Sen. Al Franken is the richest member of Congress, although the Republicans in the delegation are doing better than the Democrats on average.
The medical device industry is a major backer of Rep. Erik Paulsen, with donations from industry Political Action Committees (PACs) and executives helping to make him the lead fundraiser in Minnesota’s House delegation.
A voter ID law was vetoed by Gov. Mark Dayton in 2011, although Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer (R-Big Lake) has said she plans to pursue a voter ID law in 2012 as a constitutional amendment.
The House members expressed concern that the new Farm Bill could include mandatory new programs without congressional oversight.
North Dakota Sen. Kent Conrad said American Crystal Sugar “needs to think long and hard about the consequences of their strategy.”
Four months into the company’s lockout of 1,300 union workers, 90 percent of union members rejected the company’s offer.
The company’s new offer makes some compromises on job protection and health care, but the union characterized the changes as “minimal.”
The attempt to head off deeper cuts is drawing concern from farm bill critics, who say the process could benefit from more voices.
Although details of the plan aren’t yet clear, the voluntary reductions are an effort to stave off deeper cuts proposed by some Republicans.
The bill, which the President has vowed to veto, would also strengthen conscience exemptions for medical facilities that disagree with abortion, such as religious institutions. Opponents say this clause could lead to pregnant women being denied life-saving medical care.
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