session weekly march 19, 1999 vol. 16, number 11

HF1897-HF2182

A Nonpartisan Publication of the Minnesota House of Representatives ♦ March 19, 1999 ♦ Volume 16, Number 11

2 SESSION WEEKLY / March 19, 1999

Session Weekly is a nonpartisanpublication of the Minnesota House ofRepresentatives Public InformationOffice. During the 1999-2000 LegislativeSession, each issue reports daily Houseaction between Thursdays of each week,lists bill introductions and upcomingcommittee meeting schedules, and pro-vides other information. The publicationis a service of the Minnesota House.No fee.

To subscribe, contact:Minnesota House of RepresentativesPublic Information Office175 State Office BuildingSt. Paul, MN 55155-1298(651) 296-2146 or1-800-657-3550TTY (651) 296-9896

DirectorLeClair G. Lambert

Acting Assistant Director/EditorNick Healy

Acting Assistant EditorSandy Donovan

Art & Production CoordinatorPaul Battaglia

WritersJon Fure, Sarah Hallonquist,Grant Martin, Paul Wahl

Chief PhotographerTom Olmscheid

PhotographersGina Dabrowski, Laura Phillips,Andrew Von Bank

Office ManagerNicole Wood

Staff AssistantsIvan Weiss Jr., Jennifer Ridgeway

Session Weekly (ISSN 1049-8176) is pub-lished weekly during the legislative session bythe Minnesota House of Representatives Pub-lic Information Office, 100 Constitution Ave.,St. Paul, MN 55155-1298. Periodicals postagepaid at St. Paul, MN, and at additional mailingoffices. POSTMASTER: Send address changesto Session Weekly, Public Information Office,Minnesota House of Representatives, 175 StateOffice Building, 100 Constitution Ave.,St. Paul, MN 55155-1298.

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Reflections

On the cover: Speaker Steve Sviggum leads House Republicans to a meeting in Room 217 in the Capitol.

—Photo by Tom Olmscheid

INSIDEHighlights ........................................................................................................................5

A Closer Look: Abortion bills advance ................................................................18

Governor’s Desk (CH1-CH17) ................................................................................. 20

Bill Introductions (HF1897-HF2182).................................................................... 21

Committee Schedule (March 22-26) ....................................................................28

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Minnesota House of Representatives • March 19, 1999 • Volume 16, Number 11

Eight-hour days began to last longer as members raced to meet the first committeedeadline of March 19. Committee chairs were working overtime to get policy billsprepared for discussion on the House floor.

The race continues for the next six weeks — right up until May 17 when legislatorsmust adjourn the first of two years in the 81st biennial session. By law, work must endat midnight of the third Monday following the third Saturday of the fifth month, in anodd-numbered year.

When the House and Senate reconvene in the second year, legislative business must becompleted during a time not to exceed a total of 120 days within the two-year period.Only the governor can convene a special session any time during the Legislature’s interimperiod, but he cannot control its duration.

As of the March 19 deadline, members had introduced a record 2,182 bills in theHouse. Of these, hundreds had moved out of House committees to be heard in thechamber by the full House. Many are yet to be acted on, while some have been re-referredto other committees. Any bills that originated in the House this session will now only beheard in finance committees, Ways and Means, or the House Rules and LegislativeAdministration Committee.

All activity around the Capitol now increases. Lobbyists can be seen on their cellphones talking more to unknown listeners; they also hang out more often at the chamberdoor, hoping to discuss a bill with a legislator. As the cafeterias get more crowded, itbecomes difficult to get in and out during a quick lunch break. Also, staff and membersget a bit tired, but understandably so.

March 19 can be considered the halfway mark of this first year of session. By now, newpages in the sergeant’s office have learned how to dodge the crowds blocking the hallwaysand filling the elevators in the State Office Building. And they’ve learned the names andfaces of 134 members. Now, standing and walking for hours is not even a major problem.

Committee deadlines prevail year after year. In spite of increased activity or lackthereof on some bills, everyone’s hard work results in new policies for Minnesotans andfunding to keep the state in operation.

A second deadline comes up on March 31, when bills that met the first deadline musthave their companion file passed out of policy committees in the other legislative body.

The final deadline for this Legislature is April 16. By then, every major funding bill ispieced together with directives or appropriations for issues favored by each caucus in theHouse and Senate, as well as special projects on the governor’s list.

Once the smoke clears on Tuesday, May 18, legislators head home to all corners of thestate. One can only surmise that the total number of bills passed, failed, or vetoed duringthe first five months of 1999, will be worthwhile for every resident in the state ofMinnesota.

—LeClair Grier Lambert

3March 19, 1999 / SESSION WEEKLY

By Sarah Hallonquist

Efforts to lower Minnesota’s license tab feesare beginning to resemble the process of nego-tiating a potential tax rebate. Everybody has aplan, but none of the plans are the same.

While neither the House nor the Senate haspassed a bill yet, committees in both bodieshave heard several proposals, including onesupported by Gov. Jesse Ventura.

But with the looming possibility of a tab feereduction, lawmakers on the House transpor-tation committees are clamoring to find a wayto fill the gap that would result in the state’shighway fund. Currently, less than 1 percentof the state’s general fund dollars are targetedtoward transportation.

Add those two factors to a multi-billiondollar list of proposed transportation projectsfor the next two decades, and you get a fund-ing crunch that some legislators see as exacer-bating the already contentious process ofgetting a major transportation projectapproved.

The House Transportation Finance Com-mittee approved a bill March 17 that wouldlower tab fees but not in the manner proposedby the governor.

Sponsored by Rep. Bill Kuisle (R-Rochester),the plan would lower tab fees for most vehiclesand provide a constitutional amendment to makesure transportation funding is secured in thefuture.

The bill (HF446) would increase highwayfunding, but at the expense of about $120million from the general fund — money usu-ally dedicated to other government agencies.Kuisle’s bill now moves to the House TaxesCommittee.

The transportation finance panel rejectedthe governor’s plan, which was tacked ontoanother tab fee reduction bill underconsideration.

Ventura wants to change the current systemso that motorists would pay no more than $75to renew their license tabs each year. Under hisplan, vehicle owners would pay the current taxonly during the first year of their vehicle’s life.

The current registration tax rate is $10 plus1.25 percent of the vehicle’s suggested retailprice. However, when the vehicle is 3 yearsold, the percentage is dropped to 90 percentand is lowered consistently as the vehicle ages.When a vehicle is more than 10 years old, themotorist pays a flat fee of $35.

Transportation spending . . .

Urge to cut fees, need for funding pressure lawmakers

Ventura would retain the current deprecia-tion schedule for vehicles more than 1 yearold, but if the calculation comes to more than$75, the motorist would only have to paythe $75.

If the calculation is less than $75 but morethan $35, than the motorist would pay thatamount. That would leave cars more than 10years old still paying the $35 flat fee, under thegovernor’s plan.

But both proposals would leave a hole in theHighway User Tax Distribution Fund, a potthat provides money for highway projects state-wide.

The governor is recommending a transferof money from the general fund to cover thelosses for the first year. But in subsequentyears, the loss to the fund would increase to anestimated $40.3 million in 2003.

The current highway system is supportedlargely by a state constitutional amendmentthat dedicates certain percentages of the gastax and fees for license plates and tabs to ahighway fund.

That fund is divided into three parts: 69percent goes to the trunk highway fund, 29percent goes to the county state-aid highwayfund, and 9 percent goes to the municipalstate-aid street system.

Federal subsidies, driver’s license fees, andother miscellaneous funds also support thetrunk highway fund. The state can also sellbonds to pay for highway projects.

Kuisle’s bill would constitutionally dedi-cate 50 percent of the proceeds from the mo-tor vehicle sales tax to transportation projects.Thirty percent would go into the HighwayUser Tax Distribution Fund, and 20 percentwould go into a new transit assistance fund.The remaining 50 percent would stay in thegeneral fund, where the all proceeds from themotor vehicle sales now go.

Voters would be asked to approve this pro-vision by voting on a constitutional amend-ment placed on the November 2000 ballot.

In the 1980s, the Legislature put into law aplan to transfer some motor vehicle sales taxmoney into the highway fund, but it was notsecured with a constitutional amendment. Thestate did transfer a small percentage of motorvehicle sales tax revenues for a few years, butthe Legislature repealed the law when the gen-eral fund needed the extra money.

Some lawmakers want to see all motor ve-hicle sales tax funds devoted to transportationprojects. Rep. Alice Hausman (DFL-St. Paul)said the Kuisle proposal is a “Band-Aid” ontransportation funding. She said she would

Photo illustration by Tom Olmscheid

Lawmakers on House transportation committees are studying a number of plans to reduce license tabfees while maintaining funds for highway and transit projects statewide.

4 SESSION WEEKLY / March 19, 1999Photo from 1949 Legislative Manual.

When former Rep.Louis W. Hill Jr. served onthe House Civil Adminis-tration Committee in 1951,he received a letter from ayoung St. Paul lawyer urg-ing him to support a bill

that would raise district judge salaries from$9,500 to $13,500 per year.

The lawyer said that he was particularlyconcerned that judges make a decent livingbecause he had judicial aspirations of hisown.

In his reply, Hill promised that attorney— a fellow named WarrenBurger — that he would sup-port an increase but that hewasn’t sure he could supportthe entire amount recom-mended in the bill.

While Hill may not haverealized that his young so-licitor would go on to be-come chief justice of the U. S.Supreme Court, he was nostranger to prominentAmericans.

Hill’s grandfather, JamesJ. Hill, made the family for-tune in railroads, and the family domi-nated public life in St. Paul at the turn ofthe century.

Louis W. Hill Jr. was the first member ofthe Hill dynasty to become politically ac-tive, serving in the Minnesota House from1937 to 1951.

Although born to wealth and affluence,Hill was required to earn his way into thefamily business.

He was given his first job as assistanttimekeeper, extra gang, for Great North-ern Railway in St. Paul in 1927.

Hill adopted that same “common man”philosophy when he began his quest for of-fice in 1937. He campaigned for seven months,pushing every doorbell in his district — thearea along Summit Avenue in St. Paul oftencalled the “silk-stocking ward.”

But Hill didn’t confine his campaigningto those who owned the stately mansions;he was often seen talking with kitchen help,maids, deliverymen, and doormen.

Hill, only 34 at the time, ran as a liberaland was elected in a year when Franklin D.Roosevelt swept to the presidency.

The Yale-educated Hill beat the incum-bent, Albert Kueffner, in the primary and

Railroad heir brought family ethic to Housedefeated both Daniel D. O’Connell andKueffner, who ran as an independent, inthe general election.

Several pundits of the day wonderedwhether Hill was running because he hadnothing better to do or because he wasgenuinely interested in public service.

One newspaper noted Hill was “richenough to be an idler without distinc-tion” but added that if he wanted to fol-low the family tradition of hard work,“he’ll find plenty of it in government.”

Hill brought with him to the House abroad background in philanthropic and

civic organizations, includ-ing work with the Minne-sota Historical Society.

His district includedthe Minnesota Club, whichat the time boasted mem-bers including such lumi-naries as Elmer L.Andersen, president ofH.B. Fuller Co.; Charles K.Blandin, president ofBlandin Paper Co., andWilliam L. McKnight,chairman of the board of3M.

But Hill’s tenure in the House provedto the satisfaction of most that his inter-ests were varied and diverse. Among othercauses, he championed setting up gamefarms for pheasant hunters. And his ca-pacity to grasp the problems of the disad-vantaged was large.

Hill’s votes reflect a diversity of view-points, sometimes staunchly conserva-tive — at least by today’s standards — andat other times, quite liberal.

In his waning days in the House, Hillwas appointed to the Tuberculosis Facili-ties Commission. The panel was chargedwith examining the 12 sanitariums in thestate devoted to assisting people recover-ing from the dreaded disease.

Interestingly, some of the issues sur-rounding those institutions remain con-cerns today — adequate funding,rehabilitation programs, reducing the sizeand intrusiveness of the institutions, andproviding adequate benefits and services.Hill expressed an inordinate capacity forcare and concern where victims of tuber-culosis were concerned.

Hill died April 6, 1995, at his home inNorth Oaks. He was 92.

Rep. Louis W. Hill Jr.

rather see the committee ask for 100 percent ofmotor vehicle sales tax proceeds from thebeginning.

“What concerns me is that we settle for toolittle,” Hausman said.

Because the House has been focusing onworking out details of a potential income-taxreduction, the success of a cut in tab feesremains an unanswered question in the HouseTaxes Committee.

Yet another way to raise transportation rev-enue is to increase the gas tax, but lawmakershave expressed doubts about doing so in lightof the state’s budget surplus.

The Senate Transportation Committeepassed a tab fee reduction plan with a $60million provision for light rail funding, whichhas not been a priority for the House commit-tees this year.

Rep. Tom Workman (R-Chanhassen), chairof the House Transportation Policy Commit-tee, is sponsoring two bills that would addressother aspects of transportation projects. Onebill (HF939) would transfer the funding of theMinnesota State Patrol to the general fund,instead of the trunk highway fund.

The other bill (HF698) would set up a ma-jor transportation projects commission madeup of legislators and a corps of gubernatorialappointees. In an attempt to “de-politicize”the process of getting highway constructionprojects approved, the commission would havethe sole authority to rubber-stamp projectssubmitted by the Minnesota Department ofTransportation.

Workman said he wants to see the dollarsused efficiently for transportation-relatedprojects. But he joins his House colleagues intheir worries that transportation funding isnot high-profile enough to get attention.

“If we’ve got good times, and we can’t get anincrease in funds, what’s going to happen inbad times?” said Rep. Bernie Lieder (DFL-Crookston).

Where to findinformation

House Public Information Office175 State Office Building(651) 296-2146 or 1-800-657-3550

The House Public Information Office is anonpartisan office that provides committeemeeting schedules; legislator information; andpublications, including the Session Weeklynewsmagazine, educational brochures for allages, and member directories. All informa-tion is available at no charge.

Most of what this office publishes can beviewed on the Legislature’s World Wide Webpage. To connect, point your web browser at:http://www.leg.state.mn.us


Week in Review . . . March 11 - 18 , 1999

AGRICULTURE

Wolf plan moves ahead

The House Environment and Natural Re-sources Policy Committee approved a billMarch 16 that would establish a statewidewolf management plan.

Supporters say the plan is necessary becausethe federal government is set to remove thegray wolf from the Endangered Species Act.

A group of 34 citizens representing variousinterests began meeting as a roundtable in1997 to discuss ecological issues and othercontroversial aspects of a wolf managementplan.

That roundtable led to a bill (HF1415),sponsored by Rep. Tim Finseth (R-Angus).

But the bill was amended in the HouseAgriculture Policy Committee, and some ofthe original roundtable participants testifiedagainst the new version.

Tom Meyers, a regional director for theMinnesota Conservation Federation, urgedthe environment panel to return the bill to itsoriginal text because the changes underminethe consensus of the 34 participants in theroundtable.

“None of us got what we wanted, but everyone of us got what we needed at that time. Andwe all raised our hand and voted yes,” Meyers

said. “As it stands, (the bill) breaks theconsensus irrevocably.”

Others testified that the consensus was al-ready weakened because the group was tryingto meet a deadline and they felt pressured toreach an agreement in order to avoid having toaccept a plan they liked even less.

Under the bill, illegal hunting of a gray wolfwould be a gross misdemeanor and the resti-tution value of a wolf would be set at $250.

Also, a trained guard animal could protectlivestock from gray wolves, a gray wolf couldbe killed if it attacked a human or threatenedlivestock or other animals, and a person couldharass a gray wolf if it is within 500 yards ofpeople, buildings, livestock, or other domesticanimals. A killed wolf would have to be re-ported to a conservation officer within 48hours.

In addition, trapping and hunting proce-dures would be established if the wolf popula-tion exceeds 1,600. Trapping and huntingwould not be allowed in the Boundary WatersCanoe Area Wilderness.

Karlyn Berg testified against the bill on be-half of the U.S. Humane Society. She said theplan should be “ecologically sound, based onresponsible stewardship.”

“We have always supported taking wolvesfor (attacking livestock),” she said. “But itshouldn’t be allowed if farmers don’t followgood husbandry.”

Berg said her organization advocates farm-ing practices — including using guard ani-mals — that discourage wolves from attacking,instead of having farmers simply shootingwolves.

Rep. Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) defended theamended version of the bill, saying it wouldgive wolves more than one million acres ofsanctuary. And the wolf population in Minne-sota has exceeded the requirements to comeoff the endangered list, which has led to moreconflicts with people.

“The Endangered Species Act has really donesomething in Minnesota,” he said. “If the num-ber of wolves is already higher than (requiredto be dropped from list), why would we allowthe numbers to continue to grow evenfurther?”

Rep. Alice Hausman (DFL-St. Paul) pro-posed an amendment that would restore thebill to the roundtable plan that was intro-duced, but the committee rejected the pro-posal.

“We don’t legislate by roundtable; we legis-late by representative democracy,” saidRep. Mike Osskopp (R-Lake City).

The bill now moves to the House floor.

Can farmers market?

