Senate Majority Leader Dave Senjem and ten other Republican state senators have been fined after an administrative law judge panel concluded they violated state law for distributed a taxpayer-funded flyer that included a fundraising link.
The judges fined Senjem and the other senators $75 each. They also fined Senate Communications Director Steve Sviggum, a former Speaker of the House, $200.
The flyers were printed at the Capitol and distributed by the senators during the February Republican caucuses.
Minnesota DFL Chairman Ken Martin welcomed the ruling. His party had filed a complaint against the Republicans.
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"The conclusion by the court affirms what we have been saying since February: the Senate Republican Caucus broke the law when they decided to use our tax dollars to print partisan campaign literature. This finding comes as no surprise, especially not to anyone who has paid attention to the escalating pattern of lawlessness that has come to define this Republican legislature," Martin said in written statement.
The other GOP senators who were fined were Senate President Michelle Fischbach, Al DeKruif, Chris Gerlach, Gretchen Hoffman, Benjamin Kruse, Ted Lillie, Claire Robling, Ray Vandeveer, Pam Wolf and John Pederson.
