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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 Funding

Big money flowing into campaigns for and against amendments

Posted by: Rachel E. Stassen-Berger Updated: October 27, 2012 - 1:01 AM

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Within the past three days, almost $1 million has flowed into the campaigns for and against the two constitutional amendments Minnesota voters will face on their ballots.

According to public records, two big donors have given Minnesota for Marriage, the main effort to pass the amendment to define marriage as only the union of one man and one woman, $550,000. Grace Church in Eden Prairie gave the group $50,000 and the Minnesota Family Council, which works in conjunction with Minnesota for Marriage, transferred over $500,000.

Minnesota United for All Families, the main campaign against the amendment that would constitutionally ban same-sex marriage, also picked up some big gifts. New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg donated $125,000 and CREDO SuperPAC, a California independent spender that has been working to defeat Republican U.S. Reps. Michele Bachmann and Chip Cravaack, gave $65,000.

The campaign to defeat the voter ID amendment, called Our Vote Our Future, has also seen a large influx of cash in the last few days. St. Paul's TakeAction Political Fund, which has been working closely with the anti-voter ID campaign, transferred over $23,000 on Thursday; America Votes, out of Washington, DC, ponied up $100,000 and the national arm of the AARP donated $12,000 on Tuesday.

ProtectMyVote.com, which supports the voter ID amendment, reported just three large gifts during the last three days totaling $8,000.

Candidates and campaigns have had to publicly report all large donations within 24 hours of receiving them since Oct. 23. Minnesotans will get a closer look at all their fundraising up through Oct. 22 next week. 

 

Minnesota: Your budget forecast day is...

Posted by: Rachel E. Stassen-Berger Updated: October 4, 2012 - 11:49 AM

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Minnesota budget geeks will have their day of excitement one month after Election Day.

"Minnesota Management and Budget will release the November budget forecast on December, 5th, 2012," the budget agency said.

 

On that date, the state will find out if the just elected class of  2013 lawmakers will have to grapple with a deficit, a surplus or some other fiscal muddle.

 

 

Federal appeals court rejects part of Minnesota campaign law

Posted by: Baird Helgeson Updated: September 5, 2012 - 5:04 PM

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A federal appeals court Wednesday rejected part of a Minnesota law requiring companies to create separate political organizations to handle their campaign activities.

The Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals in St. Louis found that Minnesota law requiring companies to register and regularly report their political activities creates a “long-term morass of regulatory red tape” and potentially violates their constitutionally protected rights to free speech.

Any restrictions on those expenditures strike “at the core of our electoral process and of the First Amendment freedoms,” Judge William Riley wrote on behalf of the 6-5 majority.

Riley wrote Minnesota’s law hinders companies’ free speech, violating the U.S. Supreme Court’s 2010 Citizens United ruling, which lifted limits on how much companies and unions can spend on political candidates or causes.

Minnesota’s law requires companies and organization to create a political-action fund if they spend more than $100 a year on political activity. The separate political group must have a treasurer who keeps detailed records of expenditures and contributions and is required to file regular reports with the state. Group’s that fail to comply can be socked with steep fines and imprisonment up to five years.

The lawsuit was brought by anti-abortion group Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life, the Taxpayers League of Minnesota and Coastal Travel Enterprises, which argued the law violates their free speech and prevents them from making contributions to candidates or political parties.

“This victory for free speech is tremendous,” said James Bopp, Jr., an attorney for the plaintiffs. “The Eighth Circuit recognizes that full-fledged political-committee burdens are onerous.”

State Rep. Ryan Winkler, who chief authored the law in question, said decision, coupled with the Citizens United ruling, undermines the democratic system.

“These courts have degraded our democracy by eliminating rules that provide accountability for politicians and sunlight for the political spending of the richest and most powerful people and organizations in the country,” said Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley.

 

 

Walker: 'Let this be our time'

Posted by: Baird Helgeson Updated: August 28, 2012 - 8:33 PM

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TAMPA -- Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker used his prime speaking slot at the Republican National Convention in Tampa to portray Mitt Romney as a man who understands the struggles of average Americans.

Walker talked about the struggles in his state and how Romney understands the hardships people face across the country.

“Too many Americans think our country is headed in the wrong direction,” Walker said. “But Mitt Romney understands, like I understand, that people - not governments - create jobs.”

Walker said that increasingly, government stands in the way of job creators.

“We need someone to turn things around in America,” he said, touting Romney's role as a business leader, Olympic manager and governor. “That leader is Governor Mitt Romney.”

Romney has the skills to be an exceptional president, Walker said.

“Now, more than ever, we need reformers: leaders who think more about the next generation than just the next election,” Walker said. “That's what you get from Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan.”

The United States needs a leader who is willing to the fate of the ahead of their own political careers, Walker said.

“Let this be our time in history so that someday we can tell our children and grandchildren that we were there, that we changed the course of history for the better,” he said. “Let us tell them that we helped elect Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan to save America.”
 

FEMA rejects request for more Duluth disaster aid

Posted by: Jennifer Brooks Updated: July 25, 2012 - 3:17 PM

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The Federal Emergency Management Agency rejected Minnesota's request for additional aid to flood-damaged homes and businesses in the northeast corner of the state, saying the damage wasn't severe enough.

The floods that hit Duluth and 13 surrounding counties in mid-June caused millions of dollars in damage. Earlier this month, the Obama administration issued a major disaster declaration for the region and pledged aid to local governments to repair damage to public structures like roads, bridges and utilities.

But when Gov. Mark Dayton requested additional federal aid for the homeowners and individuals who had suffered flood damage to their private property, FEMA rejected the request. In a letter issued Wednesday, the agency concluded: "Based on our review of all of the information available, it has been determined that the damage to dwellings from this event was not of such severity and magnitude as to warrant the implementation of Individual Assistance under major disaster declaration FEMA-4069-DR. Therefore, I must inform you that your request for Individual Assistance is denied."

In response, the Dayton spokesman said "the governor is very disappointed in FEMA’s decision, and is currently working with state agencies to explore next steps." The governor plans to call a special session of the Legislature in August to direct state aid and resources to the flood-battered counties.

The state estimates that the floods caused at least $108 million in damage to public infrastructure. But when he made his request for individual assistance, the governor noted that the damage to private property was even worse.

"Even more widespread and insidious is the damage caused to individual homes and businesses," Dayton wrote in his request to FEMA on July 19. "More than 1,700 private homes were impacted by the storm and over 100 businesses sustained damage...The sustained high heat and humidity following the disaster have exacerbated mold growth in affected structures, especially in below-ground living spaces."

The state will have 30 days to appeal FEMA's ruling.

Revised FEMA Letter (Carlton County was inadvertently left off the original)

Dayton Letter to FEMA

inside the StarTribune