You can grow the greatest product in theworld, but if you can’t find someone to buy it,it’s worthless. That’s the logic used by sup-porters of a marketing program called “Min-nesota Marketplace.”

A bill (HF1091) that would provide $950,000in seed money for the plan over the next twoyears was approved March 17 by the HouseAgriculture Policy Committee.

Rep. Torrey Westrom (R-Elbow Lake),sponsor of the bill, said the idea is to connectproducers with consumers. He told the com-mittee that currently most farmers simply droptheir product at the local elevator and let themdo the marketing.

Under “Minnesota Marketplace,” coopera-tives would be formed to find and create pro-duce markets.

Each dollar of state money would bematched by 50 cents of private money. Theorganization would focus on the needs ofwest-central and northwestern Minnesota,areas of the state particularly hard-hit by themost recent farm downturn.

Tom Meyers, left, regional director for the Minnesota Conservation Federation, expresses concern overa wolf management bill presented March 16 to the House Environment and Natural Resources PolicyCommittee. Karlyn Berg, right, from Humane Society of the United States, testifies in opposition to thebill at the same hearing.


The idea has broad support from growersassociations across the state.

Kurt Knutson, president of the MinnesotaBarley Growers Association, said it’s tough forMinnesota’s farmers to compete with foreignmarkets where agriculture is often heavily sub-sidized. He said farmers are traditionally goodat producing but poor at marketing.

Zachary Fore, a University of Minnesotacropping systems specialist, said farmers to-day grow a lot of crops that are not profitable.With a concentrated effort on finding mar-kets, that situation could be turned around.

Westrom said he envisions the idea as apilot project and believes the organization willbe self-supporting within five years.

Members of the agriculture panel generallysupported the idea, but wanted to make cer-tain this new program wasn’t a duplication ofother efforts.

Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba (DFL-LongPrairie) said the state already supports theAgricultural Utilization and Research Insti-tute, which has similar goals.

Knutson said the new organization wouldhave close ties to the institute but would dowork that isn’t being accomplished anywhereelse.

Rep. Bob Ness (R-Dassel) said the instituteis devoted more to technology transfer andnot to soliciting markets.

“We need to work collaboratively to getbeyond where we are today bringing value-added closer to the consumer,” Ness said,adding that the Minnesota Department ofAgriculture and other entities would also haveto get on board eventually to make it work.

The bill moves to the House Agricultureand Rural Development Finance Committee.

ARTS

Prison art challenged

The state usually spends 1 percent of abuilding’s construction budget to buy art, but abill that would prohibit that money from beingspent on art for state correctional facilities wonapproval from two House committees.

“I believe we as legislators are here to setpriorities, and as much as art adds to theambiance of a prison, I feel this is not a wiseway to use state resources,” said Rep.Marty Seifert (R-Marshall), sponsor of the bill(HF82).

The bill was approved March 11 by theHouse Governmental Operations and Veter-ans Affairs Policy Committee and March 18by the House Capital Investment Committee.

A 1984 state law authorizes the appropria-

tion, which is administered through the Min-nesota Department of Administration, basedon the costs of a new building or alterationproject that costs more than $500,000. Themoney can be used for art in or around thebuilding.

Seifert said that law allows up to $890,000 tobe spent on art for the state correctional facil-ity being built in Rush City. But, he said,officials for that project do not plan to spendthat much money for art.

However, other correctional facilities haveused the 1-percent appropriation for artprojects. The correctional facility in Faribaulthas used the money for three different artprojects: $40,000 for five benches sculptedfrom granite, $44,000 for a mural and trellis atthe entrance of a building for visitors, and$15,000 for several murals with messages thatare designed to encourage inmates to stay outof prison after they are released.

Rep. Mary Murphy (DFL-Hermantown)said that the 1-percent appropriation can beused to connect the hosting community to theprison — like a sculpture in a prison gate — orin public spaces.

“There are other ways of looking at this thanjust saying no to 1 percent,” she said.

“I just think that in a world of priorities, thisjust isn’t a high priority for people,” Seifertsaid.


BANKING

Banking in Outing

A new law effective March 16 willallow a bank to open a branch of-fice in the small community ofOuting, located in southern CassCounty.

The law provides an exception tocurrent state law that prohibits banks fromoperating in townships. Outing is an unincor-porated city in Crooked Lake Township.

Minnesota’s “home office protection law”allows banks to establish branch offices incities with a population less than 10,000 onlywith consent from all the banks that have theirhome office in that city. Banks are also prohib-ited from getting around that law by openingin townships just outside city limits.

Rep. Kris Hasskamp (DFL-Crosby), Housesponsor of the new measure, said First Na-tional Bank of Crosby had planned to open anoffice in Outing, assuming it was an incorpo-rated city. Because Outing has its own postoffice and zip code, many people don’t realizethat it has never been incorporated, she said.

Sen. David Ten Eyck (DFL-East Gull Lake)sponsored the proposal in the Senate.

HF248*/SF324/CH7

BUDGET

Signedby the

governor

CHILDREN

The cost of government

The House passed a resolution March 15that would set targets for the price of govern-ment over the next four years. The vote was111-21.

Current law requires that the Legislaturepass a concurrent resolution every two yearsstating revenue targets in relation to personalincome for the upcoming two budget periods.

The resolution passed by the House statesthat the price of government over both the2000-01 and 2002-03 budget periods shouldn’texceed 17.3 percent of personal income.

The Senate version of the resolution callsfor targets of 17.6 percent for 2000-2001 and17.5 percent for 2002-2003.

Rep. Dave Bishop (R-Rochester), sponsorof the resolution, said that the House versionof the resolution would call for $390 millionless in taxes over the 2000-2001 budget thanthe Senate version.

The concurrent resolution passed in 1997set the maximum share of personal incomecollected in taxes at 17.8 percent in 1998-99and 17.7 percent in 2000-01.

“I think we’re showing a very steady declinein the price of government as a percentage ofMinnesota’s income,” Bishop said.

The resolution now goes back to the Senate.

Defrauding day care

Fraud could be occurring in about 10 percentof state-funded child-care programs in Minne-sota, said Dan Haley, director of the ProgramIntegrity Projects Team at the state’s Depart-ment of Human Services.

Haley testified in support of a bill (HF1318)that would set up a fraud-prevention programaimed specifically at child-care programs. Thebill was considered March 15 by the HouseFamily and Early Childhood Education Fi-nance Committee.

Child-care fraud can take many forms, in-cluding parents falsifying their incomes toqualify for assistance or lying about the cost ofchild care in order to make a profit fromassistance provided by the state governmentand the federal government.

Rep. Barb Sykora (R-Excelsior) is sponsor-


ing the bill, which calls for a statewide applica-tion form for all child-care programs. Cur-rently, all 87 counties administer child-carefunds and programs using separate applica-tion forms, making it difficult for officials tokeep track of families in the system.

In addition, the bill would set up penaltiesfor people who intentionally commit child-care fraud. The first offense would result in athree-month suspension from child-care as-sistance, the second offense would result in asix-month suspension, and the third offensewould deny assistance for two years. After afourth offense, a person would be perma-nently ineligible to receive child-care assis-tance.

Haley, whose program already investigateswelfare fraud, said his investigators could startworking on child-care fraud immediately af-ter the measure becomes law. He said the billis a “necessary first step in child-care programintegrity.”

Sykora said the $350,000 per year that wouldbe spent to investigate child-care fraud wouldallow programs to recoup much more thanthat in lost funds. She said she expects child-care programs will continue to grow in Min-nesota and that more money would be savedin the long run under her bill.

The committee took no action on the bill,but it will consider the proposal for inclusionin the omnibus family and early childhoodeducation finance bill.

CRIME

Rep. Carlos Mariani, right, keeps 9-month-old Mary Beth Little occupied as her mother, Gina, aFaribault resident, testifies March 17 before the House Family and Early Childhood EducationFinance Committee. Gina Little told the committee about the positive effects early childhoodeducation programs have had for her and her children.

Attention getter

Unlicensed day care

A bill that would extend legal unlicensedday care in Minnesota ran into a nursery full ofopposition March 16, but the measure stillmanaged to win approval form a House com-mittee.

The proposal (HF802) would make perma-nent the state authorization of certain unli-censed day-care operations that the 1997Legislature allowed on a temporary basis.

Current law allows unlicensed day-care pro-viders to take care of unrelated children if thechildren are from no more than three otherfamilies; there are no more than four unre-lated children; there are no more than twochildren under two years old; and there are nomore than five children being cared for at anygiven time.

Bill sponsor Rep. Fran Bradley (R-Rochester) told the House Health and HumanServices Policy Committee that the temporary1997 law was passed in response to concernsabout the availability of day care as moreparents moved into the labor force in theaftermath of welfare reform.

He also said that previous to 1997 there was

no numeric limit on the number of childrenwho could be cared for by an unlicensedoperation.

He said without a continuation of the 1997law, families would be out in the streets look-ing for child care. He estimated there arebetween 12,000 and 16,000 legal unlicensedin-home day care operations in the state.

The number of licensed facilities has beendecreasing.

Opponents argued that passing the billwould lower standards for child care in thestate. They said unlicensed facilities can beoperated by people who have not undergone abackground check or completed safety andhealth training. Also, unlicensed providers arenot required to be part of ongoing in-serviceprograms.

“None of us know it all,” said Rep. MaryEllen Otremba (DFL-Long Prairie).

Otremba, who has worked with preschooleducation programs, said the state should betrying to increase the number of facilitiesunder licensure, rather than sanctioning unli-censed operations.

Rep. Darlene Luther (DFL-Brooklyn Park)noted that even kennels for boarding dogs arelicensed.

And Rep. Linda Wejcman (DFL-Mpls) saidthat if the state is going to require mothers towork under welfare reform, it has a responsi-bility to assure day care operations are safe.

“It’s not hard to get a license,” said Rep. BillHaas (R-Champlin). “Would you go to anunlicensed doctor or dentist?”

The bill goes to the House floor.

DWI bill stalls

Members of the House Transportation Fi-nance Committee rejected a bill March 17 thatwould lower the blood-alcohol level at whicha driver can legally operate a motor vehicle.

The bill (HF1004), sponsored by Rep. KevinGoodno (R-Moorhead), would cut the legallimit for drunkenness from 0.10 percent to0.08 percent. The lower limit would apply tothe operation of automobiles, off-road ve-hicles, and motorboats. And the bill wouldapply the new limit to hunting with a firearmor bow.

Proponents argue that the proposed limit isreasonable and that it would result in a reduc-tion in DWI-related fatalities. Opponents saythat the bill would focus law enforcementresources on social drinkers, while most prob-lems are caused by chronic offenders.

According to the National Highway Trans-portation Safety Administration, the averagemale would have to drink four standard drinksin an hour and the average female would haveto drink three standard drinks in an hour toreach the 0.08-percent level.

A number of factors affect the body’s abilityto process alcohol, including the duration ofdrinking, weight, ingestion of food, and gen-der. A standard drink is a 12-ounce glass ofbeer, a five-ounce glass of wine, or a one-and-a-half-ounce shot of hard alcohol.

Last year, separate versions of the DWI bill


passed the two bodies of the Legislature butstalled in a conference committee as legisla-tors struggled to work out the difference be-tween the bills.

The House version of the bill would havelowered the standard for legal drunkenness inMinnesota from 0.10 percent to 0.08 percentfor all drivers. The Senate version passed lastyear would have applied the lower limit onlyto repeat DWI offenders.

DNA from more offenders

The list of crimes for which offenders arerequired to submit DNA samples would beexpanded under a bill approved March 13 bythe House Crime Prevention Committee.

Current law requires only sex offenders tosubmit DNA samples to a statewide databasekept by the Minnesota Bureau of CriminalApprehension.

The bill would add several crimes not con-sidered sex offenses to the list of crimes forwhich offenders must submit samples. Thosecrimes would include murder, assault, kid-napping, and burglary.

Rep. Doug Fuller (R-Bemidji), sponsor ofthe bill, said the proposal is an attempt togather information on offenders who commit“predatory” crimes.

But Rep. Joe Mullery (DFL-Mpls) said thebill represents an expansion into a sensitivearea of privacy rights. He said the original lawonly authorized DNA samples for sex offend-ers because of the unique nature of theevidence.

“This bill totally changes the whole conceptof that,” he said.

Fuller said that keeping DNA on file is nodifferent than keeping fingerprints on file.

“If a person doesn’t want their DNA taken,I suggest that they don’t commit these crimes,”Fuller said.

Frank Dolejsi, director of the forensic sci-ence laboratory at the Bureau of CriminalApprehension, said that several states are tak-ing DNA samples from criminals other thansex offenders. He said Virginia requires DNAsamples from all convicted felons, which in-cludes a much larger list of crimes than thosein Fuller’s bill.

The bill (HF1328) now goes to the HouseJudiciary Finance Committee.

Protecting prison guards

The House passed a bill March 15 that aimsto give corrections workers more protectionon the job. The vote was 123-7.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. Jim

Knoblach (R-St. Cloud), seeks to protect work-ers from the spread of blood-borne pathogenssuch as hepatitis and the HIV virus.

It would allow corrections employees torequest that an inmate give a blood sampleafter the employee has had significant expo-sure to the inmate.

If the inmate refuses to give the sample, thebill would provide for a process through whichthe corrections worker could obtain a courtorder to force the inmate to comply.

The test results would be private data to bereleased only for diagnosis and treatment ofthe employee. Penalties would be provided forunauthorized release of the test results.

The bill (HF741) now goes to the Senate.

EDUCATIONSCHOOL

If you have Internet access, visit theLegislature’s web page at:

http://www.leg.state.mn.us

Blocking porn on Web

Lawmakers considered a bill March 16 thatwould require all school and library comput-ers to have software filters that block children’saccess to pornography on the Internet.

The House Education Policy Committeediscussed the bill (HF923) but did not vote onit.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jim Seifert (R-Woodbury), would also require all school dis-tricts to adopt Internet use policies.

Tom Prichard, president of the MinnesotaFamily Council, said the bill’s goal is to protectchildren and it follows the same argument asrestricting children’s access to pornographicmagazines in stores.

“With just a couple clicks of the mouse,children are able to access the most vulgar,perverse material imaginable,” Prichard said.

Bob Meeks, director of governmental rela-tions for the Minnesota School Boards Asso-ciation, said the bill is not necessary becausemany schools already monitor Internet useand have adopted policies restricting access topornographic material.

Judy Bull, a school media specialist inSt. Paul, said software filters only block words,not images. In addition, she said many of thefilters don’t work because they end up restrict-ing access to legitimate World Wide Web sites.

For example, a medical research site mightbe restricted because it contains the word“sex.”

Bull said many of her students use Internetsearch engines designed specially for children.

The bill does not include an appropriationfor schools to buy the blocking software. How-ever, because the state would require schoolsto purchase software, some lawmakers pressedfor state funding to support the initiative.

The measure will be considered by the HouseK-12 Education Finance Committee.

Dealing with disruptive kids

A bill that would allow teachers more au-thority to remove disruptive students fromclass was approved March 16 by the HouseEducation Policy Committee.

House Majority Leader Tim Pawlenty (R-Eagan) is sponsoring the bill (HF16), which issupported by many education organizationsincluding the teachers union EducationMinnesota.

The bill would lower the standard for stu-dent behavior that constitutes grounds fordismissal or removal from the classroom.

Current law allows schools to dismiss stu-dents for conduct that “materially and sub-stantially” interferes with other students’ rightsto an education or a teacher’s ability to teach.Such conduct can include carrying a weaponin school, but there is no clear-cut definition.

Pawlenty’s bill would clarify that conductlevel as behavior that “significantly” affectsthe classroom atmosphere. The provisionwould also extend beyond the classroom intoany school function such as recess, a schoolassembly, or a meeting in a principal’s office.

Pawlenty said his bill would put order intothe classroom and strengthen teachers’ abili-ties to manage their classrooms.

“We can’t just focus on the rights of thedisruptive students,” Pawlenty said.

But Rep. Matt Entenza (DFL-St. Paul) saidthe bill is only symbolic in nature and it wouldnot have much of an effect on schools.

Several groups cautioned lawmakers againstthe bill, saying it would make it easier to kickstudents out of school, which would harmthem in the long run.

Claudia Fuentes, a lobbyist with the UrbanCoalition, said lowering the threshold for dis-missal would disproportionately affect stu-dents of color and perpetuate racial biases inschools.

But Pawlenty said that if the bill does be-come law, schools should not use it as a toolagainst students. However, he said, the prob-lem of disruptive students is a common com-plaint from teachers.

“There are real issues affecting real people,and we need to deal with them genuinely,” hesaid.

The bill moves to the House floor.


ELECTIONS

Ken Litzau, superintendent of schools on theWhite Earth Reservation, explains the needfor state aid to replace the Pine Point Schoolduring a March 17 meeting of the House K-12Education Finance Committee.

Pine Point proposal

Initiative bill gains ground

A bill that would allow citizens to directlyplace on the ballot proposed changes in statelaw or in the Minnesota Constitution wasapproved March 10 by the House Ways andMeans Committee and March 17 by the HouseRules Committee.

