The Minnesota Independent

Tuesday, February 14th, 2012

King Banaian - Latest Stories

Minnesota Capitol. Photo: Paul Weimer, Flickr

Republican tenther bill would ban ‘Obamacare’ in Minnesota

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By Andy Birkey | 04.05.11 | 7:45 am

Republicans in the Minnesota House are pushing legislation that would ban the Affordable Care Act from being implemented in the state under the grounds that it violates the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The bill calls the ACA “unconstitutional,” declares it “void” in Minnesota and directs all state agencies to halt implementation of any aspect of health care reform.

Human cells. Photo: Ed Uthman, Flickr

Ban on tax-funded stem cell research passes Senate, House

By Andy Birkey | 03.30.11 | 12:14 pm

A ban on somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), a technique used in some forms of stem cell research, passed the House and Senate floors on Tuesday evening in a pair of higher education budget bills. The bills would prohibit state or federal funding from going toward SCNT stem cell research. The two bills are headed to conference committee, where the two bodies will hash out the parts of the bills that differ. Gov. Mark Dayton indicated in a letter to legislators that he would veto a bill that contained the stem cell bans, citing them as policy issues that don’t belong in budget bills.

Senate Majority Leader Amy Koch (R-Buffalo)

Republican job creation proposals scrutinized

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By Andy Birkey | 01.11.11 | 8:47 am

Republican leadership in the Minnesota Legislature unveiled its job creation proposals on Monday and filed the first bills intended to boost employment and reduce the deficit. The House bills would create “priority-based budgeting” and scale back the environmental permitting process, while the Senate introduced a bill to reduce income and property taxes for businesses. The latter policy drew strong criticism from DFLers, unions and nonprofit groups.

Coleman witness rejected by judges

By Paul Demko | 02.18.09 | 7:23 pm

2736606934_eaa79401bdKing Banaian will not take the stand at the U.S. Senate contest. Norm Coleman’s legal team had sought to have the St. Cloud State University professor and conservative blogger testify…