I Don’t Hate America!

In response to the comments on my previous post, ANA endorses Hillary Clinton, I did some investigating into why Obama may not have been chosen over Clinton.

The ANA endorsement process involves four steps. Here is a brief outline of the steps found at the ANA site (some material quoted directly to ensure accuracy):

Step 1: The ANA chooses four members from the ANA-PAC board to serve on the Presidential Endorsement Task Force. This year, it was the following:
- Sara Jarrett, RN, MS, MA, EdD of Colorado (Chair)
- Barbara Crane, RN, CRRN of New York
- Elizabeth Dietz, EdD, RN, CS-NP, of California
- Representative Erin Murphy, BSN, RN of Minnesota

Step 2: The task force works with the ANA Government Affairs to:
- Review candidates voting records,
- Work on drafting a questionnaire,
- Polling of Constituent Member Associations (CMA) and ANA membership for their preferred candidates, and
- Conducting interviews with the candidates.

Step 3: The ANA’s Board of Directors are given the recommendation from the PAC board (which includes the task force and their work with the ANA Government Affairs) and an endorsement process decision is made. The three options are:
- No endorsement or support of a candidate,
- Support one or more candidates during the primary elections, or
- Support of a candidate following the party nominating conventions

Step 4: “The ANA Board of Directors will vote to ratify the PAC Board’s endorsement recommendation.” This information is then communicated to ANA members, CMA’s, the candidates, and appropriate media parties.

———-

Six questions were chosen for the candidate questionnaire. Here is an example of an unanswered one. Click the names below to read the candidate’s responses in their entirety.

Hillary Clinton

Barack Obama

———-

My investigation:

Finding 1

Representative Erin Murphy (DFL 64A) has been an excellent advocate for nurses. Just recently, I wrote Strib: Minnesotans could save 12.3 billion in healthcare costs in which I mentioned Rep. Murphy’s continuing support. Since finding who served on the Presidential Endorsement Task Force, I did some searches on any personal endorsements prior to the ANA decision. My concern was for any bias before serving on the Task Force.

Clinton’s webpage specifically mentions Representative Erin Murphy’s joining of Clinton’s Minnesota Steering Committee in a January 25th press release along with nearly 50 other Minnesota legislators and community leaders. Curiously enough, this came on the same day as the ANA endorsement of Hillary Clinton. The timing was appropriate, but I wanted to find out more. Mike from Blog4President.US made the announcement of Rep. Murphy joining Clinton’s campaign on January 24th, 2008. Again, timing is very important as a personal endorsement should not come before the association endorsement, especially since Rep. Murphy was bound to ANA endorsement rationale:

However, as a professional organization ANA will consider candidates based solely on who will best serve the interests of the nursing profession and their patients. Political parties or personal agendas will not matter in this process. No political support will be offered by ANA without thoughtful analysis of a candidate’s past record and views on nursing.

Turns out, John Edwards had already received an endorsement from Representative Erin Murphy following the launch of a “Women for Edwards” campaign on May 15th, 2007. If any of you remember, John Edwards was in the race until January 30th, 2008, just five days after Murphy’s joining of Clinton’s Steering Committee. Blog4President.US also announced Murphy’s support for Edwards.

I am very proud of Rep. Murphy’s accomplishments, but I bring up these issues since I worry about any bias when choosing the candidate for an association that represents 2.9 million nurses. This is especially important since she threw her early support toward John Edwards and now Clinton, with no mention of any support for Obama. I hate to pick on her, but I could not find any information on the others serving on the Task Force.

Finding 2

Step 2 of the endorsement process involves conducting interviews with the candidates. The ANA sent questionnaires to all candidates, but only received answers from Democrats Clinton, Obama, Biden, Dodd, Edwards, Kucinich, Richardson and Republican Ron Paul.

The only candidates that participated in the interview were Clinton, Kucinich, and Richardson. This makes Clinton the only candidate who participated in the interview who was still in the race at the time of selection. Because Obama did not participate in the interview, he consequently lost points throughout the endorsement process. This is despite his strong answers on the questionnaire.

Unfortunately, according to a letter sent back to nurses who were upset about the ANA endorsement, the following are the actual results of the member-base votes*:

Clinton - 42%
Obama - 21%
McCain - 8%
Edwards - 9%, Huckabee - 8%, Romney - 5%, Guliani - 3%, Thompson - 3%, Kucinich - 1%, Paul - 1%, Biden - 0.5%, Richardson - 0.12%, Dodd - 0%, Gravel - 0%, Hunter - 0%

*Despite my frequent activity working for nursing and political issues, I was not aware of this voting and consequently, my vote was not represented in the final tally. I am curious to know what the actual numbers are.

Finding 3

The California Nurses Association/National Nurses Organizing Committee (CNA/NNOC) are vocal supporters of national single-payer coverage, which Clinton’s plan lacks. In advertisements that came out prior to the endorsement, the NNOC came out in full force challenging Clinton’s healthcare plan. Check out this YouTube video of one challenge:

It is only fair to say that Obama has been challenged as well because his plan does not include single-payer coverage either.

However, Obama has been consistent with the ideal that he supports a single-payer system. From Obama’s fact check:

Obama said, “Here’s the bottom line. If I were designing a system from scratch I would probably set up a single-payer system…But we’re not designing a system from scratch…And when we had a healthcare forum before I set up my healthcare plan here in Iowa there was a lot of resistance to a single-payer system. So what I believe is we should set up a series of choices….Over time it may be that we end up transitioning to such a system. For now, I just want to make sure every American is covered…I don’t want to wait for that perfect system…The one thing you should ask about the candidates though is who’s gonna have the capacity to actually deliver on the change?…I believe I’ve got a better capacity to break the gridlock and attract both Independents and Republicans to work together.”

