Yesterday, members of the DFL House Majority sent a letter to President Trump respectfully requesting he re-open the government and end the shutdown.
Here’s a link to that document.
Tag: Minnesota House of Representatives
House and Senate Transportation Committee Chairs Introduce Bipartisan ‘Hands-Free’ Cell Phone Legislation
St. Paul, MN – Sen. Scott Newman (R-Hutchinson) and Rep. Frank Hornstein (D-Minneapolis), chairmen of the Senate and House transportation committees, introduced bipartisan ‘hands-free’ cell phone legislation aimed to increase safety for drivers, passengers, bicyclists and pedestrians on Minnesota’s roads. The bills (S.F. 91 and H.F. number to be announced) would prohibit cell phone usage outside of one-touch communications, similar to laws already on the books in sixteen states and Washington D.C.
“The ‘hands-free’ bill isn’t about restricting liberties; it’s about public safety. We’re sending a message to drivers across Minnesota: get off your phone and focus on the road. Life depends on it,” said Senator Scott Newman. “When you operate a vehicle, you have a responsibility to yourself, your passengers, and the others on the road. This bipartisan measure will help reinforce just how dangerous distracted driving is.”
“Distracted driving fatalities are continually on the rise,” said Rep. Frank Hornstein. “Minnesotans deserve to be safe on our roadways. Requiring ‘Hands-free’ mode will deliver common sense safety measures to combat these preventable tragedies.” Continue reading “House and Senate Transportation Committee Chairs Introduce Bipartisan ‘Hands-Free’ Cell Phone Legislation”
Starting Line: First bills of the 2019 Legislative Session
From the Minnesota House Public Information Service:
Minnesota House Session Daily Week in Review
Hortman brings experience, quiet irreverence to speaker’s chair
In between meetings on a recent Monday, Melissa Hortman took a moment to check the notifications piling up on her phone. She had a new message from the soon-to-be minority House Republican caucus about what committees they want each member to serve on.
“Not a lot of chicks in that group, not a single woman in here,” Hortman said, scrolling through their lists for each committee. “There’s a statute that says that we have to achieve geographic balance. There isn’t one that says that we have to do anything about gender balance.”
A DFL state representative from Brooklyn Park, Hortman made a splash in 2017 when she criticized a handful of male legislators for playing a card game in a side room while several female legislators of color were speaking on the House floor. Some Republicans were furious and demanded that she apologize, to which she responded: “I’m not sorry.”
View the complete January 7 article by Briana Bierschbach on the MPR News website here.
House DFL Press Conference: January 9, 2019
Representative Liz Olson (DFL-Duluth), Speaker Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park), Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley) and others unveil the first 10 bills they intend to offer this session.
2019 Session preview with House Speaker Melissa Hortman
Strong suburban showing puts DFL in control of House
The DFL will control the Minnesota House of Representatives in the 2019-20 biennium.
Winning a number of key races in the Twin Cities suburbs, the DFL picked up 18 seats in Tuesday’s elections and will hold a 75-59 advantage when the House convenes Jan. 8, 2019.
Much of the change occurred in the Twin Cities suburbs, especially near and just off the Interstate 494-694 corridor, where DFL candidates beat incumbent Republicans in places like Burnsville, Eden Prairie, Edina, Lakeville, Plymouth, Rosemount, Stillwater and Woodbury.
Three races were within 250 votes: Rep.-elect Carlie Kotyza-Witthuhn (DFL-Eden Prairie) beat Rep. Jenifer Loon (R-Eden Prairie) by 241 votes with 20,577 votes cast; Rep.-elect Kelly Morrison (DFL-Deephaven) beat Rep. Cindy Pugh (R-Chanhassen) by 216 votes with 23,372 cast; and Rep.-elect Shelly Christensen (DFL-Stillwater) beat Rep. Kathy Lohmer (R-Stillwater) by 137 votes in a race where 22,630 votes were cast.