UPDATED: MN Legislature Passes $167M Storm and Flood Relief

Mendota Heights will receive a portion of state funds designated for storm-related expenses.

Update (5 p.m. Friday): The Minnesota Legislature approved a $167 million storm damage aid package in a special session on Friday. Dakota County is eligible to receive compensation for storm damage incurred this summer.  Rep. Rick Hansen (D-South St. Paul), Rep. Joe Atkins (D-Inver Grove Heights) and Sen. Jim Metzen (D-South St. Paul) voted in favor of the package, which will address storm damage throughout the state. “I’m very pleased we were able to come together and do the right thing for the people of Minnesota who’ve had their lives turned upside down by this disaster,” said Hansen in a statement. “Duluth and Northern Minnesota certainly deserve most of the attention and funding, but it’s great that we were able to include Dakota …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (1)

Joe Atkins

7:30 am on Sunday, August 26, 2012

An update,,, The governor signed the storm aid package into law late on Friday. Reimbursement of emergency storm expenses incurred by the City of Mendota Heights is included in the package.   more ›

Meet Mendota Heights-Area Legislators at the Fair

Rep. Rick Hansen and Rep. Joe Atkins will be available Thursday morning to meet constituents.

Constituents can meet and greet with local legislators Rep. Rick Hansen (D-South St. Paul) and Rep. Joe Atkins (D-Inver Grove Heights) at the State Fair on Thursday, Aug. 23 from 10 a.m. to noon at the House of Representatives booth. The booth will be located in the northeast corner of the Education Building on Cosgrove Street just north of Dan Patch Avenue.  Fairgoers can also cast their vote in the Minnesota State Fair Poll on a number of state issues. While the poll is unscientific, the results give legislators a better idea of where Minnesotans stand on big issues.    Topics this year include employers requiring employee’s to turn over social media passwords as terms of employment; a helmet requirement for motorcyclists; expand …

• Photos (1)

'Bath Salt' Sale Penalties, Inmate Gardening Rules Included in New Laws Effective Aug. 1

What do you think of the new laws going into effect Aug. 1?

A number of bills passed in the 2011-2012 legislative session will take effect Aug. 1. Their impact will be felt in sectors of Minnesota life ranging from pioneer car restoration to prosecution of suspects accused of neglecting vulnerable adults and children.  Here's the list and descriptions provided by the nonpartisan House Public Information Services: *The asterisk indicates which version/language became law. Going after gas drive-offs Small businesses that sell gas will see the process streamlined for collecting money owed from motor vehicle drive-offs. The law will allow a trade association acting on behalf of member organizations and retailers to serve notice and collect payments within current civil liability statutes. It also …

• Photos (1)

Dwight Rabuse, GOP Candidate for MN Senate District 52

Rabuse is the GOP challenger of Sen. Jim Metzen.

Name : Mr. Dwight Rabuse Age : NaN Place of residence : 2230 Bent Tree Lane, Mendota Heights, MN 55120 Attended college : Yes College : Macalester College Degree : Bachelor of Arts, in Economics, History & Philsophy, summa cum laude Year of graduation : 1979 University : University of Michigan Law Schook J.D. Year of graduation : I obtained my J.D. in 1983 Job titles held : Special Assistant to Governor Al Quie, 1980. Attorney Advisor, U.S. Department of Justice, 19895-86; Special Assistant, Civil Divisions U.S. Department of Justice, 1986-1990; Attorney and Shareholder, Fabyanske, Svoboday, Westra, Davis & Hart, 1990 to 1995; Senior Counsel, Honeywell, 1995-1998; founding partner, Rabuse Law Firm, P.A. Employers : State of Minnesota, 1980…

• Photos (1)

Guest Commentary

Hansen: Bipartisan Successes, But Challenges Remain

Several important pieces of legislation were passed with bipartisan support, but several 'bread and butter' issues remain unresolved, writes author.