Finding 4

The movie SiCKO pointed out the fact that many members of Congress receive contributions from the healthcare industry. Clinton is one who has, and still receives money from many of these insiders. The CNA/NNOC concluded an analysis on contributions and released a press release last summer. This was outlined on Fierce Healthcare:

The CNA/NNOC analysis concludes that healthcare industry players contributed $3.7 million to current candidates during the first quarter of 2007. It also notes that the industry–which it defines as including drug and insurance companies, doctors, hospitals, dentists and nursing homes–spent more than $2.2 billion on federal lobbying over the past decade. By CNA/NNOC calculations, Sen. Hillary Clinton (D) and Sen. John McCain (R) got the lion’s share of healthcare contributions of all presidential candidates, collecting 40 percent of the overall total.

Using data from the Center for Responsive Politics, Barack Obama receives 99% of his donations from individual contributors with a mere $25 received from PAC’s. Clinton receives 87% from individuals with over $1 million from PAC’s. She also recently donated $5 million from her own wallet to catch up with Obama’s advertising.

In an article entitled, “Deborah Burger and Maureen Caristi: Guaranteed healthcare, not just insurance,” the author’s look at the bigger problem of healthcare reform. Pieces quoted from the article:

“…simply adding more Americans into a flawed insurance system will not solve our national health care crisis. Especially when you let insurers continue to charge as much as they want, and do nothing to stop their callous, all too routine practice of denying medical treatment or blocking access to specialists or diagnostic tests because they don’t want to spend the money.

Mandating people to buy insurance is at the center of the debate on health care between Sens. Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama — she’s for it, he’s against it…”

“Obama has a point that the cost of insurance makes it a bad bargain for many Americans. Insurance policies now average over $12,000 per family just for the premiums, not including skyrocketing deductibles, co-pays and other costs that have made medical bills the leading cause of personal bankruptcy.”

“The individual mandate cheerleaders claim that if you don’t put everyone in the insurance pool, only the sick will buy health care and insurance companies will raise costs. Have any of them noticed that insurance premiums have gone up 87 percent nationally the past decade without a national individual mandate?

But individual mandates are popular with the insurance industry and those close to it. Insurers reap millions of new customers with minimal requirement to change their behavior. It further entrenches a broken system, expanding the reach of an industry that treats every dollar spent on care as a “medical loss ratio.”

It distorts the role of government, which should be to protect people, not act as an insurance agent.”

Finding 5

Many people across the internet are looking for the quote that Clinton apparently said about nurses being “overpaid and undereducated.” There are also rumors about her calling nurses “glorified waitresses” at one point. I scoured the net, including searching my graduate school databases with no evidence of these quotes. However, the website, Snopes, thinks they found the source for the “overpaid and undereducated” quote.

In remarks by Hillary Clinton for the United Nations Fourth World Conference on Women (Sept. 5th, 1995 in Beijing, China), Clinton said the following,

As long as discrimination and inequities remain so commonplace around the world - - as long as girls and women are valued less, fed less, fed last, overworked, underpaid, not schooled and subjected to violence in and out of their homes - - the potential of the human family to create a peaceful, prosperous world will not be realized.

Full text and video can be found here. There were multiple statements made about nurses which could have caused this to be misinterpreted. However, many people still swear that they heard Clinton make the rumored comments.

Finding 6

Here are excerpts from the letter sent by ANA president, Rebecca Patton, in response to those against the ANA endorsement of Clinton,

In making this endorsement, the ANA Board recognized Senator Clinton’s longstanding commitment to nursing and health care. During her time in the Senate, Clinton has been an advocate for nursing issues. Clinton was in support of the Title VIII Nurse Reinvestment Act programs which provide much needed funding for nurse education. She recognizes the need for more nurse practitioners and supports increased authority for and utilization of nurse practitioners as a means of improving access to health care. She has a long history of advocacy for health care reform, and her current plan emphasizes the need to reduce costs, improve quality and ensure affordable health care for all Americans. She was a co-sponsor of the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007 which would improve mental health services.
From its inception in 1896 to the present day, ANA has recognized that individuals can shape health care policy consistent with the goals of registered nurses and in the best interest of their patients.

Obama’s Views:
- Regarding the Title VIII Nurse Reinvestment Act, Obama not only supports it, but he calls for greater funding in this statement:

I support reauthorization of Title VIII training programs with greater financial incentives for students and nurse faculty, including scholarships and loan repayment. Given the dire shortage of nurses, no less than $200 million should be allocated for Title VIII programs and the Nurse Reinvestment Act.

- Regarding APRN’s, Obama endorses this idea heavily in his statement,

I will support inclusion and expanded reimbursement for APRN services through federal health programs, my new public plan, and private plans offered through my plan’s National Health Insurance Exchange.

- S.558 - Obama is also a co-sponsor of the Mental Health Parity Act of 2007.

- From Advance for Nurses, Kate Hartner sums up Obama’s responses,

Obama proposes: supporting minimum staffing ratios, limiting overtime, reauthorizing Title VIII training programs with scholarships and loan reimbursement, health system reform, paperless systems, supporting nursing unions and expanding APRN practice.

I think it is only fair that a rationale letter would address how Obama and Clinton differ in their views, rather than explain most of the same things the candidates agree on.

———-

Summary

Needless to say from my week of exhausting investigation, I am disappointed in the American Nurses Association. I feel they prematurely endorsed a candidate that has a history of supporting nurses, but lacks the necessary ideas for a new direction for healthcare in this country. Obama’s healthcare plan, though not single-payer, works better in this country that seems entirely focused on their wallets. Clinton has gone as far as to say she’s willing to garnish wages as an enforcement mechanism. How can we force people to purchase coverage from insurance companies, feeding into our already broken healthcare system more, then go on to say we will punish our own citizens by taking away their hard-earned money if they don’t buy? And that dubious statistic that Clinton throws out that Obama’s plan will leave out 15 million people? That was already proven false at FactCheck.org. Blueollie has another excellent analysis on this topic.

I will say that I am slightly disappointed in both candidates as they do not provide true single-payer universal healthcare. However, Obama’s plan will best address the cost control issue currently plaguing our system. Mandating insurance will frustrate consumers while limiting options for those with low incomes. The question here is… is it better to have stripped down insurance (to satisfy a mandate to have coverage), or to buy into affordable, full coverage, which includes subsidies if you do not qualify for SCHIP or Medicaid?

