The Minnesota Catholic Conference, the lobbying group for the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, hailed the DFL omnibus bill on Tuesday as promoting “dignity and the common good” and for supporting those most in need. “While the HHS Budget Omnibus bill contains hurtful cuts, it recognizes the importance of maintaining critical assistance for Minnesota’s poorest families — especially in our ailing economy,” the group said.

The group implied that Pawlenty should sign the bill. “Gov. Tim Pawlenty has until Friday, May 15 to sign or veto the HHS Budget Omnibus bill,” said the Conference. “While the bill contains $489 million in cuts for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010-11 and $742 million in cuts for FY 2012-13, it preserves many needed services for our sisters and brothers who are poor and vulnerable.”

Catholic Charities also weighed in on the bill this week. Kathy Tomlin, director of the Catholic Charities Office for Social Justice, said even the cuts passed by the legislature are too deep — and those proposed by Pawlenty would be devastating.

One of the most egregious cuts debated at the Minnesota Capi­tol were those that would strip services from General Assistance Medical Care, a health care program that serves very low-income persons. Thirty-two thousand people are on GAMC, some 350 are clients of Catholic Charities,” wrote Tomlin. “While the Pawlenty administration doesn’t propose cutting the whole program, many of its services would be eliminated, including in-patient hospital care, dental services, radiology, eyeglasses, occupational therapy, speech therapy, physical therapy and audiology services.”

She said that the state can’t cut its way out of the deficit. “While it is true that the cost of health care is adding to the state’s fi­nan­cial woes, cutting those with the fewest resources from access to health care doesn’t seem to address the real heart of the problem.”

The Archdiocese has been outspoken about making sure cuts don’t impact the poor.

Archbishop John Nienstedt and the state’s other bishops sent a letter to legislators last month encouraging them to balance the budget with a mix of revenue increases and cuts. “We believe that resolving the budget deficit through spending cuts alone will do great harm to Minnesotans and our economy,” they wrote. “We urge you to support raising sufficient revenue as part of a comprehensive approach to resolving.”

The bishops said that cuts to health and human services should spare the poor. “Catholic social teaching upholds the role of government to assist individuals and communities when they cannot help themselves. In performing this role, the state is fulfilling its moral responsibility to promote the common good.”

Koering came out in 2005 after voting against a constitutional amendment to ban civil unions and same-sex marriage pushed by then-State Sen. Michele Bachmann. He is one of very few openly gay elected Republicans in the United States and was re-elected by his conservative Brainerd-area constituents in 2006, despite a hard push by religious right activists to defeat him for his votes on gay rights.

When he came out in 2005, he was cautious about pushing hard for same-sex marriage, a position he still appears to hold.

“I think some of the gay activists will be upset with me for this, but sometimes I think an agenda is pushed so far and so fast that people have no alternative but to push back,” Koering told Raw Story at the time. “And I think that sometimes you have to move slowly.”

Update: Gay Republican responds to criticism: Gay marriage is a ‘pointless issue’

Photo: Ryan Bushby, Wikimedia Commons

While legislators debate making marijuana legal for individuals suffering from debilitating illness, law enforcement has testified that medical marijuana would post a risk to public safety. But as the Humphrey Institute’s Smart Politics reports, Minnesota law enforcement has scaled back its marijuana enforcement efforts significantly in the last few years.

Marijuana arrests per 100,000 residents dipped from a high of 227.5 in 2002 to 171.8 in 2007. At the same time, marijuana use among Minnesotans appears to have remained the same, with 11 percent reporting at least annual use between 2005 and 2006.

Minnesota already has one of the nation’s most relaxed marijuana laws. Possession of a small amount (less than 1.5 ounces) is treated like a traffic offense, with confiscation, a fine of $200 and possible drug treatment courses.

Related: Medical marijuana bill advances in Senate with moving testimony

(Minnesota Historical Society)

When legislators want to make major changes to law, sometimes they put the law to the voters to decide. This year, legislators want to know where the voters stand on issues like guns, health care and labor unions. There’s even a bill to ask the voters whether the Minnesota Constitution should be amended to change the way the state amends it.

None of these bills has advanced in the Legislature, but if they did, it could mean a crowded ballot in November 2010.

Republicans, and a few DFLers, want to amend the Minnesota Constitution (HF 415, SF 582) with language from the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment would read, “The right of a citizen to keep and bear arms for the defense and security of the person, family, or home or for lawful hunting, recreation, or marksmanship training is fundamental and shall not be abridged.”