Under current law, only the Legislature,with the governor’s approval, can change lawsor put a constitutional amendment questionon the ballot.

The bill (HF484) would place a constitu-tional amendment on the ballot for the 2000general election that would allow voters tochoose if they want the power of initiative andreferendum.

Such a constitutional change would givecitizens the ability to enact an initiative law,repeal an existing law, or put constitutionalamendment questions on future ballots byfiling a petition.

Rep. Erik Paulsen (R-Eden Prairie), the bill’ssponsor, said other states have similar initia-tive and referendum laws, and he said thoselaws promote higher voter turnout and in-creased accountability of lawmakers.

Under Paulsen’s plan, an initiative wouldgo on the ballot if a petition is signed by 5percent of the number of voters who voted forgovernor in the previous election. That thresh-old would have to be met in three-quarters ofthe state’s congressional districts and on astatewide basis. And a constitutional amend-ment question would go on the ballot if apetition is signed by 8 percent of those voters.

The requirement regarding congressionaldistricts is designed to make it difficult for aninitiative or referendum to be placed on theballot without support from different regionsof the state.

Opponents of initiative and referendum lawssay that many measures are too complex to besimply stated on a ballot and voted on withoutthe extensive information, deliberation, anddebate that help lawmakers make decisions.


FAMILY

Making marriage stick

Married couples or couples planning to wedin Minnesota could opt to have a covenantmarriage, under a bill approved March 13 bythe House Civil Law Committee.

Bill sponsor Rep. Elaine Harder (R-Jackson) said her bill would give couples the

option of having “a deeper, more committedmarriage.”

The bill would create a new type of marriagecalled a covenant marriage, and it would pro-vide procedures for entering into such anarrangement.

Covenant marriages would differ from stan-dard marriages in that they would be exemptfrom the state’s no-fault divorce laws.

Under the bill, divorce in a covenant mar-riage would only be granted in cases of adul-tery, abandonment, physical or sexual abuse,or when a spouse has committed a felony-levelcrime and is incarcerated.

Marital counseling would be required be-fore couples could enter into the covenantmarriage, under the bill.

Chuck Shreffler of Minneapolis testified insupport of the bill. He said that his ex-wife andthree children live in Colorado following hisno-fault divorce. He said the spouse seekingthe divorce has the most leverage under cur-rent divorce laws.

“The person who is the least committed inthe relationship has the most power,” he said,“and I don’t think that’s right.”

Shreffler said all marriages are lifelong com-mitments and the covenant marriage wouldsimply be “full disclosure” of that fact.

Tom Prichard, president of the Minnesota

Family Council, said that Minnesota’s no-fault divorce law makes divorce too easy.

“It’s easier to get out of a 30-year marriagethan a $100 business deal,” Prichard said.

Prichard said that according to surveys doneby his organization, two-thirds of marriedadults say that marriage is weaker today than30 years ago and two-thirds of people who aredivorced now say they wish they had triedharder to save their marriage.

Rep. Len Biernat (DFL-Mpls), a family lawprofessor at Hamline University Law School,said that the provisions dealing with manda-tory premarital counseling are a good idea andshould be applied to all marriages.

But the current no-fault divorce laws areworking well and should be left alone, he said.

“If two parties don’t want to remain mar-ried, why should the state stand in their way?”he said.

The bill (HF1571) now goes to the HouseJudiciary Finance Committee.

Grandparents’ rights

The House Civil Law Committee gave initialapproval March 17 to a bill that would expandchild visitation rights for grandparents.

The bill (HF764), sponsored by Rep.Steve Smith (R-Mound), would eliminate cur-rent restrictions on when a grandparent canbe granted visitation rights to allow courtsmore discretion in such cases. And the billwould mandate mediation in cases where visi-tation by the grandparent is contested.

Smith said that the mediation process wouldtake these important issues out of the “coldcourtroom” and place them in a setting wherecompromises can be worked out between theparties in dispute.

Muriel Hinich and Donna Zieska, co-direc-tors of Grandparents Preserving Families, tes-tified in support of the bill.

Hinich said that she hasn’t seen her 16-year-old granddaughter for more than tenyears. She said the notion of grandparents notparticipating in the lives of grandchildrenwould have been outrageous years ago.

“God would strike you dead if you ever saidit,” she said. “No child should lose their grand-parent while (the grandparent) is still alive.”

Zieska said she was involved in a six-yeardispute over visitation with her grandchildand was finally awarded visitation.

“This would have never happened if we hadpositive mediation at the start,” she said.

But Stephen Arnott, an attorney with thefamily law section of the Minnesota State BarAssociation, said that adding more visitation


rights to parties other than the parents willresult in increased litigation.

He said the current law does a good job ofbalancing the interests of grandparents andparents in these cases. The current law alsoallows judges to use their own judgment onwhich cases to refer for mediation, he said,unlike Smith’s bill, which would require it.

“Mediation is not the answer for all dis-putes,” Arnott said.

The committee also gave approval to twoadditional bills, HF1787 and HF1646, dealingwith child visitation for parties other thanparents.

HF1787, sponsored by Rep. Andy Dawkins(DFL-St. Paul), would allow court appointedguardians to petition judges to allow visita-tion for foster siblings.

And HF1646, sponsored by Rep.Lynda Boudreau (R-Faribault), would allowother family members, such as adult siblings,uncles, aunts, or cousins, to petition the courtsfor visitation rights to the child.

These bills now go to the House floor.

Donna Zieska, left, and Muriel Hinich, co-directors of Grandparents Preserving Families, testify in favorof a bill that would expand grandparent visitation rights. The women addressed the House Civil LawCommittee on March 17.

GAME & FISH

GAMBLING

Gambling bills advance

The House Governmental Operations andVeterans Affairs Policy Committee approvedtwo bills March 12 that would allow new formsof gambling in Minnesota.

The first was a bill that would allow a card clubto operate at a Shakopee horse track and direct ashare of the profits to increasing race purses.

Rep. Mike Osskopp (R-Lake City), sponsorof the bill (HF1281), said Canterbury Park istrying to compete against tracks in other statesthat can offer higher purses due to proceedsfrom other forms of gambling.

“The better horses go to Iowa, and that alsomeans horse farms go to Iowa,” he said.

Osskopp estimated that proceeds from acard club would raise the purses at Canterburyby about $2 million to $3 million annually.The track’s purses are currently around $4million, and purses at Prairie Meadows race-track in Iowa total about $15 million.

The committee also accepted an amend-ment offered by Rep. Michael Paymar (DFL-St. Paul) that would allocate some of theproceeds of the card club to the commissionerof health and human services for a program tohelp compulsive gamblers.

The committee did not act on a bill(HF1374), sponsored by Rep. Mark Holsten(R-Stillwater), that would allow slot machinesand blackjack at Canterbury Park.

But the lawmakers did approve a bill(HF686) that would allow dice games in bars.

“This is already a legal activity,” said Rep.Steve Dehler (R-St. Joseph) sponsor of thatbill.

Under gambling statutes, a private, socialbet is not considered illegal, he said. But underliquor statutes, dice are not allowed in bars.

Bar patrons often play dice games, such as“liar’s poker,” “500 rummy,” or “6-5-4” forsmall stakes or to buy drinks, Dehler said.

Dehler’s bill and the measure proposing acard club at Canterbury Park now move to theHouse floor.

Hunting preserves approved

A plan to allow a limited number of elk anddeer farmers across the state to open fenced-inshooting preserves is progressing through theHouse, and with it comes a debate over theethics of hunting versus the interests of theagricultural community.

Farmed cervidae — the biological name forthe family of animals including elk and deer— are currently raised on Minnesota farmsfor fiber, meat, animal byproducts, or as breed-ing stock.

Rep. Mark Holsten (R-Stillwater) is spon-soring a bill (HF710) that would expand thepermitted uses of farmed cervidae to includestocking them on 10 licensed shootingpreserves.

The House Environment and Natural Re-sources Policy Committee approved the mea-sure March 15.

Shooting preserves would contribute mil-lions of dollars in feed and fencing purchasesto their local economies, elk farmer LarryWinter told the committee.

Winter, speaking on behalf of the Minne-sota Elk Breeders Association, said that ananimal killed by a patron of a shooting pre-serve would bring in 10 times the dollar valuethat slaughter would yield.

“We need to have something to do with ouraging bulls who are ready for slaughter,” heexplained. “It’s something that’s going to keepus alive instead of turning into a butcherfacility.”

Shooting preserve operators could chargeup to $8,000 per animal or whatever the mar-ket would support, Holsten said.

“This is a value-added practice for the farm-ers,” he said. “When these animals’ ultimatepurpose is to end up wrapped in a bag in thefreezer, what difference should it make howthey get there?”

Representatives from the Minnesota De-partment of Natural Resources, animal rightsgroups, and even some hunters — an unusualalliance — testified that shooting farm-raised,fenced-in animals is completely different fromtraditional hunting.

“This would be a canned hunt,” said LindaHatfield of the Humane Society of the UnitedStates. “It is cruel, inhumane, and disrespect-ful to the animal.”

The state of Texas allows exotic species huntsof retired zoo animals, Hatfield said, and shefears cervidae shooting preserves would openup the door for those activities in Minnesota.

“I am a hunter, I am a fisher, and I had avenison hamburger for lunch,” said Tom


GOVERNMENT

Meyers, a regional director for the MinnesotaConservation Federation. “My concern is theimage that this paints of hunters inMinnesota.”

Meyers questioned the ethics of advertised,guaranteed hunts, saying they would not pro-vide fair chases.

Wayne Edgerton, an official with the De-partment of Natural Resources, said he op-poses the bill because of the potential negativerepercussions it could have upon the public’sperception of hunting, especially after a ma-jority of voters in the last election approved aconstitutional amendment in support of tra-ditional hunting.

The bill moves to the House Agricultureand Rural Development Finance Committee.

HEALTH

Signedby the

governor

Don Wiegert, standing, a founding member of the Maplewood Area Historic Society, speaksMarch 17 before the House Jobs and Economic Development Finance Committee. The committeewas considering a bill that would provide funds to relocate historic farm buildings in Maplewood.Also on hand were Maplewood City Councilor Sherry Allenspach, left, bill sponsor Rep. BettyMcCollum, second from right, and Robert Overbey, a member of the Maplewood Area HistoricalSociety.

Suburban history

Keeping tabs on fees

State agencies would not be able to imposeor increase fees without legislative approval,under a bill advanced March 16 by the HouseState Government Finance Committee.

Under the measure, budget proposals foreach state agency would have to list proposedfee changes or new fees, including admissionfees to state facilities and charges for goods,services, regulation, or licensure.

Rep. Phil Krinkie (R-Shoreview), commit-tee chair and sponsor of the bill (HF1471),said many fees are already in statute but thatmany are established through rules promul-gated by state agencies. The bill would enablethe Legislature to review all of those fees.

Krinkie said the bill would help solve theproblem of temporary fees becoming perma-nent or being used for purposes other thanthose for which the fees were originallyintended.

For example, Krinkie said, a fee for busi-nesses making Uniform Commercial Codetransactions — which is collected by the secre-tary of state’s office —was originally intendedto pay for computer upgrades but now goesinto the general fund.

The bill would not apply to the MinnesotaState Colleges and Universities system.

The measure now moves to the House Waysand Means Committee.

Coverage for survivors

Dependents of peace officers andfirefighters who are killed in theline of duty will continue to beeligible for health insurance cover-age, even if they are not covered at

the time of the person’s death, under a laweffective March 17.

The measure, sponsored by Rep. DennisOzment (R-Rosemount), allows a spouse whois not covered as a dependent at the time of thedeath — but was eligible or later became eli-gible to be covered — to be a dependent on theemployer’s health plan.

A 1997 law provided health coverage toofficers and firefighters and their dependents,because many who were disabled by duty-related injuries were receiving pensions butwere not eligible for health-care coverage.

Sen. Randy Kelly (DFL-St. Paul) sponsoredthe legislation in the Senate.

HF49*/SF162/CH12

Abortion information sought

The House Civil Law Committee narrowlyapproved a bill March 15 that would establisha system for reporting data about certain mi-nors who receive abortions. The vote was 8-6.

The bill (HF377) would require physiciansto report information, including age and race,about minors who receive abortions after ob-taining a judge’s permission instead of paren-tal consent. The statistical data would becomepublic.

Under current law, doctors are required tonotify parents or guardians at least 48 hoursbefore performing an abortion on a minor.

But minors can bypass the parental notifica-tion by receiving a judge’s permission.

Rep. Kevin Goodno (R-Moorhead), spon-sor of the bill, said there is no good documen-tation to show how so-called “judicial passthrough” is working, how often it is used, orwhat criteria judges use in granting theirpermission.

Goodno’s bill would establish a reportingform that physicians would have to submitannually. The bill also specifies that the statis-tical data compiled from the reports would bepublic and outlines a process by which con-cerned citizens can sue the state to get access tothe report.

“We have no idea how many minor girls aregoing through the bypass,” said JackieSchwietz, a spokeswoman for Minnesota Citi-zens Concerned for Life. “That’s what we wantto find out.”

Goodno amended his bill to provide dataprivacy protections for minors having abor-tions and for physicians who perform theprocedures.

But some committee members expressedconcern that the bill does not provide ad-equate protection for the judges who rule onsuch cases because the reports would provideinformation on specific counties and somecounties have only one judge.

The bill, approved earlier by the HouseHealth and Human Services Policy Commit-tee, now goes to the House Health and HumanServices Finance Committee.


Signedby the

governor

Stacy Enzmann, a fourth-grader at CrookedLake Elementary School in Andover, listens asher mother, Connie, testifies March 15 beforethe House K-12 Education Finance Committee.Connie Enzmann told the committee how herdaughter had difficulty breathing whileattending school before the building’s airintake system was improved. The committeewas hearing a bill that would create standardmanagement procedures for such facilities.

Breathing room

Tobacco money plans

A proposal for spending the state’s windfallfrom 1998’s tobacco settlement was approvedMarch 15 by the House Health and HumanServices Policy Committee.

The bill (HF1600) would establish four en-dowments with the money, an idea supportedby Gov. Jesse Ventura. Rep. Kevin Goodno(R-Moorhead), sponsor of the bill, said about$1.3 billion total would be set aside under hisproposal.

A Minnesota Families Foundation wouldbe created with $600 million; a medical educa-tion and research costs fund would be estab-lished with $100 million; a health professionaleducation and medical research endowmentwould be founded with $350 million; and alocal public health endowment fund of $260million would be created.

Debate on the bill centered around anamendment — accepted by the committee —that would allow money from the medicaleducation and research endowment to go toresearch activities that are conducted in non-educational settings. Under the bill, those ac-tivities could be sponsored by anyMinnesota-based nonprofit organization.

Rep. Lee Greenfield (DFL-Mpls) objectedto that provision, saying the primary purposeof the endowment in his mind is to educatemedical personnel.

Both Greenfield and Rep. Thomas Huntley(DFL-Duluth) said Minnesota’s educationalfacilities are the appropriate arena for research,and they reminded committee members thatabout $80 million in federal support for thosefacilities has been cut.

Greenfield said he opposed state fundingfor medical research because it is the purviewof the federal government. Anything the statecould contribute would only be “chumpchange,” he said.

But Goodno said the bill doesn’t requiremoney be given to entities not engaged intraining medical personnel, it only affordseligibility for those organizations. He addedthat there are entities other than the Univer-sity of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic that aredoing research.

Earlier this year, the committee approved aseparate measure that would dedicate tobaccosettlement revenue to eliminating the state’shealth-care provider tax.

The committee also rejected a different en-dowment plan earlier this session. That planwas included in a bill (HF223), which is spon-sored by Rep. Peggy Leppik (R-GoldenValley). The committee approved a heavilyamended version of Leppik’s bill after it hadbeen stripped of the endowment-related pro-visions. The version of the bill that emerged

from the committee would provide some fundsfor grants to help local anti-smoking initia-tives.

Goodno’s endowment plan now heads tothe House Governmental Operations andVeterans Affairs Policy Committee.

Resolution says hands off

Some lawmakers believe the U.S. Congressshould not be casting its eyes upon Minnesota’stobacco settlement money.

The House passed a resolution March 15that aims to tell the federal government justthat. The vote was 129-1.

The resolution, sponsored by Rep. JimSeifert (R-Woodbury), would remind federalofficials that they were not part of Minnesota’ssuit and inform them that the federal govern-ment has no right to the money.

The federal government has said it may beentitled to a portion of state tobacco settle-ments as repayment for its share of Medicaidcosts.

But the proposed resolution notes thatMinnesota’s lawsuit was based on businessissues, not health issues. It also would call onMinnesota’s U.S. senators and representativesto support legislation — already introducedin Congress — that would prohibit federalrecovery of any state tobacco settlement pay-ments.

Rep. Lee Greenfield (DFL-Mpls) expressedconcern the resolution could actually over-state the case. And he said that can be moredamaging at times than understating theargument.

Seifert disagreed and reminded Greenfieldof the original grounds under which the casewas filed, alleging illegal business practices onthe part of tobacco companies and not claim-ing that their product was defective.

