Friday, May 17, 2013
The local wedding industry is preparing for a flurry of same-sex weddings after the bill takes effect on Aug. 1.
Amy Zellmer wasted no time after the same-sex marriage bill passed the senate on Monday. The owner of Custom Creations Photography in Shakopee posted a jubilant blog post, then pledged to shoot one couple's same-sex wedding completely gratis. For Zellmer, the issue is deeply personal. Her own beloved sister has been in a committed relationship with another woman for 17 years and Zellmer would like nothing more than to see the two get hitched. "It's time," Zellmer said of the passage of the bill, which was signed by Gov. Mark Dayton on Tuesday. "This is very exciting." Evidently, others in the industry are enthusiastic as well. Zellmer posted her LGBT giveaway offer on Monday night. The next morning, a host of other vendors had contacted …
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Gov. Mark Dayton’s signature Tuesday didn’t end the heated debate around same-sex marriage.
Whatever side of the debate you fall on, there’s no denying that this week’s passage of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage was a historical moment. Minnesota became just the 12th state to sanction gay marriage when Gov. Mark Dayton signed the bill Tuesday. Patch readers quickly wrote in to share their thoughts on the moment. Eagan Patch reader Kathi Malone echoed the view of legislators who voted yes in seeing same-sex marriage as a civil right: I am so happy that finally gay people will be able to have the civil right to marry. This is truly an American vote for freedom. I applaud Sen Clausen and all other legislators who voted for this historical bill. James N added: Thank you Senator Carlson and the entire MN legislature for extending …
Tuesday, May 14, 2013
Legislation to allow gay marriage in the state cleared its final hurdle Monday, May 13. With Gov. Mark Dayton expected to sign the bill as soon as tomorrow, Minnesota will become the 12th state in the country to allow same-sex couples to marry.
The Minnesota Senate approved H.F. 1054 Monday, May 13, clearing the way for Minnesota same-sex couples to marry in the state. The 37 to 30 vote, which was seen as the last hurdle for the legislation, makes Minnesota the 12th in the United States to recognize same-sex marriages in state law. Gov. Mark Dayton's office announced a signing ceremony set for 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 14. Democrats, known locally as the DFL party, hold a 39-28 advantage in the Minnesota Senate. Debate began shortly after noon Monday, with the Republican Party introducing a pair of amendments to the bill, both of which were voted down by state Democrats, who control the Senate. It quickly moved to speeches invoking personal feelings and relationships surrounding the…
Sunday, May 12, 2013
The Minnesota Senate is expected to begin debate of a bill legalizing same-sex marriage at noon on Monday.
Last Thursday, the Minnesota House of Representatives voted 75-59 to legalize gay marriage after two hours of emotionally exhausting—but civil—dialogue. Now, it's the Senate's turn. At noon on Monday, the Minnesota Senate is expected to begin debating the issue. If the Senate passes the measure, Gov. Mark Dayton has said he will sign it into law. If the law is approved, Minnesota would be the 12th state in the nation to pass legislation legalizing gay marriage. Iowa allows gay marriage as the result of a 2009 court ruling. Click here to read the bill's full text. The DFL holds a majority in that branch of the legislature and Senate Majority Leader District 3 Sen. Tom Bakk (DFL) said he believes he has the votes to pass the bill. The is …
Friday, May 10, 2013
Burnsville's state Rep. Pam Myhra spoke against the legislation to legalize same-sex marriage on the floor of the Minnesota House of Representatives Thursday.
State Rep. Pam Myhra (R-56A) spoke against the same-sex marriage legislation on the floor of the Minnesota House of Representatives Thursday afternoon. The full House is debating the bill and is expected to vote Thursday. If the bill passes the Minnesota Senate will take it up on Monday. Some of what Myrha said in her brief speech: "With this bill, adults will choose a same-sex marriage while children will lose their opportunity to have a mom and a dad. ... "Where is our focus? Is it on immediate demands ... or are we looking to the future? ... "I will be a voice in this debate for [children]. I will advocate for them to have both a mom and a dad." WATCH LIVESTREAM VIDEO of the House debate and vote on Thursday. See also: House Members …
The bill now moves on to the state senate as Minnesota Democrats hope to make the state the 12th in the nation to legalize gay marriage. Gov. Mark Dayton has vocally supported the legislation.
