Modeled after more than a dozen veterans courts across the country, the Hennepin County project will bring together social service agencies, the court and probation system, and the Veterans Administration to quickly move qualifying defendants who are veterans into appropriate services and treatment options.

Updated: At 10:45 p.m. Eastern time Sunday, the U. S. House of Representatives voted 219 to 212 to pass a historic bill reforming health care in America. Thirty-four Democrats joined Republicans in opposing the bill.

In a rare bipartisan display between members of Congress, Democratic 1st District Rep. Tim Walz and Republican 3rd District Rep. Erik Paulsen put out a joint press release calling for Minnesota lawmakers to lift the state’s ban on the construction of new nuclear power plants.

There's a headline you don't see every day.

On his Fox News show on Wednesday, Bill O'Reilly briefly highlighted Democrat Rep. Tim Walz for returning his salary bump to the government -- made public last week when the U.S. House of Representatives posted office expenditures online. The comment arose during a discussion with a reporter concerning congressional spending. Here's the transcript via LexisNexis.

O'Reilly: What was the guy in Minnesota['s] name who actually kick[ed] the money back, Tim, what?

The House is expected to vote this week on a financial regulatory overhaul, a priority of the Obama administration.

The legislation would regulate risk across the financial system, impose new curbs on the multitrillion-dollar derivatives market and give the government tools to dissolve failing financial firms. The effort has prompted a big lobbying push by banks and other financial interests.

First District Rep. Tim Walz said he has plenty of questions he wants answered before he decides whether he backs President Obama's proposed troop surge in Afghanistan.

"I think the president is listening to the right folks. I think probably Gen. (Stanley) McChrystal's strategy for Afghanistan as it stands is probably sound, but I am still not convinced of the details," the Democrat said this morning.

A Rochester man will participate in President Obama's Jobs Forum being held Thursday.

Randy Johnson, executive director of Southeast Minnesota Workforce Development, was recommended for the forum by 1st District Rep. Tim Walz.

Johnson will attend both the conference roundtable and the afternoon breakout session titled "Preparing workers and strengthening Main Street Breakout."

The bipartisan energy bill and Walz's wind production bill would expand green jobs, Walz said.

"Randy's role at the event will be to advocate for these kinds of jobs and the retraining programs necessary to put Minnesotans to work in all aspects of green energy, from finance to electrical to agricultural positions," Walz said.

Obama, Vice President Joe Biden and Labor Secretary Hilda Solis are to kick off the forum at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building next to the White House at 1:20 p.m. Obama is to lead a discussion following breakout sessions on several topics.

Rep. Tim Walz, DFL-Minn., said he wasn’t convinced the U.S. should boost troop levels in Afghanistan, hours before President Obama announced plans to do so Tuesday night.

Obama said he’s dispatching 30,000 more U.S. soldiers to Afghanistan in early 2010 to aid the 68,000 troops already there. Their mission will be to pursue al-Qaida, whose members orchestrated the terrorist events of Sept. 11, 2001, and to cripple the Taliban, a radical insurgent group that previously controlled the Afghan government.

Walz, a U.S. Army National Guard veteran who represents southern Minnesota, is “convinced that the threat of al-Qaida is very real.” But Walz said his support for a troop increase relies on Obama outlining a clear plan for when to leave Afghanistan.

WASHINGTON - President Obama's announcement Tuesday that he intends to dramatically increase the U.S. presence in Afghanistan gave way to a debate about the war among Minnesota lawmakers on Capitol Hill that largely steered clear of the partisan divide.

The two veterans in the delegation -- one Republican, one Democrat -- voiced several concerns before Obama made his speech.

Republican John Kline, a 25-year veteran of the Marine Corps who served in Vietnam and whose son will return to Afghanistan next year, said he supports the troop increase, with some reservations. "I'm absolutely supportive of providing more troops," Kline said. "I'm not sure the number is right. My suspicion is it may be a little low, but I can't really assess that until we have a chance to talk to Gen. [Stanley] McChrystal." McChrystal is the top commander for U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

First District Rep. Tim Walz said he has plenty of questions he wants answered before he decides whether he backs President Obama's proposed troop surge in Afghanistan.

"I think the president is listening to the right folks. I think probably Gen. (Stanley) McChrystal's strategy for Afghanistan as it stands is probably sound, but I am still not convinced of the details," the Democrat said this morning.

