Political Notebook

Protestors and supporters rally ahead of gay marriage vote

Thousands of people are expected to pack into the Minnesota Capitol today as the House takes up a bill to legalize gay marriage.

Two hours before the debate was set to begin, protestors and supporters were already lined up outside the House chamber chanting in support of their causes. Opponents of gay marriage clutched pink signs that read "Don't erase moms and dads." Supporters carried their own orange signs that said "I support the freedom to marry."

It's already getting loud and hot in the Capitol and security officials have advised they will not allow people to enter the Capitol once they've determined it's reached maximum capacity. Meanwhile, there are several school kid groups that happen to be here today touring the Capitol.

Most of the members of the southeast MInnesota delegation have stated how they plan to vote on the gay marriage bill, but there are a few uncertainties. Rep. Kim Norton, DFL-Rochester, has declined to discuss how she will vote. She favors a proposal by Rep.Tim Kelly, R-Red Wing, to remove the word "marriage" in state law and replace it with "civil unions." He argues that would get government out of defining marriage. He plans to offer his bill as an amendment on the House floor today. Norton has said in the past that if the same-sex marriage bill did come to the floor, she would have a hard time voting against it.

Also unknown is Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona. He has declined to answer questions about how he will vote. All the other southeast Minnesota House Republicans have said they will vote no and the other Democrats will vote yes.

The debate kicks off at noon, and I will be live tweeting on my twitter feed @pbhcarlson.

Kelly not in support of 'civil marriage' proposal

A new proposal that could open the door to more Republicans voting for the gay marriage bill doesn't have Rep. Tim Kelly's support.

The amendment filed Wednesday by Rep. David FitzSimmons, R-Albertville, would replace the word "marriage" with the words "civil marriage" in state statutes. The Associated Press reports that the proposal has the backing of the group that has been pushing for the legalization of gay marriage — Minnesotans United for All Families — and House Majority Leader Erin Murphy. Meanwhile, Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck has reported that GOP Sen. Branden Peterson believes the amendment could get six Republicans to vote for the bill in the Senate.

But Kelly isn't getting on board with the idea. The Red Wing Republican prefers his proposal to eliminate the word "marriage" altogether in state law and replace it with "civil unions." Kelly notably defied his caucus in 2011 voting against putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot to ban same-sex marriage. All along, Kelly said his opposition has been to the idea of government being involved in defining marriage. FitzSimmons' amendment fails to solve that.

"My civil union bill is all about rights," he said. "It's about equality, and it sets everybody on the same page and it hands over the rights. But apparently that is not enough today. We want government-mandated acceptance of the new definition of marriage, and I believe that is fundamentally wrong. I don't want to tell anybody in my caucus what to believe about marriage."

Kelly still plans to offer his civil union proposal as an amendment to the gay marriage bill during tomorrow's debate.

 

Norton pulls name from one civil union bill, adds it to another

Rochester Rep. Kim Norton removed her name from one bill that would allow same-sex civil unions in favor of another.

Norton was the lone Democrat to sign onto Red Wing GOP Rep. Tim Kelly's bill that would have allowed civil unions in addition to marriage. But critics blasted that proposal saying it would treat gay couples as second-class citizens, creating a separate but unequal system.

Today, Kelly introduced a new bill that strikes the word "marriage" from state law and replaces it with civil unions. Kelly said that would get the government out of defining marriage, leaving that to religious institutions. Norton is the only DFL co-sponsor on that bill.

In an interview Wednesday, Norton said she preferred this second approach, which treats gay and straight couples the same. She said a majority of her constituents are not in favor of legalizing gay marriage but do support the concept of civil unions.

"I know that is not acceptable to a lot of the (gay marriage) advocates," Norton said. "I've asked them to try and understand it is what a majority of my constituents (support)."

Local lawmakers back push for civil unions

A Red Wing Republican opposed to legalizing gay marriage is urging fellow lawmakers to back civil unions instead.

Rep. Tim Kelly announced Wednesday he plans to introduce a bill today recognizing civil unions. He said his bill offers a chance for a bipartisan solution to a very difficult social issue.

“We are here offering a way to unite Minnesota and bring forth a bill that will take the divisive social issues away from the political arena and give everyone the individual rights they deserve,” Kelly said.

But supporters of same-sex marriage say civil unions would treat gay couples as second-class citizens, creating a separate but unequal system.

“Who dreams of growing up and getting civil unioned to somebody? You dream of falling in love and getting married. That is what this is about,” said Sen. Scott Dibble, DFL-Minneapolis, who is sponsoring a bill to legalize same-sex marriage.

Gay marriage advocates a prime opportunity to pass legislation this session legalizing gay marriage with Democrats in control of the Legislature and DFL Gov. Mark Dayton in the Governor’s Mansion. Same-sex marriage bills have already cleared all the key committees on straight party-line votes and are awaiting action on the House and Senate floors. Dayton has expressed his strong support for gay marriage and is expected to sign such a bill.

But not all Democrats are comfortable with the fast pace of the same-sex marriage debate. Assistant Minority Leader Kim Norton of Rochester is the lone Democrat to sign onto Kelly’s bill. She said she is disappointed that her party’s leadership is moving ahead with a vote on the marriage issue this year. Civil unions offer a compromise on a very divisive issue among her constituents.

“The community is very split on this issue, and I am just trying very hard to listen and to do the right thing,” she said.

When asked if she would vote against a bill legalizing gay marriage, Norton said she is undecided. But she added that “I tend to think I could not vote against the civil rights of another individual.”

