Political Notebook

Constituents angry over Miller's vote on frac-sand mining headed to Capitol

A group of Winona citizens angry with Sen. Jeremy Miller's vote against a measure to prohibit frac-sand mining within a mile of trout streams in southeast Minnesota are headed to the Capitol tomorrow.

According to a press release sent out by the Land Stewardship Project, the group will gather at 8:45 a.m. outside Winona City Hall before boarding buses and heading to the Minnesota Capitol. They plan to hold a 12:30 p.m. news conference to discuss their anger over Miller's vote. They will then deliver an oversized postcard to Miller's office. It asks Miller to "start putting the well-being of the citizens of your district above frac sand special interests."

The trout stream language is sponsored by Sen. Matt Schmit, DFL-Red Wing. The 1-mile setback also applies to springs, fens and other waterways. He attempted to reinsert it into his omnibus game and fish bill during a Senate Finance Committee last week, but it failed by one vote. Miller was one of those no votes.

In an interview today, Miller said he is open to supporting setbacks on mining near trout streams. But he is not convinced that a mile is the right distance.

"I am not opposed to a setback," he said. "But let's make sure that we have the right number and we are not just picking a number for the sake of having a number."

Schmit's provision has the strong backing of Trout Unlimited. In a letter to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Dick Cohen, the group's Executive Director John Lenczewski explains the rational behind the 1-mile setback. He cites a Minnesota Department of Natural Resources study that found mining within 3,000 feet of a spring in Fillmore County resulted in a 17-degree rise in temperature. He said the study's author advised providing an additional 2,000 feet as a buffer.

Schmit has said he will continue trying to get the trout stream language passed. One option would be to try to offer an amendment on the Senate floor.

How's the session going? Republicans, DFLers to offer their takes

Local lawmakers are taking advantage of their week-long break to meet with constituents and the media. It's a chance for legislators on both sides of the aisle to try to get their message out about how the 2012 session is going.

Rochester's two Republican senators — Dave Senjem and Carla Nelson — are scheduled to meet with the media to discuss the legislative session tomorrow morning. They will then head to Winona for another press event, where they will be joined by Republican Sen. Jeremy Miller of Winona. Senjem and Republican Rep. Duane Quam held a media availability on Monday.

Democrats announced today they will hold events across the state this week as a "'last call' to avoid a do-nothing session." DFLers Kim Norton and Tina Liebling will participate in such an event from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday in the Rochester Public Library Auditorium.

Winona Realtor to challenge Miller for Senate seat

A Winona real estate agent announced Wednesday that he will run for the Minnesota Senate seat held by freshman Republican Sen. Jeremy Miller.

Democrat Jack Krage said he is running because the Republican-led Senate has failed to do what is in the best interest of the state.

"In one short year in control of the House and Senate, they've forced a government shutdown, raised property taxes by nearly $1 billion, and there is now a good chance that the state is still in the red. Minnesota needs a change in leadership," he said in a statement.

Krage grew up on a dairy farm in Ridgeway and is a graduate of Winona State University. He has been a Realtor with Coldwell Banker Skeels/Moore and Associates for 27 years. He serves on the Lions Global Leadership Management Team. He has served two terms as president of the Southern Minnesota Association of Realtors.

Miller, a Winona businessman, narrowly defeated first-term DFL Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes, 51 percent to 49 percent. He won in a year when Republicans regained control of the Minnesota Senate for the first time in nearly 40 years.

Senate District 31 stretches from Winona to La Crescent to Chatfield. But it is unclear what the final senate boundary lines will look like in 2012 due to the redistricting process. Every 10 years, the state is required to redraw all the political boundaries based on the latest census data.

"With the economy struggling, the middle class cannot afford to be pinched even tighter," Krage said in a statement. "I would like to be southeastern Minnesota's voice in the Senate and let the Legislature know that enough is enough."

Walz visits Mayo Clinic, state lawmakers talk ag

Plenty of politicos will be paying a visit to the region today. 

DFL Congressman Tim Walz will be visiting the Mayo Clinic Cancer Center this morning. He plans to meet with the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network and leaders in the cancer research community to learn about the economic and scientific benefits of cancer research. They expect to urge the congressman to protect funding the National Insitutes of Health as the congressional "super committee" looks for places to cut spending.

According to a press release, Minnesota received more than $475 million from the National Institutes of Health in 2010. Mayo Clinic received $180 million, which translates into 4,000 jobs locally. Health reporter Jeff Hansel is covering this event.

Walz will then head to Winona where he will host a "Congress on Your Corner" event at 1 p.m. at Midtown Foods in Winona.