Four DFLers have joined a slate of Republicans pushing for the amendment: Reps. Larry Howes, R-Walker; Al Doty, DFL-Royalton; Steve Smith, R-Mound; Mark Murdock, R-Ottertail; John Persell, DFL-Bemidji; Steve Drazkowski, R-Wabasha; Ron Shimanski, R-Silver Lake; Tom Emmer, R-Delano; Morrie Lanning, R-Moorhead; Bob Gunther, R-Fairmont; David Dill, DFL-Crane Lake; and Dave Olin, DFL-Thief River Falls; and Sens. Bill G. Ingebrigtsen, R-Alexandria and Pat Pariseau, R-Farmington.

Another bill has been proposed that would make it harder to amend the state Constitution by requiring a three-fifths majority of the Senate and House in order to put an amendment to the people. The bill (SF 233) is offered by Republican Sens. Chris Gerlach of Apple Valley and Julianne Ortman of Chanhassen, and DFLers Tom Bakk of Cook, John Marty of Roseville and Ann Rest of New Hope.

Sens. Geoff Michel, R-Edina, Amy T. Koch, R-Buffalo, and Rep. Ron Shimanski, R-Silver Lake, want to impose term limits on senators and representatives. If the bill (HF 770, SF 78) passed, the language on the ballot would read, “A person may not be elected more than three times to the office of senator or five times to the office of representative. A person may not be elected more than twice to the office of governor nor more than twice to the office of lieutenant governor. A person may not be elected more than twice to the office of secretary of state, attorney general, or state auditor.”

DFL legislators want the lieutenant governor gone. Reps. Phyllis Kahn of Minneapolis and Mindy Greiling of Roseville join Sen. Ann Rest of New Hope in offering a bill to ask the voters (HF 296, SF 98) to abolish the office.

Republicans have offered a constitutional amendment to “establish a right to work.” In actuality, the bill (SF 439, HF 169) would prohibit an employer from requiring membership in a union as a condition of employment. The bill would ask voters, “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to prohibit any person, as a condition of employment, from being required to become a member of a labor union or pay any dues, fees, assessments, or other charges of any kind to a labor union or to any charity or other third party in lieu of such payments?” It is sponsored by Reps. Tom Emmer of Delano, Mark Buesgens of Jordan, Tom Hackbarth of Cedar, Kurt Zellers of Maple Grove, and Keith Downey of Edina, and Sens. David Hann of Eden Prairie, Chris Gerlach of Apple Valley, Bill G. Ingebrigtsen of Alexandria, and Amy Koch of Buffalo will

No more pluralities. DFL legislators want elected officials to get 50 percent plus one of the vote in order to serve in office. If the bill (HF 440) passes, the voters will be asked, “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to require that an executive officer, judge, or legislator must be elected by a majority of the votes cast at the general election for the office sought?”

Legislators sponsoring the bill are: Kent Eken of Twin Valley, Mindy Greiling of Roseville, Bill Hilty of Finlayson, Tony Sertich of Chisolm, Sheldon Johnson of St. Paul, Will Morgan of Burnsville, Brita Sailer of Park Rapids, Lyle Koenen of Clara City, Bernard Lieder of Crookston, Loren Solberg of Grand Rapids and Phyllis Kahn of Minneapolis.

Republican House members are looking to have their Senate counterparts elected in staggered terms, with half up for reelection every two years instead of the full Senate elected every four years. The bill (HF 408) reads, “Shall the Minnesota Constitution be amended to require that, as nearly as possible, one-half of the members of the Senate stand for election at each biennial election of legislators, commencing in 2012?”

The Republicans on the bill include: Reps. Laura Brod of New Prague, Bob Dettmer of Forest Lake, Paul Kohls of Victoria, Steve Smith of Mound, Tom Hackbarth of Cedar, Doug Magnus of Slayton; Randy Demmer of Hayfield, Dean Urdahl of Grove City, Tara Mack of Apple Valley, Matt Dean of Dellwood, Kurt Zellers of Maple Grove, Morrie Lanning of Moorhead, Michael Beard of Shakopee, Tim Kelly of Red Wing, and Ron Shimanski of Silver Lake.

A “freedom of choice in health care” amendment has been submitted by Republicans. The bill (HF 171, SF 325) is a clear response to increasing support for the Minnesota Health Plan Act, which would eliminate private health insurance while ensuring doctor and clinic choice.

“Because all people should have the right to make decisions about their health care, no law shall be passed that restricts a person’s freedom of choice of private health care systems or private health plans of any type,” the measure reads in part.

