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DFLers join redistricting tussle
Democrats in Minnesota have been slow to rise to the redistricting fight this time around. During session, DFL caucuses in the Minnesota House and Senate passed on the chance to produce maps to counter a GOP majority proposal that pitted 26 incumbents against one another, the vast majority of them DFLers.
20 years later, state-tribal gaming compacts still produce friction
The compacts that regulate Indian-run gambling in the state never came up for a vote in the Minnesota Legislature. In fact, the whole affair happened rather quietly.
Four veteran insiders offer a view of past state negotiations
State party, minority caucuses will advance maps in 2012 Democrats in Minnesota have been slow to rise to the redistricting fight this time around. During session, DFL caucuses in the Minnesota House and Senate passed on the chance to produce maps to counter a GOP majority proposal that pitted 26 incumbents against one another, the ...
Roadblocks to a budget deal
For six months, state legislators and the governor have been trying to come up with a solution to the state’s $5 billion budget shortfall. Both sides claim they have compromised from their starting points, yet they appear to be no closer to a balanced budget solution than when they started in January. Seldom have we seen a legislative deadlock with little or no movement from either side over suc[...]
Lawsuit: Shutdown means stop
On Monday, yet another legal petition regarding the terms of a state government shutdown is expected to be filed in Ramsey County District Court, and this one makes a very simple case: In the event of a shutdown, priority funding should go to — no one. Nothing gets funded. Any such arrangement is illegal on its face according to the Minnesota Constitution.
Rising GOP tide lifted some lobbyists’ boats
Members of the Capitol lobbying corps could have been excused for thinking they were in the wrong building at the start of the 2011 legislative session. A new administration and 60 new legislators took office in St. Paul, and a new complement of Republican leaders and chairs took the place of DFLers in both legislative chambers. The Capitol building itself was just about the only thing that resemb[...]
Rank-and-file House Republicans press their case for limiting spending to $34B — no matter what
Republican Rep. Steve Drazkowski and others say they have accepted the $34 billion number. But in their eyes, this means that they have already “compromised” on the budget — even if it’s only with other Republicans.
Board plays a critical role in keeping GOP together
Former Republican Rep. Dave Bishop remembers sitting in the office of then-House Speaker Steve Sviggum, trying to calm him down. Sviggum was fuming, as Bishop recalls, because he had just been voted down on an issue by the executive board, a small group of GOP representatives that serve as caucus advisers to the speaker of the House of Representatives.
‘He was the House of Representatives’ – Ed Burdick, 1921-2011
When news broke last week that longtime former House Chief Clerk Ed Burdick had died, representatives took time to reminisce on the chamber floor. Preston Republican Rep. Greg Davids remembered a time when the clock struck midnight on the last night of session. The Legislature was constitutionally required to adjourn, but had yet to finish its work.
Former legislators Brod, Sviggum among four U of M regents approved
Former state Reps. Laura Brod and Steve Sviggum were among a slate of four candidates elected to six-year terms on the University of Minnesota Board of Regents by a joint meeting of the House and Senate on Monday afternoon. The other two spots were filled by current regent David Larson and business executive David McMillan.
Brod and Sviggum recommended for U of M Board of Regents
Retired Republican Rep. Laura Brod and former GOP House Speaker Steve Sviggum were both recommended for spots on the University of Minnesota's Board of Regents - despite originally seeking the same seat on the body. They face a vote from the full Legislature Monday.
Senate Republicans announce top committee staff
On the first day of the legislative session on Tuesday, many of the Senate's new Republican committee administrators were still receiving the keys to their offices and waiting for their phones to be set up. But for the most part, the top committee staffers who will help Senate Republicans govern in the majority for the first time since 1972 are hardly strangers to the Capitol.
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