As a registered nurse, I wait for the day when I don’t have to tell my patient that the life-saving drug they are prescribed costs $4 a day, since I worry they will have to choose between taking the drug, or eating a meal. As a registered nurse, I wait for the day that I can treat my patients out in the community, before they end up in the hospital bed, since preventing a disease will cost much less for everyone. As a registered nurse, I wait for the day that a patient of mine can see any doctor or APRN of their choosing, without having to get prior-approval from their insurance company. As a registered nurse, I can’t wait for the day that Barack Obama becomes our next president.

Today, Gov. Tim Pawlenty announced his appointment of state Sen. Tom Neuville, R-Northfield, to serve on the bench of the Rice County District Court.

Neuville’s rambling Senate floor crusades against the smoking ban and global warming legislation will be sorely missed.

This now sets up a special election yet to be called by Pawlenty. According to Mary Lahammer at Almanac, Ray Cox, a former state representative from Northfield, intends to seek the Republican nomination for this seat. No DFLers have yet announced.

The seat, SD 35, has been competitive the previous two elections. Neuville defeated Rice County Commissioner Jessica Peterson 52-48 in 2006 and beat Jim Mladek 53-47 in 2004.

This seat will be no means a shoo-in for the GOP, regardless of the candidate.

Cox, a moderate, should be a strong candidate for the GOP if endorsed. He had been in the House for two terms, succumbing to the DFL whirlwind in 2006 losing to DFLer David Bly by 60 votes. In 2004, Cox beat Bly 51-49. In 2002, Cox won the initial match-up between the pair by just 46 votes.

Knowing this, Cox should do better for the GOP in the DFL-leaning half of the district, but considering this is a special election, would the GOP be better served by having a more conservative candidate, one which the base would be more willing to work for, such as perhaps Rep. Laura Brod?

In Democratic times nationally, the DFL should do well but can by no means be lazy. The western part of the district especially, served by Brod in the House, is quite conservative. It will also make a difference when on the calendar the special election is held. If it is held while college is in session, following the winter break, the DFL would be able to take advantage of the added base, students, that would likely be less interested in the contest if they are home with mom and dad and away from SD 25.

This should be an interesting race to follow, as special elections usually are.

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With just under a year to go until the 2008 election, contenders for the Minnesota House of Representatives are lining up.

The Star Tribune is reporting today that DFLer Steve Andrews will challenge Rep. Mark Olson, R-Big Lake, for the District 16B seat.

That’s if Mean Mark isn’t victim to a primary before the general election.  Olson is infamous for a domestic saga culminating with his conviction for misdemeanor domestic assault this summer.  In addition to the conviction, he was suspended from the House GOP Caucus.

Following all of his troubles, I have to ask: why the hell isn’t this guy giving it up already?  Does he have the support of any Republican?

I guess he has the support of some as at least a few allowed themselves to be advertised for his old-fashioned family picnic in September.  To me, nothing screams “fun family time” like the combination of pork chops, a petting zoo, Sue Jeffers blowing smoke (figuratively or literally: not sure?) and a politician convicted of domestic meanness.

I wasn’t present, but I can just picture Phil Krinkie on hay ride duty and reacting to a youngster wanting to come along: “Why are we giving you subsidized transportation?! Have you ever thought about who is footing the bill?! When is ‘enough enough’ when it comes to transit?!”

Sounds like family fun indeed.  Also advertised for the picnic was Rep. Steve Drazkowski, R-Wabasha.

Speaking of the Draz (wow, do I have great transitions or what?!) learned (hopefully at least) that he will be facing Winona High School teacher Linda Pfeilsticker, DFL-Wabasha, in a rematch of August’s special election between the two.  Drazkowski came out ahead 53-47 for the 28B seat to replace departing former House Speaker Steve Sviggum.

General Mills announced yesterday it is recalling 5 million frozen pizzas marketed under the brand names “Totino’s” and “Jeno’s.” You know, those “party pizzas” that cost about a dollar each and have flimsy crust and bland toppings, but can be appealing for their price and ease of cooking?

Well, before you fire up your oven in preparation of football watching and pizza eating this Sunday, check this list and make sure the pizza in your freezer isn’t on it. If it is, throw it away, but not before saving the UPC code and mailing it to General Mills.

We find this very convenient that such a potential outbreak leading to a massive recall is right in the middle of the season which they probably sell the most pizza: football season! Also convenient is that the Minority Leader of the Minnesota House, Rep. Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, has the Schwan Food Company within his district!

Why does this matter? Schwan’s produces pizzas under brand names such as “Red Baron,” “Freschetta” and “Tony’s.”

Yes, direct competitors to Totino’s. If true, it would not be the first time Seifert has used his position to help Schwan Foods. In an epic 35-minute oration on the House floor on May 12, 2005 Seifert cited the list of products produced by Schwan’s while speaking against a gas tax increase.

Did Seifert go into the factory and poison the pepperoni himself? Did he have Tom Emmer, Brad Finstad or maybe Lynn Wardlow do it for him? I don’t know the answers to those questions, but after connecting all the dots, it is clear this is nothing but political mischief on behalf of Seifert to sabotage a couple of brands of pizza for the benefit of a competitor in his own district.

Please check back to I Don’t Hate America throughout the day for more information on this developing story.

(Full Disclosure: The author’s frozen pizza preference is Kraft’s “Tombstone” brand for its superior crust and toppings, especially the cheese. Additionally, with the exception of the previous sentence, this is intended to be satire.)

Last weekend was MNA’s 102nd annual House of Delegates convention.  I had the opportunity to be a delegate among 200+ Registered Nurses (RN’s) to represent MNA’s membership of almost 20,000 RN’s.  Like many union organizations, we voted on everything from financial issues to legislative priorities.  As this was my first convention, I did not expect that legislators and senate candidates would be so willing to come and listen with us.  The goal of the MNA PC (our political action committee) was to get a legislator (representative or senator) from every district to sit with their corresponding MNA member’s district.  It was quite successful with over thirty who came. 