The bill is sponsored by Reps. Tom Emmer of Delan and Mark Buesgens of Jordan, and Sens. Amy Koch of Buffalo, David Hann of Eden Prairie, Chris Gerlach of Apple Valley, Bill Ingebrigtsen of Alexandria and Ray Vandeveer of Forest Lake.

The bill has already been submitted in the Senate by Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, with Sens. Linda Higgins, DFL-Minneapolis; Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis; Mee Moua, DFL-St. Paul; and Patricia Torres Ray, DFL-Minneapolis. Because Senate bills have a limit of five sponsors, Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, has drafted a duplicate bill to allow other senators to show their support. In addition to Pappas, Sens. Ellen Anderson, DFL-St. Paul, and Linda Berglin, DFL-Minneapolis, have signed on.

The House hasn’t seen the bill offered yet, but the draft is making the rounds and has already picked up 23 cosponsors. Rep. Phyllis Kahn is the chief author, and bill supporters say the list of House DFLers supporting the bill is long: Reps. David Bly, Northfield; Karen Clark, Minneapolis; Jim Davnie, Minneapolis; Mindy Greiling, Roseville; Alice Hausman, St. Paul; Jeff Hayden, Minneapolis; Bill Hilty, Finlayson; Frank Hornstein, Minneapolis; Thomas Huntley, Duluth; Sheldon Johnson, St. Paul; Carolyn Laine, Columbia Heights; John Lesch, St. Paul; Tina Liebling, Rochester; Dianne Loeffler, Minneapolis; Carlos Mariani, St. Paul; Erin Murphy, St. Paul; Michael Paymar, St. Paul; Maria Ruud, Minnetonka; Linda Slocum, Richfield; Cy Thao, St. Paul; Jean Wagenius, Minneapolis; and Ryan Winkler, Golden Valley.

Thursday afternoon from 2:30 to 4 p.m., bill supporters will hold a rally marking Freedom to Marry Day as well as rallying behind the Marriage and Family Protection Act. Organizations sponsoring the rally include Join The Impact – Twin Cities, Marriage Equality Minnesota, OutFront Minnesota, Rainbow Families, Minnesota Lavender Greens, Stonewall DFL, Green Party of Minnesota, Marry Me Minnesota, Minnesota chapter of the Log Cabin Republicans, and the Minnesota chapter of the National Organization of Women.

Scott Beale / Laughing Squid

Marijuana is back in the news this week after Olympic gold medalist Michael Phelps is threatened with criminal charges for toking at a party and three Minnesota House Republicans sign on to a bill relax criminal penalties for users of medicinal marijuana.

Rep. Mark Buesgens, R-Jordan; Bob Gunther, R-Fairmont; and Tom Hackbarth, R-Cedar, are the three Republicans comprising a bipartisan slate of support to make Minnesota the 14th state to allow medical marijuana. Buesgens and Gunther are new to the bill, which saw similar bipartisan support last session. Hackbarth is a big supporter, having seen how it helped members of his family who were dying of cancer.

Rep. Tom Rukavina, DFL-Virginia, is the lead author on the bill, and coauthor support has doubled from last year with 29 legislators backing the bill.

The medical marijuana bill, and its companion bill in the Senate, are expected to do well in the Minnesota Legislature, but could face a shaky future if it arrives on Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s desk. As shaky a future as Phelps career? Let’s hope both do just fine.

The list of bill sponsors include:
Rep. Mark Buesgnes (R-Jordan), Rep. Anthony Sertich (DFL-Chisholm), Rep. Thomas Huntley (DFL-Duluth), Rep. Tom Hackbarth (R-Cedar), Rep. Bob Gunther (R-Fairmont), Rep. Michael Paymar (DFL-St. Paul), Rep. Cy Thao (DFL-St. Paul), Rep. Lyndon Carlson, Sr. (DFL-Crystal), Rep. Tim Mahoney (DFL-St. Paul), Rep. Bill Hitly (DFL-Finlayson), Rep. Kent Eken (DFL-Twin Valley), Rep. Will Morgan (DFL-Bursnville), Rep. Karen Clark (DFL-Minneapolis), Rep. Leon Lille (DFL-North St. Paul), Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL-Minneapolis), Rep. Larry Haws (DFL-St. Cloud), Rep. Sheldon Johnson (DFL-St. Paul), Rep. Alice Hausman (DFL-St. Paul), Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL-St. Paul), Rep. Jeff Hayden (DFL-Minneapolis), Rep. Rick Hansen (DFL-South St. Paul), Rep. Al Juhnke (DFL-Willmar), Rep. Dianne Loeffler (DFL-Minneapolis), Rep. Linda Slocum (DFL-Richfield), Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-Minneapolis), Rep. Erin Murphy (DFL-St. Paul), Rep. David Bly (DFL-Northfield)

Southern Minnesota Republicans had some choice words about adult parties and drugs.

