Minnesota Lawyer
The scene was unusual for most Capitol regulars. At an early-session press conference, newly minted House Republican leaders Kurt Zellers and Matt Dean introduced the first symbolic bills of their newfound majority. Standing at their side were the bill authors - two first-time legislators just a few weeks removed from their swearing-in.
The scene was unusual for most Capitol regulars. At an early-session press conference, newly minted House Republican leaders Kurt Zellers and Matt Dean introduced the first symbolic bills of their newfound majority. Standing at their side were the bill authors – two first-time legislators just a few weeks removed from their swearing-in.
Freshman Rep. King Banaian, a St. Cloud economics professor, carried the Republican bill to establish priority-based budgeting, while first-term Rep. Dan Fabian, who swept away incumbent DFLer Dave Olin by a whopping 18 points in the fall, was to carry the House’s first bill of the session. The proposal aimed to speed up the state’s permitting process and ease environmental review for certain projects. The business-driven legislation has since become the marquee GOP proposal of the session, and was recently signed into law by Gov. Mark Dayton.
“We would have never given a major piece of legislation like the permitting bill to a freshman,” GOP operative and former House staffer Gregg Peppin said. “They would have gotten their feet wet first by doing something less controversial, but these folks have handled those bills very well, and that may be the new standard at the Capitol – throwing freshman right into the frying pan.”
The fall election saw 54 new Republican legislators enter the Capitol, some of whom have already broken from the conventional wisdom that freshman should sit quietly and listen. Banaian and Fabian are two of a handful of neophyte legislators who have earned plaudits for carrying banner legislation for the party; other members of the outsized freshman class have garnered respect for their legwork behind the scenes. Still others are grabbing headlines for controversial proposals and remarks.
House freshmen stand out
Banaian’s headline-grabbing piece of legislation is not the only thing that put the first-term lawmakers on the map. Before the start of the session, Dean did little to hide his adoration of the incoming member, referring to him as the “Wayne Gretzky” of the freshman class, and touting him as an economics “rock star” who would bring a wealth of expertise to the state’s budget work this session.
But when it came time to vote on the House’s first nearly $1 billion budget-cutting proposal, Banaian – who won his race for the St. Cloud seat vacated by retiring DFLer Larry Haws – broke from the caucus and voted no. Banaian said the cuts made to higher education in the bill were too deep.
Republican Rep. Rich Murray (another narrow winner who bested incumbent Rep. Robin Brown by 57 votes) joined Banaian in voting against the bill after local officials pressured him to fight cuts to local government. Despite peeling off from his caucus on the proposal, Murray has been lauded by insiders and fellow representatives as someone who is thoughtful and works well behind the scenes. As a financial adviser, Murray has been important in helping to craft GOP bills, and he is known for putting in extensive time with local officials, groups and the media in his district. “He has a great media presence in his area,” a Republican staffer said. “He is on the radio or in the paper just about every day.”
Peppin believes Murray will be an important voice for the rural members of the caucus. “You know there’s going to be differences in opinion on these bigger issues, but the question is who is going to be the best advocate for those differences,” he said. “He is the kind of guy who can get members to look at things from a rural perspective. I get the impression that if he stands up in caucus, people listen.”
Not every standout freshman is grabbing attention for working under the radar. First-term Rep. Glenn Gruenhagen, a Republican from Glencoe, has put his name on some three dozen bills, dealing with everything from the creation of a state prison gardening program to increased penalties for sex crimes. He regularly shakes up committee hearings, once suggesting that chain gangs and chemical castration should be considered for sex offenders. “He has no filter,” one lobbyist said. “That’s something everyone has noticed.”
Rep. Kurt Daudt, a first-term Republican from Crown, has caught the eye of prominent lobbyists for his political savvy. Despite Daudt’s freshman status, the 37-year-old has sat on the Minnesota Republican Party’s executive council, served on town and county boards and last year served as gubernatorial campaign manager to former House Minority Leader Marty Seifert.
He was elected by the 33 new Republican members in the House to be the lone freshman assistant majority leader in their caucus. “You don’t get that job unless you’re on the ball,” noted Tom Hanson, a lobbyist and former state Management and Budget commissioner. Daudt also landed several prestigious committee assignments, including the vice chairmanship of the typically veteran-populated Rules and Administration panel. Many see him elevating to a high-ranking leadership spot in the caucus in just a few years.
Neophyte senators grab headlines
Like Daudt, Sen. Dave Thompson was the only freshman in the Senate to land a spot on his chamber’s leadership team. He has also made a name for himself on education issues by bringing a bill to establish a two-year statewide salary freeze for school district employees and a ban on teacher strikes. The legislation has garnered the attention of the media, something the longtime conservative talk radio host is well-equipped to handle.
“He has the ability to craft a message,” GOP lobbyist John Knapp said. “He is very quotable and good at getting the caucus message out there. I imagine he is very involved in crafting that message, too.”
One education lobbyist has been impressed with Thompson’s go-getter attitude and smooth handling of the press, but said Thompson has already earned a reputation as a “bully” in the education world. Thompson may be exerting more influence in the Senate Education Committee than Chairwoman Gen Olson, the lobbyist speculated.
Sen. Gretchen Hoffman has stood out from the beginning as the GOP freshman legislator who fared best in committee assignments. Her name landed on several prominent panels, including Health and Human Services and Taxes, where she is one of just three newcomers. She was also an early favorite of Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch, who ran the 2010 campaign apparatus for the GOP caucus. Hoffman started her campaign sooner than most, so Koch made several trips to Hoffman’s district to knock on doors during the campaign season. “She has benefited from an early campaign in getting to know the leadership,” Peppin said. “You get a rapport with them that way.”
Last week Hoffman rolled out her first major piece of legislation, which would require public employees to pay 3 percent more into their pensions. The bill has already earned comparisons to controversial proposals in Wisconsin, and Capitol watchers expect more high-profile legislation from the first-term senator.
Several new senators have caught the eye of St. Paul veterans for the ease with which they’ve made the transition to life at the Legislature. Freshman Sen. Ted Lillie managed to author the first bill signed into law this session. The bill to post EPA-certified lead abatement contractors online passed through both chambers unanimously. While Lillie describes it as a small accomplishment, one veteran Senate operative says it shows a natural propensity for politics and spells successes to come. Lillie, a newspaper publisher and former St. Paul Chamber of Commerce leader, was also an early favorite of his caucus after managing to oust popular DFL Sen. Kathy Saltzman in 2010. For doing so, he was rewarded with his first-pick committee spots, including the vice chairmanship of the Jobs and Economic Growth Committee.
Sen. John Howe, a freshman from Red Wing, has received similar praise for his operations in committee. As a former mayor of Red Wing and a longtime business owner, Howe enters the Legislature with confidence and a thoughtful perspective, lobbyists say. He is also seen as a possible wild card for the Senate GOP caucus. As one DFL lobbyist noted, Howe stands apart from the Senate GOP on the issue of nuclear waste storage. Howe has also indicated to Capitol Report that he is open to a comprehensive review of the state’s tax expenditures. “He has an independent streak that I don’t think we’ve really seen yet,” a lobbyist said. “I have the feeling he is willing to break from his caucus on a few key issues.”
