HometownSource Blogs

Minnesota Supreme Court Chief Justice Eric J. Magnuson today announced that he will leave the state’s highest court, effective June 30, 2010, according to the Minnesota Courts.

“It has been my privilege to serve as Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court for the past two years,” Magnuson said in a letter to Gov. Tim Pawlenty.

“I have found the position to be both challenging and rewarding. However, for reasons personal to me and my family, I have decided to step down and return to private practice,” he said.

Senate Minority Leader David Senjem, R-Rochester, has endorsed Rep. Marty Seifert of Marshall for governor.

Senjem picked Seifert over Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, in making his endorsement.

“I think we have two great candidates on our side,” said Senjem.

“(But) I think he (Seifert) has the right style and the right temperament,” said Senjem.

Senjem credited Seifert with being calm, his demeanor cordial.

One criticism of Emmer — and Emmer has commented on this — is that he comes across as angry.

Emmer has insisted he isn’t angry, and that it’s unfair to judge him as such because of the way he looks.

Seifert expressed happiness over the Senjem endorsement.

Senjem holds sway in his area, Seifert explained, and Olmsted County with its 57 Republican delegates is an important county.

Wright County — Emmer’s home county — has 59 Republican delegates, Seifert said.

Seifert said the race between Emmer and he was competitive, and that he didn’t know who was in the lead at the moment.

The delegates are fluid, Seifert explained.

Former state auditor Pat Anderson’s brother, Ken Anderson, is competing in the Iditarod Dog Sled Race — a 1100 mile race from Anchorage to Nome lasting about ten days.

“Every March, I turn into a dog sled ‘groupie’, religiously following the race on-line,” said Anderson.

“Thank goodness for Blackberry’s,” she said on a campaign site.

Republican Anderson is running against DFL State Auditor Rebecca Otto to win back her old job.

Rep. Tim Faust, DFL-Hinckley, defended sex education legislation in the House K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee this morning.

A number of testifiers offered sometimes graphic testimony in criticism of sex education programs in their school districts, and argued the responsible family life and sexuality education legislation devalued successful abstinence-based sex education.

But Faust, citing statistics concerning teenage girls and pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases cited by bill opponents, said the statistics reflected a problem the legislation was attempting to fix.

Faust spoke about how his son, who has taken absolutely no interest in his father’s political career — door knocked only about an hour — volunteered to come to the Capitol on behalf of the bill and testify.

His son believes sex education programs prevent abortions, recounted Faust.

The bill passed the committee.

Sen. Chris Gerlach’s provisional ballot legislation failed in committee today.

The Apple Valley Republican was proposing that for people who come to the polls to vote without proof of residence, they be given a provisional ballot — be allowed to vote — but also required to come back with valid proof of residency.

In the meantime, their ballot would be held but not counted until residency was established.

“This is the kind of balance we need,” said Gerlach.

But one criticism of the bill was that it placed an additional burden on voters who had been voting legally by requiring them to come back and prove residency or having their vote not counted.

The bill failed on a 4-8 vote in the Committee on State and Local Government Operations and Oversight.

The League of Women Voters did not support the bill.

The House voted 131-2 to pass legislation dealing with absentee voter balloting — the bill mirrors language in the Senate and supporters hope to quickly send the bill to the governor for signing.

Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, former secretary of state, endorsed the legislation.

“I think the bill has made significant progress along the way,” she said on the House floor.

Rep. Tom Emmer, R-Delano, attempted to amend the bill to include a photo ID provision.

“When will Minnesota pass an ID bill,” asked Rep. Bob Dettmer, R-Forest Lake, holding aloft three forms of picture ID that he carries in this wallet.

But Emmer’s amendment failed on a 59-74 vote.

Emmer was one of two lawmakers who voted against the bill.

Absentee ballot legislation carried by Sen. Katie Sieben, DFL-Newport, advanced in the Senate today.

Among things the bill does is create local ballot boards that will be responsible for absentee ballots — the boards would make the decision to accept or reject them.

The bill requires absentee ballot applications to include one of the following: applicant’s driver’s license number or state identification number; the last four digits of the applicant’s Social Security number; or a statement the applicant has none of these.

Sieben explained the legislation makes the rejection or acceptance of absentee ballots by elections officials less subjective.

“It’s a good bill,” said Sen. Chris Gerlach, R-Apple Valley, who has worked on election issues.