The measure (HF719/SF757*) goes to thegovernor.

Ambulance volunteers

Volunteer ambulance drivers inMinnesota now have a precise defi-nition in state law, under a new laweffective March 16.

The law defines ambulance driv-ers as volunteers, who as such are

not entitled to minimum wage and other work-ers’ protections even if they receive some fi-nancial compensation for their services. Theneed for a definition grew out of a legal debateover wage and hour laws.

Rep. Kevin Goodno (R-Moorhead) and Sen.Dallas Sams (DFL-Staples) sponsored themeasure.

HF214*/SF241/CH8

Signedby the

governor

New purchasing plans

Ambulance services will be allowedto participate in shared service pur-chasing arrangements for supplies,materials, and equipment, under anew state law effective Aug. 1.

Supporters of the legislation saidambulance services need more flexibility inapproaching purchases, particularly of expen-sive items such as vehicles. They also expressedconcerns that pending changes in the wayfederal programs reimburse ambulance ser-vices may have a negative financial impact.

Current state law requires government-owned ambulance services to let bids on equip-ment costing over $25,000. The new law willallow co-ops to purchase ambulances, the mostcostly expenditure an ambulance providerfaces.

The law was signed March 16 by Gov. JesseVentura.


HIGHER EDUCATION

Rep. Gregory Davids (R-Preston) and Sen.Jim Vickerman (DFL-Tracy) sponsored thelegislation.

HF302*/SF579/CH13

Protection for peer review

Ambulance services and first responderswould have the benefit of peer review under abill the House passed March 11. The votewas 129-0.

The proposal, sponsored by Rep.Greg Davids (R-Preston), would allow ambu-lance services to consider controversial inci-dents without being subject to discovery shoulda lawsuit arise.

Peer review is used extensively in a numberof medical professions to find solutions and toprevent further problems. In many cases, in-formation exchanged in peer reviews is pro-tected from legal discovery. The idea is thatthe protection will allow a free discourse somedical professionals can learn from eachother’s experiences and improve service.

The bill would extend that peer review pro-tection to ambulance services and theiremployees.

The bill (HF463) moves to the Senate.

More aid for students

Students would be responsible for payingfor a smaller share of their college educationwhen they receive state grants, under a pro-posal considered March 17 by the HouseHigher Education Finance Committee.

Rep. John Tuma (R-Northfield) is sponsor-ing a bill (HF210) that would lower to40 percent the amount a post-secondary stu-dent is expected to contribute to his or hereducation.

Under current law, students who apply forstate grants are expected to come up with47 percent of their educational costs. The re-maining 53 percent is made up by federal andstate grants and other sources

Tuma said the cost of college has risen wellpast the rate of inflation and that his bill is astep toward keeping students’ costs down.

His is not the only proposal calling forlowering the student share. On March 17, thecommittee also discussed a bill sponsored byRep. Julie Storm (R-St. Peter) that would lowerthe student’s expected contribution to 45 per-cent. That bill (HF1363) originated from arequest from the state’s Higher Education Ser-vices Office, which doles out the grants.

The committee may consider the bills again

this session for inclusion in the omnibus highereducation finance bill.

Helping part-timers

A bill that would make college more afford-able for independent and part-time studentswas considered March 15 in the House HigherEducation Finance Committee.

Rep. Marty Seifert (R-Marshall) is sponsor-ing the bill (HF1096), which addresses a grow-ing population of part-time andnon-traditional students attending post-secondary institutions.

“A lot of people today need to work to go toschool, and that’s driving students into part-time [school],” said Morrie Anderson, chan-cellor of the Minnesota State Colleges andUniversities system.

Anderson told lawmakers that he supportsthe bill because it would help attract and re-tain part-time students, a trend of collegeattendance he expects will continue.

“The system is clearly biased toward full-time students, and I don’t know if that’s wherewe should be today,” he said.

Seifert’s bill has two parts. The first would

Child care funding

To find out who represents youat the Capitol . . .

Call the House Public InformationOffice at (651) 296-2146

Amal Yusef testified for the Somali Women’sAssociation on behalf of a bill calling forfunding child care for African immigrants andrefugees during a March 15 hearing of theHouse Family and Early Childhood EducationFinance Committee.

reduce the percentage of the expected contri-bution on which the state’s student-aid grantcalculation is based for independent studentsand independent students with children.

The second part of the bill would changehow grants are calculated for part-time stu-dents. Right now, the state estimates the costof school attendance based upon the numberof credits a student is taking, and financial aidis reduced as the student takes less credits.This often disqualifies students altogether fromstate grant eligibility because their cost of at-tendance is too low.

The bill would change that system by re-quiring the state to reduce grants proportion-ately according to the full cost of attendance.Many part-time students would be able toreceive state grant money or see their grantdollars increase.

The committee may consider Seifert’s billfor inclusion in the omnibus higher educationfinance bill.

Allowing more state aid

A bill that would allow some students toreceive financial aid increases was consideredMarch 17 by the House Higher EducationFinance Committee.

Rep. Lyndon Carlson (DFL-Crystal) is spon-soring the legislation (HF1686).

Last year, Congress increased the maximumamount of money college students can receiveunder a federal Pell Grant from $2,700 to$3,000 per year.

However, Minnesota students did not seean increase because the state’s own grants tostudents are based partly on how much astudent is awarded in Pell Grant money. Whenthe Pell Grant amount increases, the stategrant amount decreases, so the student re-ceives the same amount of aid.

The bill would cap at $3,000 the Pell amounton which the state bases its own grant adjust-ment. The cap would not allow students torealize more aid now, but in the case of expectedfederal increases in Pell amounts, it would allowstudents granted more than $3,000 to continueto receive maximum state aid as well.

Carlson said his bill would allow the needi-est students to receive Pell Grant increases. Hesaid these students were the target of the fed-eral increases in the first place.

The committee is expected to consider thebill for inclusion in the omnibus higher edu-cation finance bill.


Signedby the

governor

Law expands eligibility

A new state law will make it easierfor people with developmental dis-abilities to access the ConsumerSupport Program operated by theDepartment of Human Services.

Effective March 16, the new laweliminates an income cap for participation inthe program.

Under prior law, people were ineligible forthe program if their income was equal to ormore than the level at which they would berequired to pay a parental fee for medicalassistance services and county social services.(That would translate to an income level thatis the lesser of 150 percent of the federal pov-erty guidelines or $30,000 annually.)

The program is generally used to pay for in-home support services received by qualifyingindividuals.

Rep. Jerry Dempsey (R-Hastings) and Sen.Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing) sponsoredthe new measure.

HF356/SF73*/CH10

Signedby the

governor

INSURANCE

LAW

Coverage for ear implants

A bill that would require health insurersand health maintenance organizations to covercosts related to an implant device that helpspeople hear was approved March 16 by theHouse Commerce Committee.

Rep. Greg Davids (R-Preston), chair of thecommittee, said he usually opposes mandateson the insurance industry but that he changedhis mind on this bill after hearing the testi-mony of Julie Ainsworth. Two of Ainsworth’sthree sons were born deaf but can hear withthe help of cochlear implants.

The implant is connected to an externalmicrophone and miniature computer thattransmits sounds to the auditory nerve, by-passing the damaged inner ear.

While some insurance plans cover costs ofcochlear implant surgery, most plans do notcover post-operative expenses such as speechtherapy or implant maintenance, said Rep.Harry Mares (R-White Bear Lake), sponsor ofthe bill.

Ainsworth estimated that the surgery costsabout $40,000 to $50,000. But each part of theimplant is fragile, and they often need to berepaired or replaced, which also costs thou-sands of dollars.

Speech therapy and auditory training are

also necessary, Ainsworth said. Her sons havelearned sign language, and they are learningthe English language, including reading andwriting.

Ainsworth said people who have lost theirhearing and then received cochlear implantssay the quality of sound produced by the de-vices is similar to people talking underwater.That plus the fact that her sons could not hearbefore receiving the implants makes thetherapy and training necessary, she said.

“They are so normal, but they work really,really hard just to live their lives,” she said.

She suggested that people try watching tele-vision with the volume turned down and thenimagine similar barriers to every conversationthroughout the day.

The bill would require coverage of surgicalcosts and other expenses related to cochlearimplants.

The bill (HF186) now moves to the Housefloor.

Real estate rewrite

Gov. Jesse Ventura signed a lawMarch 15 that makes several tech-nical changes to the state’sreal estate laws.

Among other things, the measureeliminates the requirement that

owners of registered land have an owner’sduplicate certificate of title in order sell theland.

The law also makes several minor changesto the Common Interest Ownership Act gov-erning housing cooperatives and condomini-ums. Most provisions of the new law areeffective Aug. 1.

The changes were recommended by the realproperty section of the Minnesota State BarAssociation.

Rep. Jim Seifert (R-Woodbury) and Sen.David Knutson (R-Burnsville) sponsored themeasure.

HF382/SF343*/CH11

SPORTS

Snowmobile stud solution

A bill that would help pay for snowmobile-stud damage to public paved trails was ap-proved March 17 by the House Environmentand Natural Resources Finance Committee.

However, committee members disagreedon how much money it will take to repair thedamage.

The bill (HF928), sponsored by Rep. TomHackbarth (R-Cedar), would requiresnowmobilers to buy a $10 sticker to use metaltraction devices, or studs. A 1997 law prohibitsusing the studs on paved public trails, and pro-ceeds from the $10 fee would be used to repairdamage to those trails caused by illegal stud use.

How much will it cost to repair the damage?Dennis Asmussen, an official from the Trails

and Waterways Division of the Department ofNatural Resources, said he is confident in thedepartment’s $1.5-million damage estimate.Department staff surveyed the damage lastsummer and projected the costs at $15,000 permile for a 1-inch pavement overlay. The statehas a total of 200 miles of paved trails, andabout 100 miles have been damaged by snow-mobiles with studs.

However, local and county governmentshave built an additional 100 miles of pavedtrails. Representatives of the Minnesota Asso-ciation of Counties estimate the costs of re-pairing the damage to those trails at $20,000per mile, because some areas will require a 1.5-inch overlay.

Rep. Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) said that esti-mate is too high. Bakk said that the engineerwho designed the Mesabi Trail in northernMinnesota gave an estimate of $5,000 per milefor an overlay and $15,000 per mile to build anew trail.

The state already has some money to pay fortrail repairs. A 1998 law required snowmobilersto buy a $50 sticker to use studs on theirsnowmobiles, but that law was repealedMarch 4. Asmussen said $754,000 had beencollected from sales of the $50 stickers as ofMarch 11.

The state Department of Revenue estimatesthe $10 sticker will generate about $800,000per year.

Rep. Tom Osthoff (DFL-St. Paul) ques-tioned the philosophy of the bill, because itwould make law-abiding snowmobilers payfor damage caused by lawbreakers.

“Instead of paying for more (conservationofficers) to enforce the laws, we’re paying tofix the blacktop every year,” he said.

The bill now moves to the House Ways andMeans Committee.

TAXES

Ventura’s tax plan

A bill containing key portions of Gov. JesseVentura’s tax-relief proposal for the comingbiennium drew cheers and jeers March 16from the House Taxes Committee.

The bill (HF890), sponsored by Rep.

HUMAN SERVICES


Ron Abrams (R-Minnetonka) outlinesVentura’s plans for tax cuts, tax discounts,farm assistance, and simplifying the state’s taxcode.

The one-time discount proposals drew firefrom both sides of the aisle.

“Why so leery of permanent tax reduc-tions?” Rep. Ann H. Rest (DFL-New Hope)asked Department of Revenue CommissionerMatt Smith.

The governor’s proposal calls for an average6.75-percent cut in individual income tax,targeted to working middle-income familiesand toward fixing the so-called “marriagepenalty.”

Also included are proposed one-time in-come tax discounts of 3 percent in tax year1999 and 1.5 percent in 2000.

“How many years do we have to have asurplus before we say, ‘This is what we will taxand no higher’?” Rest asked. “Enough isenough.”

She said the hesitation to make permanentcuts year after year has made the Legislaturelook ridiculous.

Abrams said he shares those concerns, butthat the plan was a result of the governor’sadvisers being “super-cautious.”

Smith said that was the case because “thegovernor has to be there when things go south.”

And Rep. Myron Orfield (DFL-Mpls) saidhe believes caution is a good thing because theeconomy tends to go through cycles.

“Prudence is not a bad thing,” he said.Rep. Kris Hasskamp (DFL-Crosby) said she

supports the governor’s proposal to lower thepassenger automobile registration tax andsupports his plan to eliminate the June accel-erated payment for sales tax paid by busi-nesses.

Other concerns were expressed that thegovernor’s plan to help agriculture has be-come a political game of one-upping. Venturahad originally proposed spending $10 millionfor farm relief, but he has since amended thatto $60 million,with another $20 million annu-ally over the next three years.

Rep. Bill Kuisle (R-Rochester), who is spon-soring the farm support plan favored by theHouse Republican caucus to provide assis-tance to all farmers, said the governor’s plan totarget certain farmers he considers needy isdividing the agricultural community.

Smith said no aid formula is going to beperfect, but he added that not all farmers are inthe same financial shape and that’s why thegovernor believes the money should betargeted.

The bill was laid over for possible inclusionin the omnibus tax bill.

Tom Jung of Hastings performs a St. Patrick’sDay rendition of “An Irish Lullaby.” Jung, whoworks as an assistant captain in the SenateSergeant-at-Arms Office, led both Irish andnon-Irish lawmakers and staff in the sing-along March 17 in the House chamber.

St. Patrick’s Day song

Help for flooded cities

It was two years ago that flooding in the RedRiver Valley caused millions of dollars in dam-age. The high waters have gone away, but theaffected cities are still struggling to recoverfinancially.

To help the process, Rep. Kevin Goodno(R-Moorhead) is sponsoring two bills thatwould allow more money for and latitude inexisting programs.

The first measure (HF1143) would provide$1.5 million in additional border city enter-prise zone credits for Breckenridge, Dilworth,East Grand Forks, and Moorhead. The creditscan be used to reduce any tax to retain existingor attract new businesses.

The second bill (HF1133) would allow thosecities and Ortonville to exceed the maximumstatutory dollar limits established in 1998 ontax reductions for development projects.

Goodno told the House Taxes CommitteeMarch 15 that enterprise zone credits areneeded to help the cities battle back fromflood damage and to fight off competition fornew industry and jobs coming fromNorth Dakota and South Dakota.

He said the competitiveness issue existedprior to the flood but has grown worse inrecent months.

He also said the 1998 law addressing taxreductions for development projects wascapped at just under $2 million because of an

“unrealistic” fiscal note provided by the De-partment of Revenue.

As a result, the program hasn’t worked aswell as it should. Goodno said the exact detailsof how the additional revenue would be ac-counted for haven’t been dealt with.


An affordable option

Owners of manufactured housing parks inMinnesota claim they are providing much-needed affordable housing and that they oughtto pay less in taxes.

That was the gist of March 15 testimonybefore the Property Tax Division of the HouseTaxes Committee in favor of a bill that woulddecrease the class rate on manufactured homeparks from 2 percent to 1 percent.

The bill (HF1313) is sponsored by Rep.Julie Storm (R-St. Peter).

Steve Riegert, owner of Camelot Park inNorth Mankato, said the tax break is neededto help keep lot rent rates down. He also saidthat it is inherently unfair for residents of ahome across the street from the park to payless than his tenants, noting that the park paysa disproportionate share of costs for infra-structure services.

Several committee members expressed con-cern that the tax break might be used to linethe pockets of park owners while lot rentsremained unchanged and improvements wentuncompleted.

Storm said her bill would require half of thesavings to be used for investment in capitalimprovements or for direct assistance tohomeowners for home improvements.

The measure was laid over for possible in-clusion in the omnibus tax bill.

Storm’s bill is similar to a proposal dis-cussed earlier this session and sponsored byRep. Tom Hackbarth (R-Cedar). Hackbarth’sbill (HF1064) includes a provision that wouldreplace lost revenue in impacted cities withover $7 million in Home and AgricultureCredit Aid from state coffers during the nextbiennium.

Power company seeks break

Two powerful forces intersect on the quietprairie of Lakefield Junction in southeasternMinnesota — a 42-inch natural gas pipelineand a 345-kilovolt high-voltage electric trans-mission line.

That means it’s considered an ideal locationfor a gas-fired peak electricity generatingfacility.

A Nebraska company hoping to develop the


TOURISM

TRANSPORTATION

facility outlined its plan March 16 before theHouse Taxes Committee, which heard a bill(HF887) that would exempt the facility frompaying property taxes.

Robert Knudsen, general manager for busi-ness development of Tenaska Inc. of Omaha,Neb., said the project will help address anexpected nationwide energy shortfall in thenext decade.

His company’s facility would use six gasturbines to provide electricity to utilitiesthroughout the Midwest to help them meetpeak demands.

He said without the tax break, the projectprobably wouldn’t be economically feasible,and the company may be forced to look atwhat he said are less ideal sites in Iowa or inanother state with a more friendly tax outlook.

