Capitol News Report

The Legislature was back at the Capitol for a full week of work after taking a break the previous week for members to attend precinct caucuses in their districts. 

State of the State Address:  Governor Dayton delivered his second State of the State address to a joint convention of the Legislature on Wednesday, February 15.  He emphasized three key points in his address:  (1) Invest in more jobs; (2) Invest in a stronger education system; and (3) Invest in reform of government services.  To invest in more jobs, the Governor urged the Legislature to pass a bonding bill in the near future, to pass a bill to build a Vikings stadium, and to adopt his "Jobs Now" tax credit proposal.  The "Jobs Now" tax credit would encourage businesses to hire unemployed Minnesotans, Veterans and recent college graduate.  On education and government reform, Governor Dayton pointed to the collaboration of the 2011 legislative session with passage of the Alternative Teacher Licensure and the environmental permitting and streamlining bills.  He urges any reforms put forward by the Legislature this year to be developed in cooperation with the parties involved. 

Governor Dayton also highlighted the structural needs of the Capitol building.  He talked about the fact that the building is over 100 years old and is in structural disrepair and in need of improvements.  In one final request to the Legislature, Governor Dayton asked them to make the sacrifice to move out of the Capitol building for the next four years in order to make the necessary improvements.  This, of course, is easier said than done.

Voter ID Constitutional Amendment:  In the first step to placing a proposed amendment to the Minnesota Constitution on the November ballot, the bill to require voters to show a photo ID when voting moved out of the Senate Local Government Committee this week.  The bill was passed along party lines after a lengthy debate about the Constitutionality of the issue and other opposition.  The bill now moves to the Senate State Government Finance committee.

Teacher Reform "Last In/First Out":  A key initiative in the Republican Reform agenda was passed by the House Floor on Thursday this week.  The bill addresses the current method of teacher layoffs and the policy of "last in/first out" or LIFO.  The bill seeks to eliminate the state policy that when a school district is forced to lay off teachers, the most recently hired teachers tend to be the first to be laid off.  The proponents of the bill and those wanting to change the current system point to young teachers whose students show high academic achievement and that is not considered when layoffs occur.  If the bill becomes law, Minnesota would join about 18 other states that have moved toward performance-based decisions in recent years.  Opponents of the bill argue that the bill would push school districts to lay off more senior, higher paid teachers.  The State’s largest teacher union, Education Minnesota, is the main opponent of the bill. 

Next Week:  All Legislators are looking forward to next Tuesday, February 21 at approximately 1:00 p.m. when the courts will release the newly redistricted legislative maps to the public.  The new districts will guide the next election for the Minnesota House and Senate.  The new maps will show where current legislators are put in the same district to face each other in the election and where newly created districts will exist. 

This was a short week at the Minnesota Capitol due to the legislative break for precinct caucus meetings.  The precinct caucuses are the first step in determining who will appear on the ballot in November.  The entire Minnesota Legislature will be up for election this fall because of the new redistricting maps – a process that happens every ten years.  Current legislators and those seeking to run for the Legislature begin the process by seeking endorsement of their political party at the local level.  Potential candidates use the caucus meetings as a way to introduce themselves to the local delegates and to being building support for their candidacy.  

At the Republican caucus meetings, a non-binding “straw poll” was held to select a winner in the race for the Republican nomination of a candidate to run for President.  At the Republican caucuses, Rick Santorum won with 45 percent of the vote, Ron Paul garnered 27 percent, Mitt Romney had 17 percent, and Newt Gingrich had 11 percent.  Unlike many states, Minnesota does not have a presidential primary election to select a candidate for president.  The straw poll is used to guide delegates to the national convention where the Republican presidential candidate is selected.

Back at the Capitol – The House and Senate re-convened at noon on Wednesday, February 8.  In the House, a bill was passed to prohibit union deductions from state child care assistance payments. Minnesota does not currently have a child care union, but Governor Dayton signed an executive order last November calling for an election. However, the vote was stalled when a Ramsey County judge issued a temporary restraining order.  House Democrats said that this bill is a solution to a problem that doesn’t yet exist.