U.S. Rep. Ron Kind was pleased President Barack Obama took time to weigh all the options in Afghanistan, calling the plan to boost troop numbers "one of the most difficult decisions a president has to make."

"It is important that the policy is worth the sacrifice that our men and women in uniform are making on behalf of our country," the La Crosse Democrat said in a statement released after Obama's speech.

Kind stressed the importance of having Afghanistan as a partner to train and equip Afghan troops and develop a minimal level of self-governance.

WINONA, Minn. -- Christina and Jesse Fladmark were married on Flag Day last year at a band shell on the Mississippi River. They chose the spot largely because Jesse, a soldier, draws strength from the nearby war memorial.

Allen Quist's conservative zeal has long been his political strength -- and his weakness.

It attracted the Republican activists he needed to deny party endorsement to an incumbent governor in 1994, but prevented him from getting the broader support he needed to win the election.

Now Quist is back with fervor, announcing that he's taking aim at Democrat Tim Walz in the First Congressional District. Borrowing a page from past campaigns, Quist is painting his latest opponent as too liberal for his constituents.

Americans agree that the health insurance system in our country is broken. The cost of doing nothing is too great for our nation. If Congress fails to enact reform, things won’t just stay the same — they’ll get worse. That’s why we need the Affordable Health Care for America Act and we need it now.

A recent report released by the Urban Institute illustrates what happens if we remain with the status quo. In Minnesota alone, delaying health insurance reform would hit our communities hard, with the estimated number of uninsured in ten years skyrocketing to 577,000. Nationally, up to 57 million Americans could find themselves uninsured. Unless we enact changes now, those who manage to keep their coverage will pay an even heftier price over the next ten years, with individual and family spending on health care increasing by 49 percent in Minnesota by 2019. And these, according to the report, are the best case scenarios.

Saturday’s vote in the House of Representatives was a victory for working Americans and Minnesotans. Congressman Walz, along with a majority of his colleagues, chose to side with working families instead of propping up the insurance industry. They voted for a comprehensive health insurance reform bill that will provide coverage to 96 percent of Americans, lower costs, expand coverage, make insurance portable, and will reduce the deficit by $30 billion over the next 10 years.

Thank you to Rep. Tim Walz for his vote to pass HR 3962 on Nov. 7.

This bill will help to ensure that all Americans are able to receive health insurance and health care no matter their circumstances.

I have family members who have lost their job and their insurance because of the economic downturn. They will have a difficult time obtaining insurance due to cost and pre-existing conditions. Thank you to Walz for helping them by including an American option (public option).

Surrounded by doctors and nurses, 1st District Rep. Tim Walz said on Tuesday that the final health care bill in Congress would have to include a strong provision aimed at changing how health care is paid for in order to win his support.

Otherwise, the Democrat said, "I don't think we are getting to the heart of reform."

And while many lawmakers have cited the public, government-run option's inclusion in a bill as determining whether they will back it, Walz said that isn't the case for him. He said he is open to other ideas, including a trigger for a public option. But the lack of a public option won't be a deal-breaker for him, Walz said.

Kristy is a Rochester mother and breast cancer survivor. Access to affordable health insurance is a life-or-death matter for her and millions of other Americans.

Last year, Kristy's health insurance premium increased 17 percent. Hard-working Americans every year see premiums rise faster than their take-home pay. This is a financial disaster in progress. If ignored, this will result in an explosion in the number of uninsured individuals, reaching far into the ranks of the gainfully employed and middle class.

Kristy's employer laid off workers this year, in part because of rapidly rising health care costs. Small businesses across America are shedding good workers to cover skyrocketing health care expenses, stifling entrepreneurship and innovation.

Minnesota Congressman Tim Walz said he'll support the House health care bill that's scheduled for a vote on Saturday.

The 1st District Democrat said he can vote for the bill now because it meets several key requirements. Walz said the measure expands coverage to the uninsured, reduced health care costs, improves Medicare and prevents insurers from denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions.

Rep. Tim Walz has been named vice chair of the Subcommittee on Railroads, Pipelines, and Hazardous Materials, which is part of the House Transportation & Infrastructure Committee. The full committee, of course, is chaired by another Minnesotan, Rep. James Oberstar.

Said Oberstar of the appointment: “[Walz] is respected as a hard worker who is focused on real solutions, I am happy to see him gaining prominence and respect in our committee and in the House.”