HometownSource Blogs

The legislative auditor is expected to release a report next week on Q Comp — the performance pay for teachers program — Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s signature educational reform piece.

House and Senate education committees are expected to hold hearings on Tuesday (Feb. 3) to review the findings of the auditor.

The governor in his proposed state budget included $41 million to expand Q Comp to all school districts statewide.

In the past some DFL lawmakers have grumbled that Q Comp is fine if a school district has a big enough staff to handle the paperwork, but for smaller school districts it’s too complex.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed the first bill of the session today (Jan. 29) just short hours after it cleared the Legislature.

The unemployment benefits extension bill will extend state unemployment benefits to about 3,000 Minnesotans who do not qualify for a federal extension.

The average payment will be $215 per week with the average length of payment lasting 15 weeks, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.

The extension will put the state’s unemployment trust fund into deficit.

Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, on the House floor argued for compassion but against the state offering a “false promise” when facing a budgetary crisis.

Representatives Tom Hackbarth, R-Cedar, and Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, took a few minutes today (Jan 28) to talk about legislation they’re pursuing this session.

Hackbarth is proposing a gaming bill to put a privately-owned casino somewhere in the metro.

Democrats have not been friendly towards expanding gaming, and Gov. Tim Pawlenty has indicated that he will not pursue gaming again.

But Hackbarth, who has carried gaming legislation before, is hardly holding his breath.

“I don’t see it happening,” he said of his casino bill being signed into law.

“But I’m going to put it out there as an option,” he explained.

“Maybe a light will go on,” Hackbarth said, smiling.

Hackbarth is also concerned about a merging of the trails and waterways division in the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) with a division handling state parks.

He is proposiing a citizens’ oversight committee to watch DNR spending. The former House natural resources committee chairman is concerned that someone, sometime, will start using dollars from trails and waterways to bolster funding for state parks, which are experiencing a downturn in park sticker sales, explained Hackbarth.

As for Hortman, who carried vehicle emission standards legislation last session, she views President Barack Obama’s recent direction to federal officials to reconsider a waiver for California’s more stringent emission standards as boding well for efforts in Minnesota.

Indeed, Hortman, who doesn’t like predicting the outcome of legislation, opined that her bill “more likely than not” would find its way Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s desk.

One change they’ve made to the bill from last session, explained Hortman, is that it would require new cars registered in Minnesota to meet the state’s emission standards.

Automotive dealers have complained that having the state adopt more stringent standards would send car shoppers across state lines, looking for vehicles elsewhere.

If physical location on the House floor is an indication of House DFL caucus hierarchy, Hortman is near the top.

Instead of gracing the middle of the chamber, Hortman now sits next to House Majority Leader Tony Sertich, DFL-Chisholm, at the front.

The reason she’s there is work with the leader, Hortman explained.
She recently filled in for Sertich on the House floor when he was absent.
Although saying she did not come to the Legislature thinking in terms of leadership roles, Hortman, an attorney, considers herself a candidate should a vacancy occur in the top leadership slots in the caucus.

News that President Barack Obama has ordered federal officials to reconsider tougher auto emission standards as proposed by some states has Minnesota lawmakers expressing approval.

“President Obama has moved swiftly to make a clean break with a Bush Administration policy that benefited the oil industry at the expense of consumers,” opined Rep. Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, who has carried a vehicle emission bill in the House.

“I am glad he has opened the door for Minnesotans to adopt a vehicle emissions standard that will save Minnesota consumers more than $260 million by 2025,”  she said in a Clean Energy Minnesota press release.

“This decision paves the way for the Minnesota Legislature and the Governor to adopt this money-saving standard,”  said Hortman.
Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, echoed the sentiments.

“I applaud President Obama for making good on his pledge to allow states to adopt these Clean Car standards” said Marty.

“Now, we need to act quickly to adopt these standards in Minnesota,” he said.

The Minnesota Auto Dealers Association (MADA) while “embracing” the idea of providing more fuel-efficient automobiles, requested that the president step back from the waiver request from California.

“The Obama Administration and Congress have all the tools they need to require the nation’s automobile fleet to continue to improve its overall fuel efficiency, and create a single national standard,” said Scott Lambert, Executive Vice President of MADA, in press release.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty was on Minnesota Public Radio today (Jan. 26), on the eve of the release of his state budget.

In taking questions, Pawlenty, who has already said his budget will contain no tax increases, defended his position by arguing that even increasing the state income tax on the upper bracket by a percent will only capture about $300 million extra.

“It wouldn’t solve the budget challenge,” he said.

Pawlenty proposes to increase the health and human services budget by four percent, flatly saying that some people will have to be removed from programs under the scenario.

He spoke of growth in health and human services as suffocating the state budget.
Pawlenty defended his Employment and Economic Development Commissioner Dan McElroy — the commissioner has been getting some heat from some leaders on account of the state’s job situation — by saying it was unfair to blame him for a global market slowdown.

They’re “missing the target with their rhetoric,” said Pawlenty.

Asked about his decision whether to seek a third term, the governor said he was giving it “serious consideration.”

