClung and some legislative leaders talked about outcome of today's meeting with the Governor.
There's also more from throughout the session.
Governor's Communication Director Brian McClung and some legislative leaders talked about outcome of today's meeting with the Governor.
There's also more from throughout the session.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Lawmakers Hold Out Compromise Hope On Minn. Budget
Source: WCCO TV
Minnesota lawmakers groped for details Friday on how Gov. Tim Pawlenty's solo budgeting step would hit schools, hospitals, local governments and people on state health assistance.
The GOP governor has warned the Democratic-led Legislature that he wouldn't let the budget fight drag on past Monday, forcing them to strike a deal in short order or face repercussions of his unilateral budget cuts.
"A lot of this is reading between the lines," a frustrated Sen. Linda Berglin said amid a sharp string of questions to an administration official who oversees endangered health insurance programs.
For the most part, answers were hard to come by. Pawlenty's commissioners said they were still going through their options for line-item vetoes, delayed payments and other cuts the governor could make through an executive power known as unallotment.
In a public hearing, agency commissioners faced terse demands for information on potential and enacted cuts.
Democratic Sen. Tarryl Clark of St. Cloud earlier described Pawlenty's decision to balance the budget on his own as an extraordinary power play.
"These problems are too huge for him to be going it alone," she said.Still, top legislators said they were still searching for a negotiated budget solution.
Pawlenty, on his weekly radio show, said he is open to continued discussions. But he said he wouldn't let the fight spill into a special session or result in a government shutdown.
"I don't know if they're willing, interested or even able" to get a deal, Pawlenty said of DFL leaders.
Pawlenty began closing a $3 billion budget gap through line-item vetoes on Thursday night. Most notably, he slashed $381 million from a health program known as General Assistance Medical Care.Under questioning, Human Services Commissioner Cal Ludeman described GAMC enrollees as "the poorest and sickest amongst us," but said they could get coverage through other public programs when their plan expires in mid-2010. It serves between 30,000 and 35,000 childless adults near or below the federal poverty line.
Some would qualify for the MinnesotaCare program. Berglin said she doubted many would be able to pay premiums under that program and cash-strapped hospitals would be further burdened with uncompensated care.
Another flashpoint is school funding.
Education Commissioner Alice Seagren testified that Pawlenty wouldn't cut payments to schools, but some would be delayed. She didn't supply details.
Clark said schools lacking reserves would have to resort to borrowing with interest to get by until their state checks arrive.
Senate Minority Leader David Senjem, R-Rochester, said all the what-ifs could be avoided if the governor and lawmakers can find middle ground.
"If we can work together and make something work, I am willing to do that," Senjem said, adding. "We want a better outcome if there is one.
"That's a tall order. All year long, Pawlenty, his GOP allies and Democrats have been at odds over what cuts to make and how to find more money to patch a projected budget deficit.
Pawlenty proposed borrowing almost $1 billion against future tobacco lawsuit settlement payments, a move that would patch the immediate hole but come with long-term debt. Democrats pushed through an equally sized tax increase plan, which Pawlenty vetoed.
Republican leaders have said their members will uphold the governor's veto. It would take at least three GOP defections in the House for an override because the constitution requires two-thirds votes in both chambers.
Clark said the override door might not be slammed shut.
"There is a lot of pressure and there will be more pressure for Republican legislators who may have thought the governor going on his own gets them off the hook. This is about our communities and our constituents," Clark said. "People have to decide they care more about the people in their communities than partisan politics."
-------
Lawmakers managed to narrowly avoid a special session drafting the budget last year.
Minnesota lawmakers groped for details Friday on how Gov. Tim Pawlenty's solo budgeting step would hit schools, hospitals, local governments and people on state health assistance.
The GOP governor has warned the Democratic-led Legislature that he wouldn't let the budget fight drag on past Monday, forcing them to strike a deal in short order or face repercussions of his unilateral budget cuts.
