Wisconsin Lawmaker Targeting Drunken Driving Again
A Wisconsin lawmaker is trying again to increase penalties for drunken driving in the only state in the nation where first-time offenders face tickets, not jail time.
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A Wisconsin lawmaker is trying again to increase penalties for drunken driving in the only state in the nation where first-time offenders face tickets, not jail time.
Same-sex marriage opponents acknowledge they face a tough task in trying to persuade the Supreme Court to allow states to limit marriage to a man and a woman.
A highly contentious debate over education issues kept state lawmakers working through the weekend.
At a rally outside the capitol Saturday, activists say with a $2 billion surplus, now is the time to invest in education. Republicans want to use the surplus to lower taxes.
The Minnesota House wants to restrict transgender students' access to school locker rooms and bathrooms. Minority Democrats objected fiercely to a Republican move to include the provision in an education budget bill Saturday. The House approved the proposal in a divided voice vote.
An attempt to dismantle the Minnesota health insurance exchange failed to get enough votes at the State Capitol Friday. The Democratic-led Minnesota Senate defeated the attempt by Republicans to get rid of MNsure via a budget bill.
Public works employees in the southwestern city of Minneota frequently hang inside manholes, poking with a long stick to move chunks of human waste and refuse that block sewer flow. The mayor of Winsted, a city of about 2,400, wonders how he'll pay for a $7 million upgrade to the town's wastewater treatment facility.
Republicans in the Minnesota House are firming up their stance on one of the session's biggest issues: education. A floor session on the GOP's education budget was expected to last hours Saturday. The House would spend about $157 million more on schools and families over the next two years. The bulk of that is in money districts can use however they like.
House Republicans are staking out their boldest budget stance yet. The House was set to take up a bill funding state government Friday with a final vote expected hours later.
The Minnesota House is debating a Republican bill to put the brakes on spending for state government operations.
Minnesota senators have turned back a measure that would have led to twice yearly inspections and $10,200 licensing fees for clinics that provide 10 or more abortions per month. Friday's 32-29 vote establishes a chamber position as senators head into budget negotiations with the Republican-led House.
Union railroad workers called for Minnesota legislators to pass laws requiring at least two-person crews on every train operating in the state. The Smart Transportation Union said that would increase safety at rail crossings and railroad yards.
Top Minnesota lawmakers said Friday they're developing contingency plans that would allow state agencies to more easily access emergency response dollars if the spread of avian influenza intensifies in the nation's leading turkey producing state.
The Senate is moving to lift a ban on gun silencers even as Gov. Mark Dayton has promised a veto. Minnesota's Senate and its Democratic leader had shown little interest in expanding the state's gun laws this year.
Wisconsin's Gov. Scott Walker spent Thursday in his neighboring state. The potential Republican presidential candidate had three private events, including an unannounced visit to the State Capitol for a meeting with Republican state lawmakers.