“Rochester has put together a gang-bang package,” said Sen. David Senjem, R-Rochester, of a reception put together by the city last week for Rochester Day at the State Capitol during Senate announcements on Monday.

Hosting an adult party doesn’t seem at all like the modest city of Rochester.

“I just think that this is so much foo foo dust that that’s coming out with all of these numbers,” said Sen. Dick Day, R-Owatonna referring to the estimates by Rep. James Oberstar for how much money Minnesota could see from the federal stimulus package.

Foo foo dust is slang for crack cocaine. Is that Day’s nice way of saying Oberstar is smoking crack if he thinks his numbers are correct?

h/t Bluestem Prairie.

That’s the message DFL state Sen. Ann Rest and Republican state Rep. Laura Brod had on MPR today for the breed of voters whose enigmatically marked ballots were on display during the recent Senate recount. Their cramped scribbles drew widespread derision from observers who apparently always colored inside the lines. State Canvassing Board members were often left scratching their heads at chicken-scratch markings as they tried to determine voter intent — a concept held sacred in state law.

But the ovals are apparently secure. The two state leaders, each with electoral reforms on her mind, sounded nonplussed unenthusiastic about the idea of changing ballot design to help more voters cast clear votes.

“I don’t think that the ballot itself is necessarily the problem,” Brod said. “It’s a pretty clear ballot. We’ve just got to get people to fill the circle in and do it right. That’s just a matter of education.”

For her part, Rest acknowledged that ”it is our obligation to find ways to make it easier for Minnesotans to vote in an election,” but said the solution to errant ballot markings is “increased and more sophisticated training of election judges.”

The currently prescribed two to three hours of training don’t prepare workers to handle a rush of voters, who, because “they’re very young or very old, are not paying attention and mark an X in a box rather than filling in an oval, she said.

“As we gain more experience with our paper ballot, that will become less of an issue,” Rest assured the radio audience.

Demonstrators against Proposition 8 at a downtown Minneapolis rally in November 2008. (Tony Webster, Flickr)

Same-sex marriage will again be a hot topic in the state Legislature this year, and some new initiatives are sure to create controversy. But for a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community that has been playing defense against social conservatives for more than a decade, the 2009 legislature will be the friendliest in years, some lawmakers say.

Nonetheless the community’s confidence is tempered by an awareness that opponents of marriage equality are more determined than ever to defeat any advances made in the Capitol. In particular, the continuing partnership between Gov. Tim Pawlenty and the religious right could spell doom for pro-equality initiatives.

Perhaps the boldest move at the Capitol this year will be the proposal of a Marriage and Family Protection Act, which would change Minnesota statutes to allow same-sex couples to marry.

A new group, Marriage Equality Minnesota, has pushed for the bill’s introduction. Even with a vast majority of DFLers in the legislature, Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, is aware of the steep challenges in getting the bill to the governor’s desk.

“This effort is made with no illusion about the difficulty of passing the legislation,” said Marty, who will introduce the bill in the coming session.

The bill’s most important function will be to generate a discussion, he added.

“Opponents have great fear and misunderstanding about gay marriage,” Marty said. “A legislative committee hearing could begin to address those misconceptions.”

Marty first introduced the bill in the final days of the 2008 legislative session, and the proposal did not leave committee. OutFront Minnesota, the state’s largest LGBT advocacy organization, disagreed with the timing of the bill and was not involved in its introduction.

This year, however, Marty’s bill is part of OutFront’s legislative agenda, among other initiatives to bring relief for LGBT families.

OutFront is also working on an anti-bullying bill, dubbed Safe Schools for All.

Jo Mariscano, communications director for OutFront, said the measure “would require school districts to incorporate into their harassment/bullying policies characteristics currently not required by law to be included: sexual orientation/gender expression and identity; physical characteristics; and disability.”

Another group is working on educating legislators and the public, rather than on specific pieces of legislation.

Project 515 is canvassing the state to inform Minnesotans about the 515 statutes currently on the books that discriminate against same-sex couples.

When a same-sex partner dies, for example, the surviving partner has no right to be notified and does not have the right to make a decision about what happens to the body. If one partner dies, the state can seize the couple’s home, whereas for married couples, the home is protected.

Even fishing and hunting licenses offer discounts to married couples. Same-sex couples cannot take advantage of those state discounts.

