January 28, 1999 - Governor Jesse Ventura today unveils his plan for spending the state's money over the next two years. Legislators and lobbyists have been eagerly awaiting this day, because Ventura's budget will give them a better sense of the new governor's priorities -- and his politics.
January 28, 1999 - Minnesota's telecommunications laws were written well before today's world of wireless phones, satellite communications, and Internet access. Now, legislators and telecom experts say the laws should be re-written to bring them up-to-date.
January 28, 1999 - The Minnesota Supreme Court has struck down the State's system of settling child support disputes out of court as unconstitutional. Some legislators say the ruling will lead to backlogs and risks millions of dollars in federal welfare funding. The court ruled Minnesota cannot use administrative law judges to modify child support orders after July first.
January 29, 1999 - Also on Midmorning today, Governor Ventura talked more about his decision to apply for a concealed weapons permit. MPR's Kathryn Lanpher asked the governor why he feels he needs to carry a gun.
January 29, 1999 - Governor Ventura says he's struck a good balance between tax relief and spending in his budget for 2000 and 2001. The Governor laid out his spending plan yesterday evening for legislators and the media.
January 29, 1999 - Governor Ventura's budget has widened the rift between him and Republicans on the number-one issue of this legislative session: tax relief. Republicans say Ventura has reneged on his campaign promise to give the state's surplus money back to ALL the taxpayers, the Governor says he IS giving it back -- but he's also looking out for interests of middle-income Minnesotans.
January 29, 1999 - Governor Ventura's budget is getting higher marks from Democratic lawmakers than from Republicans. Senate DFL'ers generally like Ventura's stance on taxes and tobacco money, while House Republicans question whether the Governor is living up to his fiscally-conservative campaign rhetoric.
January 29, 1999 - The Governor's budget sets aside one-point-three billion dollars of the state's tobacco settlement. Ventura says he wants to invest the tobacco windfall in Minnesota families, medical research and public health. But not everyone at the Capitol agrees with his method of spending the money.
January 29, 1999 - One of the losers in Governor Ventura's budget proposal is public broadcasting. Ventura says he wants to gradually eliminate state subsidies for public radio and public television stations in Minnesota. The stations, some of which are in rural areas, say its money they can't afford to lose.
January 29, 1999 - A coalition of African American ministers and other community leaders today denounced Governor Jesse Ventura for failing to include any African Americans among his appointees. The group is demanding a meeting with the governor. But Governor Ventura is standing by his hiring decisions.