Minnesota Senate Agriculture and Rural Economies Chair Doug Maguns will join Winona GOP Sen. Jeremy Miller for a round-table discussion today on agriculture. The two lawmakers will be at The Creamery Restaurant in Rushford at noon, where they expect to meet with farmers and representatives of the Minnesota Farmers Union and the Minnesota Farm Bureau. The event is open to the public. Reporter Janet Kubat plans to cover the event.

Magnus and Miller will then head to Winona to tour Cenex Harvest States.

Miller to join Dayton on trade mission to South Korea

Winona GOP Sen. Jeremy Miller will join DFL Gov. Mark Dayton on a trade mission to South Korea later this month. The goal of the trade mission will be to strengthen business relationships and boost exports from Minnesota companies in Asian markets.

The tour will be from Sept 25 to Oct. 1 and include business leaders, government officials, agriculture leaders and educators. 

 “I look forward to this exciting opportunity to showcase Minnesota businesses on the world stage and to develop and enhance relationships with our trade partners. The number one issue facing our state and our country right now is job creation, and this trip will offer valuable insight into how Minnesota companies can improve trade relations, expand operations and help grow our economy," Miller said in a press release.

According to the press release, South Korea is among the top ten buyers in the world for Minnesota products including $87 million of food products. Miller also plans to travel independently to China where he will visit companies with operations roots in Minnesota. The press release noted that no state funds will be used for Miller's China trip.

The Winona Republican has a background in business and currently serves as the chief financial officer Wm. Miller Scrap Iron & Metal Co. — a family-run business that dates back to 1910.

Business coalition launches ad campaign backing GOP budget stance

If you flip to page B5 in today's Rochester Post-Bulletin, you'll see a half-page ad thanking four local Republicans — Rep. Mike Benson, Rep. Duane Quam, Sen. Carla Nelson and Sen. Dave Senjem — for "holding the line on state spending."

The ad states, "Families have to live within their budgets — so should government. Grow jobs, not government."

It's all part of a newspaper ad campaign launched today the Coalition of Minnesota Businesses, an organization comprised of 11 employer groups including the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce and the Minnesota Business Partnership. The group is lining up behind legislative Republicans arguing against tax increases and increased spending as part of a budget deal.

The coalition's Communications Director Mark Giga said they are running ads in 33 newspapers across the state specifically thanking 52 Republican lawmakers. Those ads are targeted mainly along the U.S. 52 and I-35W corridors headed up to the cities and Interstate-94 into St. Cloud. Giga said it makes sense to focus on these areas — especially Rochester.

"It's no secret that these are swing districts," he said.

Giga said he did not have an estimate of how much the coalition will spent on the newspaper ads at this point. This is the second part of an ad campaign launched before lawmakers went on their Easter/Passover break. That time the coalition spent roughly $250,000 on radio and internet ads saying the state needs to stop spending more and live within its means.

Other area GOP lawmakers getting praised in the ads are: Rep. Rich Murray of Albert Lea, Rep. Greg Davids of Preston, Rep. Tim Kelly of Red Wing and Sen. John Howe of Red Wing and Sen. Jeremy Miller of Winona. Go here to see what the ads look like.

These ads come as Alliance for a Better Minnesota, a liberal, union-funded group, has launched a TV ad campaign that supports DFL Gov. Mark Dayton's proposal to raise $1.8 billion in income taxes on the state's wealthiest 2 percent.

Area Republicans sign court brief challeging constitutionality of health care law

Several area Republicans joined fellow GOP state lawmakers in signing a "friend of the court" brief challenging the constitutionality of the new federal health care law.

A total of 80 GOP lawmakers signed the brief, including House and Senate GOP leaders. Also signing the brief are North Carolina legislative leaders. The brief was filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals in the 11th District. This comes after Florida Judge Roger Vinson recently struck down the entire health care law. Vinson concluded that Congress exceeded its authority when it passed the individual mandate requiring all citizens to have health care coverage.

Local GOP lawmakers who signed onto the brief are Rep. Mike Benson of Rochester, Rep. Greg Davids of Preston; Rep. Steve Drazkowski of Mazeppa, Rep. Tim Kelly of Red Wing, Rep. Rich Murray of Albert Lea and Rep. Duane Quam of Byron. Those who did not sign on are Sen. Carla Nelson of Rochester, Sen. Dave Senjem of Rochester, Sen. John Howe of Red Wing and Sen. Jeremy Miller of Winona.