"A lot of this is reading between the lines," a frustrated Sen. Linda Berglin said amid a sharp string of questions to an administration official who oversees endangered health insurance programs.
For the most part, answers were hard to come by. Pawlenty's commissioners said they were still going through their options for line-item vetoes, delayed payments and other cuts the governor could make through an executive power known as unallotment.
In a public hearing, agency commissioners faced terse demands for information on potential and enacted cuts.
Democratic Sen. Tarryl Clark of St. Cloud earlier described Pawlenty's decision to balance the budget on his own as an extraordinary power play.
"These problems are too huge for him to be going it alone," she said.Still, top legislators said they were still searching for a negotiated budget solution.
Pawlenty, on his weekly radio show, said he is open to continued discussions. But he said he wouldn't let the fight spill into a special session or result in a government shutdown.
"I don't know if they're willing, interested or even able" to get a deal, Pawlenty said of DFL leaders.
Pawlenty began closing a $3 billion budget gap through line-item vetoes on Thursday night. Most notably, he slashed $381 million from a health program known as General Assistance Medical Care.Under questioning, Human Services Commissioner Cal Ludeman described GAMC enrollees as "the poorest and sickest amongst us," but said they could get coverage through other public programs when their plan expires in mid-2010. It serves between 30,000 and 35,000 childless adults near or below the federal poverty line.
Some would qualify for the MinnesotaCare program. Berglin said she doubted many would be able to pay premiums under that program and cash-strapped hospitals would be further burdened with uncompensated care.
Another flashpoint is school funding.
Education Commissioner Alice Seagren testified that Pawlenty wouldn't cut payments to schools, but some would be delayed. She didn't supply details.
Clark said schools lacking reserves would have to resort to borrowing with interest to get by until their state checks arrive.
Senate Minority Leader David Senjem, R-Rochester, said all the what-ifs could be avoided if the governor and lawmakers can find middle ground.
"If we can work together and make something work, I am willing to do that," Senjem said, adding. "We want a better outcome if there is one.
"That's a tall order. All year long, Pawlenty, his GOP allies and Democrats have been at odds over what cuts to make and how to find more money to patch a projected budget deficit.
Pawlenty proposed borrowing almost $1 billion against future tobacco lawsuit settlement payments, a move that would patch the immediate hole but come with long-term debt. Democrats pushed through an equally sized tax increase plan, which Pawlenty vetoed.
Republican leaders have said their members will uphold the governor's veto. It would take at least three GOP defections in the House for an override because the constitution requires two-thirds votes in both chambers.
Clark said the override door might not be slammed shut.
"There is a lot of pressure and there will be more pressure for Republican legislators who may have thought the governor going on his own gets them off the hook. This is about our communities and our constituents," Clark said. "People have to decide they care more about the people in their communities than partisan politics."
-------
Lawmakers managed to narrowly avoid a special session drafting the budget last year.
REP. ABELER GIVES ASSITANCE TO GOVERNOR IN DECISION
by T.W. Budig
ECM Capitol reporter
Rep. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, has been given credit in media reports for suggesting to Gov. Tim Pawlenty the idea of signing the DFL spending bills and using line-item vetoes and budget cuts to fashion them into acceptable form.
The governor, explained Abeler, did call him into the Governor’s Office and thank him for his help.
Abeler was pleased the governor took the approach that he did.
“I’m happy,” he said.
He came to the Capitol last January wanting to be a player, wanting to have an impact, said Abeler.
As for DFLers upset over the governor’s action, Abeler suggested Democrats had not really addressed the issue of revenue.
“And he (Pawlenty) did sign all of their bills,” he consoled.
Abeler, who will not rule out possibilities, indicated that if the human services budget were as lean and efficient as it could get and funding was still short, he could support increasing taxes.
“We’re a long ways from that,” he said.