I had the opportunity to meet Ron Erhardt (R) 41A, who isn’t my actual representative since I moved last week.  He is the only republican pro-choice candidate in the house.  The MNA believes that 2008 will be a big year for healthcare reform and safe staffing.  Ron wasn’t as optimistic about this as his last statement before leaving was, “I don’t believe in government-run healthcare.”  He was very willing to listen to what we had to say, but hopefully he will continue engaging in conversation with us as we discuss the difference between government-run and government-funded healthcare.  I will write more about that at a later time.

Betty McCollum also addressed us regarding our nursing safe staffing initiatives.  Here is the YouTube video of her statement:

The current U.S senate candidates were all invited to participate in speaking to the delegation.  The DFL candidates Al Franken, Mike Ciresi, Jim Cohen, and Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer accepted our invitation.  The GOP candidate, Norm Coleman ignored our invitation by not even responding to the MNA request.  All spoke about nursing issues and wanting to move toward universal healthcare, but their plans for implementation differ greatly.  Here’s a quick position statement from each candidate’s webpage:

Al Franken - “I would require every state to cover every one of its citizens, and the federal government to provide funding to fulfill that requirement. Each individual state would be free to offer a variety of options, as long as they add up to universal coverage, giving us 51 laboratories (if you count DC) to figure out which system works best. “

Mike Ciresi -  “Provide universal coverage.  Keep people healthy through preventative health care and early detection and cure of diseases – before they become chronic problems .  Keep people affordably insured for their lifetime – from job to job, and through retirement, and forever eliminate the term “pre-existing condition”

Jim Cohen - “A pragmatic progressive dares speak the truth that the most practical and economical way for all our citizens, including children, to have access to quality and affordable health care is a publicly funded single payer system modeled after Medicare. This is not socialized medicine. It is simple common sense and a moral dictate.” 

Jack Nelson-Pallmeyer - “We need a universal, single-payer comprehensive health care system with a focus on prevention. It will provide security to our families and improve the competitive position of U.S. companies.”

Norm Coleman - “Senator Coleman is deeply committed to the goal of giving all Americans access to quality, and affordable healthcare. With that in mind, he’s fought to pass common sense legislation to drive healthcare costs down.”Before IDHA! endorses any candidate, we will make sure to send out interview questions regarding important issues affecting the nation.  It will be up to the candidate to address our specific issues of importance, such as student financial aid, healthcare costs, and transportation… to name a few. 

As I was watching WCCO’s 5 p.m. newscast this evening I couldn’t help but think of state representative and congressional candidate Randy “the Whammy” Demmer and specifically his difficulties with mathematics.

I thought of the man known in some circles as “Teen Talk Barbie” when a story featuring this high school program came on:

Yes, “Who Wants to be a Mathematician?” The game shows high school students that learning math can be fun!

While current First District Rep. Tim Walz dedicates his time to a high school program giving students the chance to visit China, one of his opponents, Demmer, would be better off participating in this one about math.

His struggles with counting and division have already been documented, but perhaps Demmer will need to learn about the concept of negative numbers.

Negative numbers, as in being stuck with a portion of the $20,000 loan he gave to his campaign if he can’t improve his fund raising efforts and is unable to get the Republican nomination. Not even $17,000 this period, Randy? I may suggest not using expensive convertibles in parades; a mid-size sedan should suffice. Maybe there’s a barber college where Demmer can get cheaper haircuts? Selecting the BBQ chicken sandwich, fries and cornbread for $4 or $5 from the Longworth cafeteria instead of going to Ruth’s Chris while in Washington on NRCC junkets (I’ve had the former; it’s pretty good!).

Taking more Minn. House per diem? Oh wait.

I’ve been very mean to Rep. Demmer recently, so today I’m just trying to help!

While much has been made about candidate for Congress in Minnesota’s First District and state Sen. Dick Day’s commitment to make illegal immigration the defining issue in the campaign for the Republican endorsement, fellow candidate and state Rep. Randy Demmer, R-Hayfield, today told supporters in an email message the single issue he hears the most about from constituents is “family values.”

From BPOU picnics and meetings to parades, I have spent the summer crossing and re-crossing Minnesota’s First Congressional District meeting with prospective delegates and general election voters alike. In addition to meeting and exchanging ideas with so many people, I have shared many of these experiences with my wife Kathy, family members, friends and supporters making for enjoyable as well as informative opportunities.

Although the issues of importance to the people of the First Congressional District have varied from immigration to spending . . . from the War in Iraq to health care . . . from taxation to education, the one most repeated subject is that of family values. It is very obvious that the great majority share with me that certain beliefs are the core of family values.

Protecting the rights of the unborn . . . a ban on public funding of embryonic stem cell research . . . and the belief that marriage is a union of one man and one woman are fundamental. I firmly believe residents of the First Congressional District hold dearly to the philosophy that families that live, study, play and worship together are the foundation and very essence of our country.

Family values extend to education. Parents and families are far and away the most important determinant of success. People of the First District are not looking for federal government intrusion into education. They believe, as I do, it is a family and local issue.

As I continue in this campaign, which covers border to border in southern Minnesota, I continue to pledge my non-negotiable commitment to the family values that are so very important to the people of the First District. Please join me in our campaign to replace Tim Walz and return responsible Congressional representation to Minnesota’s First Congressional District.

Sincerely,

Randy Demmer

Yes, those evil gay marriages and that evil stem cell research again! They are OBVIOUSLY of much greater concern to southern Minnesotans than a war that is draining human and financial resources, a broken health care system or even immigration, an issue which virtually everyone thinks needs evaluation.  Or agriculture, which this message didn’t mention.  I guess this email message seems to illustrate that Demmer has decided that forgetting about agriculture needs of the First District will now be a recurring campaign theme.

