JANUARY 7, 2005 VOLUME 22, NUMBER 1 Inside: THE 2005 LEGISLATURE CONVENES, CAPITOL CENTENNIAL, AND MORE This Week’s BIll Introductions HF1-HF56 1 January 7, 2005 Welcome to the 84th session The 84th Legislature has convened during the 100th year that public servants ESSION have been called to serve in the magnifi cent building that we call our State S Weekly Capitol. The writers and editors of the award-winning Session Weekly, now in its 22nd Session Weekly is a nonpartisan year, will continue the tradition of bringing our readers nonpartisan coverage of publication of the Minnesota House committee and fl oor action in the Minnesota House of Representatives. We hope of Representatives Public Information you fi nd this newsmagazine a useful resource and we welcome your comments Services office. During the 2005-2006 and suggestions. Legislative Session, each issue reports daily For a free subscription please contact House Public Information Services at House action between Thursdays of each 651-296-2146 or 1-800-657-3550 or fi ll out a subscription form online at www. week, lists bill introductions, and provides house.leg.state.mn.us/hinfo/sdaily/subscribe.htm. other information. No fee. To subscribe, contact: Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services 175 State Offi ce Building 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. CONTENTS St. Paul, MN 55155-1298 (651) 296-2146 or 1-800-657-3550 TTY (651) 296-9896 HIGHLIGHTS Director Bonding • 11 Budget • 11 Barry LaGrave Editor/Assistant Director Bill Introductions (HF1-HF56) • 21 Lee Ann Schutz Assistant Editor Mike Cook FEATURES Art & Production Coordinator Paul Battaglia All eyes are on us - Teamwork between speaker and chief clerk is key when overseeing the House. • 3 Writers Taking over - New chief clerk “learned for the best.” • 4 Ruth Dunn, Patty Janovec, Saying goodbye - Longtime chief clerk retires. • 5 Brett Martin, Matt Wetzel, Nicole Wood Playing party politics - A contentious day one marks start of legislative year. • 6 Chief Photographer More or less - Republicans, DFL take different paths when establishing Tom Olmscheid leadership structure. • 7 Photographers Meet the new members • 8-10 Andrew VonBank, Sarah Stacke A ‘Fun and Grand Affair’ - Lawmakers and honored guests celebrate Staff Assistants Capitol Centennial. • 12-13 Christy Novak, Laura Noe Looking back to 1905 - Farming was the dominant profession then, edu- cation now. • 14 -15 Speaking of the House - News since sine die. • 16 Session Weekly (ISSN 1049-8176) is pub- lished weekly during the legislative session by What’s your opinion - State fair offers citizens opportunity to put in their Minnesota House of Representatives Public two cents. • 22-23 Information Services offi ce, 175 State Offi ce Minnesota Index: Minnesota House 2005 • 24 Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155-1298. Periodicals postage paid at Minneapolis, Minn. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Session Weekly, Public RESOURCES Information Services offi ce, Minnesota House of Representatives, 175 State Office Building, Where to Find Information • 10 Minnesota’s representation 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., Roster of the Minnesota House in Washington • 21 St. Paul, MN 55155-1298. and Senate members • 17-18 Frequently Called Numbers • 21 What’s on the Web • 20 Printed on recycled paper which is 50% recycled, On the cover: House Speaker Steve Sviggum gives the thumbs-up after being elected speaker during 30% post-consumer content. opening day ceremonies of the 2005 session, Jan. 4. This will be the fourth biennium that Sviggum has presided. —Photo by: Tom Olmscheid 2 January 7, 2005 IRST READING F★ ★ ★ “You had a better understanding of the relationship between the rules, statute, and All eyes are on us custom and usage and Mason’s and how they Teamwork between speaker and chief clerk is key when would interact with each other and how they overseeing the House would sometimes contradict each other, and what you do in those types of situations,” said Vanasek, who was speaker from 1987-91. BY MIKE COOK your choices,’ he had a lot of credibility. You Still, a decision in the chamber can play a vital oint of order, Mr. Speaker,” says one knew if you followed his advice it was probably role in the shaping of potential legislation, even if of the 133 voices in front of, or to the the right advice.” then is not the speaker’s greatest time to do so. “Pleft or right of the speaker’s chair. Part of that trust, said former House Speak- The best times, Sviggum said, occur before When asked