Kelly opposes same-sex marriage push, says supporters 'overreaching'

Two years ago, Red Wing Rep. Tim Kelly was among a handful of Republican lawmakers who bucked their party and voted against putting a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would ban same-sex marriage. He also worked with Minnesotans United for All Families to help defeat the measure. But that doesn't mean he supports legalizing gay marriage.

Kelly said he opposed the amendment two years ago because it meant government would be getting involved in the issue of marriage. He said trying to legalize same-sex marriage amounts to the same thing.

"Just because the language has changed to the reverse, I think I would be extremely hypocritical if I decided now is a good time for the government to get involved. I don't believe that we should be defining marriage. I will stay that course," Kelly said in an interview.

DFL lawmakers unveiled legislation on Wednesday to legalize same-sex marriage at a Capitol news conference.

Kelly said he believes gay marriage supporters are misinterpreting the results of last fall's election. Just because voters rejected the marriage amendment does not mean they back gay marriage.

"I really do think (gay marriage supporters) are making an error in judgement there, and they are being overzealous and overreaching and are missing an opportunity to really take care of the inequities and the discriminatory issues that I have been approached with every year since I've been here," he said.

The Red Wing lawmaker said he plans to introduce a bill this session aimed at getting rid of some of those legal inequities. He also said he is willing to discuss the idea of civil unions for gay couples, but that once the debate becomes about marriage it becomes highly emotional.

"I don't think we need much more data to prove out that as soon as we use the term marriage that time and money spent defending both sides to the nth degree," he said.

Dayton meeting with lawmakers today about silica sand

Southeast Minnesota lawmakers are scheduled to meet with DFL Gov. Mark Dayton today to talk about silica sand mining.

Legislators in Senate District 21 and Senate District 28 were invited to attend. The governor is expected to discuss his position on the issue. Mining opponents have been pushing hard for a statewide Environmental Impact Statement to be done on silica sand mining and a moratorium be put in place. Red Wing Republican Rep. Tim Kelly has expressed support for such a study and possibly a temporary moratorium. Others, such as Mazeppa GOP Rep. Steve Drazkowski, oppose a the idea of a study or any other additional state regulations on the industry. He said the state already has strong regulations in place to protect the environmental and public health.

Sen. Matt Schmit, DFL-Red Wing, has said he plans to put forward a comprehensive bill shortly addressing the silica sand issue. He is still working out the details, but in the past he has indicated he is concerned a statewide EIS could end up taking too long. Rather, he has suggested working with state agencies to study some of the issues.

Kelly working to help defeat marriage amendment

Republican Rep. Tim Kelly is helping craft the strategy to defeat a proposed constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage in the state. The Red Wing state lawmaker is serving on the steering committee for Minnesotans United for All Families.

In an interview Tuesday, Kelly said he is believes the best way to defeat the amendment is to make the argument that it would lead to government intrusion in people's personal lives.

"In order to get the message out in a bipartisan way, it can't just be about the issue (of gay rights)," he said. "We have to reach the people who believe government shouldn't be interfering in our lives, which generally speaking is our camp. It's generally more of a conservative stance."

Kelly is joined by one other GOP lawmaker, Rep. John Kriesel of Cottage Grove. Both lawmakers gave impassioned speeches on the House floor against the proposed amendment.

The Red Wing lawmaker said some people on the steering committee may not want to hear his advice because of concerns about "de-gaying" the issue. Kelly said he understands those concerns but he  believes in order to defeat this amendment opponents need to avoid getting "all emotional and hard core into principles about how you personally feel about marriage."

Kelly said he has always believed that the question of gay marriage is a religious issue — not a government issue. His position against the amendment puts him at odds with the majority of his party. He even offered to resign his House leadership position, but Speaker of the House Kurt Zellers said that was not necessary.

Here is a link to Kelly's speech on the House floor against the amendment.

(h/t Briana Bierschbach with Politics in Minnesota)

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 reject proposal allowing logging in Whitewater, Frontenac

Members of the Minnesota House overwhelmingly rejected a proposal that would open up Whitewater and Frontenac state parks to logging.

Lawmakers voted 106 to 22 in favor of stripping the language that would allow the logging out of an environment budget bill. Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa, proposed the language, which requires the commissioner of natural resources to assess the black walnut and other timber resources in the two state parks and harvest the trees that are suitable. The proceeds from the logging would go to the state.

Environmental groups launched a big push against the proposal arguing it would cause lasting harm to the state parks. The environment budget bill's author, GOP Rep. Denny McNamara of Hastings, sponsored the amendment to take out the logging language.

Drazkowski, whose district includes Whitewater State Park, urged his fellow lawmakers to support logging in the state parks.

"This is another area of state government where an asset of the government is actually rotting and going to waste. This is what Minnesotans are tired of. They are tired of the waste, fraud and abuse in government."

Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Red Wing, whose district includes Frontenac State Park, also supports allowing for logging in those state parks.

But several lawmakers, both DFL and GOP, voiced concerns about the proposal. Rep. Lyndon Carlson, R-Crystal, said he used to teach in St. Charles and spent a lot of time at Whitewater State Park.

"That’s a valley that is very sensitive and it is very sensitive to things like flooding and it is also a valley with a lot of history, and I would be very concerned if that was opened up for logging or cutting," Carlson said.

Here's how southeast Minnesota lawmakers voted on the amendment to strip out the logging language. Voting yes were: Rep. Tina Liebling, DFL-Rochester; Rep. Rich Murray, R-Albert Lea; Rep. Kim Norton, DFL-Rochester, Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona and Rep. Jeanne Poppe, DFL-Austin. Voting no were: Rep. Mike Benson, R-Rochester; Rep. Greg Davids, R-Preston; Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Mazeppa; Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Red Wing; and Rep. Duane Quam, R-Byron.