Thursday, January 17, 2013
As a parent, do you support state funding for all-day kindergarten? Why or why not?
Among the first bills of the 2013 Minnesota Legislative session included one that would provide state funding for school districts to offer all-day kindergarten. Sen. Chuck Wiger, a co-author of a bill, said the funding would provide “an important step toward enhancing Minnesota’s commitment to quality education for all children.” Some school districts in the Twin Cities are already providing all-day kindergarten at an extra or no cost. The Burnsville-Eagan-Savage School Board reallocated funding - $1.5 million - to fund a free, all-day kindergarten program for the 2012-13 school year. Although, some questioned the sustainability. In the Osseo School District, some Maple Grove and Plymouth parents have the option to pay to have their …
Thursday, January 10, 2013
Kiffmeyer represents senate district 30, which includes St. Michael and Albertville.
The St. Michael area state senator, Mary Kiffmeyer of Big Lake, was sworn in Tuesday at the start of the legislative session. As Minnesota's 88th session begins, district 30 represents a new area because of redistricting. Kiffmeyer will represent St. Michael, Albertville, Hanover, Otsego, Elk River and Big Lake. "It is an honor and a privilege to serve the residents of District 30 as their Senator," said Kiffmeyer in a prepared statement. "I look forward to working for the constituents of my district and with my fellow colleagues as we seek common sense goals of an improved business climate, a balanced budget and a more efficient and effective government." Kiffmeyer will serve on the following committees: health and human services;…
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
A rundown of new Minnesota state laws that went into effect on Aug. 1, 2012.
Editor's Note: The following is a press release from the Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services. The following is a list of selected new laws passed during the 2012 legislative session that went into effect last week. The asterisk following the bill number denotes the language that became law. Summaries of all laws passed by the 2012 Legislature are available from nonpartisan House Public Information Services at http://www.house.mn/hinfo/Newlaws2012-0.asp. BUSINESS AND COMMERCE Going after gas drive-offs Small businesses that sell gas will see the process streamlined for collecting money owed from motor vehicle drive-offs. The law will allow a trade association acting on behalf of member organizations and retailers …
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
The Senate now takes up a plan that calls for a $975 million fixed-roof stadium to be built primarily on the Metrodome site in downtown Minneapolis.
The Minnesota House voted 73-58 last to support a $975 million stadium plan that would provide a new facility for the Minnesota Vikings on Monday night. Now, the State Senate will have a floor hearing and, ultimately a vote on its version of the controversial legislation. Forty DFL members and 33 Republicans voted yes. Thirty-seven Republicans and 21 DFLers voted against the bill. Aspring District 30 Senator and Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer voted no, as did current Wright County Rep. Joe McDonald. according to this PDF attached to a Star Tribune post. Sponsored by Rep. Morrie Lanning (R-Moorhead), HF1485 now goes to conference committee, where it awaits a companion bill from the Senate, where Sen. Julie Rosen (R-Fairmont) is the sponsor. The …
Friday, April 20, 2012
A contingent of National Football League executives is in town today as the Minnesota Legislature tries to revive a deal paving the way for a new all-purpose stadium in downtown Minneapolis.
With National Football League (NFL) officials in town watching and warning the state the Minnesota Vikings could leave if they don’t get a new stadium, a Minnesota Senate committee today considers three proposals to build one. The Senate Committee on Local Government and Elections will hear the three bills when it meets, beginning around 2:30 p.m. NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Art Rooney, owner of the Pittsburgh Steelers, have both flowin into the Twin Cities to visit the Capitol today, trying to get an 11th-hour deal. The Legislature is hoping to convene, with or without a stadium bill, by April 30. The House Committee on Local Government and Elections voted down Rep. Morrie Lanning's plan Monday night.
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Minnesotans will have (at least) two amendments on the ballot this fall, after a GOP committee hammered out the final details of the so-called Voter ID amendment.
It looks like another question for Minnesota voters, this one pertaining speficallly to the election process, has cleared its final hurdle in the Minnesota Legislature. A Republican-led conference committee hammered out the final details between the Senate and House approved versions of the so-called Voter ID amendment, which would require Minnesotans to have a government-issued, photo identification at the polls when they arrive to cast a ballot. More than a dozen states have passes laws or will have amendments on the ballot asking for voters to enforce the ID requirement at the poll. Last year, 33 states had bills on the isssue, though only a handful of those bills passed. Minnesota's passed in 2011, but was vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton, a…
Monday, March 26, 2012
Rep. Joe McDonald gives his update from the State Legislature, where the Minnesota House and Senate recently passed legislation to require photo identification at the polls.
We passed a couple of very important bills in the House [last] week. One pertains to photo ID for voters and the other is geared toward tax relief and job creation. The former (H.F. 2738) allows Minnesotans to decide whether photo ID should be a requirement for voting. The Senate may tinker with the language when it hears the bill. As of now, the question on our ballots this November will read: “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended effective December 1, 2013, to require that all in-person voters present an approved form of government-issued photographic identification at the time of voting; that those not voting in person provide government-issued proof of identity; that all voters be subject to substantially equivalent eligibility …
Friday, March 23, 2012
The legislation passed the House earlier this week after a nine-hour debate.
The Minnesota Senate will be voting today on whether photo IDs should be required at the polls on Election Day. If the bill passes, the question will go on November's ballot as a proposed constitutional amendment to be decided by Minnesota voters. The House passed its version of the bill after a nine-hour debate Tuesday that spilled into Wednesday morning. Because the issue is being handled as a proposed constitutional amendment, Gov. Mark Dayton would not get a chance to approve or veto the bill. In the State House, Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer in one of the primary authors of the bill. She will be running to represent St. Michael-Albertville area in the Senate this fall. Current Rep. Joe McDonald also voted in favor of the admendment. The final…
Monday, January 23, 2012
In statements sent to St. Michael Patch prior to the start of the 2012 session, there were two themes: Speed and jobs.
Wright County legislators Sen. Amy Koch (R-Buffalo) and Rep. Joe McDonald (R-Delano) sent legisative previews to St. Michael Patch recently, touching on what should be a speedy 2012 session that won't be without its controversial moments. As for controversy, Koch put an end to some of the questions surrounding her Monday, when she told the Associated Press that she will, indeed, step away from the Minnesota Legislature when the 2012 session ends some time this spring. Koch, who announced she was both stepping down from her leadership position and was retiring from the Legislature before news of a scandal broke last December, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune and WCCO recently she was regretting making that decision so quickly. Now, it …
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Several laws passed by the 2011 Minnesota Legislature begin to go into effect today.
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Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Along with all those New Year's resolutions, a handful of new laws will take effect in 2012. The following descriptions are provided by the nonpartisan House Public Information Services. Want to see all the laws passed in the 2011 Legislative session? Find summaries on the Minnesota House of Representatives website. *The asterisk following the bill number denotes the language that became law. Business and Commerce Insurance claims law modernized A new law brings insurance statute covering portable electronics claims into the 21st century. The law allows claims processors-supervised, non-licensed insurance adjusters to enter data into an automated claims adjustment system. The computerized system is designed for data collection, …
Shannon
1:16 pm on Thursday, January 24, 2013
TUSHAY Mark! Good info more ›