Gerlach attempted to amend the bill, but the amendment failed.

Gerlach wanted to post the reasons for absentee balloting on application materials, arguing that the number of people who vote absentee has been steadily increasing although the laws pertaining the absentee balloting haven’t changed.

Gerlach suggested that absentee balloting is being used by voters for reasons not covered by the law.

Sen. Don Betzold, DFL-Fridley, rose on the Senate floor today to complain about Capitol security locking the doors of the Capitol while legislative business was taking place.

It was completely unacceptable, explained Betzold, that access to the Capitol be denied while legislative activity was occurring.

Betzold related that he personally had come to the Capitol to find the doors locked.

He urged lawmakers, lobbyists, members of the public, to notify him in the future if this happens to them.

Betzold, who chairs the Senate State Government Budget Committee, said he intends to call Capitol Security officials into the committee to explain their security policies if another incident of locked doors during times of legislative activity takes place.

Attorney General Lori Swanson has issued a warning this national consumer protection week against free trial offers.

Swanson warns that consumers who sign onto free trial offers may not realize if they don’t like the product or service, they need to cancel during the free trial period.

If they don’t, their silence may be interpreted as consent and the consumer be hook into paying for additional products or services.

Swanson warns consumer should pay close to attention to their credit card billings, checking for smaller, unknown charges that could reveal a free trial offer that has snagged the consumer financially.

Often such charges are smaller, less noticeable, going under the radar.

Read the fine details, Swanson warns of free trial offers.

It matters.

Democratic House and Senate capital investment committee chairs yesterday presented a reworked $986 million bonding bill.

Funding for some area projects has been altered in the latest version of the bonding bill.

The City of Princeton is still slated money for its proposed public safety facility but at a lesser amount — funding for the emergency management training facility at Camp Ripley has also been lowered.

The Anoka-Ramsey Community College bioscience and health addition, that was slated about $11 million, has been knocked down to planning money — $267,000.

The Dakota County Technical College transportation and emerging tech lab project has been knocked down from close to $5 million to $200,000.

Items Gov. Tim Pawlenty wants but were absent from the first bonding bill are found in the reworked bill version.

It’s possible the reworked bonding bill could be on House and Senate floors this coming week.

This includes funding for the Moose Lake sex offender facility expansion — less than what the governor wants but it’s there — plus other funding for prisons, and language pertaining to the proposed Lake Vermilion state park.

Republican Gov. Tim Pawlenty gave a quick update on the state of General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) talks after a bill signing this morning.

“They didn’t say ‘No’” said Pawlenty of Democrats’ reaction to an administration offer.

One feature of the administration’s offer is the concept of a central clearinghouse to sort out which federal or state program is best suited to assist the poor in search of health care.

Rep. Matt Dean, R-Dellwood, suggested the clearinghouse concept, Pawlenty indicated.

In other comments, Pawlenty indicated that he could not support any tax increases proposed in legislation dealing with building a new Vikings’ stadium.

“We don’t do taxes,” said Pawlenty.

State Economist Tom Stinson said a critical series of decisions lay ahead for public policy makers in the next five, six years as Baby Boomers begin to retire and exert greater demands on the health care system.

Stinson indicated that he doesn’t foresee the nation suffering a “double-dip” recession, with the economy again going into the trough.

Stinson struck a lighter note when asked whether he saw factors that could hold back the recovery.

“All economist can see dark clouds,” he quipped.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty has invited key DFL and Republican lawmakers to meet with him tomorrow morning to continue negotiations on General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC).

The DFL-controlled House attempted to override Pawlenty’s veto of recent GAMC legislation today, but failed.

Pawlenty visited with the Republican House Caucus this afternoon to thank them for backing his veto.

The AFL-CIO is calling for lawmakers in the House to override Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s veto of recent General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) legislation — an override attempt is expected this afternoon.

“It’s indefensible to balance the state budget on the backs of those hurting most,” said Minnesota AFL-CIO President Shar Knutson.

“People receiving GAMC coverage include people who have mental health issues, chronic medical conditions and more than 8,000 veterans,” said the president.

Republicans express confidence their side will hold.

Democratic leaders expect Tuesday’s release of the February state budget forecast to show little or modest change to the state budget.

“Whatever happens won’t be major,” said
Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis.

House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, expressed the same sentiments.

Lawmakers are facing an immediate $1.2 billion projected budget shortfall.