The project would mean an additional$575,000 annually to coffers of Martin Countyand the city of Trimont, according to the bill’ssponsor, Rep. Bob Gunther (R-Fairmont).

The project would generate only three addi-tional jobs on an intermittent basis, butKnudsen said Martin County and the statewould benefit from 150 construction jobs overa two-year period and the long-term businessimpact in communities across the area.


Farm property taxes

Financially strapped farmers often can’tshoulder additional tax burdens, so when ru-ral Minnesota school districts ask voters formore money to build facilities, they’re oftenturned down.

That sets up a battle in many of those com-munities, with city residents accusing farmersof being anti-education. Farmers counter thatthey’re as much for education as anyone, butthey simply can’t afford to pay the large assess-ments on their agricultural property the bondissues bring with them.

“Total farm income was at a 17-percent netloss last year,” Rep. Richard Mulder (R-Ivanhoe) told the Property Tax Division of theHouse Taxes Committee March 15. “The farm-ers are losing money and being taxed on theirlosses.”

Mulder is sponsoring a bill (HF401) thatwould exempt agricultural homestead prop-erty of up to 320 acres from all school districttaxes, except for the portion of the tax for thehouse, garage, and surrounding one acre ofland. To be eligible for the exemption, theowner would have to actively farm the prop-erty and derive at least $30,000 in incomefrom farming.

The bill would replace the money lost to

school districts with a state appropriationthrough the K-12 education budget.

Mulder called it a permanent tax cut for farm-ers and said it is essential to preserve smallfarmers and the communities around them.

Keith Eitreim, a board member of thePipestone-Jasper School District in the south-western corner of the state, told the commit-tee that voters in his district already turneddown a $23.5 million bond proposal and asimilar plan is on the ballot April 13.

Eitreim said the district’s high school wasbuilt in 1917, doesn’t meet code, and isn’tupgradable. He said the dilemma is particu-larly tough for him because he’s a banker aswell as a school board member.

“I know my farmers can’t afford to paymore, yet I know we have to protect the qualityof education in our district,” Eitreim said.

While most on the panel were sympatheticto the district’s plight, several noted that itisn’t only farmers who are feeling the crunch.

Rep. Bob Milbert (DFL-South St. Paul) saidthat when a bonding proposal appears on theballot in his school district, it’s the seniorcitizens that get hammered. He suggested abetter solution might be to unlink propertytaxes and education finance.

Mulder agreed, adding that education fund-ing should mirror the economy and that in-come tax is the appropriate funding source.

Mulder said until more sweeping reformsare enacted, he wants to see farmers receivehelp immediately, with an eye toward solvingproblems both for farmers and educators inthe future.


The Wilder way

A road named after one ofMinnesota’s most famous authorsis changing its route, under a newlaw signed by Gov. Jesse Ventura.

Effective March 19, the LauraIngalls Wilder Historic Highway

near Rochester is able to be rerouted from aU.S. highway to a county highway.

Currently the specially designated route runsthrough a mostly commercial area on heavilytraveled U.S. highways 14 and 52. After thereroute, it will use a county road and pass bythe Olmsted County Historical Society, whichis planning to develop exhibits about the famedpioneer author.

The historical center has a log cabin thatresembles one in which the Ingalls family lived.Plans for a prairie restoration project are

underway, and the historical society wants toname the prairie in the author’s honor.

The Ingalls family did not live in the Roch-ester area, but Pa Ingalls once worked inOlmsted County. And Laura Ingalls Wilder isknown to have traveled through the city manytimes on her trips to neighboring states.

Rep. Bill Kuisle (R-Rochester) and Sen.Kenric Scheevel (R-Preston) sponsored themeasure.

HF157*/SF379/CH16

Plan to scrap tests

A bill that would repeal the state’s motorvehicle emission testing program is headed tothe House floor after being modified and ap-proved March 12 by the House Environmentand Natural Resources Finance Committee.

The bill (HF7) originally called for elimi-nating the testing requirements July 1, 2000,but under an amendment offered by theproposal’s sponsor, Rep. Barb Haake (R-Mounds View), the date was moved ahead sixmonths to Jan. 1, 2000.

Haake said the earlier date would be mostprudent for taxpayers, and that it becamefeasible after the Minnesota Pollution ControlAgency said it expects the Twin Cities will bein compliance for carbon monoxide levels bythat time.

The testing program was signed into law in1988 by then-Gov. Rudy Perpich. It was cre-ated in response to a U.S. Environmental Pro-tection Agency finding that the seven-countymetro area’s carbon monoxide level exceededfederal and state standards. The program wentinto effect in mid-1991 for all vehicles builtafter 1976.

In 1995, then-Gov. Arne Carlson signed abill that exempted new cars up to five years oldfrom emissions testing. That measure cut byone-third the number of vehicles required toundergo inspection each year.

Emissions inspections cost $8 per vehicleand are assessed as part of vehicle registration.

Gov. Jesse Ventura’s biennial budget pro-posal also calls for the repeal of the emissionsinspection program, contingent upon federalapproval of air quality standards approval.Under the governor’s budget, the programwould be repealed as of Aug. 1.

For an unofficial list of Minnesotacommissioners and appointed agencyheads on the World Wide Web go to:http://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/comm.htm

Signedby the

governor


Glen Carlson, an engineer with the MinnesotaDepartment of Transportation’s TrafficManagement Center in Minneapolis, testifiedagainst a pair of bills that would eliminate the“sane” lanes on interstates 35W and 394, andrequire a study of freeway ramp lights in the metroarea. Both bills were rejected by the HouseTransportation Policy Committee.

Sane lanes saved

Lawmakers on the House TransportationPolicy Committee rejected a chance March 16to put an end to controversial metro-area“sane” lanes.

Sane lanes, otherwise known as high-occu-pancy vehicle (HOV) lanes, operate on twoheavily traveled highways in the metro area.

One runs on Interstate 35W betweenLakeville and Bloomington, and the other runson Interstate 394 between St. Louis Park anddowntown Minneapolis.

Rep. Doug Reuter’s proposal (HF367)would have eliminated those designated lanes,in which carpools and buses travel duringpeak traffic hours.

Reuter (R-Owatonna) said he thinks thelanes are not being used to their expectedcapacity. He said drivers of single-occupancyvehicles who see an empty lane while sitting inrush-hour traffic are motivated to break thelaw and use the HOV lane.

“I just think it’s time to admit that some-thing isn’t working and correct it,” Reutersaid.

But Rep. Margaret Anderson Kelliher (DFL-Mpls) said the HOV lane on I-394 does work.

She said it reduces the traffic going into theLowry Hill tunnel.

Several suburban bus company representa-tives also argued against the bill, saying thelanes allow buses to make quick trips, whichattracts commuters.

Beverley Miller, a staff member at the Min-nesota Valley Transit Authority, said bus rid-ership has increased 7.5 percent in the I-35Wcorridor with the help of the HOV lane. Elimi-nating the lane would hurt bus service, shesaid.

With an estimated population growth of650,000 by 2020, some lawmakers expressedconcern that shutting down HOV lanes wouldgive people the wrong message about promot-ing mass transit.

“If we believe that we’re heading in the rightdirection, then I don’t believe we can block offaccess to those HOV lanes,” said Rep.Carol Molnau (R-Chaska).

Ramp meters find support

A plan to study metered freeway ramps wasrejected March 16 by the House Transporta-tion Policy Committee.

Rep. Doug Reuter (R-Owatonna) is spon-soring the bill (HF442) that would shut downall meters on freeway ramps for one month tolook at how meters affect traffic flow.

“They may work and they may not work,”he said. “But we don’t know yet.”

Reuter said he thinks too many people abusethe meter system and that the money would bebetter spent on road or bridge repair.

Many lawmakers on the committee dis-agreed and said they have not heard frommany constituents requesting the meter study.

But Rep. Dan Larson (DFL-Bloomington)said his constituents have expressed frustra-tion regarding drivers who don’t abide by themeter system.

“The people in my district would probablysupport life without parole for the violators,”Larson said.

Glen Carlson, manager of the Traffic Man-agement Center in the Department of Trans-portation, said the 400 existing metered rampscost about $2.5 million and are proven safetydevices.

“The problem is we don’t have enough free-way capacity,” Carlson said. “The ramp metersare not the problem.”

Rep. Carol Molnau (R-Chaska) also ob-jected to the study because of safety concerns.She said the meters provide protection againstaccidents and help relieve some congestion onfreeways that already have limited capacities.

“I have a difficulty even thinking of turningthese (meters) off,” she said.

Parking cheats targeted

A bill that would enhance law enforcementofficials’ ability to crack down on handicappedparking violators was considered March 15 bythe House Transportation Finance Committee.

Rep. Joe Opatz (DFL-St. Cloud) is sponsor-ing the bill (HF1053).

The bill would repeal a $1 per month crediton registration taxes for vehicles with disabil-ity plates, thus bringing in $644,976 in high-way funding over the next two years.

That money would pay for a computer net-work to list names of anybody holding a dis-ability parking certificate. Currently, lawenforcement officials have no way of trackingin a timely manner who might be using acounterfeit, expired, or stolen handicappedparking hang tag.

The new system would cost about $140,000to set up and would allow officials to obtainthe information 24 hours a day. The bill wouldalso tighten up the process by which disabilitycertificates are issued.

The committee did not take any action onthe bill, but lawmakers will consider includingit in this year’s omnibus transportation fi-nance bill.

City limits on speed

A bill that would let cities set their ownspeed limits was approved March 18 by theHouse Transportation Policy Committee.

The bill (HF1196) is sponsored by Rep.Henry Todd Van Dellen (R-Plymouth) and issimilar to a plan that stalled on the Housefloor last year.

Under Van Dellen’s proposal, all cities andtowns would be able to set their own speedlimits on residential and other local streets. Itwould only apply to roads over which citieshave jurisdiction.

Van Dellen said the bill would give author-ity to cities to set lower speed limits in certainresidential areas or potentially dangerousroutes.

Under current law, city streets have a speedlimit of 30 miles per hour, and cities can applyto the Minnesota Department of Transporta-tion to have the limits lowered.

Some lawmakers opposed the bill, sayingthat differing speeds on county and city roadscould confuse motorists and create speed traps.

But Rep. Len Biernat (DFL-Mpls) supportedthe measure. He said many streets in Minne-apolis have cars parked on both sides and thecity should have the authority to lower limitsin those areas to ensure traffic safety.

The bill moves to the House floor.


By Paul Wahl

A pair of controversial abor-tion-related bills advancedthrough two House panelsMarch 16 and 17 and areheaded for more committeedebate.

Both proposals sparked pas-sionate debate, but perhaps the most emo-tional testimony came on behalf of a measurethat would ban so-called “partial-birth” orlate-term abortions.

Lawmakers and others are so divided on theissue that they can’t even agree on an exactdefinition of the medical procedure targetedby the proposal.

The bill (HF177), sponsored by Rep. Rich-ard Mulder (R-Ivanhoe), uses the term “par-tial-birth” to describe certain late-termabortions. But opponents of the bill use thephrase “intact dilation and extraction” to re-fer to the same procedure.

Mulder’s bill would provide civil and crimi-nal penalties for performing such abortions.Under the proposal, a woman receiving anillegal late-term abortion, her spouse, and, ifshe is under 18, her parents, could sue doctorsto recover psychological and physical dam-ages resulting from the procedure. Perform-ing such abortions would also be a felonyoffense, punishable by up to two years inprison plus fines.

And the procedure would remain legal onlyin cases necessary to save the life of the mother.

The House Health and Human ServicesPolicy Committee approved the measureMarch 16 and the House Civil Law Commit-tee gave its approval March 17. Both commit-tees rejected amendments that would haveeliminated the criminal penalties and ex-panded exceptions to the ban to include pre-serving the health or fertility of the mother orwhen there is proof of severe fetal anomalies.

Rep. Lee Greenfield (DFL-Mpls) offeredone such amendment in the health and hu-man services committee and Rep. WesSkoglund (DFL-Mpls) offered a similar onebefore the civil law panel.

Both Greenfield and Skoglund argued thatas drafted, Mulder’s bill would be unconstitu-tional, saying that similar laws have been struckdown in other states.

The U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe vs. Wadedecision protecting abortion rights remainsthe country’s highest ruling concerning abor-tion. A ban on late-term abortions was

Abortion debate . . .

Bills may ban certain procedure, require waiting period

approved by the Congress, but it was vetoedby President Bill Clinton in 1997, essentiallyleaving the matter up to individual states.

Since then, 25 states have adopted bans. Thelaws have been challenged in 18 of those states.Only South Dakota, Mississippi, Indiana, Ten-nessee, Virginia, Oklahoma, and South Caro-lina have bans on the books that have not beenchallenged.

But Mulder said his bill would not violatethe Roe vs. Wade ruling because it does notapply to most abortions. He said that 90 per-cent or more of so-called “partial-birth” abor-tions are performed in the fifth and sixthmonth of pregnancy and often when themother and baby are in good health.

“My bill bans a procedure,” Mulder toldmembers of the civil law panel. “It does notban abortions. The procedure is nevernecessary.”

Exceptions to the proposed ban were a stick-ing point for many as well. Supporters ofMulder’s bill said that proposed amendmentsto expand the exceptions only clouded theissue.

Rep. Bill Haas (R-Champlin) said additionallanguage offered by Greenfield to allow the pro-cedures in order to “preserve the fertility of thefemale” sounded like a medical loophole.

“Exactly how do you document that?” Haasasked.

But Connie Perpich, an official fromPlanned Parenthood of Minnesota, said thather group’s concern is that without the ex-panded language, a woman’s doctor would beprevented from using a full range of medicalservices in tending to health care needs.

Jeri Rasmussen, a member of the board ofthe National Abortion Federation, said physi-

cians could find themselves forced to choosebetween what’s legal and what’s best for apatient if the bill passes. She said that as far asshe knows, the procedure is not performed inMinnesota.

In fact, just how often the late-term abor-tions are performed remains unclear. Muldersaid there is no exact known number, but in arecent court case in New Jersey, witnesses saidabout 1,500 had been performed in that statein one year.

The same two House committees also ap-proved a second bill (HF178) relating to abor-tion during the same hearings.

Under the proposal, sponsored by Rep.Lynda Boudreau (R-Faribault), a womanwould be prohibited from receiving an abor-tion unless she voluntarily provides informedconsent to the procedure.

To be informed, the woman would have toreceive specific information at least 24 hoursprior to the procedure.

The information would have to detail themedical risks associated with abortion, risksrelated to carrying the fetus to term, the prob-able age of the fetus, the likelihood that themother could qualify for medical assistanceshould she have the child, and how the fathercould be legally forced to help support her andthe child.

The bill would also establish civil penaltiesfor any woman, and for the parents of a minorwoman, who has an abortion without informedconsent.

Informed consent would not be required inmedical emergency situations.

A 1998 omnibus health and human servicesbill that included a ban on “partial-birth”abortions passed the House, but the ban didnot make it out of a House-Senate conferencecommittee. And although 75 House membershad said they would not support a final omni-bus bill without the ban, the last-minute addi-tion of abortion-reporting requirementshelped the bill win final passage.

A law requiring doctors and medical facili-ties to provide the state with information con-cerning abortions performed went into effectJuly 1, 1998.

HF177 moves to the House Crime Preven-tion Committee, and HF178 goes to the HouseHealth and Human Services Finance Com-mittee.

Rep. Richard Mulder presents his controversial planto ban late-term abortions, which won approvalfrom two key House committees March 16 and 17.Mulder is shown here in March 16 testimony beforethe House Health and Human Services PolicyCommittee.

19XXXXX XX, 199X / SESSION WEEKLY

Tracking the Bills . . . Jan. 5 - March 18, 1998

CH1-CH17

HF VetoedSignedDescriptionCH SF

Once a bill has passed both the House andthe Senate in identical form, it’s ready to besent to the governor for consideration. Thegovernor has several options when consid-ering a bill. The governor can:• sign the bill and it will become law;• veto the bill;• line-item veto individual items within anappropriations bill; or• do nothing, which results in the bill be-coming law in the first year of the biennium.The timing of these actions is as significantas the actions themselves.

In the first year of the biennium, theimportant thing to remember is that thegovernor has three days from the time of“presentment” to veto a bill. If the governor

Bills await governor’s action doesn’t sign the bill within this time frame, itwill become law with or without his signa-ture. (Sundays are not counted in the three-day time limit, but holidays are.)

Only on appropriations bills can the gov-ernor exercise the line-item veto authority.This option allows the governor to eliminatethe appropriation items to which he objects.As with all vetoes, the governor must includea statement listing the reasons for the vetowith the returned bill. Here, too, the time-table is within three days after the governorreceives the bill.

A two-thirds vote of the members in eachhouse is needed to override a veto. But be-cause only the governor can call a specialsession of the Legislature, anything vetoedafter the Legislature adjourns is history — atleast until the next year.

The governor’s veto authority is outlinedin the Minnesota Constitution (Article IV,Section 23).

