April 28, 2006 -
April 27, 2006 - MPR’s Tom Sheck reports that after more than seven hours of debate, the Minnesota House gave the go-ahead to a controversial plan for a new outdoor stadium for the Minnesota Twins. By a comfortable 76 to 55 margin the House approved a measure that would allow a Hennepin County to impose a sales tax without voter approval.
April 12, 2006 - A new state audit says county workers make errors on more than two-thirds of the applications they process from immigrants trying to use public health programs. The Legislative Auditor found that county workers made mistakes in seven of every ten cases where they evaluated a non-citizen's eligibility to receive health care. The report says the mistakes could allow some non-citizens to get care they're not entitled to. State lawmakers generally agree that the high number of mistakes is a problem but they differ on how serious it is. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.
April 4, 2006 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports that a committee in the Minnesota Senate has rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage and its legal equivalents in Minnesota.
March 31, 2006 - The debate in Minnesota over gay marriage was prompted by a court decision three years ago in Massachusetts. The Supreme Court there decided the Massachusetts constitution allowed same sex couples to marry, and gay couples have been getting married there for the past two years. But that has not ended the debate over the decision and whether it should be allowed to stand. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck visited Massachusetts and has this story.
March 31, 2006 - Anyone hoping for tax relief from state lawmakers this year may be disappointed. That's because Governor Pawlenty, Senate DFLers and House Republicans appear headed for an impasse over tax cuts. A key committee in the DFL-controlled Minnesota Senate today approved a measure that would increase taxes on the wealthy and provide tax cuts to middle income households. But the governor and leaders in the Republican-controlled House say the state has enough money to provide the tax cuts without making the rich pay more. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports...
March 22, 2006 - Governor Pawlenty says it's time to move on from the controversy surrounding Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson. Pawlenty, a Republican, says he'll ask GOP party officials to back off in their criticism of the Willmar DFLer. Johnson has been under heavy fire, especially from Republicans and groups that support a constitutional amendment to ban same sex marriage. He has admitted "sanding off the truth" about a conversation with a Supreme Court Justice on the issue of gay marriage. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports....
March 15, 2006 - Currently a person is allowed to register to vote on the day of an election. All one needs is a valid utility bill or a neighbor's word. Legislation introduced by Republican Tom Emmer would change all of that. If the bill passes, a photo ID, as well as a passport, birth certificate, or naturalization papers, would be necessary to vote and register to vote in Minnesota.
March 3, 2006 - MPR’s Tom Scheck reports on first U.S. Senate debate. Taxes, health care and national security were among the key issues addressed by three candidates running for Minnesota's open U.S. Senate seat. The seat has been viewed as one of the more competitive seats in the nation ever since Mark Dayton announced his decision not to run for reelection. Republican Mark Kennedy and DFLers Amy Klobuchar and Ford Bell all hope to replace the DFL incumbent and put their differences on display in the debate sponsored by the North Metro Chamber of Commerce.
February 14, 2006 - Governor Pawlenty and the federal government have reached an agreement to ensure that low income Minnesota seniors continue to get their medicine in the coming weeks. Disarray in the new medicare prescription drug program left many seniors unable to pay for their medicine in the program's first days. The governor issued an emergency executive order authorizing state payments for medicine but it was set to expire on Friday night. Pawlenty says the state has now applied for a federal government waiver to ensure those payments continue. Minnesota Public Radio's Tom Scheck reports.