ST. PAUL (WCCO) — Two state lawmakers say before the legislature focuses on a Vikings Stadium, they should make up for big cuts to child care.

Rep. Nora Slawik and Sen. Mary Jo McGuire introduced the “Child Care Affordability Act” Tuesday, outlining a plan to help parents, especially those living paycheck-to-paycheck, pay for child care and help child care providers who are now receiving less money from the state.

Child care providers who are licensed through the state, mostly those who provide care to low-income families, recently took a 2.5 percent cut in the amount of funding they receive.

The proposed child care act would help bridge that gap in funding, and help more than 7,000 Minnesota families that are currently on a waiting list for child care assistance.

Lawmakers say the cost to help these families would range between $300 million and $500 million.

The authors of the bill also announced two plans to help pay for child care costs. They say they’d like to either tax the rich to come up with the funding or pass a bill that could be attached to a proposed Vikings stadium plan — one where the revenue could come from gambling. They say the money could fund child care, as well as the new stadium.

“How can we look at funding a Vikings stadium for $300 million when we can’t find money for kids at the Capitol,” said Rep. Slawik.

Day care providers stood by as the Child Care Affordability Act was announced, including Sharon Born, who works nights and weekends to try and make up the money she lost because of state cuts.

“I don’t want to work seven days a week, 16 hours a day. I am a single mom, you have to do, what you have to do,” she said.

COON RAPIDS, Minn. (AP) — The school board in Minnesota’s largest school district approved Monday night a replacement for a policy that required teachers to stay neutral when sexual orientation comes up in class, a stance that some critics blamed for fostering bullying.

The Anoka-Hennepin School Board adopted the “Respectful Learning Environment” policy on a voice vote. Only board member Kathy Tingelstad voted no.

After hearing more than an hour of often impassioned testimony from more than 20 people on both sides, board member Scott Wenzel said the change eliminates an old policy that singled out one minority group for different treatment.

“This policy is truly a compromise, Wenzel said. “And I truly hope that it will move this district and community forward from this point on.”

The district, which is the target of two lawsuits over the old policy, has found itself in the national spotlight over the issue, and Tingelstad and several parents who testified said they didn’t appreciate it.

“I just think we could have done a lot better job,” Tingelstad told reporters after the vote. “I think we were being pushed by outside influences that were outside of our school district. I know we’re setting some national standards her tonight but I’m disappointed,” she said, adding that the board could have better addressed the concerns of those who testified against the change.

The new policy commits the north suburban Twin Cities district to providing “a safe and respectful learning environment for all students.” It says that when contentious political, religious, social matters or economic issues come up — it does not specifically cite sexuality issues — teachers shouldn’t try to persuade students to adopt particular viewpoint. It calls for teachers to foster respectful exchanges of views. It also says in such discussions, staff should affirm the dignity and self-worth of all students, regardless of race, religion, gender or sexual orientation.

The proposal was unveiled at a Jan. 23 school board meeting after an earlier revision attempt left all sides unsatisfied. The new policy takes effect immediately and might move the lawsuits closer to settlement.

The district’s teachers union endorsed the policy change. Julie Blaha, president of the Anoka-Hennepin local of Education Minnesota, told the board the new policy could just become buried among all the district’s other policies, or it could become “the first few paragraphs of a new chapter … in which everybody feels safe and welcome at school. A chapter where it is clear that every student, staff member and family is valued for who they are. And a chapter full of rigorous conversations between professionals about how to improve our school climate.”

Critics said the old neutrality policy kept teachers from preventing bullying of students who are gay or perceived as gay. It had the support of parents who believe homosexual conduct is immoral and told the board they don’t want their children taught otherwise.

Barb Anderson, of Champlin, was one of several parents who asked the board not to give in to demands for changing it.

“If you pass a policy with weak language of appeasement, the gay agenda will be given an even greater foothold in our school district,” Anderson said. “We are at a crossroads. You either cave in the demands of the homosexual activists, an action that will make our schools unsafe for all kids, or you stand firm and protect the children.”

The old policy had been under fire since six students in the district committed suicide in less than two years. A parent of one of the students who committed suicide says her son was bullied for being gay. Gay advocacy groups say some of the others students who killed themselves were also bullied.

The district has said its internal investigation found no evidence that bullying contributed to the deaths. But the district changed its anti-bullying and anti-harassment policies in October 2010 to clearly state that harassment or bullying of gay students wouldn’t be tolerated.

