Hometown Source

by T.W. Budig ECM Capitol reporter If U.S. Senate campaigns officially begin with a candidate kissing a baby, Rep. Kurt Bills’ campaign is underway. Bills, 42,  placed a smacker on the cheek of nine-months-old Kaylene Hensley of Alexandria today (May 18) in St. Cloud shortly after winning the Republican Party’s endorsement for U.S. Senate. Bills [...]

by T.W. Budig ECM Capitol reporter Rep. Kurt Bills has won the Republican Party endorsement for U.S. Senate. Bills won in the second ballot at the Republican State Convention in St. Cloud today (May 18), garnering some 1353 votes — breaking the 60 percent endorsement mark — against contenders Pete Hegseth’s vote total of 316 [...]

by T.W. Budig ECM Capitol reporter Some 2,100 delegates at the Republican Party State Convention today (May 18) in St. Cloud have begun balloting on the U.S. Senate endorsement. Convention-goers heard from the three main candidates — Rep. Kurt Bills of Rosemount, former state representative Dan Severson of Sauk Rapids, and Iraq and Afghanistan war [...]

by T.W. Budig ECM Capitol reporter One task before Republicans gathering in St. Cloud for their State Convention this weekend (May 18) is endorsing a candidate to run against Democratic U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar. Three Republican candidates are vying to take on the Democrat: Rep. Kurt Bills of Rosemount, former state representative Dan Severson of [...]

by T.W. Budig ECM Capitol reporter Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton today (May 14) signed into law a tax bill freezing local government aid (LGA) for larger communities, but vetoed the main Republican tax bill that contained tax increment financing provisions for a number of area communities. Dayton had already this session vetoed an earlier Republican [...]

by T.W. Budig ECM Capitol reporter The 2012 legislative session will be remembered as the year of the Vikings stadium. Bolstered by saturation media coverage, the drive to build the $975 million stadium in downtown Minneapolis by the final weeks of the session towered over virtually any other issue before Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and [...]

by T.W. Budig ECM Capitol reporter Sen. Kenneth Kelash in his farewell to his Senate colleagues this week recalled glancing at a book with the names of all the senators who’ve ever served in the Minnesota Senate. “My name is going to be in that book,” said Kelash, DFL-Minneapolis, reflectively. Kelash is one of a [...]

by T.W. Budig ECM Capitol reporter Sen. Julie Rosen summed up the most critical element of stadium legislation in four words. “We got it done,” she said. The Senate today (May 10) passed the Vikings stadium conference committee report on a bipartisan 36 to 30 vote. Indeed, Democrats put up the majority of the votes [...]

by T.W. Budig ECM Capitol reporter A number of area lawmakers arose this morning on the House floor to speak for perhaps the last time in the chamber as state representatives. “It’s with a heavy heart that I leave,” said Rep. Denise Dittrich, DFL-Champlin, one of the area lawmakers not seeking reelection. Dittrich, along with [...]

by T.W. Budig ECM Capitol reporter Now it rests with the Senate. The Republican House today (May 10) passed the Vikings stadium conference committee report after debating the legislation for the last time. The report passed the House on a 71 to 60 vote and now faces its last legislative challenge in the Senate later [...]