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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. Contributors in D.C.: Kevin Diaz and Corey Mitchell.

Posts about 3rd District

Paulsen med-tech bill advances to U.S. House floor

Posted by: Kevin Diaz Updated: May 31, 2012 - 1:51 PM

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U.S. Rep. Erik Paulsen’s bill to repeal the new $29 billion excise tax on medical devices under President Obama’s health care overhaul sailed through the Ways & Means Committee Thursday on a largely partisan 23 to 11 vote.
 
The committee action, which was expected, sends the Minnesota Republican’s repeal legislation to the full House for a vote, possibly as soon as next Tuesday.
 
Democrats largely opposed the measure on the grounds that it would increase the deficit and renege on what they said was a negotiated agreement with an industry that has a strong presence in Minnesota.
 
House Republicans have not identified any budget offset for the bill, nor have they said if they will.
 
Minnesota Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Al Franken, both Democrats, have expressed support for repealing the 2.3 percent tax, which is estimated to generate $29 billion over 10 years after it kicks in next January.  But while Franken has conditioned his support on finding an offset for the lost revenue, Klobuchar has not said.
 
Republicans argue that the tax is particularly odious because it is levied on sales, not profits, meaning that it can hit small start-up companies and entrepreneurs that have yet to break into the black.
 
Paulsen, who heads a medical technology caucus in the House, called it a “tax on American innovation.”

Minnesota redistricting lawyers: State should pay our fees

Posted by: Rachel E. Stassen-Berger Updated: April 24, 2012 - 5:22 PM

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Minnesota has court-ordered political maps in place but the legal fight over redistricting continue.

A Democratic attorney has asked for $180,000 in legal fees and the chief Republican attorney has put the redistricting court panel on notice to expect a bill, too.

"This is the same kind of motion that has been made in every redistricting case since the early 70s," said Alan Weinblatt, a Democratic attorney involved in the redistricting case but not representing the DFL party. The party's legal team has yet to make any filings regarding fees.

And in every case since then, courts have said the state should pay the costs, Weinblatt said. Ten years ago, a Minnesota redistricting panel said the state was on the hook for more than $350,000, a partial payment of all the fees.

The court this year told the parties they have until May 14 to detail their costs.

Those court filings will, for the first time, show exactly how much the parties paid to fight over the political maps.

Update: Ken Martin, DFL Party chair, said the party is "talking about" joining in the request for fees.

Dueling endorsements in the third district

Posted by: Jennifer Brooks Updated: April 10, 2012 - 4:19 PM

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It’s been a day of endorsements for the DFL candidates vying to challenge incumbent Republican Congressman Erik Paulsen in Minnesota’s third congressional district.

With just days to go before the DFL endorsement convention, candidates Brian Barnes and Sharon Sund released back-to-back press releases about other endorsements.

Sund, a Plymouth community activist and science teacher, snagged an endorsement from the National Women’s Political Caucus. She's one of 23 candidates the group endorsed nationwide.

“I am honored to have received the first national endorsement in this race,” Sund said in a statement Tuesday afternoon.  “This NWPC endorsement, along with the incredible grassroots effort we have mounted in the third, will help us defeat Erik Paulsen in November.  It takes means, money, and people power to defeat an entrenched incumbent. I am also humbled to have the most grassroots contributors in this race for endorsement.”

Barnes, an Edina businessman and Navy Reserve veteran, won the endorsement of theInternational Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 292.

“Brian Barnes is focused on the issues that are important to the people in his district,” Andy Snope, Political Coordinator of IBEW Local 292, said in a statement. “He is all about creating an economic recovery that works for all Minnesotans. That means a highly trained and educated workforce, the best infrastructure, research and innovation, workers rights, fair trade and fair taxes.”

The dueling endorsements set the stage for the district convention this weekend, when DFL delegates will make their own endorsement. The convention starts at 11 a.m. Saturday at Valley View Middle School in Edina.

 

On Egypt trip, Paulsen met with Muslim Brotherhood's presidential candidate

Posted by: Corey Mitchell Updated: April 6, 2012 - 8:47 AM

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Along with his colleagues in the bipartisan U.S. House Democracy Partnership, Rep. Erik Paulsen, R-Minn., spent the first week of the congressional recess visiting Arab Spring countries Egypt and Libya.

The five-year-old partnership brings together U.S. lawmakers and those from blossoming democracies, but the delegation's meet-and-greet with Kharyat el-Shater, the new presidential candidate for Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, surprised some international observers who link the Muslim Brotherhood to the country's old regime -- and a possible roadblock to the country's embrace of democracy.

Lawmakers cautioned against placing too much significance in the meeting, because it was scheduled before el-Shater -- the party's chief sponsor and advisor -- decided to enter the presidential race. The delegation, including Paulsen, told news agencies they were impressed with the country's transition to democratic government.

"As we see some people walk away from the constitution's discussions, we found a willingness from to people to work together,' Paulsen told thedailynewsegypt.com.

The United States delegation also met with Egypt's parliament to discuss developing a free trade agreement between the two countries, which played to Paulsen's legislative responsibilities: the former business analyst is a member of the U.S. House Subcommittee on International Monetary Policy and Trade.

After leaving Egypt, Paulsen and his colleagues also visited Kosovo and Macedonia.

Minority population changes reflected in new maps

Posted by: Rachel E. Stassen-Berger Updated: February 21, 2012 - 9:37 PM

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The congressional district lines the judicial panel released Tuesday reflect the increasing minority population in Minnesota.

For the first time, the 5th congressional district is considered a “minority opportunity district,” which means it has greater than 30 percent minority population, and the 4th congressional district is nearly there.

In the court’s configuration, the 5th District, which includes Minneapolis and is currently represented by Keith Ellison, would have 35 percent minority residence and the 4th, which includes St. Paul and is represented by Betty McCollum, would have 29 percent. Those figures are up from just under 29 percent in the 2002 maps for the 5th and 22 percent for the 4th.

The figures for minority voting age populations in the districts is considerably lower.

The minority population of the state’s other districts increased as well. The 3rd District increased from 11.4 percent to 19 percent; the 2nd District from 8 percent to nearly 16 percent and the 1st district from 6.8 percent to 11.6 percent.

The number of "minority opportunity districts" increased in the legislature as well. Based on the new maps, there are 14 such districts in the House and seven in the Senate. There were 11 such districts in the House a decade ago and six in the Senate.

According to the court's documents, Minnesota’s minority population increased from 12 percent in 2002 to nearly 17 percent in the 2010 numbers.

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