The district has about 38,500 students and 2,800 teachers.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Steven Rau has scheduled the next round of settlement talks for March 1 and 2 in two lawsuits filed by students, former students and parents against the neutrality policy. Both sides have been keeping those discussions confidential, but the National Center for Lesbian Rights and the Southern Poverty Law Center, which are representing the plaintiffs, issued a statement applauding the policy change.

“Today is the first day in nearly 18 years that Minnesota’s Anoka-Hennepin School District no longer has a harmful policy that singles out lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender students. Although we would have preferred for the District to have repealed this stigmatizing policy without replacing it, we are pleased that the new policy expressly requires district staff to affirm the dignity and self-worth of all students, including LGBT students,” the statement said. “The repeal of this policy is an important first step, but the District must do much more to create a safe, welcoming, and respectful learning environment for all students, including LGBT and gender non-conforming students, and those perceived as such.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

ST. PAUL (WCCO) – Minnesota Democrats are accusing Republicans of using state staff and equipment for political benefit.

If you attended a Republican precinct caucus last week, you might have been handed a pamphlet by your state legislator. What you might not have known, however, is that you paid for it.

The pamphlets were printed for 13 Republican Senators to pass out at their precinct caucuses last week — designed and copied at taxpayer expense by Senate staffers.

Republican leaders say there’s nothing wrong with it.

“These were handed out to our constituents. I don’t personally see any problem in it,” said Senate Majority leader David Senjem.

Senjem says Senate lawyers reviewed the material. It was approved even though it includes the political logo of the Senate Republicans, thanks voters for joining the Republicans and praises the Republican majority for its work on matters ranging from passing the gay marriage amendment to credit for the budget surplus.

“In my mind, that was a constituent piece and they are constituents handing them out wherever it might be,” said Senjem. “If it is constituents’ piece, generally speaking, non-partisan, as far as I know. I looked at mine, it was pretty bland.”

The 13 senators who requested the caucus material ordered as few as 75, and as many as 600 pamphlets each, side-by-side with legislative bills.

Democrats, however, say that’s illegal.

“I believe that all 13 members of the senate who did it, I believe, have broken the law,” said Senate Minority leader Tom Bakk.

Bakk says Democrats ship out all political printing, and pay for it with campaign funds. He says this material cannot be mistaken for anything other than politics.

“I don’t wanna accuse them of an abuse of power, but it feels like it — like the rules don’t apply to us,” Bakk said.

Senate Republicans say they relied on the legal opinion of the Senate’s lead attorney.

But in a memo to Republican leaders, the attorney says the pamphlets are not illegal because they “express appreciation” for joining the Republican caucus, but they do not “compel political activity.”

Below is the memo in full:

You have asked for information about the legislative update materials that were provided by certain members of the Senate to people who attended caucuses in their districts. I am providing this information to you in coordination with, and on behalf of the various legislative staff you included in your email request.

The attached table indicates which members requested copies of legislative updates, how many copies were provided, and the total cost to the Senate budget.

Senate Counsel Tom Bottern was asked to review a “legislative update” distributed on behalf of Senator Gerlach and to provide a verbal opinion whether the document complied with Senate policies. The Gerlach document complies with the requirements of Senate policy 1.45, which contains the Senate’s campaign activity policy. That policy defines certain forms of “campaign activity” that are prohibited, including “soliciting contributions to a political committee or political fund; recordkeeping contribution receipts;….” Nothing in the Senator Gerlach “legislative update” document fits within that definition of “campaign activity”. The policy also provides a definition of activities that are not “campaign activity” that includes “legislative reports,” which can reasonably be read to include a document like Senator Gerlach’s “legislative update.”

The email further inquires why the legislative update document does not violate Minnesota Statutes, section 211B.09, which prohibits using “official authority or influence to compel a person to apply for membership in or a become a member of a political organization, to pay or promise to pay a political contribution, or to take part in political activity.” Senator Gerlach’s legislative update includes a statement that says “Thank you for joining this Republican caucus!” and another statement that says “We appreciate your involvement, and hope you will keep in touch!” Nothing in either one of these statements can be read to compel membership in a political organization or to compel political activity. The statements do express appreciation for involvement in the caucuses, but that is a different matter from using official influence to compel political activity.

Democrats do send out a lot of similar stuff, but, they argue, not for election nights.

ST. PAUL (WCCO) — The Minnesota Civil Liberties Union (ACLU-MN) is offering as a reward for anyone who can show proof of a voter impersonation case that happened in the past 10 years. And the MCLU brought the money with them: $1,000 in $1 bills.

The MCLU says the Photo ID bill moving through the legislature won’t fix any problem because there isn’t one.

Voter ID supporters strongly disagree.