ECM Capitol reporter
Rep. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, has been given credit in media reports for suggesting to Gov. Tim Pawlenty the idea of signing the DFL spending bills and using line-item vetoes and budget cuts to fashion them into acceptable form.
The governor, explained Abeler, did call him into the Governor’s Office and thank him for his help.
Abeler was pleased the governor took the approach that he did.
“I’m happy,” he said.
He came to the Capitol last January wanting to be a player, wanting to have an impact, said Abeler.
As for DFLers upset over the governor’s action, Abeler suggested Democrats had not really addressed the issue of revenue.
“And he (Pawlenty) did sign all of their bills,” he consoled.
Abeler, who will not rule out possibilities, indicated that if the human services budget were as lean and efficient as it could get and funding was still short, he could support increasing taxes.
“We’re a long ways from that,” he said.
Backstrom agrees to public reprimand for ethics violation
by Laura Adelmann
Thisweek Newspapers
Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom has agreed to a public reprimand and admitted he violated ethics rules by comments he made in a series of e-mails that defense attorneys claim caused an expert witness not to testify in a Washington County murder case.
The recommendation will be forwarded from the Board of Professional Responsibility to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which will issue a ruling and has no deadline by which to decide.
In an agreement with the Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board, Backstrom admitted his e-mailed comments to Dakota County Medical Examiner Lindsey Thomas regarding his opposition to a member of her staff testifying for the defense was prejudicial to the administration of justice.
Under the agreement, the board recommends that Backstrom pay $900 in costs.
The complaint against Backstrom was filed in February by the State Public Defender’s Office regarding the comments.
After the witness, Dr. Susan Roe, read Backstrom’s e-mails to Thomas, Roe refused to continue on as a witness in the murder case of Nicole Beecroft, a teenager who was sentenced to life without parole for killing her newborn child.
Before reading Backstrom’s e-mails, Roe was prepared to testify to her findings that the child was stillborn, said defense attorney Luke Stelpflug.
Breaking his three-month silence on the issue, Backstrom issued in a prepared statement describing himself as an aggressive advocate for justice.
He also apologized for a lack of judgement regarding the timing of sending the e-mails.
Below is Backstrom’s entire statement:
“I have had the privilege of serving as the Dakota County Attorney for more than 21 years and have always been an aggressive advocate for justice.
“In this regard I have struggled with the practice of other public officials in this community accepting private work engagements which I believe conflict with the work of my office.
“These general concerns were the motivation for an e-mail I sent to the Dakota County Medical Examiner last fall.
“The e-mail expressed my concerns about members of the Medical Examiner’s office contracting to assist criminal defense attorneys in murder prosecutions.
“The Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility has determined that I did not comply with the rules of professional responsibility by sending this e-mail at a time when an Assistant Dakota County Medical Examiner was under contract to assist defense attorneys in a murder trial occurring in Washington County.
“My purpose in sending this e-mail was to share with the Dakota County Medical Examiner my concerns about this practice continuing in the future.
“I did not intend to adversely impact the Washington County trial in any respect.
“However, sending this e-mail at the time I did represented a lack of judgment on my part for which I apologize.
“As soon as I became aware of claims that my e-mail had caused the Assistant Dakota County Medical Examiner to withdraw from further involvement in the murder case, I immediately sent a clarifying e-mail to all parties involved, explaining that my purpose had been to address an ongoing policy issue and that I did not intend to interfere in any way with the Assistant Medical Examiner’s involvement in the Washington County case.
“I also spoke to the Dakota County Medical Examiner a few days later (while the Washington County trial was still underway) and asked her to urge her assistant to testify in that trial if she was requested to do so.
“This was a sincere effort to mitigate any negative impact my earlier e-mail may have inadvertently had upon the Washington County case.
“While I do not believe my action ultimately affected the outcome of the Washington County trial, as the defense had other expert witnesses and consultants available to them, I regret having sent this e-mail and have accepted the recommendation of the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility that I receive a public reprimand.