Please Randy, run as a social conservative.  And please get the GOP endorsement.  Give the voters of the First a hard choice next November: male, southern Minnesota version of Michele Bachmann (you, Randy), or a common sense, pragmatic, hard working incumbent (Tim Walz).

Or you will get votes because of the thing most impressive about your campaign so far: your perfectly maintained hair. Seriously, watch for yourself: it keeps its terrific condition in the parade breeze.

Speaking of Randy Demmer taking on Tim Walz, Hal over at Blue Man in a Red District has a fantastic take on Demmer’s press release asking Walz to denounce Moveon.org.

The press release, it should be noted, was picked up by no one (that I can find via Google, anyway) other than Hal and Michael Brodkorb over at MDE. Must be that evil liberally controlled media…

Hey kids, here we go with the promised liveblog.

10:38 a.m.: We are awaiting the commencement of the first meeting of the day. The House Capital Investment Finance Division (otherwise known as the “bonding committee”) is set to gavel to order any second now. The Senate doesn’t start anything until 2 p.m. with its full finance committee.

10:55 a.m.: Still waiting for the meeting to start, as if these things are known for starting on time. I had an opportunity to see the capital investment committee when they were in Winona last week, however I made the mistake of going to the farce of a hearing on historic preservation down the street.

11:00 a.m.: Chair Alice Hausman (DFL-St. Paul). Hausman explained that Rep. Ken Tschumper (DFL-La Cresent) will be the chief author of the bill providing flood relief, however he will be late arriving to the meeting because he was unable to get someone to relieve him of cow-milking duty in time.

Seriously. They are citizen legislators! Members are looking at images of the destruction.

11:07 a.m.: Rep. Gene Pelowski (DFL-Winona) is at the microphone and walking members through the appropriations in the bill and criteria for receiving those appropriations. This is tough to follow without a copy of the bill in front of me (since it officially has yet to be introduced). I’ll be attempting to get my electronic hands on a copy over the next few hours (hopefully sooner).

11:19 a.m.: Rep. Pelowski is going over relief for items ranging anywhere from school bus fleets to property tax abatement. Again, without a copy of the bill it is tough to follow along closely.

11:26 a.m.: According to Rep. Jean Wagenius (DFL-Minneapolis), someone within the state Department of Health said the department will be unable to fund testing for drinking water and hopes that by the time the bill gets to the finance committee the issue will be addressed. Pelowski explained that due to the fragile topography of the land, any disaster quickly affects drinking water. Finance chair Rep. Lyndon Carlson (DFL-Crystal) explained that for any amendment to be brought forward would have to be approved by all three major entities (House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller and Gov. Tim Pawlenty) due to the general understanding already reached by all three. The general feeling is that the tentative version of the bill is flexible, but it is questionable as to how flexible.

11:51 a.m.: Carlson has explained that the capital investment meeting was meant as a walk-through so items can be brought up (such as those about the drinking water) and so the leadership and governor can sign off on them. Amendments should be adopted by the finance committee with the bill being introduced at 5:00 p.m.

It seems to me a more logical way to do this would have been to call the special session to order this morning, recess until 5:00 p.m., and allow the committees to do their business in the interim. But I suppose there is that whole thing about 201 “citizen legislators” needing to leave their permanent lively hoods earlier than necessary.

The capital investment committee has adjourned and now we await the full finance committee to come to order.

11:55 a.m.: Sadly it appears TPT17 has chosen not to broadcast coverage of the legislative session so I am stuck with the webcast. Over on C-SPAN though the US Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees are questioning Gen. David Petraeus and Ambassador Ryan Crocker about the situation in Iraq. Presidential candidate and Sen. Barack Obama is up now.

12:04 p.m.: Carlson has called the Finance committee to order. With the resignation of Rep. Steve Sviggum, Rep. Pat Garafolo (R-Farmington) has been named the ranking GOP member. Carlson explained that they are operating on a “working draft” of the bill, but will be incorporating amendments and will take testimony.

12:10 p.m.: Pelowski is going over the bill again to the finance committee. He touched on language moving funding from one area to another and preventing individuals and business from “double dipping” by getting funds for the same thing from both the state and federal government.

12:22 p.m.: There are still negotiations amongst the leadership on certain items being general fund appropriations or funding via bonding, Pelowski said. State parks, child care, storm sewers, Rushford’s waste treatment plant and Home and Community Options in Winona are a few additional things set to receive funding. There are several historic structures which are set to receive funding and according to Pewloski discussions are still on going.

In Houston, the one bridge some students have in order to get to school was destroyed therefore those students must now attend school in Winona. In the bill there will be reimbursement to school districts for per-pupil losses.

There will be $3 million from a national employment grant and Pelowski says language on this issue is still under consideration. Flexibility in addressing truth-in-taxation issues for local governments was included. The Department of Revenue wants language dealing with reassessment of property values but apparently there is disagreement with the House fiscal people about language.

It seems the bill is under 25 pages. A copy of this would be nice. Anyone who can give a hook-up reading this? djdanielson(at)gmail.com.

12:51 p.m.: Quite a bit of inside baseball and nitpicking at number (which I cannot even see) that is all going right over my head. Finance Commissioner Tom Hanson has joined the meeting.

12:58 pm.: Rep. Tom Huntley (DFL-Duluth) asked if reporting requirements will be waived for those needing health services since most records were wiped away with the flood. Carlson said that it should be routed through the speakers office. Rep. Al Juhnke (DFL-Willmar) has stated the agriculture provisions have been agreed to in principle with the legislative leadership and the governor’s office.

1:01 p.m.: Some concern has been raised about non-profits, such as CAP Agencies and organizations dealing with transitional housing, and making sure they are funded by the appropriations for the businesses if they already aren’t by human services or the federal government. Amendments to the working draft that have been approved by the leadership, however I am unable to see them.