“Minnesotans, by and large, don’t have full faith and confidence in our election system. They want voter ID,” said Dan McGrath of the Minnesota Majority. “(The ACLU has) a really steep hill to climb if they want convince people to turn that around and stop this amendment.”

However, the MCLU says voter fraud in Minnesota is very rare.

“Year after year, people from outside the state say, ‘gosh, these Minnesota elections are clean and they are good and they are accurate,’” said Chuck Samuelson with the ACLU-MN.

It was a dramatic, and expensive, way to make a serious point.

The MCLU says Voter ID will not only not stop fraud, but it will inconvenience hundreds of thousands of people and actually keep eligible voters from casting ballots.

Sen. Carla Nelson and Rep. Mike Benson, both of Rochester, outlined the bill Monday that they will formally introduce later in the week. Nelson acknowledged it cuts against Republican anti-tax orthodoxy but says she hopes her party and the public will embrace it because of the intended purpose.

Minnesota’s current $1.23 cent per-pack tax currently ranks among the middle of all states. The bill would boost that to $2.52. By supporters’ estimates, a higher tax would generate $320 million in the next two years.

Nelson says the bill would make it less likely that price-conscious young people would start smoking.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Some leading Democrats joined a nationwide rollout Monday of Obama campaign truth squads in states that could be competitive come November. Minnesota Democratic Party chairman Ken Martin says it’s not an indication of worry in his state but local Democrats plan to, in his words, “fight like we’re 20 points behind.”

The focus of the 2012 race has been largely on Republicans vying to be Obama’s challenger. They frequently invoke the incumbent’s name in blasting his record.

Members of the local truth teams say they’ll be on guard for falsehoods and use face-to-face contacts, social media and Web sites to present Obama’s side.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Republican bill sponsor Andrea Kieffer says the legislation would keep unqualified teachers out of the classroom. Current law allows teachers to hold a provisional license for three years while continuing to retake the test.

The companion bill hasn’t received a vote in the full Senate. Gov. Mark Dayton has not yet taken a public stance on the bill.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

ST. PAUL (WCCO) — State lawmakers say they’ve found a way to create thousands of jobs and help small business owners.

Sen. Chris Gerlach, R-Apple Valley, and Rep. Keith Downey, R-Edina, plan to introduce a bill that would loosen restrictions on state licensing requirements.

Lawmakers said this could create 15,000 jobs in Minnesota by opening up the market place. They said it would also increase competition between businesses, benefiting consumers.

The bill would allow an entrepreneur to pursue a job or career without getting licensed by the state as long as they aren’t posing a threat to public health or safety. The examples they gave include a barber, masseuse, or tree trimmer.

Jim Dolphy owned a tree trimming business in Inver Grove Heights, Minn. He stood with lawmakers during their announcement at the Capitol Monday and shared his experience with licensing requirements.

Dolphy said he had his business for five years. When a tornado hit Minneapolis in 2009, he got a lot of job calls. But because of city rules, he wasn’t allowed to work, he was forced to leave.

“The cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul and others have created a licensing law that requires a certified arborist to be on staff to be able to do business in those cities. This licensing law is ridiculous,” said Dolphy. ” A certified arborist is not required in my company for us to safely and effectively do our jobs operations.”

Lawmakers said the current regulations for licensing in state and local governments can make it difficult for would be entrepreneurs to get started because of the cost and time commitment for the requirements.

Lawmakers want the state to rely more heavily on certifications and inspections instead of licensing. If local or state government questions a business owners practice, they could take their case to court where a judge would determine whether or not they could continue.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) — Minnesota Republicans have proposed a “right to work” amendment to the state Constitution.

They say they want voters to decide whether people should be forced to join a union as a condition of their employment.

If the amendment passes, it will allow people who choose not to be part of the union, not to pay dues. It’s one of several proposals to change the state Constitution at the legislature.

Esme Murphy had several people on her WCCO Sunday Morning show to weigh in on the topic, including Rep. Kurt Zellers and Executive Director of the AFSCME Council 5 Eliot Seide. Watch the full interviews below.

Interview With Rep. Kurt Zellers

Interview With Eliot Seide

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – The debate over a proposed marriage amendment, which would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman, is heating up.

A statement issued by the Minnesota Rabbinical Association says it cannot condone using the constitution to deny civil rights. The group is made up of 35 rabbis and 15 synagogues and it represents the majority of the state’s Jewish population.

They signed a statement urging Minnesotans to vote against the change to the state constitution that would define marriage as a union between a man and a woman.

Orthodox rabbis did not sign the statement.

Elizabeth Glidden, a Minneapolis city councilwoman, said the conversation around the proposed amendment is very painful.

