Gretchen Hoffman
Encyclopedia
Gretchen M. Hoffman is a Minnesota
politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate
who represents District 10, which includes all or portions of Becker
, Otter Tail
and Wadena
counties in the northwestern part of the state. A Republican
, she is a registered nurse and a former small business owner.
Hoffman was first elected in 2010. She is currently a member of the Capital Investment, the Health and Human Services, the Judiciary and Public Safety, and the Taxes committees. Her special legislative concerns include taxes, health and human services, and E-12 education.
On May 20, 2011, during a Health and Human Services budget debate, Hoffman tweeted: "#Sen Goodwin just called people with mental illness- idiots and imbeciles- while debating HHS bill #offensive #mndfl #mnsrc #mnleg" As a result of this tweet, which Senator Barb Goodwin
called "mean-spirited" and a deliberate misrepresentation of her statement, an ethics complaint was filed against Hoffman by Senator Ann Rest
. On June 21, 2011, the complaint was dismissed by the Ethics Committee after she apologized to Goodwin, removed her original tweet and tweeted a link to the committee’s report on the case.
Hoffman was raised in Fargo, North Dakota
. She graduated from Fargo South High School
and later completed her R.N.
training. She has worked as a cardiac intensive care nurse, an emergency room nurse, a staff nurse, and a Chemotherapy
and Oncology
nurse. She currently sits on the board of directors of GPK Products, Inc., a family-owned manufacturer of PVC
water and wastewater
fittings. She also volunteers at a local Pro-Life
Clinic as a receptionist and nurse. She is a member of the National Rifle Association
.
Minnesota
Minnesota is a U.S. state located in the Midwestern United States. The twelfth largest state of the U.S., it is the twenty-first most populous, with 5.3 million residents. Minnesota was carved out of the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and admitted to the Union as the thirty-second state...
politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate
Minnesota Senate
The Minnesota Senate is the upper house in the Minnesota Legislature. There are 67 members, half as many as are in the Minnesota House of Representatives. In terms of membership, it is the largest upper house of any state legislature. Each Senate district in the state includes an A and B House...
who represents District 10, which includes all or portions of Becker
Becker County, Minnesota
Becker County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 32,504. Its county seat is Detroit Lakes. A portion of the White Earth Indian Reservation extends into the county.-History:...
, Otter Tail
Otter Tail County, Minnesota
Otter Tail County is a county located in the U.S. state of Minnesota. As of 2010, the population was 57,303. Its county seat is Fergus Falls.-History:...
and Wadena
Wadena County, Minnesota
As of the census of 2000, there were 13,713 people, 5,426 households, and 3,608 families residing in the county. The population density was 26 people per square mile . There were 6,334 housing units at an average density of 12 per square mile...
counties in the northwestern part of the state. A Republican
Republican Party of Minnesota
The Republican Party of Minnesota is the Minnesota branch of the United States Republican Party. Elected by the party’s state central committee in June 2009, its chairman is Tony Sutton, and its deputy-chairman is Michael Brodkorb.-Early history:...
, she is a registered nurse and a former small business owner.
Hoffman was first elected in 2010. She is currently a member of the Capital Investment, the Health and Human Services, the Judiciary and Public Safety, and the Taxes committees. Her special legislative concerns include taxes, health and human services, and E-12 education.
On May 20, 2011, during a Health and Human Services budget debate, Hoffman tweeted: "#Sen Goodwin just called people with mental illness- idiots and imbeciles- while debating HHS bill #offensive #mndfl #mnsrc #mnleg" As a result of this tweet, which Senator Barb Goodwin
Barb Goodwin
Barbara J. "Barb" Goodwin is a Minnesota politician, a current member of the Minnesota Senate representing District 50, and a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives who represented District 50A. The district includes portions of Anoka and Ramsey counties in the northern Twin...
called "mean-spirited" and a deliberate misrepresentation of her statement, an ethics complaint was filed against Hoffman by Senator Ann Rest
Ann Rest
Ann H. Rest is a Minnesota politician and a member of the Minnesota Senate representing District 45, which includes portions of the western suburbs of Hennepin County in the Twin Cities metro area. A Democrat, she was first elected to the Senate in 2000, and was re-elected in 2002, 2006 and 2010...
. On June 21, 2011, the complaint was dismissed by the Ethics Committee after she apologized to Goodwin, removed her original tweet and tweeted a link to the committee’s report on the case.
Hoffman was raised in Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo, North Dakota
Fargo is the largest city in the U.S. state of North Dakota and the county seat of Cass County. In 2010, its population was 105,549, and it had an estimated metropolitan population of 208,777...
. She graduated from Fargo South High School
Fargo South High School
Fargo South High School is a public high school built in 1967 and located in Fargo, North Dakota. The main campus serves about 1,600 students, while freshmen attend South Campus II , bringing the total student population to around 2,100. The school is a part of the Fargo Public Schools system...
and later completed her R.N.
Registered nurse
A registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program at a university or college and has passed a national licensing exam. A registered nurse helps individuals, families, and groups to achieve health and prevent disease...
training. She has worked as a cardiac intensive care nurse, an emergency room nurse, a staff nurse, and a Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy
Chemotherapy is the treatment of cancer with an antineoplastic drug or with a combination of such drugs into a standardized treatment regimen....
and Oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
nurse. She currently sits on the board of directors of GPK Products, Inc., a family-owned manufacturer of PVC
PVC
Polyvinyl chloride is a plastic.PVC may also refer to:*Param Vir Chakra, India's highest military honor*Peripheral venous catheter, a small, flexible tube placed into a peripheral vein in order to administer medication or fluids...
water and wastewater
Wastewater
Wastewater is any water that has been adversely affected in quality by anthropogenic influence. It comprises liquid waste discharged by domestic residences, commercial properties, industry, and/or agriculture and can encompass a wide range of potential contaminants and concentrations...
fittings. She also volunteers at a local Pro-Life
Pro-life
Opposition to the legalization of abortion is centered around the pro-life, or anti-abortion, movement, a social and political movement opposing elective abortion on moral grounds and supporting its legal prohibition or restriction...
Clinic as a receptionist and nurse. She is a member of the National Rifle Association
National Rifle Association
The National Rifle Association of America is an American non-profit 501 civil rights organization which advocates for the protection of the Second Amendment of the United States Bill of Rights and the promotion of firearm ownership rights as well as marksmanship, firearm safety, and the protection...
.