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HOUSE REPUBLICANS LEAD FIGHT FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT, FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND PUBLIC INTEGRITY
By Michael B. Brodkorb | February 27, 2007
I was sent this press release last evening. It is about yesterday's "seven-hour Floor battle" in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 26, 2007 - In a seven-hour Floor battle, House Republicans forced the DFL majority to take positions on a variety of amendments relating to open government, fiscal responsibility, and public integrity.
The debate was on proposed Permanent Rules for the House. Today's debate ended when the DFL majority tabled the proposed Permanent Rules until Thursday at the earliest.
A. PUBLIC INTEGRITY
1. NO LOBBYING BY LEGISLATORS FOR ONE YEAR: Rep. Steve Sviggum (R-Kenyon) persuaded the House to adopt a rule which would bar legislators from registering as a paid lobbyist for the first year after they leave the House. If a former legislator registered as a lobbyist, charges could be filed with the House Ethics Committee and the Campaign Finance Board. The A-36 amendment passed by an 83-50 margin. Rep. Sviggum had been pushing for this reform for 20 years.
2. NO LOBBYIST OR PAC CONTRIBUTIONS DURING SPECIAL SESSIONS: Rep. Marty Seifert (R-Marshall) sought to place a ban on campaign contributions from lobbyists or political actions committees to Representatives during special sessions. Under current rules, such a ban applies only during regular sessions. The DFL killed the A-30 amendment with a procedural motion.
3. PUBLIC ACCESS TO PER DIEM DATA ON INTERNET: Rep. Paul Kohls (R-Victoria) asked the House to provide on-line information on how many dollars in "per diem payments are claimed by each Representative. The DFL killed the A-16 amendment with a procedural motion by a 70-62 vote.
4. YEAR-ROUND HOUSING FOR A THREE-MONTH JOB: Rep. Joyce Peppin (R-Rogers) asked the House to scrap a proposal that Representatives who live more than 50 miles from the Capitol be paid $1,200 each month (or $14,400 per year) for a housing allowance. Noting that the House met for less than three months in 2006, Rep. Peppin questioned the need for a year-round housing allowance that would add almost 50% to a legislator's annual pay. The DFL killed the A-37 amendment with a procedural motion by an 80-51 vote.
5. SHOW RECEIPTS FOR EXPENSES: Rep. Bob Dettmer (R-Forest Lake) asked the House to require Representatives to submit receipts for their daily $77 per diem payments. "That is a lot of money for meals every day," he said. The DFL killed the A-2 amendment with two procedural motions by margins of 81-50 and 77-54.
6. EVERY MEMBER SHOULD VOTE FOR THE "PER DIEM" HIKE: Rep. Mark Buesgens (R-Jordan) asked the House for a direct vote for the increase in per diem payments to $77 per day. Under the DFL's rules, the decision was made by only 22 members of the House Ways & Means Committee on January 10. The DFL killed Rep. Buesgens' A-4 amendment with a procedural motion by a 69-60 vote.
7. EVERY MEMBER SHOULD VOTE FOR FUTURE HIKES: Rep. Mark Buesgens (R-Jordan) asked the House to adopt a rule that would require all 134 Representatives to vote for future "per diem" increases, while allowing an election to intervene after that vote before the higher payments could take effect. The DFL killed the A-19 amendment with a procedural motion by a +74-59 vote. By a 90-43 margin, the DFL also killed a request by Rep. Laura Brod (R-New Prague) to instruct the House Rules Committee to at least consider the Buesgens proposal.
8. NO POLITICAL HEARINGS: Rep. Denny McNamara (R-Hastings) asked the House to bar out-state hearings by House committees after June in an election year, unless the Speaker and Minority Leader agreed. "If there was a need for a field hearing to respond to a disaster or some rapidly-evolving situation, there could be a hearing," he said. "But if the goal of a campaign-period hearing was just shenanigans, then it could be blocked." The DFL majority defeated the A-20 amendment by an 85-47 margin.
B. FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY
9. EVERY REPRESENTATIVE SHOULD VOTE ON BUDGET: Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Eden Prairie) offered an amendment to allow all 134 Representatives to vote on the Budget Resolution, which sets ceilings on tax collections and spending levels for each budget area. Under the DFL's proposed rules, that decision will be made by a 15-member majority of the Ways & Means Committee. The DFL killed the A-22 amendment with a procedural motion by a 76-56 vote.
10. FAIR NOTICE ON BUDGET BILLS: Under current rules, the majority is required to announce by 5:00 on the preceding day when major finance bills will be considered by the full House. Under the DFL's proposed rules, that would be cut to two-hour's notice on the day of the bill hearing. Rep. Dean Simpson (R-New York Mills) asked the House to expand that to six hours' notice so that citizens with an interest in the bill could be outside the House chamber to provide expertise and guidance to Representatives on the House Floor. The DFL killed the A-32 amendment with a procedural motion by a 79-50 vote.
11. SIXTY PERCENT MAJORITY NEEDED TO PASS TAX INCREASES: Rep. John Berns (R-Wayzata) asked the House to require a sixty-percent majority to approve any increase in taxes. The DFL majority defeated this proposal by an 86-47 majority.
12. ALLOW SAVINGS TO BE APPLIED TO BUDGET RESERVES: Rep. Marty Seifert (R-Marshall) proposed to allow Floor amendments to omnibus finance bills that would shift spending reductions to state budget reserve funds, instead of just shifting spending from one program to another. The A-31 amendment was defeated by the DFL on a voice vote.
13. THE HOUSE SHOULD ONLY MEET IN ODD-NUMBERED YEARS: Rep. Laura Brod (R-New Prague) asked the House to return to its old practice of meeting only in odd-numbered years. The two-year sessions were added to allow large bonding bills in election years. Noting that the House is expected to take up a 2007 bonding bill of over $100 million before writing a $1 billion bonding bill next year, Rep. Brod suggested that all the work could be completed this year. The DFL killed the A-8 amendment by a 90-43 vote.