“It’s a very divisive thing to do,” she said.

Glidden does most of the lobbying for the council at the Capitol. She made the motion that lead to the position the council now stands by – it, too, wants no part in the amendment.

“This is something that we are 100 percent unified on,” she said. “We feel very strongly that this is a wrong way to govern. What I encourage people to do is: we have to be able to separate our personal beliefs and our faith from how the law operates and how our constitution operates.”

Groups like Minnesota for Marriage disagree.

Chuck Darrell, director of communications for the group, says the city council’s action won’t sway a single person.

In a statement, Darrell said, “The people of Minnesota don’t want a bunch of ambitious politicians to tell them how to vote on the core institution of civilization– marriage as the union of one man and one woman.”

Darrell said the group’s polls show 60 percent of Minnesota voters support the legislature giving them the right to vote on the definition of marriage.

Gov. Dayton has said he thinks Minnesota will be the first state to reject such a ballot question. He said the state appreciates individual differences.

The amendment initiative is slated to be on the ballot on Nov. 6.

WCCO’s Eric Nelson & Steve Thomson Interviews Lester Bagley

“This is their third swing at it,” he said. “We actually preferred and thought their previous versions were more viable. But, of course, what is politically achievable is the question at the Capitol. What could get the votes? So they put a package together that included some user fees.”

The new funding proposal for Arden Hills includes; user fees, parking lot naming rights, $25-per-vehicle parking fees, a 3 percent tax on every Vikings ticket and hospitality taxes. Bagley said the proposal was problematic for the Vikings because the team was counting on some of the revenues that would go to the county instead.

“We have some issues, but Ramsey County is hanging in there,” he said. “We’re working hard. We’re still alive, but we just have some issues with this latest version.”

As for Minneapolis as a possible stadium location, Bagley said the city is still in the running, but like Arden Hills, it comes with issues.

“It’s been clear to us, and told to us by numerous legislators on both sides of the isle, that if the stadium is going to be built in Minneapolis, there is going to need to be city support for it,” Bagley said.

He said that is one of the challenges the city has.

“The mayor and council president Barbara Johnson are working hard on that,” he said. “Let’s get support of the city council, because that is going to be critical for any progress at the Capitol.”

He said there are issues regarding the Metrodome as a possible stadium location because they would have to tear it down and play two or three seasons at TCF Bank Stadium.

MINNEAPOLIS (WCC) – Students against bullying rallied at the Capitol Saturday, demanding tougher laws against bullying.

Those who attended the rally, which took place at noon, wore orange — the color o the bullying prevention movement.

Speakers at the rally included the author of a stronger anti-bullying bill, a student who had suffered under bullying and the actor Colin Ford, of the movie “We Bought A Zoo,” who addressed the group via Skype.

The idea for the rally started with a public policy class at Mounds Park Academy. Four seniors formed a group called Students Demanding Change, and they partnered with the PACER Center, a Minnesota-based anti-bully organization, to hold the rally.

Sydney Eberwein, one the students leading Students Demanding Change said, “The students’ voice isn’t really heard on the issue of bullying prevention. It’s usually just legislators talking about it. We wanted to have our voice out there, because it is a student issue.”

Every day, more than 160,000 kids miss school fearing an attack or intimidation by other students, according to the PACER Center.

At a gathering in Portland, state Republican Chairman Charlie Webster announced Romney had won with 2,190 votes, or 39 percent, compared to 1,996 — about 36 percent — for Ron Paul, the only other candidate to aggressively compete in the state. Rick Santorum received 989 votes and Newt Gingrich won 349, but neither actively campaigned there. Other candidates drew 61 votes.

The totals reflected about 84 percent of the state’s precincts. Webster insisted that any caucus results that come in after Saturday wouldn’t be counted no matter how close the vote.

“Some caucuses decided not to participate in this poll and will caucus after this announcement,” Webster said. “Their results will not be factored in. The absent votes will not be factored into this announcement after the fact.”

Romney’s win, combined with his victory in the presidential straw poll at the Conservative Political Action Committee conference in Washington hours earlier, helped slow an embarrassing skid that began Tuesday when he lost contests in Missouri, Minnesota and Colorado to Santorum. The twin triumphs dampened the perception — for now — that conservatives were unwilling to support Romney.

Romney’s campaign has demonstrated skill and flexibility in winning a big state like Florida and eking out a victory in a low-turnout contest like Maine, where organization and voter contact are essential. Out of Maine’s 258,000 registered Republicans, nearly 5,600 cast ballots in the weeklong contest.

