The Daily Digest (Senate takes up Voter ID, Obama to sign STOCK Act, House Right-to-Work motion fizzles

Posted at 6:18 AM on March 23, 2012 by Tom Scheck (3 Comments)
Filed under: Daily Digest

The Senate is set to take up a constitutional amendment to require people to present photo identification to vote.

GOP Sen. John Howe wants to broaden the Photo ID bill.

Some local elections officials are worried about the cost of the amendment.

An attempt to revive the right-to-work amendment in the House fizzled out.

Under the Dome

The House approved a bill that would speed up permitting.

Gov. Daytons budget officials are criticizing the Senate GOP's tax plan. The Tax Committee approved the measure on Thursday.

A state shutdown services bill passed the Minnesota Senate.

A legislative panel approves a bill that would remove DWI immunity for lawmakers.

A new DNR online registration system is now running again.

Vikings Stadium

Minneapolis Mayor R.T. Rybak is hoping to send a stadium signal yet this week.

The swing stadium vote on the Minneapolis City Council hasn't committed.

Economy

Minnesota added 6,000 jobs in February.

U.S. unemployment applications fell to a four-year low.

Construction in Minnesota shows signs of a turnaround.

Congress

President Obama's budget would increase taxes on 1 in 4 but the tax hikes focus mostly on the rich.

HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius will be in Minnesota today for the 2nd Anniversary of the health care reform law being enacted.

The Senate passed the STOCK Act. The insider trading bill heads to President Obama who says he'll sign it.

The Star Tribune says it's a weakened version of what DFL Rep. Tim Walz put forward.

Army Staff Sgt. Robert Bales will be charged with 17 counts of murder.

An analysis says more drilling didn't drop gas prices.

A Washington D.C. based government watchdog group detailed how much members of Minnesota's delegation are paying family members.

Race for Congress

Democrat Brian McGoldrick announced he's challenging GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann.

Hotel developer Jim Graves is also thinking about running for Congress in the 6th District.

Bachmann's presidential campaign is $1 million in debt.

Race for President

South Carolina Sen. Jim Demint says he's "comfortable" with Mitt Romney being the party's nominee.

President Obama promotes oil in Oklahoma and was heckled at Ohio State.

Comments (3)

...it does essentially create this parallel voting process that would incur costs on us both at the polling place -- we would have to provide some additional election judges who I presume the Legislature will want to be of different parties and so on -- and then we'll have to have a process to receive people during the days after the election as they come back to our office to show us documents demonstrating who they are.

So it does create more time. It delays our work after the election, and it clearly will impose additional costs on us at the local level. - St Paul Elections Manager Joe Mansky, on the GOP's proposed Photo ID Constitutional Amendment

To the Republican legislature, this extra cost doesn't matter. The sole purpose of the Republicans' mandatory Photo ID Constitutional Amendment, and all that Minnesota Republicans really care about, is discouraging, obstructing and reducing the votes of Democratic-leaning groups such as students, seniors and disabled people.

Posted by Ralph Crammedin | March 23, 2012 7:47 AM

Gov. Daytons budget officials are criticizing the Senate GOP's tax plan.

"This is like throwing money out of an airplane," said [MN Rep Ann] Lenczewski, who chaired the House Taxes Committee when Democrats controlled the House. "You're flying over the state and throwing money at all the businesses and shouting, 'Hey, somebody please create a job down there!' " - bit.ly/Ai7WD4

The Republican "airplane" tax bill is simply a money drop for friends of the Republican Party.

Posted by Ralph Crammedin | March 23, 2012 8:01 AM

Ralph nails it, as usual.

Posted by Jamie | March 23, 2012 5:54 PM

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