Senate Republicans seek repeal of minors’ consent for health care

Senate Republicans have included a provision in a health and human services omnibus bill that would repeal Minnesota’s minors’ consent laws. Those laws, first enacted in 1971, allow Minnesotans under the age of 18 to access mental and physical health care, as well as substance use care. The bill would strip those laws from the books and only allow a minor to seek those services in the case of incest. The Minnesota Department of Health, the Mayo Clinic, the American Academy of Pediatrics and teen pregnancy prevention groups all testified in opposition.

Pressure mounts for Pawlenty to apply for federal Medicare funds

Democratic leaders in the Minnesota Legislature urged Gov. Tim Pawlenty Tuesday to apply for $236 million in federal health care money. In a letter to the governor, Speaker of the House Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller and House Majority Leader Tony Sertich wrote that it would be “irresponsible” for the state to not seek the funds when many patients in Minnesota are struggling with the tough economy, adding, “You cannot let political ambition get in the way of doing what’s right for Minnesota.” They join the Minnesota Medical Association and the Mayo Clinic in calling for Pawlenty to secure the funds for Minnesota.

AM.MN: Texan bankrolling Coleman’s new job has career highlights of his own

More trouble with Texans for Norm Coleman. Politics in Minnesota recounts some tales about Fred Malek, the leader among a group of Texans who recently hired the former senator to head a new organization called

AM.MN: A death panel Sarah Palin could love

“Panel tells DNR moose hunting should be allowed.” Other news media also cover a new report from Minnesota’s Moose Advisory Committee to the state Department of Natural Resources, but only the Star Tribune’s headline hinted at the…

Pawlenty’s health care cuts come amid hellish week for hospitals

Ominous news about job losses and financial woes at Minnesota hospitals over the last week coincide with Gov. Pawlenty’s line-item veto of $381 million in General Assistance Medical Care (GAMC) grants and his vow to make more cuts by unallotment. But as bad as the doomsday scenarios are, they shouldn’t include St. Paul’s Regions Hospital closing — a prospect that a DFL press release warned of over the weekend.

Federal Railroad Administration to Release DM&E Records

According to a letter sent by the Federal Railroad Administration to interested parties, the “FRA intends to disclose a substantial number of records from the 2003 RRIF loan application” as early as Friday. The…

End of the Line or Back to the Drawing Board for DM&E Coal Trains?

There is a broader solution. With proper leadership we will find it.

Now that the Federal Railroad Administration has told the Dakota, Minnesota & Eastern railroad that it is not going to give it the hoped-for $2.3 billion…

What’s Next for the DM&E?

The DM&E railroad’s hoped-for $2.3 billion government loan is now officially dead. According to Minnesota Rep. Tim Walz, there is no appeal, there are no conditions. Over a year of angst and worry, thousands of hours invested, hundreds of thousands…

DM&E $2.3 Billion Loan: A Businessman’s Nirvana

The Minneapolis Star Tribune has opined on the proposed DM&E expansion in the past, and it does so again today, no doubt in response to the lawsuit filed on behalf of the Rochester Coalition and the Mayo Clinic demanding…

Rochester Coalition Sues Federal Railroad Administration over DM&E Documents

The Rochester Coalition and the Mayo Clinic filed suit Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., asking the Federal Railroad Administration to turn over documents related to the DM&E railroad requested in a Freedom of Information Act…