But questions about Romney’s durability as the party’s presumed front-runner persist. Fully 61 percent of Maine voters selected another candidate than Romney in a state practically in his back yard. And Romney’s showing was down considerably from 2008, when he won 51 percent of the vote.

Maine’s caucuses began Feb. 4 and continued throughout the week. Several communities elected to hold their caucuses at a later date.

Caucuses in Washington County that had been scheduled for Saturday were postponed until Feb. 18 because of a major snowstorm that blanketed the region. Earlier, party Executive Director Michael Quatrano said county officials had been told the results of that caucus would not count toward the total.

But Washington County GOP Chairman Chris Gardner objected, saying he had known his county’s tally wouldn’t be included in Saturday’s announcement but didn’t realize it wouldn’t be counted at all. He said he had called state party leaders and “expressed my complete and utter dismay.”

Gardner, a Romney supporter, said the snowstorm had left him no choice but to postpone the caucuses.

“Refusal to reconsider under those circumstances would be extremely disheartening,” he told The Associated Press. “I trust that the party will make the right decision here.”

He added, “We will proceed next Saturday. We’ll have our vote and we are going to submit it to the state party for them to reconsider.”

Many Paul supporters were angry.

“There’s a very good chance that you’ll find that Washington County goes for Ron Paul,” said Mark Willis, a county coordinator for the Paul campaign.

His wife, Violet, added, “We don’t want to be disenfranchised.”

Webster told reporters there were less than 200 votes in Washington County and he doubted that including them would have changed the outcome.

Speaking to supporters in Portland, Paul expressed disappointment that only a portion of the state’s caucuses had counted toward the total.

“I wish all the caucuses had met today,” Paul said, adding, “It’s almost like we could call it a tie.”

Romney was attending a fundraiser in California late Saturday, after visiting caucus sites in Maine earlier in the day, where he pressed voters for their backing.

“I thank the voters of Maine for their support,” Romney said in a statement late Saturday. “I’m committed to turning around America. And I’m heartened to have the support of so many good people in this great state.”

Romney visited two caucus sites Saturday after abandoning plans to take the day off. The change made clear that his campaign could ill-afford another loss.

Romney also held a town hall-style meeting in Maine on Friday night. It was the first time he’d taken voter questions since campaigning in South Carolina last month.

Maine’s nonbinding presidential straw poll had drawn virtually none of the hype surrounding recent contests in Florida and Nevada, where candidates poured millions of dollars into television and radio advertising.

Romney’s campaign had placed only a small cable television ad buy airing Friday and Saturday, at a cost of several thousand dollars. But he sent surrogates to the state in recent days and hosted a telephone town hall in addition to Friday’s campaign stop.

Romney consistently declined to criticize Paul, however.

Instead, he lobbed indirect criticism at Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, and Gingrich, a former House speaker, by repeating intensifying rhetoric of recent days that paints them as tainted Washington insiders.

“I have never spent a day in Washington working,” Romney said. “I expect to go there, get it fixed and then go home.”

He added, “In my home with my mom and dad I learned conservative values. In my faith I learned conservative values. And in my business.”

Romney won 11 delegates in Maine and Texas Rep. Ron Paul won 10, according to an analysis by The Associated Press. Former Pennsylvania Sen. Rick Santorum and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich were shut out.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

The former Massachusetts governor is favored as the Republican presidential nominee by 38 percent of the 3,408 respondents. Rivals Rick Santorum drew 31 percent, and Newt Gingrich was favored by 15 percent. All three candidates addressed the Conservative Political Action Conference in Washington on Friday.

Romney had encouraged students to attend the convention, and 44 percent of them participated in the poll.

Texas Rep. Ron Paul had 12 percent. He won the straw poll in the previous two years. Paul did not attend the conference to campaign in Maine.

GOP pollster Tony Fabrizio said the poll was held online for the first time this year and produced the second highest turnout in the conference’s history.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

This contest received far less attention than others on the calendar so far, but emerged as a crucial opportunity for Romney, the early front-runner now trying to stabilize his campaign after embarrassing rout Tuesday in Colorado, Minnesota and Missouri. Santorum won all three, further exposing the problems Romney faces in uniting conservatives behind his bid to challenge President Barack Obama.

“I want to ask for your help today,” the former Massachusetts governor told Portland caucus-goers in a packed school auditorium. “If I get your vote, it’ll help me become our nominee. If I become our nominee, I’m going to beat this guy and bring America back.”

Romney visited two caucus sites Saturday after abandoning plans to take the day off. The change was evidence that his campaign can ill-afford another loss, particularly in a state so close to home and one that he won easily in his unsuccessful 2008 campaign for the nomination.