Internet access to this information is avail-able at:http://www.mainserver.state.mn.us/governor/(select “It’s a New Day” and then click on“Legislative Logs”)

Key:CH=Chapter; HF=House File; SF=Senate File

*The legislative bill marked with an asterisk denotes the file submitted to the governor.

1 88 139* Campaign finance and public disclosure board member qualifications specified 2/17/99

2 29 26* Mississippi education center previous grantee changed to the city of Grand Rapids, and condition imposed 2/17/99

3 107 133* Minneapolis and St. Paul residency requirements repealed 3/4/99

4 40 6* Snowmobile metal traction device use restrictions modified and recreational vehicle rulemaking authority modified 3/4/99

5 121* 171 Health related licensing board licensees infection control 3/8/99

6 424* 370 Nonregistered pesticide distribution permitted for certain uses outside the state 3/8/99

7 324 248* Crooked Lake detached banking facility 3/15/99

8 241 214* Emergency medical services volunteer ambulance attendant definition 3/15/99

9 464* 536 Carisoprodol classification as controlled substance effective date delay 3/15/99

10 73* 356 Consumer support progam for persons with functional limitations financial eligibility criteria modification 3/15/99

11 343* 382 Real estate provisions modifications 3/15/99

12 162 49* Peace officers or firefighters killed in line of duty spouse health insurance coverage 3/16/99

13 579 302* Ambulance services shared service purchasing 3/16/99

14 301* 74 Health care directive form modification 3/16/99

15 416 453* Minneapolis skilled workers and apprentices deferred compensation plan participation 3/18/99

16 379 157* Laura Ingalls Wilder historic highway route modification 3/18/99

17 564 454* Nursing home administrators sharing authority expansion 3/18/99


Minnesota’s Congressional DelegationU.S. Senators

U.S. Representatives

Unofficial list as of 3/5/99

SenatorRod Grams (R)2013 Second Ave. N.Anoka, MN 55303(612) 427-5921Fax: (612) 427-8872

257 Dirksen Senate Office BuildingWashington, D.C. 20510(202) 224-3244Fax: (202) 228-0956E-mail: [email protected] site: http://www.senate.gov/~grams

SenatorPaul Wellstone (DFL)2550 University Ave. W.Suite 100 NorthSt. Paul, MN 55114(651) 645-0323Fax: (651) 645-0704

417 W. Litchfield Ave.Willmar, MN 56201(320) 231-0001Fax: (320) 231-0006

P.O. Box 281105 S. Second Ave.Virginia, MN 55792(218) 741-1074Fax: (218) 741-8544

136 Hart Senate Office BuildingWashington, D.C. 20510-2303(202) 224-5641Fax: (202) 224-8438E-mail: [email protected] site: http://www.senate.gov/~wellstone

First DistrictGil Gutknecht (R)1530 Greenview Drive S.W.Suite 108Rochester, MN 55902(507) 252-98411-800-862-8632Fax: (507) 252-9915

425 Cannon HouseOffice BuildingWashington, D.C. 20515(202) 225-2472Fax: (202) 225-3246E-mail: [email protected] site: http://www.house.gov/gutknecht/

Second DistrictDavid Minge (DFL)542 First St. S.Montevideo, MN 56265(320) 269-9311Fax: (320) 269-8651

205 E. Fourth St.Chaska, MN 55318(612) 448-65671-800-453-9392Fax: (612) 448-6930

P.O. Box 367938 Fourth Ave.Windom, MN 56101(507) 831-0115Fax: (507) 831-0118

1415 Longworth HouseOffice BuildingWashington, D.C. 20515(202) 225-2331Fax: (202) 226-0836Internet e-mail: http://www.house.gov/writerep/Web site: http://www.house.gov/minge/

Third DistrictJim Ramstad (R)8120 Penn Ave. S.Suite 152Bloomington, MN 55431(612) 881-4600Fax: (612) 881-1943

103 Cannon HouseOffice BuildingWashington, D.C. 20515(202) 225-2871Fax: (202) 225-6351E-mail: [email protected] site: http://www.house.gov/ramstad/

Fourth DistrictBruce F. Vento (DFL)Galtier Plaza, Box 100175 E. Fifth St.Room 727St. Paul, MN 55101-2901(651) 224-4503Fax: (651) 224-0575

2413 Rayburn HouseOffice BuildingWashington, D.C. 20515-2413(202) 225-6631Fax: (202) 225-1968E-mail: [email protected] site: http://www.house.gov/vento/

Fifth DistrictMartin Olav Sabo (DFL)286 Commerce at the Crossings250 Second Ave. S.Minneapolis, MN 55401(612) 664-8000Fax: (612) 664-8004

2336 Rayburn HouseOffice BuildingWashington, D.C. 20515(202) 225-4755Fax: (202) 225-4886E-mail: [email protected] site: http://www.house.gov/sabo/

Sixth DistrictWilliam P. Luther (DFL)1811 Weir DriveSuite 150Woodbury, MN 55125(651) 730-4949Fax: (651) 730-0507

117 Cannon HouseOffice BuildingWashington, D.C. 20515(202) 225-2271Fax: (202) 225-3368E-mail: [email protected] site: http://www.house.gov/luther/

Seventh DistrictCollin Peterson (DFL)714 Lake Ave.Suite 107Detroit Lakes, MN 56501(218) 847-5056Fax: (218) 847-5109

Minnesota WheatGrowers Building2603 Wheat DriveRed Lake Falls, MN 56750(218) 253-4356Fax: (218) 253-4373

110 Second St. S.Suite 112Waite Park, MN 56387(320) 259-0559Fax: (320) 259-0413

2159 Rayburn HouseOffice BuildingWashington, D.C. 20515(202) 225-2165Fax: (202) 225-1593E-mail:[email protected] site: http://www.house.gov/collinpeterson/

Eighth DistrictJames L. Oberstar (DFL)231 Federal BuildingDuluth, MN 55802(218) 727-7474Fax: (218) 727-8270

Brainerd City Hall501 Laurel St.Brainerd, MN 56401(218) 828-4400Fax: (218) 828-1412

Elk River City Hall13065 Orono ParkwayElk River, MN 55330(612) 241-0188Fax: (612) 241-0233

Chisholm City Hall316 Lake St.Chisholm, MN 55719(218) 254-5761Fax: (218) 254-5132

2365 Rayburn HouseOffice BuildingWashington, D.C. 20515(202) 225-6211Fax: (202) 225-0699E-mail: [email protected] site: http://www.house.gov/oberstar/


In the Hopper . . . March 12 - 18, 1999

HF1897-HF2182

Monday, March 15

HF1897—Clark, K. (DFL)Family & Early ChildhoodEducation FinanceSubstance abuse intervention inneighborhoods program grants pro-vided and money appropriated.

HF1898—Daggett (R)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyWadena County authorized to pri-vately sell tax-forfeited landbordering public water.

HF1899—Olson (R)K-12 Education FinanceIndependent School District No. 882,Monticello, technology grant autho-rized, and money appropriated.

HF1900—Mulder (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment PolicyHistoric Pipestone Indian schoolbuildings transfer authorized,pipemaker museum and residentacademy restoration planning grantprovided, and money appropriated.

HF1901—Broecker (R)Health & Human Services FinanceRamsey County; Lake Owasso inter-mediate care facility replacement au-thorized.

HF1902—Jennings (DFL)Transportation PolicyDelivery vehicle mounted rear light-ing authorized and department ofpublic safety allowable lighting rec-ommendations required.

HF1903—Bakk (DFL)Transportation PolicyCanada; foreign country incorporatedrailroads required to install signal-ized grade crossing protection at allgrade crossings in Minnesota.

HF1904—Anderson, I. (DFL)Transportation PolicyRanier authorized to prohibit run-ning railroad locomotive parkingwithin the city.

HF1905—Seifert, M. (R)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyGovernor authorized to veto agencyrules.

HF1906—Tunheim (DFL)Transportation PolicyWarroad to Baudette connecting rail-road speed limit required.

HF1907—Anderson, I. (DFL)Transportation PolicyCanada; railroad entry fee imposedand penalty provided.

HF1908—Tunheim (DFL)Transportation PolicyCanada; trains entering Minnesotafrom a foreign country required to beinspected, and penalty imposed.

HF1909—Larson, D. (DFL)Local Government &Metropolitan AffairsDNL65; Anoka, Carver, Dakota,Hennepin, Ramsey, Scott, and Wash-ington counties preschool airportnoice insulation provided.

HF1910—Gunther (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment PolicyHousing finance agency home im-provement and equity take-out loans,and family stabilization rental assis-tance provided; community rehabili-tation fund use clarified; andconsumer-owned housing revolvingaccount established.

HF1911—Mariani (DFL)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceScience Museum of Minnesota open-ing grant provided and moneyappropriated.

HF1912—Huntley (DFL)Health & Human Services PolicyMinnesota Family Investment Plan(MFIP) provisions modified andmoney appropriated.

HF1913—Pugh (DFL)CommerceMetropolitan area utility transmis-sion line upgrade siting regulated.

HF1914—Swenson (R)K-12 Education FinanceIndependent School District No.2859, Glencoe-Silver Lake, long-rangefacility study conducted, and moneyappropriated.

HF1915—Leighton (DFL)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment PolicyWorkers’ compensation third-partyliability provisions modified, filing ofattorney fee statements required, spe-cial compensation fund proceduresmodified, and alternative costallocation accounts provided.

HF1916—Solberg (DFL)Local Government &Metropolitan AffairsItasca County tax increment financ-ing district creation authorized, andtaconite mine direct reduction plantand steel mill adjacent power plantdevelopment powers provided.

HF1917—Hausman (DFL)Transportation FinanceMetropolitan and greater Minnesotatransit appropriated money.

HF1918—Van Dellen (R)K-12 Education FinanceIndependent School District No. 277,Westonka, referendum revenueadjusted.

HF1919—Ozment (R)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyPreferred waste management prac-tices expanded to include methanegas recovery.

HF1920—Ozment (R)Crime PreventionDakota County community justicezone pilot project established andmoney appropriated.

HF1921—Dawkins (DFL)Civil LawRelative custody and adoption assis-tance maximums modified to corre-spond to foster care assistance rates,obsolete AFDC references repealed,and money appropriated.

HF1922—Dawkins (DFL)TaxesIndividual income tax restructured.

HF1923—Mares (R)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyLegislative Commission on Pensionsand Retirement membershipmodified.

HF1924—Otremba (DFL)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyTodd County authorized to sell tax-forfeited land bordering public waterand wetland.

HF1925—Otremba (DFL)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyIndependent School District No. 786,Bertha-Hewitt, teacher retirementclerical error corrected.

HF1926—Huntley (DFL)Health & Human Services PolicyTelemedicine network established,interstate telemedicine service regu-lated, medical assistance reimburse-ment authorized, grants provided,and money appropriated.

HF1927—Storm (R)Crime PreventionPolice agency shared informationmanagment system established andmoney appropriated.

HF1928—Bishop (R)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyOlmstead County authorized to con-vey tax-forfeited land borderingpublic water and wetland.

HF1929—Westerberg (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment PolicyHome ownership pilot project estab-lished under the family stabilizationprogram and money appropriated.

HF1930—Van Dellen (R)K-12 Education FinanceSchool district referendum allowancemaximum increased.

HF1931—Trimble (DFL)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceContaminated site cleanup and de-velopment grant program funded,and money appropriated.

HF1932—Jennings (DFL)CommerceRental vehicle insurance coverageregulated.

HF1933—Boudreau (R)Health & Human Services PolicyDay training and habilitation taskforce established, and new paymentand rate structure developed.


HF1934—Bradley (R)K-12 Education FinanceIndependent School District No. 535,Rochester, special education revenueadjustment grant provided, andmoney appropriated.

HF1935—Harder (R)Health & Human Services FinanceApproved nursing facility completedprojects replacement cost newcalculation modified.

HF1936—Dempsey (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment PolicyHastings Le Duc mansion refurbished,bonds issued, and money appropriated.

HF1937—Bishop (R)Local Government &Metropolitan AffairsCounty services districts established,county cooperation required, andboards and advisory committeesauthorized.

HF1938—Anderson, B. (R)State Government FinanceCamp Ripley national guard youthcamp operation and staffing assis-tance provided, and moneyappropriated.

HF1939—Howes (R)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyMotorized wheelchairs and devicesoperated by persons with physicaldisabilities authorized onnonmotorized state trails.

HF1940—Jennings (DFL)CommerceRenewable energy development fund-ing requirements modified and re-quired expenditures specified asrecoverable.

HF1941—Clark, K. (DFL)Judiciary FinanceSubstance abuse intervention inneighborhoods program grants pro-vided and money appropriated.

HF1942—Bakk (DFL)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyCounty natural resources land in lieutax payments provided inflationadjustment.

HF1943—Bakk (DFL)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyCook County authorized to sell tax-forfeited land bordering publicwater.

HF1944—Wenzel (DFL)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyPaul Bunyan state trail route modified.

HF1945—Wenzel (DFL)Agriculture PolicyMeatpacking industry possible illegalpractices investigated by the attorneygeneral, report required, and moneyappropriated.

HF1946—Ness (R)Agriculture & RuralDevelopment FinanceDepartment of Agricultureappropriated money.

HF1947—Jennings (DFL)CommerceBrewer and wholesaler judicial rem-edies modified.

HF1948—Munger (DFL)Transportation PolicyAmtrak; passenger rail service con-necting the Twin Cities, Duluth, andthe Iron Range studied; and moneyappropriated.

HF1949—Munger (DFL)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyOmnibus packaging regulation bill;mandatory recycled content require-ments provided, transport packagingregulated, beverage packaging re-quirements provided, wood waste andproduct residue marketing planrequired, and penalties provided.

HF1950—Johnson (DFL)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyCitizens advisory council on food,report required, and moneyappropriated.

HF1951—Workman (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceGrimm farmstead restoration grantprovided and money appropriated.

HF1952—Abrams (R)TaxesAdditional homestead classificationqualifications prohibited.

HF1953—Reuter (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceOwatonna infrastructure improve-ment grant provided and moneyappropriated.

HF1954—Paymar (DFL)Crime PreventionCrime victim and witness servicespilot project grant program estab-lished, and money appropriated.

HF1955—Goodno (R)Health & Human Services FinanceRegional coordinating boards provi-sions modified, radioactive materialregulatory authority provided, speechpathologist and audiologist fees modi-fied, lead safety provisions modified,penalties provided, and moneyappropriated.

HF1956—Goodno (R)Health & Human Services FinanceHuman services appropriations bill.

HF1957—Haas (R)Health & Human Services PolicySenior drug program annual fee elimi-nated, qualified Medicare beneficiaryasset limit eligibility increased, andstudy required.

HF1958—Haas (R)Health & Human Services PolicyFATHER welfare-to-work demon-stration project participants directchild support payments authorized,and money appropriated.

HF1959—Bradley (R)Health & Human Services PolicyHuman services county-based pur-chasing implementation date andprovisions modified.

HF1960—Gray (DFL)Family & Early ChildhoodEducation FinanceChild care system obsolete reportseliminated.

HF1961—Otremba (DFL)TaxesLow-income housing tax creditprovided.

HF1962—Otremba (DFL)CommerceInherited metabolic disease equalinsurance coverage required.

HF1963—Howes (R)Civil LawState and political subdivisions pro-hibited from bringing certain suitsagainst firearms or ammunitionmanufacturers.

HF1964—Finseth (R)Environment & NaturalResources FinanceRed River basin flood water manage-ment grants provided and moneyappropriated.

HF1965—Finseth (R)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyState land drainage benefit paymentresponsibility transferred to the com-missioner of finance and moneyappropriated.

HF1966—Mulder (R)CommerceWind energy mandate modified andportion set aside for farmers, windenergy revolving loan account cre-ated, utility renewable energy obliga-tions regulated, and moneyappropriated.

HF1967—Tunheim (DFL)TaxesCities with reduced commercial andindustrial property market values pro-vided increased local government aiddistributions.

HF1968—Davids (R)CommerceMedicare supplemental insurancefederally required changes provided.

HF1969—Juhnke (DFL)TaxesAgricultural homestead acreage sub-ject to a lower property tax class rateincreased, and homestead and agri-cultural credit and adjustmentprovided.

HF1970—Mares (R)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyMinnesota State Retirement System(MSRS) and Department of EmployeeRelations (DOER) required to reportcorrectional plan employee count toLegislative Commission on Pensionsand Retirement.

HF1971—Stanek (R)CommerceMinnesota wireless emergencytelephone services act adopted.

HF1972—Biernat (DFL)K-12 Education FinanceStatewide youth athletic programprovided and money appropriated.

HF1973—McGuire (DFL)Health & Human Services PolicyBirth information release providedto adopted persons and moneyappropriated.

HF1974—Kuisle (R)TaxesTransit system and provider pur-chased motor vehicles and replace-ment parts sales and use taxexemption provided.


HF1975—Wolf (R)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyState archaeologist appointment pro-cess and position classificationsmodified.

HF1976—Mahoney (DFL)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceSt. Paul Stroh’s brewery site acquisi-tion and development funded andmoney appropriated.

