YOUR GUIDE TO THE TWIN CITIES
Friday February 10, 2012
With an insider’s eye, Hot Dish tracks the tastiest bits of Minnesota’s political scene and keep you up-to-date on those elected to serve you.
Contributors in Minnesota: Jennifer Brooks, Baird Helgeson, Mike Kaszuba, Patricia Lopez, Jim Ragsdale, Brad Schrade and Rachel E. Stassen-Berger. Contributor in D.C.: Kevin Diaz.
Contributors in Minnesota: Jennifer Brooks, Baird Helgeson, Mike Kaszuba, Patricia Lopez, Jim Ragsdale, Brad Schrade and Rachel E. Stassen-Berger. Contributor in D.C.: Kevin Diaz.
resize text 
subscribe via RSS
Kline reveals existence of 'super-bureaucrat'
Posted by: Kevin Diaz under 2nd District, Health care, Minnesota congressional Updated: November 6, 2009 - 5:22 PM
As the senior Republican on the U.S. House Education and Labor Committee, Minnesota congressman John Kline is expected to get a lot of face time on C-SPAN this weekend as the House nears a showdown vote on the Democrat’s health care reform plan.
So it was his job to testify for the GOP during a Rules Committee hearing Friday that sets out the ground rules for the upcoming vote.
With Republicans in no hurry for action on a bill they see as a government takeover, Kline took the opportunity to read a few choice excerpts from the nearly 2,000-page bill, particularly those pages that describe the duties of a new “Health Choices Commissioner.”
This “super-bureaucrat,” in Kline’s reading, gets a broad swath of duties: Defining the term “dependent;”
(page 9); submitting reports (page 99); determining what a qualified health plan is (pages 100 and 101); establishing exchanges for participating health plans (page 121); establishing qualified health benefit standards (page 133); you get the idea.
“This is all one bureaucrat, Madame Chair…We have created a super-bureaucrat here who can define, deny, deem, determine, assess, establish, and administer,” Kline said. “This is an enormously powerful individual.”
Hill staffers are expecting a long weekend.
ADVERTISEMENT
recent posts
- Auditor: More transparency needed on state cost estimates
- Sen. Reinert wants to move Vikings to Duluth
- Protesters rally at the capitol against voter ID
- Kline opposed to No Child Left Behind waiver
- Kline saves Fort Snelling rifles
- Bachmann, Walker to speak at Conservative Political Action Conference
- Cravaack denounces birth control benefit
- Group opposed to photo ID for voters links business donations to the issue
- And the winner is...
- Paul urges Maple Grove GOP to join his fight
- Arden Hills caucuses: Republicans and DFLers agree on no Vikings stadium
- In Arden Hills, an early -- and lonely -- Romney supporter
- Here are your predictions for Minnesota's Republican Party caucus vote
- Dueling pigs, cheering crowds and a glitterbomb at Santorum rally
- Franken introduces legislation to combat courthouse violence
- Close race at caucuses? No provisions for a GOP recount.
- Hot Dish: Santorum, Paul doubling down in Minnesota
- At Minnesota rally, Paul calls for 'renewal of the spirit'
- Gingrich makes first pre-caucus appearance in Bloomington
Post By Category
ADVERTISEMENT
inside the StarTribune
-
425 Portland Av. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55488
(612) 673-4000
- Company
- Subscriber Services
- Website
- Buy Ads
- Store
- Connect with Us
© 2012 StarTribune. All rights reserved.
StarTribune.com is powered by Limelight Networks
Newspaper Subscriptions
eEdition
RSS
Newsletters