He also held a town hall-style meeting in Maine on Friday night. It was the first time he’d taken voter questions since campaigning in South Carolina last month.

But the stakes in Maine may be higher for Paul, the libertarian-leaning Texas congressman who has yet to win a single contest despite his vocal and deeply committed band of supporters. Paul hinted Saturday he may not stay in the race if his strategy of focusing on small, lower-cost caucus states such as Maine did not begin to bear fruit.

“I’m going to stay in as long as I’m in the race. And right now I’m in the race,” Paul said when asked whether he would stay in the race until the national convention in August.

Maine’s caucuses began Feb. 4 and have continued throughout the week. Party leaders planned to announce the results Saturday evening.

But there may be some questions about the results, particularly if the vote totals in the low-turnout contest were close, as expected.

Some Maine municipalities don’t vote until Sunday. Also, Washington County, in the state’s rural eastern region, postponed its caucuses until Feb. 18 because of a snow storm, disappointing some participants.

Helen Saccone, of Lubec, said those who wanted to caucus there should have had the chance. “It’s Maine. Life goes on when it snows in Maine,” she said.

The rural region is likely stronger territory for Paul, who has been more active than Romney in the state.

Maine’s nonbinding presidential straw poll had drawn virtually none of the hype surrounding recent contests in Florida and Nevada, where candidates poured millions of dollars into television and radio advertising.

Romney’s campaign had placed only a small cable television ad buy airing Friday and Saturday, at a cost of several thousand dollars. But he sent surrogates to the state in recent days and hosted a telephone town hall in addition to Friday’s campaign stop.

Romney consistently declined to criticize Paul, however.

Instead, he lobbed indirect criticism at Santorum, a former Pennsylvania senator, and Gingrich, a former House speaker, by repeating intensifying rhetoric of recent days that paints them as tainted Washington insiders.

“I have never spent a day in Washington working,” Romney said. “I expect to go there, get it fixed, and then go home.”

Paul made three appearances in the state Saturday, producing cheers and chanting at an early stop in Sanford. He acknowledged the significance of the Maine contest for his candidacy in particular.

Romney will “be better off if he wins it and I’m going to be a lot better off if I win,” Paul said. “So this will give me momentum and it will just maintain his. It’s a pretty important state as far as I’m concerned.”

But the contest comes at a critical time for Romney as well. Eager to prove he can assuage remaining skepticism among his party’s right flank, he said in a Washington speech Friday that he was “a severely conservative Republican governor.” Romney echoed that message in a subsequent campaign stop in Portland and in multiple appearances Saturday.

“In my home with my mom and dad I learned conservative values,” he said. “In my faith I learned conservative values. And in my business.”

Paul counts many conservatives as supporters as well. He won more than 18 percent of the Maine vote in his 2008 presidential bid, and his support has grown since then in a state whose electorate isn’t afraid to back candidates outside the mainstream.

With the next contests not until Feb. 28 in Arizona and Michigan, Romney hoped for a positive showing after arguably his worst week of the year.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

DOJ Division of Law Enforcement Administrator Brian O’Keefe said the agency was so overwhelmed with applications it couldn’t meet its processing deadlines for most of January. But the agency has brought more workers on board to help with processing and the flow of applications has slowed, he said.

“We’re meeting all of our obligations,” O’Keefe said. “(It’s) still a lot to process.”

Under Wisconsin’s new concealed carry law, people could start submitting permit applications to the Justice Department on Nov. 1. The agency is required to run a background check on each applicant and verify he or she has submitted proof of firearms training before issuing a permit. The law gives the agency 45 days to process applications received before Nov. 30 and 21 days to process applications received after that.

DOJ has scrambled to keep up with submissions since the first day the law took effect.

As of Feb. 6, the department’s firearms unit has received 81,728 applications, an average of nearly 834 applications a day, and issued 71,058 permits. The unit received nearly 8,000 applications on one day, O’Keefe said.

Meanwhile, the unit has been overwhelmed with calls to its handgun hotline since the law took effect. Gun dealers call the hotline to initiate background checks on buyers; the firearms unit must complete those checks within 48 hours. The hotline recorded 13,023 calls in December, a new monthly record. Over the first six days of February the hotline received 3,500 calls, including 700 on Feb. 4 alone.

DOJ officials hired 11 additional workers to handle applications and hotline work, but two of them quit and only one was replaced. End-of-the-year holidays also slowed the unit’s efforts.

