Jim Oberstar

In brief, back-to-back appearances, U.S. Reps. John Kline and Jim Oberstar delivered diametrically opposed statements on the floor of the House of Representatives Saturday night during the historic debate over national health care reform.

In making the case for his federal same-day voter registration bill, U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison points to how much voter fraud was alleged in the “highly scrutinized” Norm Coleman-Al Franken U.S. Senate contest due to Minnesotans’ ability to register to vote on Election Day: none.

U.S. Rep. Keith Ellison has introduced a bill that would extend Minnesota-style, same-day voting rights to all eligible Americans in federal elections.

More than 2 million pounds of toxic chemicals were dumped into Minnesota’s waterways during 2007, according to a new report (pdf) by Environment Minnesota. 3M was by far the most prolific dumper of pollutants, with more than 1 million pounds discharged into the Mississippi River.
Nationwide at least 232 million pounds of toxic chemicals were released [...]

U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen has raised nearly $1 million so far this year. The freshman Republican took in $318,000 in the third quarter of 2009 and had $725,000 in the bank, according to filings with the Federal Election Commission.

Last week U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar expressed catty concern about whether voices Rep. Michele Bachmann hears are entirely divine. On Wednesday, another Democrat from Minnesota’s congressional delegation worried about the voices Bachmann is not hearing. She “uses her time at financial services to attack CRA,” Keith Ellison wrote on Twitter (referring to her repeated gripes [...]

In a Farmfest speech that was as much national as state-focused, Gov. Pawlenty urged ailing dairy farmers to increase demand by selling to China and India and promised to create a Minnesota Farmer Assistance Network (MFAN) for one-stop advice. State Rep. Al Juhnke, a DFLer from Willmar, said the guv’s “words ring true but his actions [...]

Second quarter political fundraising reports are due to the Federal Elections Commission by Wednesday. U.S. Rep. Jim Oberstar appears to be the first member of the Minnesota delegation to file, reporting revenue of $238,807 in the period from April through June.

U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann blogs on how biking isn’t healthy:
You would think that any health care bill brought forth in Congress would actually be focused on reforming health care. Alas, it seems that both House and Senate proposals are packed with pork as well… Essentially, we’re talking about federal funding for bike paths, lighting, jungle [...]

Congressional Quarterly has compiled their annual Vote Study for congressional votes leading up to the July 4 break. Each year, CQ compiles records based on party unity, support for the president and percentage of votes missed during the session. Here’s how the Minnesota delegation stacked up.