The Minnesota Independent

House Of Representatives - Latest Stories

House bills could undermine protections for undocumented domestic violence victims

By Marcos Restrepo | 10.12.11 | 9:10 am

Advocates say undocumented women will also be less likely to report crimes for fear of ending up in custody.

ACLU weighs public’s, press’ right to record government meetings

By Chris Steller | 03.12.09 | 3:26 pm

The courts’ lag in keeping up with technological advances in American society could slow efforts to open government meetings to broader media access. That’s the word from Teresa Nelson, attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota, who is watching the current battle over limits on media access at the state House of Representatives with an eye to take possible action.

Video: A 15-foot sideways geyser erupts in Paulsen’s Washington, D.C. office

By Chris Steller | 02.23.09 | 4:48 pm

paulsen-leak-stillA leak was discovered in U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen’s Washington, D.C., office today. (Literally, as Vice President Joe Biden would say.) See a video clip shot (and nicely edited!) by Paulsen’s young, giggling staff. The clip, posted after…

Tainted CEO won’t talk peanuts to Congress; George Washington Carver was proud to

By Chris Steller | 02.13.09 | 9:08 am

When Peanut Corp. of America CEO Stewart Parnell took the Fifth on Wednesday instead of telling the House Committee on Energy and Commerce why he let salmonella-tainted peanut butter kill eight people (so far) and sicken thousands, the setting was ironic. Because it was before another House committee (Ways and Means) in 1921 that the willing, winning, inventive testimony by the peanut’s greatest promoter, George Washington Carver, propelled the lowly product of the South to world prominence.

Foreign Affairs Chair Lantos to Retire Due to Cancer

By Jeff Fecke | 01.02.08 | 1:42 pm

Tom LantosRep. Tom Lantos, D-Calif., the powerful chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, will not seek reelection after being diagnosed with esophageal cancer.

Lantos, who was born in Budapest, Hungary, is the only…