Frank Hornstein

Jun 23, 2014

The Capitol Note: MN GOP stands behind MacDonald despite legal troubles

The state Republican party will stand behind state Supreme Court candidate Michelle MacDonald despite legal troubles stemming from an intoxicated driving allegation.

May 21, 2014

Transportation cash: Wait till next year

The passage of a financing plan out of the House Transportation Finance Committee could serve as a lead-in to revisit the topic in 2015.

Mar 25, 2014

The Capitol Note: No penalty for MNsure enrollments that start before deadline

The news drew a positive reaction from Gov. Mark Dayton.

Mar 21, 2014

The Capitol Note: GOP delays Senate tax vote for review of details

1) The state Republican party will stand behind state Supreme Court candidate Michelle MacDonald despite legal troubles stemming from an intoxicated driving allegation, Minnesota Public Radio reports. The Republican Party ...

Mar 20, 2014

Transportation plan clears House committee despite doubt, opposition

The House Transportation Finance Committee passed a comprehensive funding package during a Thursday hearing, but the fate of that proposal remains very much in doubt.

Mar 20, 2014

The Capitol Note: Senate’s tax bill would cut $434 million

House leaders refused to speculate on whether the House would accept the Senate bill or take it to conference committee.

Mar 19, 2014

House shoots for $1B in new spending

Tax cuts, economic development top DFL spending list.

Mar 5, 2014

Bill calls for ‘gross receipts’ sales tax on gas

A state transportation bill introduced last Friday includes a gas sales tax that would help road improvement funds keep pace with inflation, an idea that has the strong support of transportation backers but is likely to face stiff resistance in an election year.

Feb 19, 2014

The Capitol Note: Transportation advocates push more taxes on gas, metro-area sales tax

Move MN, a coalition of transportation funding advocates, hopes the two revenue streams would result in $727 million per year.

Feb 12, 2014

Transportation spending picture stays muddled

During the 2013 legislative session, DFL lawmakers and Gov. Mark Dayton settled on a $300 million funding package for so-called Corridors of Commerce. In October, when Dayton announced the awarding of grants for 10 projects spread throughout the state, his announcement was heralded as good news by a number of Republicans, including U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann and Rep. Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove.

Dec 9, 2013

The Capitol Note: Letter outlines insurance companies’ complaints on MNsure

Minnesota Council of Health Plans director Julie Brunner sent a letter to state agencies on Friday to alert officials to the error-riddled data that insurance companies have received.

Dec 8, 2013

New coalition chases transportation funding

Advocates of increased funding for roads, bridges and transit projects across Minnesota hope to recreate a formula that worked once before. In the wake of the 2007 I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis, a broad coalition of groups, which included the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce as well as labor unions, joined hands to push for a 5.5 cent gas tax increase in the 2008 session.