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FLOOR DEBATE <br />HOUSE OF REPRESENTATWES <br />MARCH 14, 2002 <br /> <br />Speaker of the House: <br />The Representative from Anoka, Rep. Tingelstad. <br /> <br />Rep. Tingelstad: <br />Thank you Mr. Speaker. Well I hope everybody's paying attention. <br />seeing politics at it's worst. This is a game. <br /> <br />Tonight you are <br /> <br />(applause) <br /> <br />I know emotions are really running high, and I gotta tell you this Northstar legislation is <br />the toughest bill I've ever carried. But if you believe in something, if it's going to work, <br />you follow it through to the end. <br /> <br />You know through this process I've lost a lot of friends, and I feel bad about that because <br />I really thought you were my friends. I've been called greedy. I've been called a caucus <br />buster. I'm really a bad person over here for doing what I think is right, for doing what <br />people in my community say we need! <br /> <br />Let me tell you. We are underrepresented here in the House of Representatives. After <br />Tuesday we get some new maps for redistricting. There's gonna be four more members <br />from Anoka County, Sherburne County, Benton County - then we get the correct <br />representation for an area that is really important to our state. <br /> <br />This just drives me crazy. I can't believe these games. What's come up here? Right <br />now we're on the homeless issue. Okay they want us to vote against homeless. Next we <br />have anti-terrorism equipment grant. Okay they want us to vote against that. But the <br />killer of all. Student per pupil funding. This is getting ridiculous. <br /> <br />Mr. Speaker I appreciate the process we've gone through tonight. I appreciate that you <br />allowed us to follow the process. In the transportation finance committee Rep. <br />Westerberg had the amendment for $60 million. He got the votes. It went on the bill. <br />What happened? The bill was pulled. So next, the bill failed, they voted no on the bill <br />because it had the Northstar amendment on it. Okay, next step. We do our work. <br />Capital Investment. I offer the amendment for $30 million. It goes on. After working <br />really hard with all the Capital Investment .,. Capital Investment Committee thought it <br />was right. It went on. So what happens next? It goes to Ways and Means and it gets <br />peeled off. You don't even leave me a respectable 8 or 9 million to negotiate with the <br />Senate - you zero it out! <br /> <br />And here we are back at the House. We follow the process again. 71 votes. Bi-partisan. <br />This is a sham all these amendments! Members, we're trying to stay away from bad <br />politics, and I think tonight we're giving bad politics quite a name. <br /> <br />(applause) <br /> <br /> <br />