by Charley Shaw
Published: May 20, 2013
Tags: Legacy, Phyllis Kahn, Richard Cohen
Differences that had festered all session long on the Legacy dedicated funding bill for environmental and cultural projects were settled early in the morning on the last day of session. The House and Senate passed the compromise, which now awaits approval by Gov. Mark Dayton.
by Charley Shaw
Published: May 20, 2013
Tags: campaign finance, gift ban, John Marty, Ryan Winkler
State lawmakers on Monday sent a campaign finance bill to Gov. Mark Dayton that allows candidates to raise and spend more money. The bill received bipartisan support in the House and Senate but also drew dissent from DFLers in the majority on some provisions.
by Mike Mullen
Published: May 20, 2013
Tags: Gene Pelowski, Jay McNamar, Kim Norton, Kurt Zellers, Mark Dayton, Matt Dean, Michael Nelson, Tim Faust, Tina Liebling
The bill passed the House by a tally of 68-66, with the entire House Republican caucus joined by five moderate Democrats who voted in opposition.
by Paul Demko
Published: May 20, 2013
Tags: Ann Rest, Carrie Ruud, Katie Sieben, Kent Eken, Mary Kiffmeyer, Michelle Fischbach, Paul Gazelka, Rod Skoe, Scott Newman, Sean Nienow, Tom Bakk, Warren Limmer
A proposed constitutional amendment that would give an independent panel the authority to set salaries for House and Senate members passed the Senate on Monday morning by a 43-23 vote margin. The amendment is expected to be on the ballot in 2016.
by Paul Demko
Published: May 19, 2013
Tags: Charlie Zelle, David Osmek, Mark Dayton, Scott Dibble, transportation funding
The Senate passed a transportation finance bill that includes no significant new revenue by a 43-24 vote on Sunday evening. The bill already cleared the House and is now headed for a signature by Gov. Mark Dayton.
by Mike Mullen
Published: May 19, 2013
Tags: Arne Carlson, George Perez, Mark Dayton, Rod Skoe
In his letter to Skoe, Dayton wrote, "Had I known about the Board's findings, I would not have reappointed him to the Tax Court."
by Charley Shaw
Published: May 19, 2013
The House and Senate on Saturday night passed their negotiated deal on funding for the next two years for the environment and agriculture. The conference report is the settlement between the opposing viewpoints in the DFL majorities between business and environmentalists.
by Charley Shaw
Published: May 18, 2013
Tags: frac sand mining, John Kaul, matt schmit, Rick Hansen, Tony Kwilas
House and Senate conferees have agreed on a set of regulations for frac sand mining in southeastern Minnesota. One conferee said the breadth of the issues that are addressed makes the legislation the first of its kind in the country.
by Briana Bierschbach
Published: May 18, 2013
Tags: Health and Human Services, HMOs, Julie Rosen, Mark Dayton, Mary Kiffmeyer, Tony Lourey
The legislation, which includes a 5 percent rate increase for nursing homes next year and additional spending for mental health services in schools, passed of the chamber floor on a 39-28 vote. At the start of the debate, bill author Tony Lourey, DFL-Kerrick, said the final budget bill was considerably better than a proposal passed earlier in the year. That’s because both chambers originally faced a $150 million targeted budget cut in health and human services, but that number was scaled back to $50 million when leadership reached final budget targets with Gov. Mark Dayton.
by Paul Demko
Published: May 17, 2013
Tags: Ann Lenczewski, Kim Norton, Mayo Clinic
The Mayo Clinic's "destination medical center" took another step towards gaining up to $400 million in state financial support on Friday evening. The tax conference committee adopted language laying out the financial terms and governing structure for the estimated $5.5 billion project.