O’Keefe pulled dozens of administrative workers from elsewhere within DOJ to help with concealed carry applications — the agency has spent $44,000 on overtime for application processing between November and January — but the unit still fell behind. It started missing deadlines on Dec. 29 and stayed behind for three weeks.

The unit caught up again on Jan. 21. Another 11 workers the agency hired on Jan. 3 finished their training and started helping around mid-month, O’Keefe said. The initial rush of application submissions slowed, too, from sometimes thousands a day to hundreds, he said.

The agency has now completed all the 45-day applications and nearly all the workers pulled from other assignments have returned to their regular duties, O’Keefe said.

DOJ spokeswoman Dana Brueck said she couldn’t provide any figures on how many permits were delayed or for how long, although she said some applicants had to wait an additional four or five days.

The agency doesn’t face any formal sanctions for missing the deadlines.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

ST. PAUL (WCCO) — Ramsey County leaders are back on the offense in the stadium game with a new funding proposal to get the Arden Hills stadium site back on the legislature’s radar. The only problem: The Vikings don’t like it.

Rebuffed by legislators not once, but twice, Ramsey County officials delivered a stadium financing plan to Gov. Mark Dayton.

“Our new plan is a game changer,” said Ramsey County Commissioner Tony Bennett. “The site that we have with 260 acres is far and away the best site that there is if you want to do things differently and not be on a 35- or 40-acre site.”

County funding for the Arden Hills stadium would come from user fees, including parking lot naming rights, $25 per vehicle parking fees a 3 percent tax on every Vikings ticket and unspecified hospitality taxes for new hotels, bars and restaurants developed on the stadium site.

Meanwhile, Dayton is visibly frustrated by the lack of progress on any plan, more specifically progress made by Minneapolis.

“I understand now why the Vikings decided: Enough of Minneapolis, we’re going to Arden Hills,” said Dayton.

He’s singling out the Minneapolis City Council and the state legislature for not acting quickly enough on what he calls a stadium “jobs” bill. He warned again: don’t be surprised if the Vikings leave.

“In the real world of sports pro franchises, teams move or they sell to somebody else who will move,” said Dayton. “If you want to play Russian roulette and try to see how long it’s gonna will take for that to happen in Minnesota, I think that’s a very foolish gamble.”

Meanwhile, the Minnesota Vikings are walking a very tight line on this.

On the one hand, they say they appreciate Ramsey County “hanging in there” through all the controversy.

On the other hand, the team has “significant concerns” about the plan, especially the part where Ramsey County gets the parking revenues.

Time has eroded the marble’s fine detail to the point that it’s barely visible. It was plucked off the building by hand during a recent inspection of the Capitol exterior, and conservators say it’s just a small example of $241 million in urgently needed restoration work that will only grow more expensive with time.

“They’re big projects, they’re scary projects, they’re inconvenient projects,” said David Hart, a Utah-based consultant to the Minnesota State Capitol Preservation Commission. “But they’re projects that have to happen. It’s time.”

The spending would address a lack of fresh air circulation, outdated plumbing and tangled electrical wiring so systematic that only a major overhaul will do, the commission says. The building’s sprinkler system and emergency stair exits need updating. And the commission wants to improve public access to legislative offices and create more flexible meeting spaces.

The money won’t come easily. Gov. Mark Dayton didn’t include any funds in his proposed bonding bill. Minnesota’s budget situation is precarious, and other construction projects with more vocal supporters are vying for attention — like the Minnesota Vikings’ bid for a new stadium.

Senate Majority Leader David Senjem, R-Rochester, said the Capitol’s exterior needs repairing. Some of the other items don’t appear as necessary, he said.

“It would be nice to have a larger meeting room, but at what price?” Senjem said.

Rep. Dean Urdahl, a Grove City Republican who sits on the commission, is aware of the tough road ahead. He wants to spread the renovation over two or three bonding bills, and is hoping for bipartisan support.

“We’re going to put significant money into this project, this year,” Urdahl said. Later, he added: “It’s a question of if we don’t do something, will we ever be able to catch up?”

Many states addressed expensive Capitol restorations during the 1980s and 1990s, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Minnesota is one of a handful that has relied on piecemeal fixes.

In Colorado, a balcony once open to visitors was closed off to protect them from parts breaking off the Capitol’s cast-iron dome. Oklahoma’s statehouse saw large barricades sealing off the public from cascading chunks of limestone and mortar. Oregon put off changes to make its building less vulnerable to earthquakes, though experts believe a severe one could kill people inside.

