Atkins Will Donate Shutdown Pay to Simley Scholarship

District 39B Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL) is one of the 18 members of the Minnesota House or Representatives who have accepted retroactive pay for legislative work during the government shutdown earlier this summer.

But Atkins plans to donate the entire amount of his paycheck to the Inver Grove Heights Community Service Scholarship at Simley High School.

Although Atkins originally said he would have his pay withheld during the shutdown, he eventually decided to accept the money and donate it in the form of a scholarship. He’s decided to donate his $1,393.21 paycheck to the scholarship fund—plus another $106.79 of his own money, to make the full donation an even $1,500.

“I said even before the shutdown that I’d do this,” Atkins said Tuesday. “I wish there hadn’t been a shutdown, but I told people beforehand that if there was, I’d have them hold my pay and then donate it.”

The scholarship will be awarded to a member of the 2012 Simley graduating class.

Atkins, who was heavily involved in the negotiations between Republican leadership and Gov. Mark Dayton in the days leading up to the shutdown, that he was “infuriated” that the two sides weren’t able to reach an agreement

A news release issued Tuesday by the House DFL Caucus noted that when Atkins served as mayor of Inver Grove Heights before his tenure in the Legislature, he objected to a pay raise that was granted in 1993, and began donating his $2,500 raise each year to Simley scholarships and other local youth programs.

During his 10 years as mayor, his donations totaled $25,000, the release said.

Atkins downplayed the donations, but noted that he’s been fielding e-mails and phone calls all day since the news of his legislative pay plans surfaced in the Star Tribune and the Pioneer Press.

“The Star Tribune story had one sentence saying that I was donating to the scholarship at Simley, and I’ve gotten calls and e-mails from people, saying thanks for doing that,” he said. “But the version in the Pioneer Press didn’t say what I was doing with the money.

“I had one couple say they were going to come and protest on my front lawn after they read that, they were so mad that I was taking the pay. So I told them what I was doing with it, and they said, ‘Oh, well, that’s really good.’ I guess no good deed goes unpunished.”

Clarification: The story above has been changed to clarify when Rep. Joe Atkins decided to accept the deferred pay. Atkins originally said he would have the check withheld, but eventually decided to accept the money and donate it.