Is it bipartisanship or just the calm before the storm? The Minnesota Senate will confirm some of Gov. Pawlenty's appointments Monday. Senate leadership says it's a sign of cooperation and the willingness to get something done this year. But it's really just business as usual.
MPR's Laura McCallum has the details:
Senate Democrats extended an olive branch to Republicans by immediately taking up the confirmations of two Pawlenty commissioners and a Met Council member appointed since the last session.
On the first day of the session last week, Senate committees voted to recommend the confirmation of Public Safety Commissioner Michael Campion, Administration Commissioner Dana Badgerow, and Met Council appointee Mary Krinkie. The three are expected to be easily confirmed by the full Senate.
The tone is far different than last session, when Senate DFLers fired Pawlenty's education commissioner Cheri Pierson Yecke in the final hours of the session. Pawlenty then appointed former legislator Alice Seagren to head the education
department. Seagren's confirmation hearing is scheduled for this week.
As news this probably doesn't have 1/100th the value of the Vikings beating the Packers in the playoffs (maybe 1/1000th). But the question is how long the bipartisanship (such as it is) will last. Probably not very long, especially given the kind of rhetoric some of the DFL committee chairs in the Senate are using. For example, here's an item Laura had on Friday:
The chairman of the Senate Finance Committee says state officials and judges shouldn't receive better health care than low-income people in public health care programs.
Sen. Dick Cohen, DFL-St. Paul, says Gov. Pawlenty, state legislators and judges have good health benefits paid for by taxpayers. He told a group of nonprofit leaders that as the state faces a $700 million deficit, it could save some money by scaling back those benefits.
"Before we start cutting the health care of the single mother who's making beds and cleaning bathrooms at every hotel in the Twin Cities, maybe we should take a look at the governor's health care and my health care and the judges' health care and the commissioners' health care."
To get a sample of more of Cohen's ideas on this subject check out last Monday's Midday program from the Capitol.
MPR's Lorna Benson has an interesting look at a proposal for tougher penalties for people who break the law while riding ATVs:
Sean Wherley with Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness says the coalition decided to bring the ATV issue back to the Legislature after reviewing state statistics that showed a big increase in off-highway violations. During a recent 12-month period, conservation officers handed out more than 3,100 tickets.
"What's revealing about those figures is that 86 percent of them were committed by adults," says Wherley. "It counters the age-old argument that these are only irresponsible youth who are tearing up our hunting grounds and our fishing streams -- and it's time we rein in those lawbreakers."
Wherley thinks stiffer fines would help. His group proposes raising the fee on a first-offense from $100 to $200. Second and third violations would increase substantially, too. The group also wants to add ATV tickets to a driver's motor vehicle record, a move that would likely affect the driver's insurance rates.
But repeat offenders would feel the most pain in their pocketbooks. Under the proposal, flagrant violators would have their ATVs seized and sold.
Finally, the House will pay tribute to retired chief clerk Edward Burdick Monday.
Burdick served as clerk for 38 years, and it was his voice that you heard calling out bill titles and other information if you ever listened to the House. Congratulations to Mr. Burdick and good luck in his well deserved retirement.