Much of the exterior of Minnesota’s Capitol is headed in the same crumbling direction of that marble chunk, according to the Minnesota State Capitol Preservation Commission. The structure, which features the second-largest stone dome in the world after St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican City, was erected in 1905 at the hand of architect Cass Gilbert. He also designed the United States Supreme Court building.

Today, it’s one of only a few state Capitol buildings of its age that’s yet to undergo a large-scale renovation. Some say the need merits the $241 million price tag, even during a lean time. The issue is coming to a head this year after a decade of planning and a century of small-scale quick fixes.

If approved, the project is slated to start this year and could take five years to complete.

According to the commission, the building has reached a “tipping point” at which certain upgrades changes must be made in one to two years or the building will be beyond preservation and instead demand constant upkeep or complete replacement.

This would mean a loss of cultural and historic value unseen in other states, said Greg Donofrio, an assistant professor of architecture at the University of Minnesota.

“The prominence and significance of Cass Gilbert as an architect is really pretty difficult to over-emphasize,” Donofrio said. “We have one of the first major works of a master architect right downtown in St. Paul.”

Less comprehensive Capitol overhaul initiatives in the last decade were never fully implemented, and often didn’t reach consensus due to clashes over money and priorities.

The necessary electrical, plumbing and mechanical updates reach a combined cost of about $43.1 million, said Wayne Waslaski, a director with the Department of Administration who’s working with the commission. He said they would be cheaper and last longer when done alongside interior efficiency renovations. The exterior stone restoration would cost $17.6 million.

“When you’re making those major system changes, you’re going to impact every room in the building,” Waslaski said. He added that historic lighting and paint work restoration in public spaces is needed, but could be done later.

But Senjem said funding the project in a $241 million lump is “inconceivable.” He said Urdahl’s plan of funding over time might work, but that future legislatures can’t be committed to the project.

Though the building contains health and safety risks, much of the restoration initiative will rely on public support for what many inside the Capitol refer to as “the people’s house.”

Rich Polk of Eagan only came to the building once years ago, but recently returned while on a visit to St. Paul — one of the 120,000 people who annually tour the statehouse.

“It’d be a shame if we as a state can’t maintain our Capitol,” Polk said. “They’ll do something. They can’t just knock this down.”

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — Gov. Mark Dayton vetoed four Republican-sponsored bills Friday that made major changes to the state’s civil legal system, describing the legislation as the product of special interest groups and again criticizing legislative Republicans, saying they’re “too extreme to lead.”

The bills were the first to land on the governor’s desk in the three-week-old legislative session, and his swift vetoes upset Republican leaders, who called the bills a genuine attempt to make the state’s court system friendlier to small-business owners.

“Frankly it’s just a little disheartening, it’s a little disappointing. I think it’s time for the governor to put the spears down,” said Senate Majority Leader Dave Senjem, R-Rochester.

The House passed the four bills earlier in the session with unanimous support from Republicans and some Democratic-Farmer-Labor party votes as well, though more Democrats voted against the bills than for them. The Senate passed the bills in 2011.

The bills would have cut the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits from six years to four, put limits on attorney fees in certain cases, created stronger appeal rights for designation of class-action lawsuits and reduced the interest rate on monetary judgments that are not paid while a case is under appeal.

Dayton criticized Republicans for both the content of the bills and the process by which they were passed.

“The real impact would be to reduce the rights of law-abiding citizens and businesses who seek justice for the wrongdoing of others,” Dayton said.

In addition, Dayton said Republicans failed to consult his administration, legislative Democrats or judicial branch officials while the bills were assembled. He suggested that three of them were directly inspired by nationwide lobbying efforts of the conservative American Legislative Exchange Council.

“I’ve found that Minnesotans don’t want their laws written by lobbyists for big corporations,” Dayton said. He derided GOP notions that the changes would result in a better job climate.

“These bills are laughably referred to as, quote, jobs bills, closed quote. Well, calling a crow a swan doesn’t make it one,” Dayton said.

House Speaker Kurt Zellers said Dayton owes a better explanation to thousands of Minnesota business owners who belong to Minnesotans for Lawsuit Reform, a group that sought the changes.

“He can pick a fight with us all he wants, can call us names,” Zellers said. He said the bills were “about making Minnesota’s business climate more competitive.”

Pointing out that the Senate passed the bills last year, Zellers said Dayton’s administration had ample time to engage in the process that led to the final bills.

“These bills have been out there, they’ve been available, there’s no secrecy,” Zellers said.

The nascent 2012 session is most notable for the Senate’s rejection of one of Dayton’s cabinet appointees and now for Dayton’s vetoes. Amid these frayed relations, the governor will deliver his State of the State Address to a joint session of the Legislature on Wednesday night.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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