Scott Beale / Laughing Squid

A bill to allow incurably ill patients to legally purchase marijuana is up for consideration in the Minnesota Senate. The Medical Use of Marijuana bill (SF 97) is nearly identical to a bill that passed the Senate last year and almost passed the House. It enjoys partisan support this year, although last year Gov. Tim Pawlenty indicated he would veto such a bill so long as law enforcement opposed it.

The Medical Use of Marijuana bill would make it legal for patients to procure up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana from a state-regulated nonprofit, only with a physician’s approval and only to those patients who have registered with the state as medical marijuana users. The bill lays down harsh penalties for patients and nonprofits that dispense marijuana to individuals that aren’t qualified by state registration.

Two Republicans are co-authors on this year’s bill. Sens. Geoff Michel of Edina and Debbie Johnson of Ham Lake have signed on to support the bill, as have Sens. Steve Murphy of Red Wing, Linda Higgins of Minneapolis and John Marty of Roseville. A similar bill is expected to be introduced in the House this month and will likely have similar bipartisan support.

Fourteen states allow the medical use of marijuana, from libertarian Alaska and Montana to liberal Vermont and California. If Minnesota passes legislation this year, it would become the second state in the Midwest to do so. Michigan passed a medical marijuana law in 2008.

Public polling in Minnesota shows that legalizing medical marijuana is a popular public policy goal. Last year, a KSTP/SurveyUSA poll showed support from 64 percent of Minnesotans, including 58 percent of Republicans. Minnesotans have favored the legalization of marijuana by more than 60 percent in most public opinion polls over the last 10 years.

Photo: Scott Beale, Laughing Squid

The accolades began with committee Chairman Steve Murphy. “I think the governor made the best possible choice that he could make,” gushed the Red Wing DFLer. “I believe you’re one of the best commissioners that he’s ever appointed.”

The top Republican on the committee, Michael Jungbauer, praised Sorel for his communication skills. “What I’ve really seen since you’ve been here is that coming together as a team,” said the East Bethel Republican. “I’m really excited to have you on board.”

This was a far cry from the scene at the Capitol just under a year ago when Democrats ousted Lt. Gov. Carol Molnau as the state’s top transportation official. Molnau had been under fierce criticism since the Aug. 1, 2007, collapse of the 35-W Bridge and was kicked to the curb by a 44-22 party-line vote.

Sorel didn’t receive praise from everyone on the committee, however. “I’ve been on this committee 18 years, I believe,” said Sen. Dick Day, a Republican from Owatonna. “I’ve never met the commissioner. So I don’t think his communication [skills] are all that great — in dealing with me anyway.”

Despite this sour note, the committee voted unanimously (Day included) to back Sorel’s confirmation.

But the proposed stamp reduction quickly sparked opposition from Democrats. “This is the way many members stay in touch with their constituents,” said Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller. “You don’t have to use up this total allotment if you don’t want.”

Sen. Steve Murphy echoed those comments. “Many of us that have larger districts … we depend upon that postage to stay in contact with our constituents,” noted Murphy, a DFLer from Red Wing. “Today, more than ever, we need the input from our constituents.”

Ultimately the proposal was voted down by a 38-27 margin, largely along party lines.

Senate Transportation Committee officials are declining comment until after Thursday morning’s Senate floor session, and TPT’s Mary Lahammer is reporting what we’ve been hearing — that Molnau’s confirmation will be on the agenda Thursday.

If so, it is likely that Molnau will be down to one job after the Senate vote. Molnau, a Republican who also serves as lieutenant governor, was a controversial pick when she was first appointed to head MnDOT. A staunch opponent of mass transit, Molnau was under considerable fire from DFLers even before the Interstate 35W Bridge disaster last August.

Molnau’s defensive performance in the wake of that disaster, combined with indications that MnDOT may not have adequately responded to warning signs before the collapse, has sealed her fate, at least in the eyes of many DFL lawmakers. State Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, who chairs the transportation committee, has been outspoken in his belief that Molnau needs to go.

If Molnau is ousted, it would be the second major blow to Gov. Tim Pawlenty in four days. On Monday the Legislature overrode Pawlenty’s veto of the transportation budget. Removing Molnau would be a further sign that the Legislature has wrested power on transit issues from the governor’s office.

Molnau is in a precarious position because the state Senate has not taken up her appointment as MnDOT chief. Under Minnesota law, the Senate has the power to confirm commissioners, but they are allowed to serve until and unless the Senate decides to reject them.

The last commissioner to be rejected was another Pawlenty appointee, Cheri Pierson Yecke, who was ousted as commissioner of education at the close of the 2004 session.

Murphy has long been a vocal critic of troubled Minnesota Department of Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau, but he strongly objected to the cartoonist’s depiction in a letter to the editor published in the Republican Eagle today. “Your recent cartoon depicting me in a Nazi uniform crossed the line of basic decency,” he wrote. “Even to a politician, this is unacceptable.”

He continued:

As a Marine, I saw no humor in it. As the chair of the Senate Transportation Committee, I can only say you are doing your readers a terrible disservice by continuously towing the Republican line and viciously attacking anyone with a different opinion.

To set the record straight, I have never explicitly or indirectly blamed the governor, Lt. Gov./Commissioner Carol Molnau or any MnDOT employee for the I-35W bridge collapse. Have I called for Molnau’s resignation? Yes, I have been for over a year. But I have done so for a host of reasons, none of which is blame for the bridge tragedy.

She needs to go, because under her leadership MnDOT continuously falls short of federal minority hiring status guidelines and faces a loss of federal transportation dollars.

I make no apologies for asking the tough questions and demanding answers to what caused the bridge to collapse. Doing any less would be abdicating my responsibility. Even if people disagree with me, they should have the decency to respect my goal of ensuring that our roads and bridges are safe for Minnesota drivers and that such a disaster never happens again.

Another letter to the editor also ran today in support of Livingstone, saying, “We really need to be aware that our government is slowly eroding our American rights every day.”

On his website, Livingstone states that he is “not a fan or a member of any political party.”

My editorial opinion tends to be “fair and balanced.” I try to take on society’s bullies and speak for the people who do not have a voice.

This is not the first time Livingstone has taken on Murphy with his pen. The blog Norwegianity posted a previous Livingstone cartoon depicting Murphy holding a rope tied into a noose with Molnau’s name attached to it. Livingstone’s first cartoon after the Aug. 1 bridge collapse, which claimed 13 lives, challenged the notion that there was an “infrastructure crisis” and that it could be solved through increased taxes.

At the time of publication neither Livingstone nor Republican Eagle publisher Steve Messick responded to inquiries from the Minnesota Monitor.