Category: State Issues

DFL Voices Support for Task Force on Sexual Harassment

In a letter today to Representative Erin Maye Quade, Representative Jamie Becker-Finn, and Lindsey Port, DFL Chairman Ken Martin voiced his support for the establishment of a Task Force on Sexual Harassment at the State Capitol. Per their previous request that the DFL name an expert to the task force, he appointed Former State Senator Tarryl Clark. The full letter is available here.

“This task force is a critical step toward creating a culture of respect at the State Capitol-one that empowers those who have been harassed, holds perpetrators accountable, and deters sexual misconduct in the first place,” DFL Chairman Ken Martin wrote in the letter. “We must work together to tear down the institutional obstacles that keep victims from reporting inappropriate behavior and perpetuate sexual misconduct in the workplace.”  Continue reading “DFL Voices Support for Task Force on Sexual Harassment”

Bakk responds to Fischbach’s ascenscion to Executive Branch

SAINT PAUL, Minn. — Senate DFL Leader Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, sent a letter today to Lieutenant Governor Michelle Fischbach and Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka asking for the Lt. Gov.’s resignation from the Minnesota Senate.

“Congratulations on becoming lieutenant governor of the State of Minnesota,” writes Bakk. “As you know, the Minnesota Constitution prohibits you from simultaneously holding the offices of state senator and lieutenant governor.”

“As your former colleague, I respectfully ask you to formally acknowledge that you no longer hold the office of state senator for Senate District 13,” continues Bakk.

The letter can be found online here.

Census Funding Cuts Might Cost Rural America Billions

The following article by Sam Levine was posted on the Huffington Post website December 21, 2017:

“With undercounted communities receiving less than their fair share of public funds, there will be undue economic pressure in rural communities, many of which are already struggling.”

People living in rural areas, particularly in minority communities, are among those that could be most severely affected by underfunding and a lack of preparation for the 2020 Census, a new report highlights.

Census officials have long had difficulty in counting Americans in rural areas, but the challenge could be exacerbated in 2020 by a new focus on getting Americans to respond to the Census using the internet. The rural areas where people are traditionally hard to count have lower internet access and use rates than the rest of the country, according to the report, which was written by demographer William O’Hare for the Carsey School of Public Policy at the University of New Hampshire.

Continue reading “Census Funding Cuts Might Cost Rural America Billions”

Reality Check: The State And Local Tax Deduction

The following article by Pat Kessler was posted on the WCCO-TV website December 20, 2017:

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — President Trump celebrated Congress passing into law a major overhaul of America’s tax system.

It’s the biggest change to the tax code in decades.

It will take a few weeks for the average Minnesota worker to feel the effects of the tax bill.

By February 2018: lower tax brackets kick in, and middle income workers will see a bump up on their weekly pay checks. Continue reading “Reality Check: The State And Local Tax Deduction”

MNsure says demand for health insurance exceeds last year

The following article by Christopher Snowbeck was posted on the StarTribune website December 20, 2017:

Tax bill’s removal of the individual mandate could hurt exchange in the future.

Even as Congress took steps Wednesday to eliminate federal penalties designed to encourage people to buy health coverage, officials with the state’s MNsure insurance exchange said they continued to see strong demand for health plans.

MNsure shoppers looking for policies that take effect Jan. 1 faced a deadline of buying by midnight Wednesday, the same day the U.S. House and Senate passed a tax bill that would eliminate in 2019 the federal health law’s penalty for individuals who lack health insurance. Continue reading “MNsure says demand for health insurance exceeds last year”

Tax plan could be dramatic in Minnesota

The following article by Jim Spencer, Maya Rao and MaryJo Webster was posted on the StarTribune website December 19, 2017:

Revamp has many in the state confused and on edge.

Julie Kolbow has spent hours building spreadsheets to figure out how the tax overhaul under debate in Washington would affect her family of five in Chanhassen.  She and her husband own small businesses and have two children in college, and she worries that the legislation could lower the amount of taxes they can deduct. Continue reading “Tax plan could be dramatic in Minnesota”

Tina Smith, a political insider, steps onto the national stage

The following article by Erin Golden and Jessie Van Berkel was posted on the StarTribune website December 14, 2017:

Long known as a “velvet hammer” behind the scenes, she must craft her own public persona as Minnesota’s next senator.

Gov. Mark Dayton introduced his new Lt. Gov. Tina Smith, his former chief of staff, during a press conference Tuesday, Feb. 4. at the AFL-CIO offices in St. Paul, MN.

When former Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak needed a steady hand to manage the city’s highly scrutinized response to the collapse of the I-35W bridge, he turned to Tina Smith. When Gov. Mark Dayton needed a similarly deft touch in the final push to approve state funding for a new Vikings stadium, he also turned to Smith.

Smith’s prowess at navigating Minnesota’s overlapping political, business and labor interests at the highest level prompted Rybak to dub her “the velvet hammer” for her mix of personal warmth and toughness. After several decades working mostly behind the scenes in DFL politics, Smith as Dayton’s choice for U.S. senator is now stepping in a very public way into the national spotlight. Continue reading “Tina Smith, a political insider, steps onto the national stage”

Gov. Mark Dayton appoints Tina Smith to U.S. Senate

The following article by Erin Golden and J. Patrick Coolican was posted on the StarTribune website December 13, 2017:

Minnesota’s lieutenant governor, a Democrat, will take over for Sen. Al Franken when he officially resigns from Senate.

Lt. Gov. Tina Smith accepted an appointment to the U.S. Senate on Wednesday, preparing to replace Al Franken as one of Minnesota’s most powerful officials in Washington and vowing to protect the seat for Democrats in next year’s special election.

“Though I never anticipated this moment, I am resolved to do everything I can to move Minnesota forward,” Smith said, moments after DFL Gov. Mark Dayton announced that he was her choice to replace Franken following his upcoming resignation in the wake of a sexual harassment scandal.

When she officially joins the Senate — likely to happen in early January — Smith will join Sen. Amy Klobuchar to make Minnesota one of only four states with two women senators (the others are California, Washington and New Hampshire). Continue reading “Gov. Mark Dayton appoints Tina Smith to U.S. Senate”

Following Smith appointment to US Senate, Minnesota Senate will be up for grabs

St. Paul, Minn.—Lieutenant Governor Tina Smith’s appointment to U.S. Senate by Governor Mark Dayton, announced today, has set in motion a number of rarely used mechanisms. The Minnesota State Senate President, Sen. Michelle Fischbach (GOP-Paynesville), will become the Lieutenant Governor according to the line of succession outlined in the Minnesota Constitution (Article 5, Section 5). Sen. Fischbach confirmed her intention to do so in a press conference this afternoon.

In 1972 Minnesotans approved a constitutional amendment removing the duties of the Senate President from the Lieutenant Governor. This amendment, which became the modern Article 4, Section 5 of the Minnesota Constitution prohibits Sen. Fischbach from serving in both the Minnesota Senate and as the Lieutenant Governor. Because the succession cannot be declined, this forthcoming appointment will trigger a special election for the senate seat, once Sen. Al Franken’s resignation is official. Senate District 13, currently represented by Sen. Fischbach, includes the communities of Sauk Rapids, Sartell, and St. Joseph, Paynesville, Kimball, Cold Spring Rockville, Holdingford and others. Continue reading “Following Smith appointment to US Senate, Minnesota Senate will be up for grabs”