Tom Huntley

Jan 5, 2011

Dayton signs MA expansion

The expansion was something Dayton said would be among his first official acts as governor. Republicans criticized the move as constitutionally questionable.

Dec 30, 2010

House GOP shapes key committees for budget battle

There were few surprises when the Minnesota House GOP released committee rosters last week. Legislators, Republican and Democrat alike, landed in spots where they've sat before, or - in the case of new lawmakers - where they have accrued relevant experience in their professional and personal lives.

Dec 20, 2010

House DFL announces minority leads

Thissen said the caucus was concerned about the slimmed-down committee roster Republicans put in place upon regaining control of the House and the committee leads are intended to maintain attention on some key issues.

Dec 17, 2010

Old battle lines resurface over federal Medicaid expansion

With Mark Dayton's timely ascent to the governor's office now assured, the most visible and protracted legislative drama of 2010 has erupted again in the past week. Dayton said throughout the campaign that one of his first acts as governor would be to sign an executive order enrolling Minnesota in an expanded federal Medicaid program.

Oct 18, 2010

Non-flood-related issues raised in the wake of flood relief bill

Senate File 1 of today's special legislative session, as expected, provides financial assistance to flood ravaged regions of southern Minnesota. Trailing in the wake of the flood assistance bill are a small number of bills that take on hot button issues.

Sep 17, 2010

Would trimmed DFL majority mean fewer committees? Probably not

Many Capitol habitués with and without election certificates complain that the committee structure of recent years has created a more frenzied process that stretches legislators too thin and is too hard for lobbyists to follow.

Jul 30, 2010

Fight over Minnesota’s early Medicaid option carries into campaigns

Session 2010's tempest over whether to take a federal deal that would have jump-started Minnesota's entry to a new federal Medicaid expansion hasn't subsided. It simply followed legislators out the doors of the Capitol and onto the campaign trail.

May 7, 2010

The unallotment decision throws a wrench in HHS negotiations

The Minnesota Supreme Court’s unallotment ruling has complicated the already prickly debate over health and human services funding.

Apr 16, 2010

Pawlenty, DFL wrangle over how to fund public health care programs

Slightly more than three weeks ago, on March 26, Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed a compromise bill that kept alive the general assistance medical care (GAMC) program.

Mar 25, 2010

Federal health overhaul: There’s gold in that there bill

The 2,400 page federal health care bill will likely take state budget officials months to parse thoroughly. Nobody knows at this point exactly how much money will will ultimately trickle down to Minnesota's coffers. But it seems highly likely that additional potential revenue streams will be discovered as the legislation is reviewed.

Mar 24, 2010

Murphy: a new force in the House

If there’s anything to the notion that all politics is personal, then it’s not hard to see how Erin Murphy wound up in the Minnesota Legislature. Murphy, the DFL state representative from St. Paul, is a nurse by profession. She comes from what she describes as a “big Irish Catholic family” that lionized John F. Kennedy.

Mar 23, 2010

Photo of the Day – March 23, 2010

Rep. Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) glances at Republican members of the House and Senate who stayed to watch his press conference with Rep. Tom Huntley (DFL-Duluth).