Although facing a big budget deficit and the prospects that the February budget forecast will only show it deepening, Gov Tim Pawlenty indicated yesterday (Jan. 22) that he’s not feeling frustrated or otherwise cowed by the budget challenge.
“In life you don’t get to pick the challlenges that come your way, but you do get to pick how you respond to them,” he said.

“My challenges are nothing compared to challenges the people across the state are facing in the form of wage loss, job loss, family plans being deferred or derailed — all the heartaches that come with the economic collapse,” said Pawlenty.

“I don’t get frustrated,” he said.

“I get motivated to do what we can to make it better,” said the governor.

Pawlenty will present his state budget on Tuesday (Jan. 27).

Attorney General Lori Swanson filed a lawsuit today (Jan. 22) against Allina Health System in Hennepin County District Court.

She alleges that the healthcare provider has violated state ursry laws by charging interest rates of up to 18 percent on medical debt owed by patients.

“The high cost of health care is one of the biggest financial obstacles faced by many Minnesota families.  Allina has dug a deeper financial hole for patients facing tough economic times by charging usurious interest rates of up to 18 percent on medical bills,” Swanson charges.

Wow. Maybe I’m a mind reader. Or maybe I just have read enough news accounts to see how public policy starts to seep from one large metro area to the next.

In an earlier post here, I even started to wondering when Minnesota fast-food restaurants would be the target of mandatory calories posting and the ban of trans fat.  Read more »

Second District Congressman John Kline, R-Lakeville, yesterday issued the following statement on the inauguration of the new chief executive, President Barack Obama.

“Today is a historic day of hope and pride for America. Our great nation is facing many challenges, and I share the President’s desire for Washington to put principles above partisanship. I look forward to working with the new administration on behalf of all Americans – regardless of ideology or party affiliation,” said Kline in part.

Minnesota political leaders did not let the inauguration of America’s first African-American president, President Barack Obama, go by without notice.

“Today marks an extraordinary moment in the history of our country,” said Republican Norm Coleman.

Democrat Al Franken was in Washington to witness the swearing in and expressed congratulations to Obama and Vice President Joe Biden and their families.

“Today, President Obama made clear what we all know: the challenges we face are significant, and change won’t happen overnight. But today, we are one nation united and ready to get to work, with a President ready to lead us,” said Franken.

Read more »

“Welcome to New York’s underground. Where the competition is brutal and everyone’s fighting to be the best.”
I’m a movie buff and so being, I cruise the Yahoo! Movies page frequently to check out new trailers and movie news. Today I discovered a trailer for a new movie called “Fighting.”

I’m not typically prone to moral outrage, but for some reason this movie sparked some. Read more »

Former U.S. Senator Mark Dayton today (Jan. 16) announced that he has registered with the state campaign and public disclosure board “Mark Dayton for a Better Minnesota,” his principal campaign committee for governor in 2010.

“However, now is not the appropriate time to begin a public debate about campaign issues in 2010,” said Dayton in a statement.

“Minnesota has not yet resolved last year’s Senate election. And the nation’s attention is properly focused upon next Tuesday’s historic Presidential inauguration,” he said.

Although not making a formal announcement at this time, Dayton will begin traveling the state, talking to people, he explained.
Dayton served one-term in the Senate, electing not to run again.

Could a nasty May surprise await lawmakers?

State Economist Tom Stinson this week appeared before the Senate Finance Committee and outlined an economic scenario that could bite lawmakers late session.

Stinson, in giving an economic overview, spoke of the difficulties of monitoring and predicting revenue from capital gains. It’s a complicated issue, and hard to model for, he explained.

The capital gains picture could become clearer in May, near the end of the legislative session, he pointed out.

“We hope it’s zero,” he said of an increase in the state budget deficit.

“But it could be in the area of $200 (million) to $300 million,” he said of the possible loss of revenue.

The budget news is not good.

It’s anticipated that Gov. Tim Pawlenty may face the prospects of additional budget unallotments to balance out this two-year spending cycle.

Everyone expects that the projected $4.8 billion state budget deficit for the new spending cycle will be bigger than projected back in December.

So now Philly is also going to be cracking down on restaurant labeling too.

That’s because Philadelphia is joining the likes of New York City and California, and having a strict labeling law on all chain-restaurants menus because the city’s mayor, Michael Nutter signed the law into practice at the Center for Obesity Research Education at Temple University. Read more »

Wisconsin Gov. Jim Doyle expressed enthusiasm today for a high-speed train proposal that could have passengers boarding a fast train in Minnesota and traveling across Wisconsin — perhaps stopping at cities like Milwaukee, the beer city — before hitting the end of the line in Chicago.

Doyle, appearing with Gov. Tim Pawlenty this morning, already has a name for the high-speed train, the Gatsby Express.

He explained that the famous novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, “The Great Gatsby,” has its main character traveling across Wisconsin to St. Paul on a train at the end of the novel.

That’s where his name for the proposed line comes from.

Doyle indicated the cost of the train could be included in the expected Obama Administration economic stimulus package.

Pawlenty indicated that if the federal government wanted to pay for the line, that would be fine with him.