First day of session includes historic vote

01/04/2007

Democrats choose Republican as Senate officer


Pioneer Press
January 3, 2007


MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE

Parking and postage: The opening-day Senate session was devoted to routine housekeeping measures. The senators were sworn in, elected officers and passed their customary resolutions, which among other things gave each member a parking space and 5,500 stamps.

Walking the bipartisan walk: The Democratic-controlled Minnesota Senate elected a Republican to one of its top offices during its opening session Wednesday. It was cooperative. It was bipartisan. It also may have made history.

The Senate voted unanimously to elect Sen. Dennis Frederickson, R-New Ulm, as its president pro tem. Frederickson, a 26-year legislative veteran, will preside over floor sessions when Senate President James Metzen, DFL-South St. Paul, is absent.

This is the first time in memory that a member of the minority party has held such a high Senate office. But Frederickson won't wield much power. He will rule on motions and call for votes, jobs that traditionally have been nonpartisan.

"I hope I can help promote a more bipartisan, cooperative atmosphere in the Senate and in the Legislature," said Frederickson, a retired corn and soybean farmer and former Navy pilot.

Senate Majority Leader Larry Pogemiller, DFL-Minneapolis, nominated Frederickson for the post.

Thank you, thank you: New House Speaker Margaret Anderson Kelliher used her first speech as speaker to give thanks — to the House members, to all the members' families, to the new Republican minority leader and to the ousted Republican speaker.

Kelliher, DFL-Minneapolis, began and ended her speech with the words, "Thank you."

All but one of the 85 DFL members of the Minnesota House backed Kelliher's election. Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba, DFL-Long Prairie, abstained from voting.

All 49 Republican members — including Rep. Mark Olson, who has been suspended from the GOP House caucus pending domestic violence charges — voted for House Minority Leader Marty Seifert, R-Marshall.

"We are here to resolve conflict in a civil and respectful way," Kelliher told her colleagues.

A fast start: Minnesota lawmakers said they are ready to act on key issues.

Senate Tax Committee Chairman Tom Bakk will get the ball rolling this morning as he unveils the details of the DFL-controlled Senate's first bill — the Property Tax Relief Act.

The measure will likely include some permanent tax relief as well as some new rules to avoid huge jumps in property taxes.

In the near future, the Senate will release five bills to deal with universal health care, early childhood education, energy independence, transportation and funding for the outdoors and the arts.

The DFL-controlled House also plans to release details of its top three priorities: education, health care and property tax relief. House Majority Leader Tony Sertich, DFL-Chisolm, said the first few bills would be unveiled later this week.

Meanwhile, Seifert said he would release his caucus proposals for public safety next week. Those will likely include a plan to link local government aid — the money the state gives to cities and towns — with public safety to ensure that the state funding helps pay for police and other safety officials.

A not-so-solemn oath: When former Rep. Ron Abrams was in the Minnesota House, he and Iron Range Rep. Tom Rukavina often ribbed and teased each other on the House floor.

On Wednesday, when Abrams, now a Hennepin County judge, returned to the House chambers in his black judicial robes to conduct the members' official swearing-in, the needling continued.

Abrams told all the members to raise their right hands to take their oath of office and then added, "Your other right hand, Rep. Rukavina."

Advocating early: Robbinsdale resident Doug Benson stood quietly in front of the House chamber amid the typical first-day sea of bewildered family members wandering Capitol hallways and giddy lobbyists chatting away.

Benson's white sign with bold black letters read: "Marriage Equality is Overdue."

The 52-year-old homemaker and gay activist tried to make it to the Capitol every day last session to protest attempts to pass a constitutional ban on gay marriage. A constitutional amendment to define marriage and its legal equivalent as only between one man and one woman has passed the Republican-controlled House for the past three years but died in the Senate.

Now that Democrats control both the House and Senate, Benson is optimistic the push to pass the amendment will lose steam.

"But I still want to remind people that equality is never too much. And it's never too soon," Benson said as he received hugs and handshakes from representatives as they walked by.

Welfare rights advocates and proponents of reducing gun violence also made first-day stands, clutching signs denouncing welfare changes and pushing for more gun safety education and legislation to prevent illegal trafficking.

Minneapolis resident Becky Wardell-Gaertner said advocates weren't at the Capitol to ask lawmakers to repeal Minnesota's conceal-carry law, which allows most citizens to carry loaded weapons in public.

"We just want to keep criminals and children away from guns," she said.

Keeping it in the family: At least seven second-generation DFL legislators took their seats Wednesday. In the House are Kent Eken, of Twin Valley, son of former Rep. Willis Eken; Kate Knuth, of New Brighton, daughter of former Rep. Dan Knuth; and Aaron Peterson, of Appleton, son of former Rep. Doug Peterson and grandson of former Rep. Harry Peterson.

Senators who followed parents to the Legislature were Ron Latz, of St. Louis Park, son of former Rep. Robert Latz; Tony Lourey, of Kerrick, son of former Sen. Becky Lourey; Kathy Sheran, of Mankato, daughter of former Rep. Robert Sheran; and Katie Sieben, of Newport, daughter of former Rep. Michael Sieben.

Sheran's father, a former chief justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court, administered his daughter's ceremonial oath of office.

No current Republican legislators succeeded their parents as lawmakers.

State of the State: Gov. Tim Pawlenty will give his annual State of the State address to a joint session of the Legislature at noon Jan. 17 in the House chamber.