C. OPEN GOVERNMENT
14. OBEY THE CONSTITUTION ON "SINGLE SUBJECT" BILLS: Rep. Matt Dean (R-Dellwood) asked the House to incorporate a provision in the House Rules that would underline a provision in the Minnesota Constitution which prohibits legislation from having more that one subject. This has been a touchy subject with the courts for years, as many topics are bundled together in large bills so that they cannot be scrutinized and voted on separately. The DFL defeated the A-19 amendment on a 48-83 vote.
15. VOTE FOR BUDGET BILLS BEFORE SPECIAL SESSIONS: Rep. Kurt Zellers (R-Maple Grove) offered an amendment to require the House to vote on the last day before a regular session closed on any omnibus spending bill that had not been approved by both houses. If there is a logjam in joint House-Senate conference committees, the House should send the Senate one last chance to avoid a special session, Rep. Zellers said. The DFL killed the A-17 amendment with a procedural motion by a 79-54 vote.
16. AVOIDING COMPUTER CRASHES AND STEALTH BILLS: Rep. Jim Abeler (R-Anoka) asked the House to reconsider a proposed rule that allows bills to move between House panels without reports being made to the full House on changes made by each panel, and without requiring these changes to be reported on House computers. Rep. Abeler expressed concerns that House computer systems could "crash" during the hectic final days and hours of a legislative session, leaving Legislators unaware of the movement of bills or the changes in each bill. The DFL killed the A-25 amendment with a procedural motion by a 90-41 vote.
17. LETTING OPPOSING VOICES BE HEARD: Rep. Denny McNamara (R-Hastings) asked the House to include at least one Republican on each House-Senate conference committee that is assigned to work out differences between the two bodies on major bills. "There ought to be at least one voice that brings a different perspective to the negotiations," he said. The DFL majority defeated the A-18 amendment by an 85-47 margin.
18. SPECIAL ORDERS: Rep. Paul Kohls (R-Victoria) asked the House to approve a plan to allow special floor proceedings on Monday evenings where Representatives could discuss and debate issues of concern without interfering with work on legislation during the day. The U.S. House of Representatives has conducted similar "special orders" proceedings for decades. The DFL rejected Rep. Kohl's A-23 amendment on a voice vote.
19. ACCESS FOR THE VISUALLY-IMPAIRED: Without a roll-call vote, the House adopted an amendment from Rep. Torrey Westrom (R-Elbow Lake) that will make House documents accessible to the visually impaired with each improvement in technology used by the Legislature.
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8 Responses to “HOUSE REPUBLICANS LEAD FIGHT FOR OPEN GOVERNMENT, FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY, AND PUBLIC INTEGRITY”
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February 27th, 2007 at 10:50 PM
Whoa, wait. So in the last days of session they can move a bill through their committees without publishing the changes and then call the bill up for a vote in two hours?
FOLKS, THIS IS QUITE POSSIBLY THE MOST CORRUPT, ANTI-DEMOCRATIC, ANTI-OPEN GOVERNMENT RULE EVER PROPOSED.
This should be on the front page of every newspaper and lead every 10 oclock news. There can be no possible justification for such an affront to representative government. This reeks of unions and tribes and all the DFL special interests trying to find away to sneak their agenda through without anyone watching.
I don’t know what to be more outraged about. The Democrat’s insult of the founding principles of our country or the media’s complete lack of coverage. Then again, neither is a new phenomenon.
February 27th, 2007 at 11:03 PM
Michael,
Thank you for keeping us up-to-date!
February 27th, 2007 at 11:21 PM
RyanT–
Yes, they can, and that’s been true since approximately forever, including the last eight years of GOP control.
Mikey–
If these were such good rules changes, how come the GOP majority failed to enact them between 1999 and 2007?
Everyone–
If you think the GOP will push any one of these reforms when they retake the house, I also have a lovely bridge in Brooklyn to sell you. Cash only, small bills, please.
February 28th, 2007 at 2:08 AM
Follow this link to read my indictment of Tony Sertich’s ‘business-as-usual’ leadership.
It’s appalling how Mr. Sertich is using the Rules Committee to shield vulnerable DFLers from being accountable to their constituents.
RyanT, Take away the possibly from your statement & I’d wholeheartedly agree with your statement. This IS “THE MOST CORRUPT, ANTI-DEMOCRATIC, ANTI-OPEN GOVERNMENT RULE EVER PROPOSED.”
February 28th, 2007 at 7:30 AM
And yet, the Republicans were in charge for how many years, and none of this passed?? Why is it such a good idea now, but not when Sviggum was Speaker?
Come on.
February 28th, 2007 at 9:24 AM
They don’t call him “Feckless Jeff” for nothing.
February 28th, 2007 at 11:44 AM
Come on… Republicans were in charge, when exactly? In Minnesota, only by the slimmest margin in the House, and not really ever in the Senate.
Tough to pass rules when Democrats block them over and over and over again.
Do nothing government? Look no further than do nothing Democrats.
February 28th, 2007 at 10:43 PM
“1. NO LOBBYING BY LEGISLATORS FOR ONE YEAR: Rep. Steve Sviggum (R-Kenyon) persuaded the House to adopt a rule which would bar legislators from registering as a paid lobbyist for the first year after they leave the House. If a former legislator registered as a lobbyist, charges could be filed with the House Ethics Committee and the Campaign Finance Board. The A-36 amendment passed by an 83-50 margin. Rep. Sviggum had been pushing for this reform for 20 years.”
Any idea why this couldn’t pass with more Republicans in power?