why, the member cites one of a er Bob Vanasek (DFL-New Prague), came variety of reasons. from training that Burdick gave beforehand. First Reading continued on page 4 Thus begins a process seen hundreds of times during a legislative session where the speaker huddles with the chief clerk to decide on a ruling. In addition to being the reading clerk and controlling the fl ow of paper through the chamber, the chief clerk is an unoffi cial last parliamentarian. “I usually gave the speaker two or three choices,” said Ed Burdick who last fall an- nounced his retirement as chief clerk after serving in that position from 1967 through 2004. “I said ‘You can rule this way and if you do, these are the consequences’ ... But I always told them that they wanted to be aware of the consequences and if they ruled that way today you better rule that way the rest of the session.” Yet that all can change depending upon who is in the chair. “We used to compare it to an umpire in a baseball game. They all have the same rules, but the strike zones aren’t always the same. Speaker’s rule different ways,” said Chief Clerk Al Mathiowetz, who was elected to the position on this session’s opening day. When a ruling is sought, there is a hierarchy the speaker follows: the state constitution, House rules, joint rules, custom and usage, and Mason’s Manual. Robert’s Rules of Order is not used in the House. “Quite often when there is a point of order raised, the speaker will visit with me and they ask for my opinion – I don’t give it to them unless they ask – and I share it with them,” said Burdick. “As speaker, you have to have a great deal of trust with the chief clerk in his or her de- cision-making ability,” said House Speaker Steve Sviggum (R-Kenyon), who has held the leadership position since 1999. “That was certainly true with Ed. He was the institution. PHOTO BY TOM OLMSCHEID When he’d look at you and say ‘Steve, here are Ed Burdick has retired after 38 years as chief clerk of the Minnesota House. January 7, 2005 Session Weekly 3 First Reading continued from page 4 or after the fl oor debate, in setting the agenda, deciding which bills will come to the fl oor and in making committee assignments. “You can infl uence the legislation a lot ahead of time by sending it to one committee or another or by whom you appoint to the committee.” Sviggum said his influence can be felt afterward by whom he appoints to a confer- ence committee, if one is needed to reach an agreement with the Senate. Despite that power, Burdick says people often forget that the speaker does not always have the fi nal say on an issue. “If members don’t like the speaker’s ruling, they can appeal the decision and vote on it,” he said. “The procedure allows for the body to make the fi nal decision.” However, that may not come until a debate concludes, sometimes many hours later. Va- nasek said that Burdick used to tell him: “The PHOTO BY TOM OLMSCHEID majority gets its way after the minority has its Al Mathiowetz, left, and Ed Burdick confer during a 2004 fl oor session. Mathiowetz is replacing say.” Burdick as chief clerk for the 2005 session. But, how does a speaker know when to cut off debate? Both Vanasek and Sviggum believe in en- Taking over suring that all sides are heard; however, they Al Mathiowetz was promoted to first two days are ever alike. It’s exciting.” have both used nonverbal tactics to indicate it assistant chief clerk in 1985. Twenty Mathiowetz admits he is fortunate to is time to vote a bill up or down, or to prevent years later he finally received another have worked with Burdick and has the a member from raising an issue that will result advancement. opportunity to follow in the footsteps of in two or three more members speaking. One of the few unanimous votes on the someone of legendary status. “Sometimes it’s just standing there and fi rst day of session, Mathiowetz was named “He obviously had a lot of patience with looking at the person who wants to talk in a chief clerk to replace Ed Burdick, who re- me and a lot of encouragement over the way sort of like ‘Is it really that important?’ I tired after 38 years in the position. years. There isn’t a better teacher around. did that and oftentimes a person would decide “Al learned from the best,” said Rep. I can say that I probably had 33 years of the maybe it wasn’t it so important,” said Vanasek, Dennis Ozment (R-Rosemount), who Ed Burdick University of Parliamentary who also twirled the gavel to indicate he was nominated Mathiowetz. “If you listen you’ll Procedure.” ready to take a vote. even think his voice sounds like Ed Burdick.