1:15 p.m.: Rep. Loren Solberg (DFL-Grand Rapids), chair of Ways and Means, announced that the 3:00 p.m. meeting of that committee has been canceled. It appears the House will gavel in at 5:00 p.m., recess so Ways and Means can meet quickly to make a budget resolution, and then reconvene the full chamber. Carlson has said that he “hopes” members will abide by the agreement between the leadership and the governor and get amendments checked-off by all parties. Rep. Ann Lenczewski (DFL-Bloomington), the Tax chair in the House, has stated she does NOT intend to offer a tax amendment beyond the points agreed upon previously as to not breach the agreement. No gotcha’ politics from either side thus far. Whoo hoo.

1:21 p.m.: Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL-Virginia) has just arrived and is very, very frustrated that the bill does not address unemployment.

“These people were told to go online and apply for unemployment. How are they supposed to go online without a computer, electricity or a house?”

1:37 p.m.: Rukavina has also shown frustration at how much control the legislative leadership and the governor have grasped in the process of coming to an agreement. Carlson again explained to him that he hoped members would stick to the guidelines of running amendments past the leadership and the governor.

“As a duly elected member of this body do I not have a say Mr. Chairman?” Rukavina replied.

The Finance committee has recessed to the call of the chair apparently to go through the three main players to get amendments okayed.

Rukavina had one more noteworthy quote: “It’s been 41 days since the bridge collapsed and the leadership and the governor haven’t been able to come to an agreement yet. Why should we think this is going to get done in four hours?”

2:01 p.m.: It doesn’t appear House TV plans on picking up the finance committee when it reconvenes. We are waiting for the Senate to call to order its finance committee.

2:17 p.m.: It appears House TV WILL be picking up coverage of the House finance committee when it reconvenes. Still waiting for Senate finance to begin. Members, staff and audience are finally filing in.

2:31 p.m.: Sen. Richard Cohen (DFL-St. Paul) has called the Senate finance committee to order. Sen. Sharon Ropes (DFL-Winona) has begun her testimony telling stories of a home on top of railroad tracks, a 91 year-old woman who didn’t hear the emergency alarm and businesses that lack buildings and inventory.

3:22 p.m.: Sen. Linda Berglin has shown concern about nursing homes and other health and human services being funded adequately.

4:53.: Since the last post the Senate finance committee has been going over largely small details of the bill. I must have missed the House finance committee finishing their work. Unexplainably, Senate TV cut away from the Finance hearing. Session set to start at 5:00 p.m. Coverage on TPT17. Whoo.

5:04 p.m.: Waiting for session to begin. TPT17 (KTCI) just finished about 10 straight minutes of the same acoustic guitar melody but is now playing a historical clip about Minnesota’s statehood. I can see on the webfeed, though, that members are filing into the House chamber. In the Senate, you can see President Jim Metzen sitting in his chair. For a legislature junkie like me, hearing his raspy voice again will be a treat!

5:07 p.m.: I forgot to mention: in the bill there is some matching funding for Minneapolis for the bridge collapse and some money for northern Minnesota fire previously part of the tax bill vetoed by Gov. Pawlenty. Beyond that though, there is no comprehensive transportation funding or tax legislation.

5:18 p.m.: Both chambers are underway with prayers, pledges and roll calls. Expect a certain amount of procedural resolutions dealing with organizing each chamber.

5:23 p.m.: House majority leader Tony Sertich has asked for a moment of silence for September 11th and the disasters here in Minnesota. The Senate had a similar moment.

5:38 p.m.: Senate File 1, dealing with flood relief, and SF2, a Sen. Linda Berglin bill dealing which motor vehicle insurance (hmmm?), have been introduced. The House is in recess for approximately one-hour. Senate majority Larry Pogemiller is explaining that the House and Senate versions of the flood relief bill are not exact and must be ironed out. According to Pogemiller, the possibility of a conference committee cannot be ruled out. In order to limit the possibility of this, he has encouraged amendments to be brought to the rules committee. Senate minority leader David Senjem is encouraging Senators to “hold the line and work within the framework of the bill.”

“As Senator (Dick) Day often says, we all have election certificates. I do not want to suppress debate, but encourage everyone to use their best judgment,” Pogemiller said.

The House is adjourned until approximately 6:30 p.m; the Senate likewise until approximately 6:45 p.m. House Minority Leader Marty Seifert announced the House GOP caucus would be meeting.

“May we all come over for supper?” Speaker Kelliher asked.

6:32 p.m.: The Senate rules committee is waiting to be called to order. Visible by the camera view provided by Senate TV show Pogemiller and Metzen both in the room waiting. House TV is showing some member sitting idly in the chamber waiting to go back to work.

Senate TV has such soothing piano music. Maybe they think the only people dorky enough to be watching this are cultured enough to enjoy listening to it on a regular basis.

6:38 p.m.: Pogemiller has called the rules committee of the Senate to order and Sen. Ann Lynch (DFL-Rochester) is begining to explain SF 1, the flood relief bill. The bill is FINALLY availiable for all to see WHOOOO YEAHHHH BABY!

Okay, just relieved I get to see what they have been talking about all day; always easier to follow along when they are referencing pages when you can actually SEE the pages.

Looks like this explanation will be much shorter than those previously today. The House chamber is very close to empty currently. I wonder if Seifert has any hotdish or sloppy joe’s left?

6:56 p.m.: Berglin is keeping up her day-long theme of ensuring that nursing homes are being covered adequately and is hoping that the Dept. of Human Services is involved. She wasn’t satisfied in the language in the bill dealing with that, but Ropes explained that when three parties are involved not all language can be agreeable.

7:05 p.m.: A point of contention has been met in regards to the budget surplus from FY ‘07. Apparently the fiscal year ended with ~$370 million in the general fund. Pogemiller argued in a brief spat with Sen. Gen Olson that surplus money could be used as opposed to bonding.

7:11 p.m.: Pogemiller announced that Berglin’s bill about auto insurance would be incorporated into the larger flood relief bill. The discussion of amendments is set to begin.

I am praying here people that there will be no gotcha’ politics from either side.