The brief argrees with Vinson arguing that the individual mandate is unconstitutional. It also argues that the law's "ambiguity prevents states from making a clear and informed choice, requiring North Carolina and Minnesota to subject themselves to unknowable and potentially crippling obligations in order to continue their participation in the Medicaid program."

Click here to Download Court brief

Minnesota Democrats filed a "friend of the court" brief last month in the same case defending the constitutionality of the health care law.

Rulings on the health care law have been mixed since it took effect. Some judges have upheld its constitutionality while others have struck down parts of the law or the entire law.

Lawmakers host "listen in" session in Chatfield this weekend

Area residents who want a chance to talk to some of the region's lawmakers will have a chance on Saturday morning. Turning out for the "listen in" session will be Sen. Carla Nelson, R-Rochester; Sen. Jeremy Miller, R-Winona; Rep. Mike Benson, R-Rochester; and Rep. Greg Davids, R-Preston.

The event runs from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. at the Old Tyme Cafe, 219 Main St. S. in Chatfield. This comes as GOP-led Legislature is working to meet a March 25 deadline to put together its budget proposal.

Fight over where to put vets cemetery reemerges

Last session, lawmakers representing Fillmore County squared off with lawmakers representing Olmsted County over the issue of where a new veterans cemetery should go. In the end, it was the Olmsted County lawmakers who prevailed.

Former state Rep. Andy Welti, DFL-Plainview, and former Sen. Ann Lynch, DFL-Rochester, both backed a bill that would require all of southeast Minnesota be considered for a new state veterans cemetery. The argument was that all of southeast Minnesota should be examined for a possible site to make sure the best location was picked. That could potentially include land near Stewartville.

Rep. Greg Davids, R-Preston, and former Sen. Sharon Erickson-Ropes, DFL-Winona, had backed a bill that would require the new cemetery be built in Fillmore County. The county and city of Preston have offered to donate land for the project.

But in the end, the broader language passed last year. But Davids is bringing the issue back up sponsoring a bill to require the cemetery be built in Fillmore County. There is a hearing at 12:30 p.m. before the Veterans Services Decision on his bill, HF 226. Sen. Jeremy, Miller, R-Winona, is sponsoring a similar bill in the Senate.

The bills rely on $500,000 in funding already appropriated for veterans cemeteries. That isn't much, given that there are three proposal in the works in Minnesota — one in southwestern Minnesota, one in northeastern Minnesota and one in southeast Minnesota.

 

No Rochester lawmakers on Senate HHS Committee

No senators from Rochester or southeast Minnesota will serve on the Senate's Health and Human Services Committee in the coming year. That's pretty striking given that Rochester is home to Mayo Clinic and health policy decisions made at the Capitol can have a big impact on the clinic.

DFL Sen. Ann Lynch of Rochester, who was defeated by Republican Carla Nelson, previously served as vice chair of the Health and Human Services Budget Division Commitee and on the Health, Housing and Family Security Committee. Her predecessor Sen. Sheila Kiscaden, DFL-Rochester, served on the Health and Family Security committee along with some other health-related committees.

It should be noted that the new Republican-led Senate did drastically reduce the number of committees so there is only one left that deals with health.

Three newly-elected Republican senators from the area have scored vice chairmanships.

Sen.-elect Nelson of Rochester has been named vice chair of the Senate Education Committee. That makes sense given her background in education. She earned a bachelor's degree in education with an emphasis in special education from Drake University. She also worked as an elementary special education teacher.

Sen.-elect Jeremy Miller of Winona will serve as vice chair of the Senate Higher Education Committee. Winona is home of course to Winona State University and Saint Mary's University.

Sen.-elect John Howe of Red Wing will be vice chair of the Senate Transportation Committee.His predecessor DFL Sen. Steve Murphy was the longtime chair of this committee.

One important thing to note. There are no lawmakers from Rochester or southeast Minnesota appointed to the Health and Human Services Committee. That's notable considering that Rochester is home to the Mayo Clinic and health policy decisions at the state can have a big impact on the clinic.

Below is a roundup of all the committee assignments for southeast Minnesota senators.

Howe: Energy, Utilities and Telecom, Jobs and Economic Growth and the Transportation (VC)

Miller: Capital Investment, Agriculture, Environment and Natural Resources, Higher Education (VC) Jobs and Economic Development

Nelson: Capital Investment, Education (VC), Local Government and Elections

Sen. Dave Senjem, R-Rochester: Capital Investment (C), Taxes, Rules, Higher Education and Transportation

Sen. Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin: Agriculture, Commerce and Consumer Protection, Energy, Utilities and Telecom