Earnings battle waged in House committee
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Jessica English is a homeless 34-year-old single mother of four, who attends Normandale Community College and has worked minimum wage jobs for 15 years.
Sequestration cuts would hit state workforce program
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The series of $1.2 trillion in federal spending cuts set to be triggered Friday could mean thousands of Minnesotans who benefit from Department of Employment and Economic Development services could be facing reductions.
House passes financial exploitation of vulnerable adult changes
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The county where a victim resides could become an eligible venue for cases when a vulnerable adult is financially exploited. So could the county where they lived at the time of the exploitation.
Theis, Johnson win special elections in Districts 14A and 19A
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Tama Theis and Clark Johnson will likely become the newest members of the Minnesota House of Representatives after each won a special election Tuesday.Theis (R-St. Cloud) received 54.5 percent of the vote to defeat Joanne Dorsher and Todd McKee for the District 14A seat that opened when former Rep. Steve Gottwalt (R-St. Cloud) resigned in January because of a change in full-time employment.Johnson (DFL-North Mankato) received 53.7 percent of the vote to beat Allen Quist and Tim Gieseke to win the District 19A seat formerly held by Rep. Terry Morrow (DFL-St. Peter). Morrow resigned in December to take a job in Chicago.The State Canvassing Board is scheduled to certify the results at 1:30 p.m. Thursday.A date for their swearing in has yet to be announced.With the results, the DFL holds a 73-61 advantage in the House. Continue Reading
Proposed gun ban pits safety vs. rights in Minnesota legislature
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The Second Amendment gives Americans the right to keep and bear arms, but up for debate before a House committee Wednesday was if a certain type of gun should be banned.
Minnesota gun control legislation offered
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A series of gun bills before a House committee are pitting those who want enhanced gun safety against those who believe the integrity of the Second Amendment needs to be upheld.In a packed committee room Tuesday morning, proponents and opponents of two bills respectfully offered their thoughts on proposed legislation that would close some perceived loopholes in background checks at gun shows and potentially further limit people with mental illness from accessing firearms.The bills are the first of what is expected to be three days of testimony about upwards of a dozen gun bills, including the banning of assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines and penalties for unlawfully possessing a firearm on school property.The House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee was scheduled to hear more bills beginning at 6 p.m. Tuesday, and 10 a.m. Wednesday and Thursday. If necessary, the Thursday hearing would reconvene at 6 p.m. Live coverage of most, if not all, hearings will be available on the House website.No votes are scheduled to be taken, but Rep. Michael Paymar (DFL-St. Paul), the committee chairman, said he hopes to put together an omnibus gun bill later this month that would encompass some of the ideas shared during the hearings.“We all have a piece of the truth, and neither side has all the answers,” he said.Background checksSponsored by Paymar, HF237 would expand to gun shows and private sales, including those online, the background check now required when a licensed firearm dealer sells a weapon. “It would require additional information when applying for a transferee permit to law enforcement; it provides language on verification that the person who is applying to law enforcement is actually the person they say they are, it increases the waiting period from five to seven days and it adds a penalty to a person who knowingly transfers a weapon to someone who is disqualified from possessing.”Dennis Flaherty, executive director of the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association, was among those testifying for the bill. “There are certain people who just simply should not have (guns). Continue Reading
Capital sought for Minnesota State Capitol preservation
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Following two years of restoration, a chandelier was recently raised to its place high above the Capitol Rotunda.
Public college bonding requests exceed $300 million
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The governing bodies of the state’s public higher education institutions seek more than $300 million in bond proceeds.
Minnesota’s prison population remains among lowest in U.S.
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Minnesota has the second lowest incarceration rate in the country because only the most high-risk offenders spend time behind bars.
Special elections set to fill two Minnesota House seats
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Special elections to fill the two vacant House seats have been scheduled for Feb. 12. If necessary, a primary for each race would be held Jan. 29.