Thousands of cheering spectators filled the south lawn of the State Capitol to watch Gov. Mark Dayton sign a bill legalizing same-sex marriage into law.
These photos capture the scene at the Capitol yesterday when the Minnesota Senate voted to legalize same-sex marriage, becoming the 12th state to do so.
Six months after Minnesotans rejected a constitutional amendment that would have banned gay marriage, the Minnesota House Thursday made an historic turn, voting to legalize same-sex marriage in Minnesota.
Jennifer Simonson and Sasha Aslanian captured the scene at the Capitol yesterday.
People are already arriving to watch the debate on the floor as the House takes up same-sex marriage legislation.
Stay up-to-date on the latest by following the action on our live blog.
(Photo by Tom Scheck on Instagram)
"I am a prime example of somebody in the middle class. It’s OK with me to pay a sales tax on my pedicure. That’s OK. It’s OK to pay a sales tax on the tattoo I’m going to get on my neck."
— DFL Sen. Ann Rest on the Democrats’ plan to expand the state sales tax.
From reporter Brett Neely:
It’s been a rough couple of weeks for 6th District Rep. Michele Bachmann.
Earlier this month in a speech to the Conservative Political Action Conference, Bachmann made claims that were shredded by fact checkers. Then this week, the Daily Beast reported that congressional ethics investigators are looking into the activities of her failed bid for the Republican presidential nomination.
At the center of these allegations is a man named Peter Waldron who worked on Bachmann’s presidential campaign. All of the complaints against Bachmann that investigators are reportedly examining come from Waldron.
By Waldron’s own admission, he is not a neutral bystander. He and other campaign staffers were never paid after Bachmann’s poor showing in the Iowa caucuses in January 2012.
Waldron attempted to negotiate with Bachmann and former campaign officials for back pay throughout 2012 and says he waited to go public until after Bachmann was re-elected in November.
Waldron also has a colorful past, which he has attempted to turn into a film. The video here is a low-budget trailer posted online detailing episodes from Waldron’s life when he lived in Uganda in the mid-2000s.
“Was he a spy? Was he a missionary? A businessman? A mercenary? A bounty hunter? Who was Peter Waldron?” the trailer begins.
Bachmann investigated for possible campaign finance violations
Congressional investigators have launched a probe into possible campaign finance violations by Michele Bachmann’s presidential campaign.
In a brief statement to MPR News, Bachmann’s lawyer, Bill McGinley, said Bachmann was working with the Office of Congressional Ethics. He said there are no allegations that the four-term Republican congresswoman was engaged in any wrongdoing.
"I’m very upset. I came close to resigning as chair. If that’s what the Democrats are going to do, what’s the difference between that and what the Republicans have done over the last two years?"
— DFL Rep. Tom Huntley of Duluth, chairs the House Health and Human Services Finance Committee. He is unhappy because Democrats in the House and Senate want to cut $150 million in spending from health and human services programs. This comes after Gov. Mark Dayton and the Republican-controlled Legislature cut $1.2 billion from health and human services programs two years ago.
Republican U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann held a rare news conference Monday, not to speak out against Obamacare or the high price of gas but instead to call for more transportation spending in her district.
Since abandoning her 2012 presidential campaign and almost losing her congressional re-election campaign last year, Bachmann has shrunk her national profile and made a point of promoting her efforts to address concerns close to home.
In this photo, Bachmann visits with Sen. John Pederson, R-St. Cloud, right, during a stop at the Minnesota Senate on Monday. At left are Senators David Senjem and Michelle Fischbach, both Republicans.
From reporter Matt Sepic:
With DFLers in control of state government, a raise for Minnesota’s lowest-paid workers seems more likely than it has been in years. Now, a bill that could give Minnesota the highest state-mandated minimum wage in the country has cleared its final committee in the Minnesota House.
However the bill’s opponents — mostly Republicans - said it will be bad for business. And it’s not hard to find business owners who agree.
Peter Schoell owns several movie theaters in central Minnesota, including the three-screen Hollywood Theater in downtown Litchfield. Two of the screens show film. For the third, the largest screen, Schoell installed a digital projector at a cost of about $55,000 — a major investment for a small business.
Even with state-of-the-art equipment, a movie ticket here costs $6.50. A large popcorn costs $4. With the cost of living in rural Minnesota lower than in the Twin Cities, Schoell said he wants to provide families here with an affordable night out. His employees are mostly teenagers who work an evening or two a week. He pays them minimum wage. But even that’s too much, he said.
“If I were to pay them what they’re worth, it would probably be about $5 an hour, but I’m forced to pay $7.25,” he said.
If the minimum wage goes up again, Schoell said he will have to raise ticket prices. He fears losing business as a result.
“What are we supposed to do? Do they think that business owners are making all this money?” Schoell said. “Because that’s where that extra minimum wage is going to come out of. It’s going to come out of my bottom line.”