“I care deeply about this job and the people I work to protect. I remain strongly committed to continuing to successfully carry out the prosecution of criminal acts occurring in Dakota County and the other responsibilities of my Office.”
Backstrom was not in the office or available for interviews Friday, May 15, according to his staff.
Stelpflug said another attorney is appealing the Beecroft case, and he was not certain whether Backstrom’s involvement would play a role in that appeal.
Thisweek Newspapers
Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom has agreed to a public reprimand and admitted he violated ethics rules by comments he made in a series of e-mails that defense attorneys claim caused an expert witness not to testify in a Washington County murder case.
The recommendation will be forwarded from the Board of Professional Responsibility to the Minnesota Supreme Court, which will issue a ruling and has no deadline by which to decide.
In an agreement with the Lawyers Professional Responsibility Board, Backstrom admitted his e-mailed comments to Dakota County Medical Examiner Lindsey Thomas regarding his opposition to a member of her staff testifying for the defense was prejudicial to the administration of justice.
Under the agreement, the board recommends that Backstrom pay $900 in costs.
The complaint against Backstrom was filed in February by the State Public Defender’s Office regarding the comments.
After the witness, Dr. Susan Roe, read Backstrom’s e-mails to Thomas, Roe refused to continue on as a witness in the murder case of Nicole Beecroft, a teenager who was sentenced to life without parole for killing her newborn child.
Before reading Backstrom’s e-mails, Roe was prepared to testify to her findings that the child was stillborn, said defense attorney Luke Stelpflug.
Breaking his three-month silence on the issue, Backstrom issued in a prepared statement describing himself as an aggressive advocate for justice.
He also apologized for a lack of judgement regarding the timing of sending the e-mails.
Below is Backstrom’s entire statement:
“I have had the privilege of serving as the Dakota County Attorney for more than 21 years and have always been an aggressive advocate for justice.
“In this regard I have struggled with the practice of other public officials in this community accepting private work engagements which I believe conflict with the work of my office.
“These general concerns were the motivation for an e-mail I sent to the Dakota County Medical Examiner last fall.
“The e-mail expressed my concerns about members of the Medical Examiner’s office contracting to assist criminal defense attorneys in murder prosecutions.
“The Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility has determined that I did not comply with the rules of professional responsibility by sending this e-mail at a time when an Assistant Dakota County Medical Examiner was under contract to assist defense attorneys in a murder trial occurring in Washington County.
“My purpose in sending this e-mail was to share with the Dakota County Medical Examiner my concerns about this practice continuing in the future.
“I did not intend to adversely impact the Washington County trial in any respect.
“However, sending this e-mail at the time I did represented a lack of judgment on my part for which I apologize.
“As soon as I became aware of claims that my e-mail had caused the Assistant Dakota County Medical Examiner to withdraw from further involvement in the murder case, I immediately sent a clarifying e-mail to all parties involved, explaining that my purpose had been to address an ongoing policy issue and that I did not intend to interfere in any way with the Assistant Medical Examiner’s involvement in the Washington County case.
“I also spoke to the Dakota County Medical Examiner a few days later (while the Washington County trial was still underway) and asked her to urge her assistant to testify in that trial if she was requested to do so.
“This was a sincere effort to mitigate any negative impact my earlier e-mail may have inadvertently had upon the Washington County case.
“While I do not believe my action ultimately affected the outcome of the Washington County trial, as the defense had other expert witnesses and consultants available to them, I regret having sent this e-mail and have accepted the recommendation of the Office of Lawyers Professional Responsibility that I receive a public reprimand.
“I care deeply about this job and the people I work to protect. I remain strongly committed to continuing to successfully carry out the prosecution of criminal acts occurring in Dakota County and the other responsibilities of my Office.”
Backstrom was not in the office or available for interviews Friday, May 15, according to his staff.
Stelpflug said another attorney is appealing the Beecroft case, and he was not certain whether Backstrom’s involvement would play a role in that appeal.
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