Tag: Minnesota Senate GOP

Senate DFL Leader Susan Kent statement on Senate Republicans refusing to adjourn sine die in order to consider commissioner confirmations

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Today, the Senate Republicans refused to adjourn the special session, even though the House adjourned sine die, and all 2of the budget bills have been signed by the governor, including the tax bill. On the Senate floor this morning, it was confirmed that the Republican Majority is planning to take up commissioner confirmations next week and extend the special session indefinitely. 

In response to this news, Senate DFL Leader Susan Kent (DFL-Woodbury) released the following statement:

“The Senate has been in session consistently over the past 18 months. Our members and staff worked tirelessly to create and pass a $52 billion budget for the people of Minnesota and were ready to adjourn sine die, as the House did early yesterday morning. We were surprised to hear that the Senate Republicans plan to keep the Senate in session indefinitely to consider confirmations of commissioners from the Walz administration.” 

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DFL Party Statement on the Resignation of Laura Bishop

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Saint Paul, MINNESOTA – DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin issued the following statement regarding the resignation of Commissioner of the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency Laura Bishop ahead of her likely ousting by Senate Republicans:

“Today, Minnesota has lost a dedicated public servant due to the despicable behavior of Senate Republicans. Laura Bishop worked tirelessly as head of the Pollution Control Agency to defend our environment, protect public health, and hold polluters accountable, and I am tremendously grateful for her service to our state.

“Let us be clear about what happened today: Senate Republicans forced the resignation of the Commissioner of our Pollution Control Agency in order to defend big polluters, exact revenge on Governor Walz for his strong leadership during a once-in-a-generation public health crisis, and harm our ability to be responsible stewards of our environment. Senator Paul Gazelka’s pathetic temper tantrum just goes to show that Republicans will not let divided government work for the people of Minnesota.

“Paul Gazelka is profoundly misguided if he thinks trying to break our state government will help his run for governor.”

MN Senate stays in session to review Walz commissioners

The Minnesota Senate is back in action Tuesday to consider the job status of several agency leaders — potentially voting on removing commissioners from Gov. Tim Walz’s administration.

Rather than adjourn a special session as the House did last week, GOP Senate leaders extended their stay to conduct performance reviews.

Majority Senate Republicans said the reason they did not end the special session was that they wanted to be sure Walz would sign the budget and tax bills passed during the marathon days leading up to the July 1 start of the new fiscal year. Continue reading.

Minnesota Senate GOP wants state control of some historic sites

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Democrats and state officials say the nonprofit Minnesota Historical Society is best equipped to manage them. 

Senate Republicans want to put government in charge of state-owned historical sites instead of the Minnesota Historical Society, a nonprofit that has overseen more than two dozen significant homes, forts and battlefields for the past 50 years.

The quiet push, tucked in a proposed budget bill to fund state government, would provide more transparency over how these sites are run, Republicans say. But the move blindsided state officials and comes after years of clashes between conservatives and the Historical Society over things ranging from signage at Fort Snelling to the toppling of the Christopher Columbus statue by activists last summer.

“A historical society should not be embroiled in a huge amount of controversy,” said Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer, R-Big Lake, who proposed the change. “They should be keeping track of our history.” Continue reading.

Senate Republicans threaten to cut funding for Minnesota state parks, environmental programs over ‘clean cars’ rule

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GOP bill cuts funding unless rules reducing emissions are stopped. 

Minnesota’s state parks could shut down in July if the Walz administration does not bow to demands by Senate Republicans to drop plans for new “clean cars” emissions standards.

Along with parks, much of the environmental arm of state government would shut down over the impasse, which flared up during a conference committee meeting Tuesday on the Senate’s proposed omnibus environment budget.

If passed, the Senate’s version of the omnibus environment bill would slash tens of millions of dollars in environmental funding on a variety of projects, from combating chronic wasting disease in deer and the decline in pollinators to cleaning up forever chemicals in water supplies.

Sen. Bill Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria, told the committee it is the only budget he will consider, and that he will not pass anything at all unless the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) rule-making on clean cars is stopped. Continue reading.

