From Drew Emmer's WCR blog
1. NO LOBBYING BY LEGISLATORS FOR ONE YEAR: Rep. Steve Sviggum (R-Kenyon) persuaded the House to adopt a rule which would bar legislators from registering as a paid lobbyist for the first year after they leave the House. If a former legislator registered as a lobbyist, charges could be filed with the House Ethics Committee and the Campaign Finance Board. The A-36 amendment passed by an
83-50 margin. Rep. Sviggum had been pushing for this reform for 20 years.
Check out the info at the Office of the Revisor.
In the 2005-06 bienniem, then Speaker Swiggum never authored a bill to push this reform. Nor did he co-sponsor a bill with such language.
In 2003 he co-sponsored a bi-partisan bill to do this. How long was Steve Swiggum the Speaker of the House? Weren't Republicans in control of the House for more than a decade? And this bill went virtually no where, in a Republican controlled House. And they call DFLers out on accountability.
According to the Journal of the House, this bill was introduced January 28th of 2003 and referred to committee. Stuff moves slow through a GOP controlled House too I guess. I'd hope that if I championed an issue for 20 years, the bill would have moved past a committee.
2. NO LOBBYIST OR PAC CONTRIBUTIONS DURING SPECIAL SESSIONS: Rep. Marty Seifert (R-Marshall) sought to place a ban on campaign contributions from lobbyists or political actions committees to Representatives during special sessions. Under current rules, such a ban applies only during regular sessions. The DFL killed
the A-30 amendment with a procedural motion.
They (Republicans) did not seem to mind it so much when they were in the majority.
3. PUBLIC ACCESS TO PER DIEM DATA ON INTERNET: Rep. Paul Kohls (R-Victoria) asked the House to provide on-line information on how many dollars in "per diem payments are claimed by each Representative. The DFL killed the A-16 amendment with a procedural motion by a 70-62 vote.
I agree 100%! I'd like to see who actually voted Yea and Nea on this one.
17. LETTING OPPOSING VOICES BE HEARD: Rep. Denny McNamara (R Hastings) asked the House to include at least one Republican on each House-Senate conference committee that is assigned to work out differences between the two bodies on major bills. "There ought to be at least one voice that brings a different
perspective to the negotiations," he said. The DFL majority defeated the A-18
amendment by an 85-47 margin.
How many House conference committee's over the past several years were all GOPers? Most of them.
19. ACCESS FOR THE VISUALLY-IMPAIRED: Without a roll-call vote, the House
adopted an amendment from Rep. Torrey Westrom (R-Elbow Lake) that will make
House documents accessible to the visually impaired with each improvement in
technology used by the Legislature.
Does this really require a roll call vote?
They also allude to unnecessary projects.
Low consumer demands for products (did anyone campaign on cultural centers, $20
tax cuts for teachers, windmills, voting machines, or water commissions?)
I guess you would have to ask each legislator that question. In SD 18, in the Silver Lake and Hutchinson area, you get a lot of questions about the Luce Line trail. I would not say you campaign on these issues, but they are things important to constituents. Both sides of the aisle are all over requests such as this.
Who campaigned on the Personal Responsibility in Food Consumption Act?
And what about the former Speaker and other minority leadership co-sponsoring a bill for the National Volleyball Center? Swiggum, Brod and McNamara are all on this bill.
Minority Leader Seifert had some good times while he was in the majority as well.
A bill to enact common sense? What about one for mixing metaphors?
The infamous student riot bill! No bill about Drunken sailors?
Taking food from inmates.
Going after grandma's that can food. Good thing mine were from North Dakota.
Privatization of prisons.
Well, off to plow some more snow I go...I am sure I will have a few more posts up by the end of the day. I'm holding onto some of my good Seifert stuff too!
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