As the legislative session begins to move toward deadlines, Gov. Tim Pawlenty is still in Iraq. Pawlenty made the surprise trip Friday. In a conference call with reporters Saturday he said security there is worse now than it was when he paid a visit in 2004. He says recent sectarian violence and efforts to undermine the building of an Iraqi government have made the country less safe for contractors and civilians.

"The American public is understandably frustrated with some of the events in Iraq, and their patience is not limitless. And so we have tried to convey to Iraqi leaders that there's a great sense of urgency to show more progress and tangible and measurable progress in Iraq."

Since the governor made those comments dozens of people have been killed or found dead in Iraq.

MPR's Laura McCallum reports that Republican leaders in the Minnesota House begin their discussions on a bonding bill this week.

The House Capitol Investment Committee will hear testimony Tuesday on the $990 million package of construction projects approved last week in the DFL-controlled Senate. House Speaker Steve Sviggum says the Senate bill is too large and left out several important projects. He says one glaring omission is the $33 million request to expand the Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center.

And as you might expect Duluth officials Are not happy about that. MPR's Bob Kelleher sent along this quote from Duluth Mayor Herb Bergson:

"You know, we were told we needed a referendum. We had that, and 61 percent of the people said 'we're in favor of it.' We were told we had to get it in the governor's bill. We did that. We were told we had to get it in the House bill. We did that. Speaker Sviggum has promised us it would be in there. And then the State Senate leaves us out. Somehow I missed that."

The top Democrat in the Minnesota Legislature will publicly apologize on the Senate floor Monday to resolve an ethics complaint. Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson has been under fire for telling a group of pastors he had assurances from several Supreme Court justices that they wouldn't overturn the state's law banning same sex marriage. A bipartisan Senate ethics panel Friday decided Johnson should apologize to the Senate.

Maybe you saw Bill Salisbury's story in the Pioneer Press on Sunday about a new poll that shows voters oppose the proposed constitutional amendment 54-40 (or 54-28 if the amendment bans civil unions, as it does). Many opponents of the amendment contend a big reason Republicans are pushing it is to energize their base this fall and get conservatives out to vote. This poll certainly seems to indicate the issue could cut the other way.

And while so much has been said about gay marriage the past few weeks MPR's Annie Baxter has a story that should remind everybody that there are other serious issues out there that aren't getting much attention, namely the lack of affordable health insurance for older workers:

The Pallansches consider themselves to be in good health. Their worst problems are Joe's high blood pressure and Deb's sinus problems. Nevertheless, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota turned them down without saying why. And Deb says their other health insurance option, with HealthPartners, came with both a high deductible and sticker shock.

"I just wasn't prepared for what the price was going to be," she says. "The premiums were $532 for the two of us, with a $10,000 a year deductible."

Yikes! As if a rainy Monday wasn't depressing enough already.