HF1977—Lenczewski (DFL)Higher Education FinanceMinnesota State Colleges and Uni-versities (MnSCU) board of trusteesrequired to reduce spending dispari-ties between campuses.

HF1978—Abrams (R)TaxesTangible personal property awardedas prizes in games of skill or chanceconsidered property for resale.

HF1979—Rostberg (R)Crime PreventionCritical incident stress management(CISM), fire assistance support team(FAST) grant program establishedand money appropriated.

HF1980—Osskopp (R)Health & Human Services PolicyChild support mediation pilot pro-gram established, evaluation required,and money appropriated.

HF1981—Lenczewski (DFL)TaxesLocal government city aid base re-duced as aid appropriations increase.

HF1982—McGuire (DFL)Health & Human Services PolicyMedical assistance coverage of over-the-counter 5-hydroxytryptophanprovided.

HF1983—Dorn (DFL)Family & Early ChildhoodEducation FinanceSouth central children’s project inBlue Earth County appropriatedmoney.

HF1984—Abrams (R)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyDepartment of revenue sign required.

HF1985—Buesgens (R)Transportation PolicyMotor vehicle registration suspensionauthorized when owner fails to filetransfer of interest, detachable formrequired, and money appropriated.

HF1986—Nornes (R)Transportation PolicyTrunk highway No. 59 designated asOtter Trail Veterans memorial drive.

HF1987—McCollum (DFL)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyMinnesota River valley birding traildeveloped and money appropriated.

HF1988—Otremba (DFL)Health & Human Services PolicyFree of charge health care services pro-vided MinnesotaCare tax exemption.

HF1989—Otremba (DFL)K-12 Education FinanceSchool districts with a substantial en-rollment of students eligibile for freeor reduced priced meals providedadditional compensatory revenue.

HF1990—McCollum (DFL)TaxesLawful gambling tax collection datemodified.

HF1991—Chaudhary (DFL)Civil LawFoster care placement deadline speci-fied and permanency planning timeperiod shortened.

HF1992—Krinkie (R)Education PolicyTeacher contract qualified economicoffer provided.

HF1993—Workman (R)Transportation PolicySeasonal road restrictions task forceestablished and study required.

HF1994—Marko (DFL)Family & Early ChildhoodEducation FinanceFamily communication initiativegrant program established to provideservices to families with deaf or hard-of-hearing children, and moneyappropriated.

HF1995—Mulder (R)K-12 Education FinanceIndependent School District No. 303,Lake Benton, fund balance penaltyreimbursement provided, and moneyappropriated.

HF1996—McGuire (DFL)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyRevision of public waters list autho-rized to include additional waterbasins.

HF1997—Dawkins (DFL)TaxesComprehensive low-income tax creditprovided replacing the working fam-ily tax credit, dependent care taxcredit, education credit, and propertytax refund; and money appropriated.

HF1998—Rest (DFL)TaxesMarriage penalty and property taxprovisions modified, income tax ratesreduced, alternative minimum taxexemption increased, and constitu-tional amendment proposed dedicat-ing motor vehicle sales taxes to thehighway user trust fund.

HF1999—Paulsen (R)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyConstitutional amendment proposedlimiting the scope of the legislatureduring the second year of eachbiennial session.

HF2000—Lenczewski (DFL)Health & Human Services PolicyMedicare supplemental coverage forlow-income seniors study authorized.

HF2001—Abrams (R)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyReapportionment commission estab-lished, legislative power to change thenumber or senators and representa-tives limited, and constitutionalamendment proposed.

HF2002—Lenczewski (DFL)TaxesRoth IRA conversions excluded fromdefinition of household incomerelating to property tax refunds.

HF2003—Olson (R)Health & Human Services PolicyHealth plan companies requried tomake health plans available that limitcoverage for abortions.

HF2004—Abeler (R)Health & Human Services PolicyAIDS prevention program modifiedto include human papilloma virusprevention.

HF2005—Molnau (R)Transportation FinanceTransportation revolving loan fundappropriation provided for highways.

HF2006—Chaudhary (DFL)Crime PreventionInmate chemical use and mentalhealth assessment required, treatmentrequired, records maintained, freeweights and cable television prohib-ited, and work assignments and otherprograms required.

HF2007—Abrams (R)TaxesDigital television broadcast equip-ment sales and use tax exemptionprovided.

HF2008—Van Dellen (R)TaxesCertain homeowners providedadditional property tax refund.

HF2009—Hausman (DFL)K-12 Education FinanceSt. Paul provided appropriation fornatural science education coordinatorfor Como Park.

HF2010—Paulsen (R)CommerceWorkers’ compensation self-insur-ance regulated, and reporting and fi-nancial requirements provided.

HF2011—Bishop (R)Higher Education FinanceSoutheastern Minnesota regionalpublic safety training centerappropriation provided.

HF2012—Harder (R)Agriculture PolicyVeterinary practice requirementsmodified and procedures clarified.

HF2013—Hausman (DFL)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceWork first transitional employmentproject appropriation provided forrefugee and immigrant communitites.

HF2014—Anderson, I. (DFL)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyGray wolf management provided, in-cluding hunting and trapping provi-sions, and criminal penaltiesprovided.

HF2015—Finseth (R)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyConsolidated conservation lands des-ignated as wildlife management areasby rule.

HF2016—Dawkins (DFL)Crime PreventionMiscellaneous property and motorvehicle forfeiture provisionsmodified.

HF2017—Mahoney (DFL)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyAdministration and health depart-ments directed to adopt newest edi-tions of certain building codestandards.


HF2018—Holberg (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceWastewater funding provided forCedar Lake township in Scott County,and bond sale authorized.

HF2019—Pawlenty (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceBoard of invention appropriationprovided.

HF2020—Holberg (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceWastewater funding provided forNew Market/Elko project, and bondsale authorized.

HF2021—Bishop (R)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyVertical heat exchanger contractorlicense provided, and trainingrequirements established.

HF2022—Chaudhary (DFL)Family & Early ChildhoodEducation FinanceAdult graduation aid formulamodified.

HF2023—Krinkie (R)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyProponents of new or expanded oc-cupational regulation required toprovide written reports to legislature.

HF2024—Seifert, J. (R)Health & Human Services PolicyMedicaid facility preadmissionscreening requirement exemptionextended for Dakota, Ramsey, andWashington counties.

HF2025—Chaudhary (DFL)K-12 Education FinanceGeneral community education rev-enue increase provided, and moneyappropriated.

Wednesday, March 17

HF2026—Sviggum (R)Local Government &Metropolitan AffairsSmall city economic development dis-trict use for commercial developmentsmodified.

HF2027—Storm (R)Local Government &Metropolitan AffairsSt. Peter permitted to lay fiber darkoptic cable.

HF2028—Seagren (R)TaxesBloomington fiscal disparities con-tribution adjustment requirementeliminated.

HF2029—Van Dellen (R)Local Government &Metropolitan AffairsPlymouth tax increment financingdistrict provided local contributionrequirement waiver.

HF2030—Van Dellen (R)TaxesHealth care provider tax exemptionprovided for medical examinationsfor the purposes of insurance, litiga-tion, and employment.

HF2031—Kubly (DFL)TaxesRenville County authorized toimpose an aggregate production tax.

HF2032—Gunther (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceHousing finance agency affordablerental investment fund, communityrehabilitation fund, and housing trustfund programs appropriated money.

HF2033—Buesgens (R)K-12 Education FinanceNational Association of StudentCouncils’ 1999 national conventiongrant provided and money appropri-ated.

HF2034—Entenza (DFL)K-12 Education FinanceViolence prevention through the de-velopment of songs, performance, andrecorded educational resources grantprogram established; and moneyappropriated.

HF2035—Tunheim (DFL)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyCommercial businesses operating onshoreland permitted to rebuild.

HF2036—Hackbarth (R)Environment & NaturalResources FinanceAnoka County trails previousappropriation provisions modified.

HF2037—Hackbarth (R)Transportation PolicyTown roads not providing adequateturnaround space at cul-de-sacs anddead ends improvement remedy pro-vided, and county board spendinglimit increased.

HF2038—Mullery (DFL)Crime PreventionPossession of a pistol with an altered,removed, or absent serial number pro-vided mandatory minimumsentence.

HF2039—Mullery (DFL)Crime PreventionLevel III sex offenders prohibited fromresiding within 500 feet of anotherlevel III sex offender.

HF2040—Mullery (DFL)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyHennepin County supplementalretirement program terms modified.

HF2041—Kuisle (R)Transportation FinancePersonal rapid transit planning anddesign provided and money appro-priated.

HF2042—Bishop (R)Crime PreventionObsolete statutory provisionsrepealed.

HF2043—Tuma (R)Health & Human Services FinanceIntermediate care facilities for per-sons with mental retardation(ICF/MR) funding transferred to themedical assistance program.

HF2044—Anderson, B. (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment PolicyBurial expense reimbursement in-creased, deceased workers memorialdeveloped, and occupational safetyand health (OSHA) penaltyprovisions modified.

HF2045—Bishop (R)Judiciary FinanceRochester; southeastern Minnesotaregional public safety training centerdevelopment and construction pro-vided, and money appropriated.

HF2046—Hausman (DFL)Higher Education FinanceUniversity of Minnesota soccer sta-dium developed, women’s athleticprogram use specified, and moneyappropriated

HF2047—Mulder (R)Health & Human Services PolicyUniversity of Minnesota rural preven-tative health care program established,rural medical community informationresource system operation provided,and money appropriated.

HF2048—Murphy (DFL)K-12 Education FinanceIndependent School District No. 704,Proctor, ice arena safety improve-ments authorized through health andsafety program.

HF2049—Harder (R)Agriculture PolicyPesticide registration and aquatic pestcontrol licensing provisions modified,fertilizer reporting requirementclarified, and obsolete rules repealed.

HF2050—Skoglund (DFL)Crime PreventionDWI; repeat offender electronic alco-hol monitoring requirementsmodified.

HF2051—Huntley (DFL)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyDuluth firefighter consolidation ac-count surviving spouse benefitincreased.

HF2052—Kielkucki (R)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyWright County surplus land privatesale authorized.

HF2053—Greenfield (DFL)Health & Human Services FinanceCertified neonatal nurse practitionermedical assistance coverage provided.

HF2054—Wenzel (DFL)Agriculture PolicyDairy farming task force created andmoney appropriated.

HF2055—Workman (R)Local Government &Metropolitan AffairsLocal government service feesauthorized.

HF2056—Carlson (DFL)Education PolicyUniversity of Minnesota Regent Can-didate Advisory Council recommen-dation process modified.

HF2057—Gleason (DFL)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyGovernment airline ticket purchaseslimited.

HF2058—Carruthers (DFL)Civil LawPollution Control Agency dataclassification provided.


HF2059—Folliard (DFL)K-12 Education FinanceFirst-year teacher induction programgrants provided, national board forprofessional teaching standards cer-tification process participation en-couraged, and money appropriated.

HF2060—Fuller (R)Crime PreventionMinnesota Correctional Facility-SaukCentre authorized to accept parolestatus youth.

HF2061—Ozment (R)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyLocal units of government bonding forconservation easement acquisitionauthorized.

HF2062—Carruthers (DFL)Transportation FinanceHennepin County and west metroarea driver improvement pilot projectestablished, and money appropriated.

HF2063—McElroy (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment PolicyWorld Trade Center Corp. elimi-nated, and assets and liabilities trans-ferred to the Department of Tradeand Economic Development.

HF2064—Carruthers (DFL)Local Government &Metropolitan AffairsFiscal disparities exemption providedto superfund sites developed under adevelopment action response plan.

HF2065—Ness (R)K-12 Education FinanceThird and fifth grade reading, math-ematics, and writing tests, and eighthgrade basic skills reading and math-ematics tests norm referencesestablished; and money appropriated.

HF2066—Greenfield (DFL)Health & Human Services PolicyOffice of minority health established,and powers and dutiesspecified.

HF2067—Westerberg (R)Crime PreventionExtended jurisdiction juvenile offend-ers in violation of stayed sentencesprohibited from receiving time servedcredit.

HF2068—Jaros (DFL)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyTeachers retirement association ser-vice credit purchase authorized forformer Lydia special educationco-op teachers.

HF2069—Jaros (DFL)Health & Human Services PolicyMinnesota family investment pro-gram (MFIP) transitional standardchild only cash grants modified.

HF2070—Sviggum (R)TaxesTaconite production permanent taxrate provided and taconite economicdevelopment fund distributionsincreased.

HF2071—Swenson (R)Transportation FinanceCounty turnback account appropriatedmoney.

HF2072—Westrom (R)Transportation FinanceLocal bridge replacement and reha-bilitation funded, and moneyappropriated.

HF2073—McGuire (DFL)Family & Early ChildhoodEducation FinanceFederal welfare-to-work grant moneystate match for child care assistancefunding provided.

HF2074—Marko (DFL)Transportation PolicyDriver testing facilities and opera-tions expanded and improved, adultdriver license applicants required tohold six month instruction permits,department of public safety publica-tions paid advertisements authorized,and money appropriated.

HF2075—Mahoney (DFL)K-12 Education FinanceIndependent School District No. 625,St. Paul, stability demonstrationproject established, and moneyappropriated.

HF2076—Peterson (DFL)Environment & NaturalResources FinanceChippewa County; recreational trailresurfaced from Milan to Lac QuiParle lake and money appropriated.

HF2077—Lieder (DFL)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyNorman County authorized to selltax-forfeited land bordering publicwater.

HF2078—Tomassoni (DFL)K-12 Education FinanceSchool district public safety revenueprovided.

HF2079—Tomassoni (DFL)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyStatewide medical program estab-lished to provided free or reduced-cost health care to veterans.

HF2080—Seifert, M. (R)K-12 Education FinanceIndependent School District No.2167, Lakeview, new school poweredby gasification constructed, andmoney appropriated.

HF2081—Storm (R)Environment & NaturalResources FinanceSt. Peter tree planting grants providedand money appropriated.

HF2082—Nornes (R)Health & Human Services FinanceNursing facility purchase price usedin property reimbursement ratedeterminations.

HF2083—Peterson (DFL)K-12 Education FinanceMinnesota River valley education dis-trict and southwest Minnesotaworkforce development center pro-gram and services colocation grantprovided, and money appropriated.

HF2084—McCollum (DFL)TaxesIndividual income tax damagesawards exemption provided.

HF2085—Tuma (R)TaxesSenior-owned homesteads estimatedmarket value increases prohibited.

HF2086—Peterson (DFL)Transportation PolicySuper-2 highway; trunk highway nos.7 and 212 segments reconstructed.

HF2087—Krinkie (R)TaxesProperty tax use for light rail transitprohibited.

HF2088—Solberg (DFL)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceAitkin County Growth Inc. tax pay-ment grant provided and moneyappropriated.

HF2089—Biernat (DFL)K-12 Education FinanceArea learning centers building leaseaid provided.

HF2090—Cassell (R)Education PolicyCollege and university hazing policydistribution provision modified.

HF2091—Cassell (R)Higher Education FinanceFarm and small business managementprograms, and tuition assistancefunded; and money appropriated.

HF2092—Ness (R)K-12 Education FinanceInteractive television programfunding restored.

HF2093—Erickson (R)K-12 Education FinanceUrban educator professional devel-opment program grants establishedand money appropriated.

HF2094—Seagren (R)K-12 Education FinanceCollaborative Urban Educator, south-east Asian teacher licensure, andcircles of support in educational lead-ership programs funded; additionalsalary authorized for graduates; andmoney appropriated.

HF2095—Dawkins (DFL)TaxesWorking family credit based onfederal earned income tax credit.

HF2096—Westrom (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceGrant County infrastructure im-provement grant provided and moneyappropriated.

HF2097—Solberg (DFL)K-12 Education FinanceIndependent School District No. 316,Greenway, full-day daily kindergar-ten program grant provided, andmoney appropriated.

HF2098—Solberg (DFL)Higher Education FinanceItasca community college facilitiesconstruction authorized.

HF2099—Tuma (R)Health & Human Services FinanceIntermediate care facilities for per-sons with mental retardation (ICF/MR) services and resident relocationfunding modifi ed.

HF2100—Wagenius (DFL)Health & Human Services PolicyLead testing and child lead poisoningtreatment reimbursement by station-ary sources emitting large amounts oflead required and civil cause of actionprovided.

HF2101—Hilty (DFL)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyGovernment training service pro-vided an exemption from the solicita-tion process and money appropriated.


HF2102—Bakk (DFL)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceLarsmont design project wastewaterfunding provided, bonds issued, andmoney appropriated.

HF2103—Lindner (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceCouncil on Affairs of Chicano LatinoPeople appropriated money.

HF2104—Schumacher (DFL)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceZimmerman wastewater funding pro-vided, bonds issued, and moneyappropriated.

HF2105—Bishop (R)Ways & MeansLegislative Advisory Commission re-view of federal funds purpose changesprovided, state finance informationsubmission dates modified and coor-dinated, and expenditure forecastbonding component provided.