But at least one group wants to prevent any inequalities from being addressed. The Minnesota Family Council promised to be a prominent voice at the Capitol again in 2009.

In 2008, Gov. Pawlenty hand-picked the Family Council to negotiate with bill sponsors on issues important to the LGBT community, such as comprehensive sex education.

This year, the Council’s anti-equality arguments for the current session have already begun.

In an opinion piece printed in the Duluth News Tribune on Monday, Family Council President Tom Prichard slammed efforts to achieve equality. “Traditional marriage does not discriminate against people based on sexual orientation,” he wrote.

The alternative for gays and lesbians wanting to marry, he suggests, is to stop being gay or lesbian, find God and marry a heterosexual.

Meanwhile, the Family Council is counting on Pawlenty to stop any equality measure from moving forward this year and has begun fundraising to defeat Sen. Marty’s bill.

Just before the new year began, the Council sent out an e-mail to supporters that read, “Consider this: with the help of Gov. Pawlenty and our grassroots base, MFC/MFI has stopped all legislative attempts to legalize homosexual ‘marriage’ and marriage-like benefits. Help us stop it again … The time is now. If every family on our email list donated $10, we would be financially equipped to protect God’s plan for marriage in the 2009 legislative session.”

Photo: Tony Webster

Erhardt was subsequently spotted at the the 3rd Congressional District Democratic endorsing convention last month. But if the “override six” member intends to undergo a political conversion, he’s unlikely to receive a warm reception from the DFL. Kevin Staunton, a former assistant attorney general and member of the Edina Planning Commission, has been endorsed by the Democrats.

Erhardt fully intends to run for a 10th term this November, but he’s uncertain what political party (if any) will be attached to his name. “I’m going to win,” he says. “Simple as that. I expect to be attacked by both the left and the right. So what does that leave us?”

Erhardt’s political estrangement, coupled with strong challengers from both the DFL and the GOP, makes House District 41A one of the most intriguing races of the looming political season. The DFL currently controls the Senate 45-22, while holding an 85-49 advantage in House seats. The Democrats have made significant gains in the last two election cycles, picking up a staggering 33 House seats since 2002.

The 41A district historically leans Republican, but has trended slightly to the left in recent elections. Four years ago John Kerry narrowly won Edina in the presidential campaign, while Amy Klobuchar easily took the municipality in the 2006 Senate race. However, Pawlenty won the 41A district by a comfortable 10-point margin.

Erhardt argues that he’s a reflection of this evolving political philosophy. “It’s a very independent group that used to vote Republican,” he says. “But they don’t necessarily do that anymore because they’re fed up with the right-wing junk that the Republicans have been pushing for years.”

Continued: Click “Read More”Despite Erhardt’s lack of major-party backing, he still has the advantage of widespread name recognition and will likely garner some support from organized labor. The International Union of Operating Engineers Local 49, for instance, endorsed the incumbent two years ago and is almost certain to again be working on his behalf. Adam Duininck, the group’s political director, notes that the transportation bill was their number one legislative priority. “For the people that went out on a limb for us and were courageous for us we need to do the same for them,” he says.

But both challengers have already been raising money and knocking on doors for weeks. Staunton argues that the incumbent’s current political dilemma is proof that he’s no longer the right fit for the district. “Through no fault of his own, I think he’s in a position where it’s hard to be effective,” Staunton says. “It makes it hard for him to reflect the district and still be consistent with what his party is looking at.”

Downey, a partner at the Virchow Krause accounting firm and a board member of the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce, says his candidacy is motivated by more than simply the transportation bill override. “It’s not about one vote,” Downey says, noting that he’s been running since August. “It’s not about somehow denigrating Rep. Erhardt’s 30 years of service. It is just saying it is time for some new leadership.”

Erhardt dismisses his GOP challenger as simply a pawn of right-wing interests. “He’s been working all the social issues, which I didn’t vote for,” he says, citing abortion, school vouchers, and gay rights. “I’m not an ideologue. The right and the left — especially the right — are so into their social issues, which has nothing to do with the running of government.”

But Downey says this is an unfair caricature of his campaign. “I think it’s fair to say that he’s been very interested in casting me as some kind of right-wing Neanderthal as part of his political strategy,” Downey notes. “He can say what he wants about me. People who know me and who know the campaign would say different.”

Whatever political path Erhardt ultimately chooses to take, the contest in 41A is certain to be as vigorously contested as any in the state. “This is so good for Edina,” argues Downey, noting that Erhardt has seldom faced formidable opposition during his 18 years in office. “The reality is there’s not really been a choice and this year there is.”