Editor's Note: Rick Hansen represents District 39A in the Minnesota House of Representatives.  Thank you to all citizens who contacted me during the 2012 Legislative Session. The session has adjourned, bringing an end to the 2011-2012 legislative biennium. It’s important to look at the big picture over the past two years. The two years were marked by a tough economy and a public desire for progress. One of the bright spots this session was the passage of a $500 million bonding bill with strong bipartisan support. I came here with a goal of job creation and this bill will create jobs. Public infrastructure across our entire state is crumbling and the bonding bill will start work on our huge backlog of worthwhile projects. State investment …

• Photos (1)

Mendota Heights Legislators Vote Yes on Bonding

The bill includes money for DCTC and sewer infrastructure.

As part of the Legislature’s final push toward the end of session, a bonding bill passed in both the House and Senate Monday to provide bond funding for capital projects throughout the state, including Dakota County. The House passed a $496.4 million package by a voted of 99-32, which was supported by Rep. Rick Hansen (D-South St. Paul). Hansen sits on the Capital Investment Committee that compiled the bonding bill.   “Given our crumbling infrastructure and the backlog of worthy public projects, I would have preferred to see a larger bill," said Hansen in a statement, "but this is a start and prevents the backlog from growing even larger.”  Many legislators refer to the bonding bill as a "jobs bill" because of the potential impact it could…

• Photos (1)

Vikings Bill Debate, Vote in House of Representatives

Watch the action as the full House of Representatives takes up the bonding bill and the stadium bill.

Watch video via The UpTake as the Minnesota House of Representatives debates and votes on the Vikings stadium issue on Monday. The Minnesota Senate may follow shortly with its own floor debate and vote. Also on tap: Action on a bonding bill for state construction projects. Rep. Rick Hansen (D-District 39A) is opposed to public financing for stadiums. He said Friday that email from constituents recently have been split about 50/50 on the topic. Rep. Joe Atkins (D-Inver Grove Heights) has predicted the bill will pass the House with 71 votes. The bill requires 68 to pass. If the bill makes it to the Senate, Sen. Jim Metzen (D-South St. Paul)  says he is in favor of passage. "It will make it through the Senate—if it gets that far." While …

• Photos (1)

'It's Legal in Iowa. What's Wrong with Minnesota?'

Sunday, 200 people showed up in support of 'Dakota County Votes No,' a new organization aimed at defeating a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman.

For one Dakota County couple, the struggle for "Freedom to Marry" predates the Minnesota Marriage Amendment by over four decades.  “It’s déjà vu. This is sheer ignorance and pride—just like 45 years ago,” said Thea Harriday, an Apple Valley resident who met her husband, an African American, over 43 years ago. At the time, less than a decade had gone by since the U.S. Supreme Court had ruled anti-miscegenation laws unconstitutional in 1967 (Loving v. Virginia).  Though Minnesota was one of a handful of states that had never enacted laws forbidding interracial marriage, the social stigma against it was strong. Harriday said her family disowned her and over 200 relatives living in the Twin Cities boycotted the wedding—an especially painful …

•  1 Comment
• Photos (18)

Bernard P. Friel

12:45 pm on Tuesday, May 1, 2012

It is unfortunate that so much time and energy must be devoted to opposing this ill advised amendment (and it should be opposed) sent to the voters by the Republican majority in the legislature, for I believe that it can be reasonably anticipated, that in the near future such state Constitutional provisions and legislation, will be held unconstitutional under the U.S.Constitution. That …   more ›

Brief: Hansen Votes Against Capitol Restoration Bill

Mendota Heights legislator pushes for a statewide bonding proposal.

A $220 million bonding bill that would have exclusively funded restoration of the State Capitol complex was defeated Thursday on the House floor. Whether the Legislature will pass a traditional bonding bill that typically funds construction projects throughout the state has been a topic of discussion in recent weeks. Bonding proposals have not yet been passed off the House or Senate floor. Rep. Rick Hansen (D-South St. Paul) voted against the Capitol restoration bill. “I have long been a supporter of restoring the Capitol and remain so now, but this bill isn’t the way to do it,” said Hansen in a statement. “Minnesota needs a comprehensive bonding bill that invests in the entire statewide infrastructure our businesses need to be successful…

• Photos (1)