7:18 p.m.: An issue has been brought up concerning the Help America Vote Act and where the correct language should be. Sen. Ann Rest (DFL-New Hope) is concerned that by including language about delaying the deadline for townships effected by the flood to come in compliance with HAVA could violate a “one bill, one subject” principle. They are now trying to find a way to move that process along quicker.

7:38 p.m.: Senate rules committee is going over language in order to fit in an amendment(s) with counsel. Dotting I’s and crossing T’s and making sure articles like “the” are in the right spot.

Well, I was serious about the third part. Borrrrring TV. You all owe me BIG TIME for sitting through this.

7:44 p.m.: As the Senate rules committee continues to pick apart VERY technical language, I finally found a copy of SF2, the Berglin auto insurance bill, which basically prohibits penalties against those drivers who were driving on the 35W bridge when it collapsed. Seems logical to me.

9:03 p.m.: Alright, I took a recess of my own for food. Neither body is doing anything, I’m reading rumors on other blogs and it definitely isn’t 6:30 p.m. anymore. What’s going on?

9:34 p.m.: I forgot to mention: Al Juhnke agreed with me during one of the finance committee meetings earlier this morning about starting session early in the morning, letting the committees do their work, then going back into session. By putting session off until 5:00 p.m., there is a much greater sense of urgency if not confusion. I have read elsewhere that the governor and the legislature might not both be on the same page. The Senate rules committee (Chair Pogemiller included) appears to be all assembled and waiting for something and the House chamber seems to be about half full. I wonder: are both bodies of the legislature even on the same page right now?

9:48 p.m.: Senate rules committee is back in order. SF2, the Berglin bill about auto insurance, is being presented as an amendment to SF1. Welcome to any readers from www.minnesotademocratsexposed.com and www.scsuscholars.com.

9:52 p.m.: Looks like they found money, I think $200,000, for well testing (referenced by Jean Wagenius earlier in the House finance committee) and indoor air quality.

10:01 p.m.: It appears the House and Senate STILL aren’t on the same page. According to Ropes the House was not in complete agreement about from where to take the money for the air quality. The Senate rules committee went and passed the bill anyway and I guess is in recess until they get a House file.

If this is confusing to read here for you, trust me, its confusing to follow everything thats going on.

10:17 p.m.: To think: the last time I was up this late live-blogging the legislative session there was controversy because the previous question was being moved. This time, there is controversy because there has yet to be a question presented! I know everyone is working hard within the short time frame given to them by the governor, but when stuff like this is prolonged by technical stuff it makes people question the effectiveness of our democracy.

By the way, if there are any legislators reading this right now: thanks for the hard work and leaving your day jobs as it is appreciated regardless of any criticism the blogsphere or anyone else may throw your way.

I heard the vote board in the Senate chamber go “BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP,” not sure what to expect. I know it was the Senate because Pat Flahaven, Senate secretary, pushes the button quite a few times, as opposed to House Chief Clerk Al Mathiowetz only hits it three times. Oh, the more you know!

10:26 p.m.: The Senate is in order with an introduction of the bill by Sen. Ropes. It is MUCH easier (and more interesting) to follow along with an actual copy of the bill.

10:32 p.m.: “What was the research? Where did these numbers come from, how were they produced?” Sen. David Hann (R-Eden Prairie) asked Ropes. What is this, a police interrogation? Geez.

10:39 p.m.: First term Sen. Erickson Ropes has handled herself tremendously today while carrying the weight of a very urgent matter to the Senate floor and deserves congratulations. The the Ann Rest bill dealing with the postponement of measures of Help America Vote Act is being brought up as SF 3 and an urgency declared allowing it to be voted upon the same day as its introduction. It passed 63-0.

11:02 p.m.: Debate in the Senate ensues about which course of action to take as the house has done nothing. The Senate is now taking amendments on the bill. The pickle in which they are stuck is that since the bill contains bonding language it so it must originate in the House. So essentially they can just wait for the House or come up with a “Senate position.” They are doing the latter.

“They might be looking for leadership from this body. That’s just an opinion, maybe my opinion,” Sen. Pres. Jim Metzen said referring to the House of Representatives. Ouch.

11:06 p.m.: The Senate is in recess for approximately ten minutes so that the Senate GOP Caucus can meet. “We need to talk,” Minority Leader Senjem said about his caucus in a disappointed if not disgruntled tone.

11:17 p.m.: The House is back in order while the Senate is voting on the SF 1. It passed 62-1 with the only nay being Ann Rest. They then laid the bill on the table and are now recessing to wait for the House.

11:23 p.m.: Ken Tschumper is explaining HF 1, the House version of the flood relief bill. He has noted losses of homes and businesses including pharmacies, grocery stores and a locally owned bank which does business with all the other businesses that are going under! If a business cannot stay afloat it cannot pay its debts to the bank; if a bank can’t claim its debts, it can’t stay afloat.

11:25 p.m.: I’m sure Tschumper found someone to milk his cows tonight.

11:33 p.m.: Kelliher has announced there are two written amendments and one oral amendment to come. The first one is from Rep. Willie Dominguez (DFL-Minneapolis) dealing with the 35W bridge to make sure that contractors working on the 35w reconstruction effort make a good faith effort to hire people of color. I’m trying to get the exact amendment; the House website isn’t on its usual “A” game tonight.

11:38 p.m.: Dominguez, apparently realizing an agreement had already been met, has withdrawn his amendment, but vowed to not give up come regular session in February.

11:41 p.m.: Pelowski moved an oral amendment of some number I missed. New Rep. Steve Drazkowski (R-Wabasha) is now talking.

11:43 p.m.: Drazkowski is giving a heartfelt first floor speech thanking all of those helping the relief effort. In addition to Ropes, he and Tschumper have both handled themselves in spectacular fashion through this all.

11:49 p.m.: Pelowski is offering the next amendment, this time dealing with indoor air quality and wells. Not sure if this is inline with the Senate language, but Pelowski says all three entities (House and Senate leadership and the governor, if you haven’t learned that by now) have agreed. It passed on voice vote. Has been given its third reading (meaning no more amendments). Rep. Andy Welti (DFL-Plainview) is thanking members for taking time out of their lives for coming to the capitol to respond.

