Constitutional marijuana?

In the final days of the legislative session, chances are growing that there will be a push for a constitutional amendment to allow the use of medical marijuana. Such a measure would go on the general election ballot in 2010, and the timing would be interesting. If pro-medical marijuana forces marshal what some say could be a $3 million campaign supporting the amendment, unpredictable effects on other races could follow. Is it something Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has opposed the bill in its current form, will consider as he mulls over running for reelection?

School ties

House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher has used her chairmanship of a fiscal planning commission to grill many officials from the Pawlenty administration. Some were left wondering about the comparative lovefest that ensued when Revenue Commissioner Ward Einess showed up at a recent hearing. Turns out Kelliher and Einess were schoolmates at Gustavus Adolphus College. Both have B.A.s in political science/history. He's class of 1988. She's class of 1990.

Asked to appear on Minnesota Public Radio's "Midday" program, Speaker Kelliher and Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller showed up last week to find a special emissary waiting to greet them: MPR President Bill Kling. Kelliher said that Kling told them, "I'm in the lobby of MPR and I'm going to lobby you for MPR," referring to MPR's efforts to grab a substantial chunk of the state's Legacy Amendment funds.

But that wasn't the only surprise the legislators would get. After the show, WCCO-TV reporter Pat Kessler and WCCO radio reporter Eric Eskola approached Pogemiller and Kelliher outside the building for a comment, only to have an MPR employee shoo all of them off the sidewalk, telling them they could not do the interview in front of the MPR building.

Remember Pyotr Shmelev, a Stillwater prison inmate serving 30 years for murdering his wife in 2001? He has asked corrections officials to use an international treaty to transfer him to his native Russia to finish serving his time. He argues that sending him away would save cash-starved Minnesota the more than $32,800 a year it is spending to keep him behind bars.

About 300 foreigners are now housed in the state's correctional system. After Shmelev's story appeared in the Star Tribune, Reps. Torrey Westrom, R-Elbow Lake, and Steve Gottwalt, R-St. Cloud, proposed a bill requiring the commissioner of corrections to agree to transfers if foreign prisoners have served at least half of their sentence. It was defeated.

Shmelev has proven very effective at negotiating the legislative process, keeping track of bills and contacting legislators to make his case while behind bars. He pledges to continue his campaign next year. Anyone with any questions knows where to find him.

House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, spoke on the House floor Thursday supporting a motion to push back committee deadlines to midnight Tuesday. Seifert documented the number of legislators who are teachers and asked them if they would let their students skate on turning in papers or taking tests.

At one point, Rep. Mary Murphy, a DFLer from Hermantown who is a retired Duluth Central High School teacher, interrupted on a point of personal privilege.

"As a teacher I would never, never, ever let students wear their skates in class," she said.

Before regaining his composure, the usually sure-footed Seifert admitted that Murphy's comments knocked him temporarily off his game.

Gov. Tim Pawlenty, R: His refusal to raise taxes looks firm, but faced with a summertime government shutdown three years ago, he opted for a tobacco "fee" that some said looked kind of like, well, a tax. Is there a fallback plan this time?

House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis: More forceful leadership showing this year, including her masterminding of the hybrid tax hike/spending bill DFLers are counting on to force Pawlenty's hand.

Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL, Minneapolis: Has abandoned traditional DFL defense of school budgets and made a long-term balanced budget his top priority.

Sen. Linda Berglin, DFL-Minneapolis: Will protector of health care programs yield to budget cuts?

Rep. Ann Lenczewski, DFL-Bloomington: House tax chairwoman's focus on "sin taxes" may prove part of the budget solution.

"He said, 'Now... Representative Bakk, when you get down there to the Capitol,' he said, 'don't go ... and get yourself on that tax committee.' ... He said, 'Boy, they make tough decisions down there. ... You go get yourself one of those appropriations committees. ... The mail is much better.'"

-- Senate Taxes Chairman Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, during a late-night conference committee meeting on tax increase proposals, recalling a retirement party for his predecessor David Battaglia, a DFL House member from Two Harbors, and the advice Battaglia had given him.

"We've been told [this] is a vehicle bill. It's probably a vehicle with a flat tire. Probably not going to go anywhere."

-- Senate Minority Leader Dave Senjem, R-Rochester, on the Senate floor last week describing the DFL's surprise creation of a new hybrid bill for tax hikes and spending priorities.

"I'll remember this day. Senator Pogemiller, will you remember this day? Senator Bakk, Senator Cohen? You've basically ignored every rule. ... You've demeaned the process. You've ignored the Constitution. ... It's disgraceful."

-- Sen. Julianne Ortman, R-Chanhassen, describing the same maneuver.

"I'm very optimistic that things are going very nicely."

-- Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, describing the same process.

"Is the Tax Increase Conference Committee meeting between now and 5 o'clock?"

-- House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall, on the House floor Thursday afternoon.

"My favorite part of the day is when Rep. Seifert asks when the 'Tax Increase Conference Committee' is meeting. It's great to have him on the conference committee."

-- Rep. Ann Lenczewski, DFL-Bloomington, responding as co-chair of the Joint House and Senate Tax Conference Committee.

"You're taxing beer! Beer...! You're balancing the budget on Joe Sixpack's six-pack. Congratulations, you've officially hit bottom."

-- Rep. Kurt Zellers, R-Maple Grove

"We're working on a growing number of Clarks."

-- Senate Assistant Majority Leader Tarryl Clark, DFL-St. Cloud, when Rep. Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, seemed surprised to find not one but two Clarks on the joint House/Senate Health Committee: Sen. Tarryl and Rep. Karen, a Minneapolis DFLer. The two are not related.

MARK BRUNSWICK, PATRICIA LOPEZ, KEVIN DUCHSCHERE, D.J. TICE