MN State House
Marty Seifert Not Impressed with DFL ‘Mavericks’ Nor Their Party’s ‘Sloppy Majority’
In a media availability held at the Minnesota House Minority Leader’s office Friday morning, Republican Marty Seifert expressed great ‘disappointment’ that voter ID, his caucuses’ top priority on election reform, failed to get out of committee this week. Seifert…
Read MoreDFLers in Safe Districts Shoot Down Voter ID Bill
To the surprise of few, the House State and Local Government Operations Reform, Technology and Elections Committee voted down Republican Tom Emmer and Mary Kiffmeyer’s “Voter Integrity Act of 2009” on Thursday morning by a vote of 11 to 8….
Read MoreKiffmeyer Challenges DFL on Voter ID: ‘What Are You Afraid Of?’
Secretary of State Mark Ritchie outlined a long legislative ‘wish-list’ at a press conference Wednesday morning to improve the state’s electoral process: · Permitting early voting of 15, 30, or even 45 days before an election to alleviate the…
Read MoreIs the DFL ‘Overrepresented’ at the State Capitol?
As DFL legislators tore into Governor Tim Pawlenty’s budget plan in committee hearings on Tuesday, the DFL caucus looked very much like a party with supermajority (Senate) or near supermajority (House) status. The DFL’s icy reaction to the Governor’s plan…
Read MoreHouse GOP Voter ID Legislation Has Strong Support Statewide
Even though the Voter Integrity Act of 2009 (HF 57) introduced earlier this week by Minnesota Representative Tom Emmer (R-Delano) has been characterized by some in the media as a “politically divisive idea” (“Requiring Voter IDs Is Back on the…
Read MoreGetting to 90: House Override of Pawlenty’s Transportation Bill Veto Unlikely
Governor Tim Pawlenty’s veto last Friday of a controversial transportation bill raises the prospect of a veto-override attempt by a DFL-controlled legislature that passed the bills by wide margins on February 21st. The $6.6 billion dollar bill seeks to fund…
Read MoreGOP Holds on to MN 28B House Seat; But What Does It Mean?
Republican Steve Drazkowski defeated DFL candidate Linda Pfeilsticker 52.9 to 46.9 percent in a special election in House District 28B to replace former Rep. Steve Sviggum on Tuesday. While Ron Carey, the state Republican Party Chairman characterized Drazkowski’s win as…
Read MoreMinnesota House Gas Tax Increase In Step With Statewide Majority View
In the seven weeks since its initial House approval in late March, the DFL found 7 more votes in a bill passage earlier this week that would raise the state’s gas tax by a nickel per gallon to a potential…
Read MoreSmart Politics Exclusive: Interview with House Minority Leader Marty Seifert
Smart Politics recently conducted an exclusive interview with Minnesota House Minority Leader Marty Seifert (District 21A). Seifert was first elected to the legislature in 1996, and has been a formidable, vocal opponent of the House DFL agenda, becoming a…
Read MoreTurnover in 2008 MN House Party Control Follow-up
My Smart Politics entry on Monday for Twin Cities Public Television’s Almanac: At the Capitol site prompted a quick reply by the GOP leadership. Minnesota House Minority Leader Marty Seifert offered a thoughtful rejoinder here to my historical analysis demonstrating…
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