Almanac: At the Capitol

The legislative session must end at midnight and a budget deal between legislators and the governor seems unlikely. The House passed a bill to change the way the seat belt law is enforced and debated medical marijuana for the first time. Over the weekend lawmakers failed to override the governor's vetoes.

View the Capitol Update for May 18, 2009.

After the governor vetoed the Democrats' tax and spending plans, the new strategy became 'veto override.' The House passed a health care bill and the Senate passed a public safety bill.

View the Capitol Update for May 11, 2009.

Both the House and Senate dove into their health and human services bills, and the Senate forced members to vote on the governor's cuts to health care.

View the Capitol Update for April 27, 2009.

Health care is the topic today as the House and Senate take up their Health and Human Services bills.  It's the last major budget bill on the docket.  House Health Care Finance Chair Tom Huntley said all health care is cut 3% and said "it's painful but not what the governor proposed."  Huntley said his cut is 1/10 of Pawlenty's.   The chair said the governor kicks 113,000 people off healthcare and Huntley added "those people have to go somewhere, somebody will pay."  He said in his bill there are "minor cuts to nursing homes."  Those on medical assistance and MN Care "won't see any significant decrease in their health care" according to Huntley. 

The Health Care Policy Chair Paul Thissen added there's reform and "we restore that lack of trust between the state and counties." As far as the Swine Flu, Huntley said "our Department of Health is as prepared as they can be."  He said he doesn't think the public understands the seriousness of this because there's not enough space in the Twin Cities' hospitals if there's an outbreak here.  He said patients would have to be sent out to Rochester or Duluth.

Protesters lined up in front of the House Chamber upset about the cuts and defending immigrant benefits.  The Senate says in its bill: 

No health care eligibility cuts were made in this plan. No dental or therapy services were
removed from health care services provided through state health care programs. The
integrity of the Health Care Access Fund was maintained and 20,000 more children will
qualify for health insurance under the Senate’s proposal.

As the Great Lakes lawmaker Rep. Tom Huntley (DFL-Duluth) had some fun with Minority Leader Seifert's amendment for "no taxpayer support for pirate lovers and terrorists."  Huntley offered his faux amendment to "protect the Great Lakes from pirates" then went on to define pirates as people who say "arrgh" and wear "puffy shirts."  He then withdrew his amendment while wearing a play pirate hat and pretending to have a severed arm.  Lawmakers are getting punching after many long days on the floor.

Rep. Seifert didn't think it was funny saying "this is serious, not a joke."  This, moments after House Speaker Kelliher gave Seifert a birthday present of a pirate hat and swords (plastic).  Seifert says Omar Jamal from the Somali Justice Center was aiding Wali-i-Musi the only pirate to survive the recent taking of an American ship captain.  Seifert added "taxpayers shouldn't be supporting those who support and defend people who attack Americans."  The amendment wasn't allowed.