Almanac: At the Capitol

Today a Senate committee tried to take out some money for State Capitol restoration and replace it with a cultural center for St. Paul. That created a rare moment of bi-partisan challenging of a committee chair. Republican Senator Claire Robling said "I don't think we should be taking money from the Capitol project." She offered an amendment to restore the funding, there was a voice vote and Democratic Chair Richard Cohen ruled that the amendment failed even though it clearly passed. Robling called for "division" that means a show of hands on the vote and the outcome was clear and the chair was wrong. Cohen said "usually I hear well." Interesting that such major decisions are often left to a chair's hearing. It took some courage for Democratic and Republican senators to stand up to the powerful St. Paul senate delegation and stand up for the Capitol. It amazes a lot of outsiders that lawmakers and the governor have been unwilling to maintain and save what is widely considered the most important building in the state and one of the most admired Capitol buildings in the nation. Check out David Gillette's essay for a fun and revealing look at why the Capitol is crumbling.

I can personally vouch for how horrible the air quality is. The photos above show the layers of grime and gunk that collect on our air vents and fans in our Capitol office. My colleague bought a mold test last year that instantly verified the presence of mold in the press room. During session we all get sick often having upper respiratory problems breathing this sick air. It puts the press in an odd position. We certainly don't want to be advocating for any legislation, but we'd really like to breath clean air too.

The battle between Senate Transportation Chair Steve Murphy and Transportation Commissioner Carol Molnau heats up again Monday. Senators just sent Gov. Pawlenty a letter requesting he attend Monday's hearing. It appears the governor isn't interested since his schedule has nothing on it for Monday. Here's the letter the Dems sent the Gov:

Dear Governor Pawlenty:

We, the undersigned, respectfully request your presence at the meeting of the Transportation Contingent Appropriations Group that has been formed under Session Laws 2007, Ch. 143, Art. 1, Sec. 3, Subd. 9. The meeting is scheduled to take place on Monday, October 1 at 11:00 a.m. in Room 15 of the Minnesota State Capitol.

Because of the unprecedented nature of the request, we believe it will be to the public’s benefit for a full discussion of the request made by your administration. It is our hope that you, and your representatives, will attend the meeting to provide insight into the reasons behind the request and the delay in federal funding promised to the state to meet the reconstruction needs of the I-35W bridge.

We look forward to the opportunity to discuss this matter during this important public meeting. It is our hope that this meeting will help resolve concerns of the members of the Transportation Contingent Appropriations Group.

Sincerely,

Sen. Richard Cohen
Chair, Senate Finance Committee

Sen. Steve Murphy
Chair, Senate Transportation Policy and Budget Division