Governor Dayton Blasts GOP For “Hare-Brained” Vikings Stadium Proposal

Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton says a Republican plan to build a roof-less Vikings stadium with bonding money is “cynical gamesmanship” and “playing poker with Minnesota jobs.” He said the proposal unveiled yesterday is “hare-brained” because not only does he oppose it but so does the city of Minneapolis and the Vikings.

DFL Legislative leaders joined Governor Dayton in calling for an up or down vote on the Vikings stadium proposal on the House and Senate floors.

‘Smoking Hot’ ‘Class Warfare’ Tax Bill Passes MN House

Minnesota House Republicans called it “smoking hot”, Democrats called it “class warfare” because it gives property tax breaks to businesses, but doesn’t require them to create jobs. Governor Mark Dayton has indicated in the past he is against this type of corporate tax giveaway.

The tax bill which is one of the final large bills left in the legislative session passes the House 73-57. It won’t be taken up in the Senate until Thursday as legislative leaders negotiate with the Governor for a session ending deal that involves the tax bill, the bonding bill and a Vikings stadium.

MN House Move To Advance Vikings Stadium Fails

The Minnesota Vikings stadium bill was dealt another setback when House Republicans blocked a DFL attempt to move the stadium bill to the tax committee.

House Minority Leader Paul Thissen moved that the bill be referred to the tax committee even though it had failed to pass out of the Government Operations committee. House Majority Leader Matt Dean asked to table the move and the House voted 68-59 to effectively block the stadium bill from advancing.

DFL Urges Action to Ease Minnesota Somali Remittances

Saying that humanitarian relief should be a non-partisan issue, two DFL legislators question why GOP leaders have not allowed a hearing on a resolution to help Minnesotans send money to their relatives in Somalia.

Senator Jeff Hayden and Representative Karen Clark say they have many Somali-Americans in their districts who can no longer send money to famine-ravaged Somalia because the US government is concerned the money could be directed to terrorists.

Their resolution urges federal action to find an amicable solution that would allow banks to provide money-transfers to the Horn of Africa. Since many Somali Minnesotans rely on this service to help feed their families back home, Clark and Hayden have taken up this issue. Republicans in control of the State House and Senate have been unwilling to schedule an official hearing to address the issue. In lieu of that, a “People’s Hearing” will take place tomorrow at 8:30 a.m.

Full video of news conference … Continue Reading

Somali Money Transfer Problem a Federal Issue, Says MN DFL

Somali Minnesotans are stuck in limbo because the U.S. Government has pressured banks not to let them wire money home to their families in the war-torn East African nation — ostensibly out of fears that money could fall into the hands of terrorists. Many of those Somali families depend on the remittances for survival.

Local Somalis have set a deadline of May 11 before they begin to pull their money out of Wells Fargo Bank as a protest. But they aren’t getting much help from their elected leaders at the State Capitol in St. Paul. House Minority Leader Paul Thissen says that fellow DFL Rep. Karen Clark is working on a resolution to call on the federal government to take action (see the status of House File 1902 here) , but she has received only three co-sponsors to her legislation.

“At the end of the day, I think this is a federal issue,” said Thissen. “We actually can’t change the law that would change that. We can just encourage our federal representatives to move in that direction … and that we strike the right balance between the humanitarian interest of actually getting money back to families while not getting that money into the hands of terrorists, and I think striking that is Secretary of State Clinton’s ultimate decision.”

GOP Claims Responsibility For MN Surplus: DFL Calls Claim “Laughable”

Minnesota Senate Majority Leader David Senjem (GOP) says his party will claim responsibility for the state’s surplus. House Minority Leader Paul Thissen (DFL) calls that claim “laughable” since most of the money contributing to the surplus has been borrowed.

GOP, DFL Hold Weekly News Conference

This morning, the Minnesota Republican and Democratic leadership held their weekly news conference before breaking for Easter. Topics discussed included a bonding bill and the GOP’s passage of a controversial Voter Photo ID constitutional amendment that will now appear on the November ballot. Watch the GOP press conference above, and the DFL address below:

Maneuver To Un-stall “Right To Work” Fails In MN House

There was something strange going on in the Minnesota House chamber Thursday night. Legislators were ready to get to evening committee hearings and the House floor session was winding down when suddenly Majority Leader Matt Dean called for a recess. House Minority Leader Paul Thissen objects, pointing out that taking a recess would delay the start of many important committee hearings.

Getting no explanation for the recess, Democrats call for adjournment, which fails.

After the 40 minute recess Republicans try to move the controversial “right to work” also known as “rob the workers” constitutional amendment to the friendlier Rules committee than its current assignment. The maker of the motion, Representative Doug Wardlow (R-Eagan) does not appear to speak to it. After an almost three minute wait, Speaker of the House Kurt Zellers moves on to announcements and adjournment.

Videos of the events and press release from House Minority Leader Paul Thissen … Continue Reading

GOP Chooses Corporations Over Renters

Renters versus corporations is how Minnesota House Democrats described a bill that phases out a state business property tax at the expense of a renters credit. Republicans say the bill will leave more money with businesses which will boost employment. The bill passed on a 72-62 party line vote.

DFL: GOP Won’t Say What Photo ID Language Means

Minnesota Democrats are upset that Republicans are being evasive about what a voter photo ID constitutional amendment would do to the state’s absentee balloting and other voting systems. The bill which requires a state issued photo ID or a “substantially equivalent” ID to vote will be debated on the House floor this afternoon. Republicans support it. Democrats do not.

Representative Steve Simon (DFL-St. Louis Park) says the author of the bill, Representative Mary Kiffmeyer (R-Big Lake) opposed Minnesota’s same day voter registration system when she was Secretary of State and is “skilled” at avoiding answering questions about what voter photo ID would do to same day registration.

Representative Ryan Winker (DFL- Golden Valley) says Representative Kiffmeyer has refused to say what voter photo ID could do to absentee ballot voting. In committee Representative Kiffmeyer walked around direct questions about the constitutionality of her suggestion of requiring absentee ballot voters to provide just the number of their drivers license instead of presenting a photo ID to vote. Historically, absentee ballots tend to favor Republican voters. House Minority Leader Paul Thissen says that voter photo ID could disenfranchise US soldiers who can not present a photo ID in time when they are deployed overseas.

No definition of what the key words in the amendment mean … Continue Reading