House POCI Caucus Joins Call for Expedited Judiciary and Public Safety Conference Committee; Presses Senate to Act on Police Accountability

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SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA — On Tuesday, April 27th, the Senate POCI Caucus sent a letter to Governor Walz and Legislative Leaders urging that the Public Safety and Judiciary conference committee begin it’s work immediately, that conferees be required to complete their work by the end of the week delivering the final bill that will be sent to the floor of both Houses by Monday, May 3rd, and be promptly sent to the Governor for his signature or veto. This is to ensure that these critical police reform decisions are given the time necessary to be discussed publicly and independently without being used as a bargaining chip in unrelated budget negotiations. The House POCI Caucus concurs with this call to action and released the following statement of support:

“In just two weeks since the killing of Daunte Wright, one week since the guilty verdict of Derek Chauvin, Senate Republicans are already sweeping police accountability under the rug. Our demands to transform our public safety and judicial system must not be ignored. Each day wasted is another day closer to another preventable tragedy. Governor Walz and the Legislative Leaders should not be fooled by the relative quiet. We are in the midst of a crisis, and our communities of color and Indigenous communities are demanding structural changes so we can live in a Minnesota where our lives are valued and protected. It is time that we learn from the loss of Daunte Wright, George Floyd, and countless others. We must pursue transformational police reform that will create a just Minnesota where everyone is treated fairly and safely.

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DFL Party Condemns Senate GOP Bill Criminalizing Protest

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ST PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, the Minnesota DFL Party is strongly condemning a bill introduced by Republican Senator David Osmek that seeks to stifle Minnesotans’ freedom of speech and expression by imposing extraordinarily harsh punishments on rally-goers and demonstrators.

Senator Osmek’s bill, Senate File 2381, stipulates that:

A person convicted of a criminal offense related to the person’s illegal conduct at a protest, demonstration, rally, civil unrest, or march is ineligible for any type of state loan, grant, or assistance, including but not limited to college student loans and grants, rent and mortgage assistance, supplemental nutrition assistance, unemployment benefits and other employment assistance, Minnesota supplemental aid programs, business grants, medical assistance, general assistance, and energy assistance.

DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement: 

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Republicans shift to limit, not undo, Minnesota governor’s emergency powers

They want to limit, not undo, Walz’s authority.

After spending most of last year trying to undo Gov. Tim Walz’s emergency powers, Republicans in control of the Minnesota Senate are trying a new strategy.

They’ve introduced more than half a dozen proposals this session that would not end the peacetime state of emergency outright but would dramatically change how long the governor could wield executive power without legislative approval and limit his ability to shutter schools and businesses in response to the corona­virus pandemic.

“It’s one of our strongest messages that we’ll push this year,” said Sen. Andrew Mathews, R-Princeton, whose measure would allow businesses to fully reopen if they have a COVID-19 safety plan in place. Continue reading.

DFL Statement on Senate GOP Concealing a COVID-19 Outbreak

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, Minnesota DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin issued the following statement on Minnesota Senate Republicans’ decision to conceal a COVID-19 outbreak from their DFL colleagues and the non-partisan staff at the Minnesota capitol:

“Minnesota Senate Republicans’ decision to cover up a COVID-19 outbreak within their ranks immediately before a special legislative session is a genuinely stunning failure of basic human decency that could land people in the hospital or worse. Paul Gazelka and Senate Republicans owe their DFL colleagues and the non-partisan staff at the Minnesota capitol an immediate explanation for why they decided to needlessly put people in harm’s way.

“If Paul Gazelka had a shred of decency left in him, he would apologize for allowing his caucus to potentially expose their colleagues to a lethal pandemic and take action to ensure something like this never happens again.”

DFL Party Statement on Senate GOP’s Decision to Oust Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner

SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin released the following statement on Minnesota Senate Republicans’ decision to fire Nancy Leppink, Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry Commissioner, during the middle of a pandemic:

“Senate Republicans are once again jeopardizing the health and safety of Minnesotans by playing politics during the middle of a pandemic. Minnesota is faced with the extremely difficult task of getting folks safely back to work as quickly as possible, and Senate Republicans’ surprise decision to fire our state’s Labor and Industry Commissioner will make that so much harder.

“Now more than ever, we need strong voices for the health and safety of working people at the decision-making table. Unfortunately, Republicans fired one of the best advocates for the well-being of working Minnesotans out there. This desperate ambush shows that Republicans would rather score political points than help Minnesotans stay safe and recover from the impact of COVID-19.”