First Vetoes of the Session – Governor Dayton issued his first vetoes of the 2012 legislative session, vetoing all four bills passed by the Republican House and Senate relating to tort reform.  In his veto messages, the Governor stated that he is deeply concerned that the legislation would make it more difficult for average citizens to defend themselves against powerful interests.  He says, “The suggestion that passage of this measure will somehow create jobs in Minnesota lacks merit and substantiation.  Not a single job would be created – but important protections would be greatly impaired.” 

Looking Ahead – Governor Dayton will give his State of the State Address on Wednesday, February 15 at 7:00 p.m. when he addresses a joint convention of the House and Senate in the Minnesota House Chambers. 

The second week of the 2012 Legislative session saw partisan fights in both the House and Senate.  The Republican majority in the House passed keys parts of their legislative agenda by taking up several tort reform bills on the House Floor.  The Senate took up the confirmation of several Executive Branch commissioners on the Floor.  At the end of the week, most legislators were ready to head home and back to their districts. 

Tort Reform - As a part of the Republican Reform 2.0 agenda, four bills were passed by the House which address tort reform.  Supporters of the bills claim that they will address lawsuit abuse and lower the cost of doing business for Minnesota companies, creating a better job climate.  The bills address issues such as the statute of limitations and awarding attorney fees in certain civil lawsuits.  Opponents of the bills claim that these bills will not create new jobs for Minnesotans and will instead favor insurance companies and big corporations.  The opponents also claimed that the bills are an attack on the middle class and small businesses that may be suing large companies.  The four bills were passed by the Senate at the end of the 2011 session and will return to the Senate for final adoption before going to the Governor for a signature or veto.

Senate Confirmations - The full Senate took up the issue of confirmation of several Executive Branch Commissioners on the Senate Floor this week.  The Senate approved the confirmation of the following commissioners:  Department of Public Safety Commissioner Ramona Dohman, Department of Transportation Commissioner Thomas Sorel, and Department of Natural Resources Commissioner Thomas Landwehr.  The Senate also considered the confirmation of Ellen Anderson to the Public Utilities Commission.  Ellen Anderson is a former DFL State Senator from St. Paul who was appointed to the PUC early in 2011.  During the debate over her confirmation, several Republican Senators maintained that her views on energy and utility issues are too extreme.  After a lengthy debate, the Senate voted on partisan lines to refuse to consent and to not confirm the appointment by a vote of 29-37.  Under former Governor Pawlenty's tenure, the DFL controlled Senate failed to confirm two of his Commissioner appointments:  Lt. Governor Carol Molnau as Department of Transportation Commissioner and Sherri Pierson Yecke as Department of Education Commissioner.

Committee deadlines - The House and Senate announced that they have formally agreed to committee deadlines for the 2012 session.  The committee deadlines are as follows:

First deadline will be Friday, March 16, 2012.  The first deadline is for committees to "act favorably on bills in the house of origin."

Second deadline will be Friday, March 23, 2012.  The second deadline is for committees to "act favorably on bills, or companion bills, that met the first deadline in the other house."

Third deadline will be Friday, March 30, 2012.  The third deadline is for committees to "act favorably on major appropriation and finance bills."

The deadlines above do not apply to the House Committees on Capital Investment, Ways and Means, Taxes or Rules and Legislative Administration, nor to the Senate Committees on Capital Investment, Finance, Taxes or Rules and Administration.

Precinct Caucus Break - The House and Senate are currently on a legislative break for the upcoming precinct caucus meetings.  Precinct caucuses will be held on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 across the state.  This is the first step toward the 2012 election where all members of the Minnesota House and Senate will be up for re-election.  The Legislature will reconvene on Wednesday, February 8, 2012.