UPDATE: Minnesota Representatives approved with a 75-59 vote Thursday a bill legalizing same-sex marriages in the state, putting it on the road to become the 12th state in the nation to do so. The vote came at about 3 p.m. Thursday, May 9, about three hours after the bill was introduced. This is about honoring difference," bill sponsor Karen Clark said. "I respect the other point of view. But there is something about being able to marry the love of your life." Clark, a Democrat from Minneapolis, recognized her partner of 26 years in the assembly's audience. The vote came nearly six months to the day after a 2012 vote on a Republican-sponsored amendment item defining marriage as a union between man and woman. That, of course, was …
Thursday, May 9, 2013
The Minnesota House of Representatives takes up the bill at noon Thursday.
Roughly six months after Minnesotans struck down a statewide constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage, the Minnesota House and Senate seem poised to legalize gay marriage. House Speaker and District 61B Rep. Paul Thissen (DFL) said Democrats have secured enough votes to push Clark's bill through, according to a report in the Pioneer Press. If the bill passes in the House on Thursday, Senate legislators may vote on it as early as Monday. If the measure, sponsored by District 62A Rep. Karen Clark (DFL), is approved, Minnesota would become the 12th state in the nation to legalize gay marriage. On Tuesday Delaware became the 11th state to approve it.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
The bill is poised to move to the floors of the Minnesota House and Senate.
Update: The same-sex marriage bill passed the Minnesota Senate Finance Committee on a voice vote just after noon on Tuesday. Check above for a replay video. The Minnesota House of Representatives will vote on the bill on Thursday. Original post: Watch a video livestream of the Minnesota Senate Finance Committee Tuesday as the committee debates and votes on a bill that would make same-sex marriages legal in Minnesota. It is the fourth item on the committee's Tuesday morning agenda. The video in the window above (or at The Uptake) will show first the Minnesota Senate Education Committee discussion of another bill addressing the problem of bullying.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
The measure proposed by Will Morgan, DFL, would slash the number of legislators by 27 percent.
A Littler Legislature? Rep. Will Morgan (DFL-Burnsville, Lakeville) seems to have taken a page from the GOP playbook: On April 17, he debuted a bill that would reduce the size of the state legislature, H.F. 1786. If approved, the legislature would shrink by 54 seats total, from 201 to 147. The senate would be reduced from 67 seats to 49, the house from 134 to 98. Morgan is not the only one calling for a smaller legislature. South metro legislator Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) is the author of an earlier bill, H.F. 1524, which would cut the legislature much more drastically, dropping the number of legislators from 201 to 75 for terms beginning Jan. 1, 2023. "Minnesota is the 21st most populous state, yet has the 9th largest legislature…
Sunday, April 7, 2013
Each week, Patch takes a closer look at the activities of Dakota and Rice Counties' legislators as part of our Capitol Review.
District 56B Rep. Will Morgan (DFL) has cast his support behind a measure that would create a "13th Grade" pilot program for young adults who are not employed, enrolled for any post-secondary education and who do not have a defined career pathway. The bill, if approved, would require the state's education commissioner to select sites for the pilot program by Dec. 31, 2013. Graduating seniors in each of teh pilot sites would proceed through a 12-month nonresidential college readiness and career pathways program focused on skill-building. In other political news around the county: District 20B Rep. David Bly (DFL) has joined a crowd of Minnesota legislators in their support for a bill prohibiting law enforcement from using unmanned aircraft …
Clare Kennedy
12:27 pm on Friday, May 17, 2013
Oh come on. There are plenty of wedding giveaways for straight people. One of my own friends, who is straight, won a free wedding photography package too, which, by the way, wasn't available to gay couples. It isn't discrimination to offer a giveaway to a specific group of people: There are lots of giveaways aimed just at new moms or only at women. It would be discrimination if this photographer … more ›