11:52 p.m.: Welti told a story of a disabled veteran from Eyota who lived in the lower level of his home and lost literally everything he owned. He has explained that all estimates thus far and that there will be hundreds of thousands of dollars of infrastructure damage likely yet to be discovered and that the legislature will likely have to send more help in regular session.

11:53 p.m.: Rep. Jeanne Poppe (DFL-Austin) has plugged http://www.rootrelief.org, a portal for fund raisers in southeastern Minnesota. Mark Olson has the floor.

11:56 p.m.: Olson was asking if language waiving statutes is standard “boilerplate” language because he has concerns that oversight might not be present as was in the case of FEMA in New Orleans. Pelowski assured him it was the case.

11:57 p.m.: “I hope we illustrate that theres a difference between how the U.S. Congress acts, and how we act here in Minnesota,” Pelowski said. Tschumper thanked the church community for providing up to 2,000 meals daily in some cases.

“This has been the greatest hotdish competition you would ever see,” he said. “This is not so much a disaster aid package as it is an investment in these people.”

12:00 a.m.: Rep. Seifert urges a yes vote for the bill. “Today we are Minnesotans, not Democrats or Republicans,” he said.

12:05 a.m.: “We are one state and in that tradition and in times of need we help each other out,” Majority Leader Sertich said. He went on to show dissapointment though that the legislature has not been “proactive” but rather exlusively “reactive” by not lowering property tax burdens, focusing on job creation and investing in infrastructure with the opportunity they were given tonight. Awesome speech by Sertich; he is the real deal. The bill passes the house 130-0.

12:16 a.m.: Applause followed the bill passage, an act normally not allowed but I don’t think anyone will object this time. The elections bill from the Senate is now being brought up. Rep. Seifert asked Rep. Pelwoski if it was his intention that there would be no amendments and they can all get out of there. “That’s my intention,” Pewloski replied getting a laugh from the chamber. Seifert said that the governor has signed off on it and he encourages support. The bill passed 128-2.

12:17 a.m.: Sertich, Seifert and Kelliher are all three having a whisper fest up on the rostrum.

12:24 a.m.: Procedural motion is now before the House dealing with the journal and passes easily. Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL-Minneapolis) is moving a resolution adjourning the special session until one month from today as opposed to sine die (for good). Kahn noted that three-fourths of the 35W bridge was in her district and that the effort of clean up and current constant monitoring of the situation costs money and “is unfinished business we have not done.” Kahn is seemingly realistic about the required two-thirds vote to suspend the rules in order to pass the motion being an unrealistic proposition and is withdrawing her motion. The House now stands at ease waiting for the Senate to confirm they have received the bill.

12:27 a.m.: Deputy Minority leader Tom Emmer (Delano) apparently doesn’t trust that the leadership is not going to pull shenanigans and has moved to adjourn sine die. Another conference with the three leaders is taking place at the rostrum.

12:31 a.m.: Rep. Emmer has withdrawn his motion. The staff is being honored with a round of applause for all of their hard work. There is a motion notifying the Senate and governor that the House is about to adjourn sine die.

12:41 a.m.: Still waiting. If I were a House member I would be eager to exit so I could visit the White Castle on Rice St. Yummmmm!

12:50 a.m.: Still waiting. Channel 17 just flashed briefly from House TV to Senate TV maybe just to show viewers still holding on that nothing has changed. I’ll take this opportunity to welcome new readers from Minnesota Monitor, Tild (visit there for some “Legislated Palliative”) and Bluestem Prairie. Oh, if only the microphones in the House chamber were more sensitive and it was less noisy I could hear the subject of the gossip.

12:56 a.m.: Channel 17 is running a scrolling ticker that they will be breaking away from coverage at 1:00 a.m. Boo, now I have to watch two screens do nothing on my computer at once. In the meantime, does anyone know what’s going on?

1:03 a.m.: Sertich, Seifert and Kelliher are all still at the House Speaker’s rostrum. Metzen is swiveling in his chair in the other chamber but not tossing his gavel in the air and catching it. This is worse than a west coast evening Twins game going into extra innings: are these people really trying to get me to fall asleep before the exciting conclusion?

1:07 a.m.: The House has adjourned sine die via voice vote. The Senate is now in order.

1:09 a.m.: It appears the delay was due to Sens. Ropes and Lynch meeting with counsel and House leadership due to “a handful” of differences and it was determined that the differences are technical and everyone can sit alright with them and they can be dealt with at a later date.

HF 1 passed then passed the Senate 62-1 with Rest again being the only negative vote. Next it goes to the governor for a signature and if signed, will be deposited with the Secretary of State to become law. This is how a bill becomes a law.

1:16 a.m.: Metzen has gaveled the Senate into adjournment sine die.  I can’t believe I followed this off and on for almost 14 hours.  Wow.  Tomorrow I will have a wrap up with my thoughts and analysis.  Thanks for reading.

Who wants a DJ liveblog of tomorrow’s special session? For old time’s sake. Maybe I can get a couple of mentions on AM1280 The Patriot by Michael Brodkorb again…

Hmmm.

Let’s see how early I awake (I am fighting an illness) and I will get right too it.

I just hope Channel 17 (KTCI) has coverage so I don’t have to watch it on the 2 inch web video feed, but I will handle it either way.

Vote today if you live in southeastern Minnesota (portions of Goodhue, Wabasha and Winona counties).  I know we have readers in Goodview, at least!

The choice is between DFLer Linda Pfeilsticker and GOP “darling” Steve Drazkowski.

You can get more information here and here and here.

We have not had the chance to meet Ms. Pfeilsticker, but during the 2006 campaign, we had a chance to meet Mr. Drazkowski, and well, if strict iron clad conservative ideology about transportation funding, abortion, gay marriage and immigration is your thing, by all means vote for Drazkowski.

And if the items listed above aren’t your thing, then vote Pfeilsticker!

Now to the polls you must go!