HF2106—Sykora (R)Family & Early ChildhoodEducation FinanceChild care basic sliding fee assistanceeligibility modified.

HF2107—Kahn (DFL)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment PolicyIraq; president, Congress, and othernational and international officialsmemorialized to lift the economicsanctions against Iraq.

HF2108—Abeler (R)K-12 Education FinanceSchool district immunization follow-up activities funded and moneyappropriated.

HF2109—Boudreau (R)K-12 Education FinanceIndependent School District No. 656,Faribault, local levy authorized, fundtransfer allowed, and moneyappropriated.

HF2110—Wolf (R)CommerceQualified small and medium-sizedwind energy facilities renewable en-ergy production incentives provided.

HF2111—Murphy (DFL)Local Government &Metropolitan AffairsProctor authorized to impose an ad-ditional sales tax for construction andimprovement projects.

HF2112—Murphy (DFL)Judiciary FinanceCarlton County criminal prosecutionexpenses reimbursement providedand money appropriated.

HF2113—Boudreau (R)Health & Human Services PolicyNursing home services and elderlywaiver services prepaid medical assis-tance eliminated.

HF2114—Davids (R)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyProfessional architect, engineer, sur-veyor, landscape architect, geoscien-tist, and interior design services bidsolicitation process exceptionprovided.

HF2115—Workman (R)K-12 Education FinanceIndependent School District No. 112,Chaska, eastern Carver communitycollaborative project capital planninggrant provided, and moneyappropriated.

HF2116—Howes (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceNorth ten mile sanitary district waste-water funding provided, bonds issued,and money appropriated.

HF2117—Howes (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceEast Gull Lake projects wastewaterfunding provided, bonds issued, andmoney appropriated.

HF2118—Howes (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceLongville wastewater funding pro-vided, bonds issued, and moneyappropriated.

HF2119—Rest (DFL)TaxesDependent care credit, educationcredit and subtraction, and workingfamily credit inflationary and familysize adjustments provided; and moneyappropriated.

HF2120—Osthoff (DFL)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyAdditional critical habitat licenseplates purchase provided and moneyappropriated.

HF2121—Haas (R)Transportation FinanceBrooklyn Park; Trunk Highway No.52 overpass feasibility, cost, and safetystudied; and money appropriated.

HF2122—Entenza (DFL)K-12 Education FinanceCenter for Victims of Tortureappropriated money.

HF2123—Tuma (R)Education PolicyAdvocacy organization representa-tives allowed to serve as lay advocates;and individual education plan meet-ing, conciliation conference, andmediation session attendance one-time reimbursement provided.

HF2124—Tuma (R)Education PolicyInteragency dispute procedure affect-ing persons with disabilities ages threethrough 21 developed andimplemented.

HF2125—Clark, K. (DFL)TaxesCities required to discharge unpaidtax obligations of Neighborhood Re-vitalization Program nonprofitcontractors.

HF2126—Abrams (R)TaxesFiscal disparities abatement autho-rized, school district uniform abate-ment authority provided, andprovisions clarified.

HF2127—Abrams (R)TaxesPublic debt use limitations andconditions modified and imposed.

HF2128—McElroy (R)Health & Human Services PolicyBoard of Boxing abolished andboxing regulation studied.

HF2129—Broecker (R)Judiciary FinanceCriminal justice, corrections, andpublic safety appropriations bill.

HF2130—Anderson, B. (R)Crime PreventionRunaway children in need of protec-tion or services (CHIPS) provided treat-ment, notice required, and criminalpenalties imposed.

HF2131—Howes (R)TaxesCounty water implementation taxlevy and base grant awards increased,and money appropriated.

HF2132—Greiling (DFL)K-12 Education FinanceUrban agricultural high school cre-ated, planning grant provided, andmoney appropriated.

HF2133—Finseth (R)TaxesEast Grand Forks and Warren pro-vided temporary local government aidincreases, and money appropriated.

Thursday, March 18

HF2134—Wenzel (DFL)Crime PreventionCriminal gang prosecution councilcreated, strike force support provided,guidelines developed, and attorneygeneral jurisdiction provided.

HF2135—Holsten (R)Environment & NaturalResources FinanceNatural resources, youth sports, agri-culture, and wastewater funding pro-vided; and money appropriated.

HF2136—Holsten (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinanceBayport storm sewer reconstructionproject grant provided, bonds issued,and money appropriated.

HF2137—Jennings (DFL)CommerceTelecommunications serviceregulated.

HF2138—Dempsey (R)TaxesHistoric structure rehabilitation ex-penditures income tax creditprovided.

HF2139—Murphy (DFL)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyMinnesota State Retirement system(MSRS) and state troopers retirementaverage salary definition modified.

HF2140—Westfall (R)Environment & NaturalResources FinanceCromwell Township flood damagemitigation funded and money appro-priated.

HF2141—Kalis (DFL)Environment & NaturalResources FinanceSt. Clair; LeSueur River stream bankstabilization grant provided andmoney appropriated.

HF2142—Tingelstad (R)Judiciary FinanceDARE advisory council grant pro-vided and money appropriated.


HF2143—Kahn (DFL)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyState travel office feasibility and ben-efits studied.

HF2144—Kahn (DFL)Education PolicyUniversity of Minnesota incumbentregents provided exemption fromadvisory council evaluation require-ment.

HF2145—Nornes (R)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyOtter Tail County surplus land con-veyance authorized.

HF2146—Nornes (R)TaxesFergus Falls community center con-struction materials and supplies salestax exemption provided.

HF2147—Nornes (R)K-12 Education FinanceSchool district sparsity revenue dis-tance factor increased.

HF2148—Workman (R)Rules & Legislative AdministrationConstitution; sovereignty of thepeople and states reaffirmed, originalintention of the Constitution of theUnited States restored, and principlesprovided.

HF2149—Workman (R)TaxesSales, use, and motor vehicle sales taxrates reduced.

HF2150—Workman (R)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyEmployee and student political fundsolicitation negative checkoffs pro-hibited.

HF2151—Dehler (R)Higher Education FinanceUniversity of Minnesota health-re-lated tuition offset trust fund estab-lished and funding provided throughcigarette tax revenue.

HF2152—Otremba (DFL)Health & Human Services FinanceCancer awareness and preventionfunded, health data classification pro-vided, and money appropriated.

HF2153—Gray (DFL)TaxesProperty tax and state aid special tax-ing districts expanded to include themiddle Mississippi River watershedmanagement organization.

HF2154—Fuller (R)Transportation FinanceLocal bridge road approach fundingauthorized through previous trans-portation bonding authority.

HF2155—Vandeveer (R)K-12 Education FinanceElementary school supplemental lit-eracy program grants provided andmoney appropriated.

HF2156—Reuter (R)Civil LawEconomic loss arising from the sale ofgoods regulated.

HF2157—Murphy (DFL)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyLegislative Commission on Pensionsand Retirement actuarial cost alloca-tion modified.

HF2158—Swenson (R)Judiciary FinanceCenter for Reducing Rural Violencefunding continued and moneyappropriated.

HF2159—Harder (R)TaxesJackson tax increment financing dis-trict duration extended.

HF2160—Reuter (R)TaxesOwatonna Pearl Street 911 centerconstruction materials sales tax ex-emption provided.

HF2161—Olson (R)Health & Human Services FinanceTraumatic brain injury demonstra-tion project appropriated money.

HF2162—Olson (R)CommerceSeat belt use automobile insurancepremium reduction required.

HF2163—Olson (R)K-12 Education FinanceIndependent School District No. 727,Big Lake, technology grant providedand money appropriated.

HF2164—Jennings (DFL)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyCounty natural resources land in lieutax payments modified and moneyappropriated.

HF2165—Holsten (R)CommerceInternet, interactive computer ser-vices, digital broadband services, andhigh-speed data and Internet accessservices regulation restricted.

HF2166—Tuma (R)K-12 Education FinanceIndependent School District No. 659,Northfield, community resource cen-ter grant provided and money appro-priated.

HF2167—Solberg (DFL)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyPELRA; retired employees unilateralbenefits modifications considered anunfair labor practice.

HF2168—Carruthers (DFL)Civil LawMultiple defendants aggregate faultallowed related to comparative negli-gence.

HF2169—Holsten (R)Environment & NaturalResources FinancePublic trails and park facilities sur-veyed for accessibility to persons withdisabilities and money appropriated.

HF2170—Ozment (R)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyBoard of Water and Soil Resourcesshoreland protection pilot programcreated, and money appropriated.

HF2171—Smith (R)CommerceReal property titles required to beregistrated by 2030 and requirementsphased-in.

HF2172—Solberg (DFL)Local Government &Metropolitan AffairsGrand Rapids Public Utilities Com-mission membership increase autho-rized.

HF2173—Smith (R)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyState professional unit employee po-sitions classified.

HF2174—Chaudhary (DFL)Local Government &Metropolitan AffairsColumbia Heights tax increment fi-nancing district extended and expen-ditures authorized.

HF2175—Krinkie (R)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyPublic safety building safety divisionestablished and duties transferred.

HF2176—Workman (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment PolicyPayments to employees for politicalpurposes regulated.

HF2177—Ozment (R)TaxesAgricultural and open space propertytaxation task force established, studyrequired, and appointments pro-vided.

HF2178—Ozment (R)Environment & NaturalResources PolicySales and use tax revenue portiondedicated to the game and fish fund,and constitutional amendment pro-posed.

HF2179—Krinkie (R)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicyRush City correctional facility opera-tion proposal requests required andfacility operator selected.

HF2180—Workman (R)Local Government &Metropolitan AffairsRegional rail authority provisionsmodified, facilities financing pro-vided, intergovernmental agreementsand payments authorized, and gen-eral obligation bonds issued.

HF2181—Tingelstad (R)Capital InvestmentAnoka County courthouse improve-ments provided, bonds issued, andmoney appropriated.

HF2182—Dempsey (R)Capital InvestmentMinnesota Veterans Home in Hastingsimprovements provided, bonds issued,and money appropriated.

Legislative history can beresearched in printedmaterials at the LegislativeReference Library or, for theyears since 1995, on theInternet.Find directions at:http://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/leghist/histstep.htm


Coming Up Next Week . . . March 22 - 26, 1999

Schedule is subject to change.For information updates, callHouse Calls at (651) 296-9283.All meetings are open to the public.Sign language interpreter services:(651) 224-6548 v/ttyTo have the daily and weekly schedulesdelivered to your e-mail address, send amessage to:[email protected]

In the body of the message type:

subscribe h-schedules

MONDAY, March 22

8 a.m.

***Canceled***GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS &VETERANS AFFAIRS POLICYBasement Hearing RoomState Office BuildingChr. Rep. Jim RhodesAgenda: Canceled.

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES FINANCE10 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Kevin GoodnoAgenda: Department of Human Services budgetpresentation continued.

JOBS & ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT FINANCE200 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Dan McElroyAgenda: HF918 (Kielkucki) Taconite mininggrant program appropriated money.Other bills to be announced.

TRANSPORTATION FINANCE5 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Carol MolnauAgenda: HF2041 (Kuisle) Personal rapid transitplanning and design provided and moneyappropriated.HF1917 (Hausman) Metropolitan and greaterMinnesota transit appropriated money.

8:30 a.m.

STATE GOVERNMENT FINANCE300N State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Philip KrinkieAgenda: Department of Administration budgetpresentation continued.

10 a.m.

CIVIL LAWBasement Hearing RoomState Office BuildingChr. Rep. Steve SmithAgenda: SF98 (Knutson) Granting prosecutorsdiscretion not to disclose a victim’s or witness’date of birth.HF2058 (Carruthers) Pollution Control Agencydata classification provided.

ENVIRONMENT & NATURALRESOURCES FINANCE10 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Mark HolstenAgenda: Department of Natural Resourcesbudget overview.

HIGHER EDUCATION FINANCE300S State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Peggy LeppikAgenda: HF1895 (Boudreau) Asian-PacificAmerican mental health graduate programstudent grants established, and moneyappropriated.HF1391 (Leppik) Tobacco settlement moneydisposition provided, health professionaleducation and medical research endowment fundcreated, and money appropriated.HF2098 (Solberg) Itasca Community Collegefacilities construction authorized.

K-12 EDUCATION FINANCE5 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Alice SeagrenAgenda: HF1137 (Greiling) Special educationreciprocity agreements developed, specialeducation funding provided, state revenue sourceprovided for court-placed unreimbursed tuition,and money appropriated.HF1186 (Greiling) Special education revenueand excess cost revenue modified, and pre K-12special education pupil weighting increased.HF1220 (Dempsey) Child care and treatmentinstructional aid provided, placement provisionsmodified, uniform billing system and approvalof education programs provided, and moneyappropriated.HF1357 (Carruthers) Limited Englishproficiency and special education programs two-year lag replaced with one-year lag.HF1360 (Tomassoni) Special education revenueand excess cost revenue modified, and pre-kindergarten special education pupil weightingincreased.HF826 (Johnson) School year minimuminstructional days report provided and moneyappropriated.

Property Tax Division/TAXES200 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Ron ErhardtAgenda: HF1700 (Paulsen) Metropolitanrevenue distribution altered to provideddistribution to counties based on uncompensatedhealth care costs.HF1515 (Daggett) Certain assisted living facilityproperty tax exemption provided.

HF1952 (Abrams) Additional homesteadclassification qualifications prohibited.HF1869 (Van Dellen) City local governmentminimum per capita aid amount established.HF167 (Wenzel) State-paid agricultural propertytaxes provided, and money appropriated.HF1210 (Gleason) Percentage of rentconstituting property taxes increased.

12:30 p.m.

FAMILY & EARLY CHILDHOODEDUCATION FINANCE5 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Barb SykoraAgenda: Attachment, bonding and earlychildhood development presentations by Dr.Byron Egelund, Irving B. Harris professor ofchild development, University of Minnesota;and Dr. William Bart, professor of educationalpsychology, University of Minnesota.

***Canceled***LOCAL GOVERNMENT &METROPOLITAN AFFAIRS200 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Peg LarsenAgenda: Canceled.

2:30 p.m.

The House meets in session.

TUESDAY, March 23

8 a.m.

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES POLICY10 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Fran BradleyAgenda: HF770 (Abeler) Essential communityprovider status application deadline removed.HF863 (Tingelstad) Putative fathers’ adoptionregistry, communication and contactagreements, and postadoption reportrequirements and procedures modified.HF1602 (Abeler) Prescription drug coverage forthe senior drug program clarified, medicalassistance eligibility and income provisionsmodified, and other health care providerprovisions clarified.HF1563 (Entenza) Child support proceduresand requirements modified, certain clarificationsmade, account created, and money appropriated.HF1687 (Tingelstad) Child welfare provisionsmodified.

JOBS & ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT POLICY200 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Arlon LindnerAgenda: To be announced.


JUDICIARY FINANCE300S State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Sherry BroeckerAgenda: To be announced.

TRANSPORTATION POLICY5 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Tom WorkmanAgenda: To be announced.

8:30 a.m.

STATE GOVERNMENT FINANCE300N State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Philip KrinkieAgenda: Budget presentations by Office ofAdministrative Hearings and Amateur SportsCommission.

10 a.m.

CRIME PREVENTIONBasement Hearing RoomState Office BuildingChr. Rep. Rich StanekAgenda: To be announced.

EDUCATION POLICY200 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Harry MaresAgenda: To be announced.

K-12 EDUCATION FINANCE200 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Alice SeagrenAgenda: HF1231 (Ness) Telecommunicationsaccess grants provisions modified, MinnesotaEducation Telecommunications Councilmodified, and money appropriated.HF1199 (Cassell) K-12 education technicalamendments bill.HF1573 (Gray) Minnesota adolescent parentinggrant program provided, and moneyappropriated.HF1677 (Carlson) Metro homework hotlinegrant authorized, and money appropriated.HF1723 (Dempsey) Children’s Museum Ready?Set. Read! program grant provided and moneyappropriated.HF1773 (Dawkins) Youth works programlegislative report required and moneyappropriated.HF404 (Erickson) Advanced placement andinternational baccalaureate programs funded,and money appropriated.HF823 (Ness) School district transportationreserved revenue accounts authorized.HF1459 (Johnson) Learning academy trainingexpanded, library site technology grants eligibilityrequirements modified, database access programfor public libraries and school modified, andmoney appropriated.HF1452 (Boudreau) Library for the blind andphysically handicapped appropriated money.HF888 (Erickson) Multicounty, multitype librarysystems and basic system support grants funded;and money appropriated.HF1202 (Ness) Minnesota foundation forstudent organizations funding provided.HF1914 (Swenson) Independent School DistrictNo. 2859, Glencoe-Silver Lake, long-range facilitystudy conducted, and money appropriated.HF1832 (Swenson) All-day kindergartenstudents pupil weight increased.HF1007 (Lindner) Independent School DistrictNo. 728, Elk River, year-round school/extendedweek or day grant provided, and moneyappropriated.

HF1356 (Wenzel) Operational skills instructorfunding authorized for Central Lakes College,Brainerd campus.HF2009 (Hausman) St. Paul providedappropriation for natural science educationcoordinator for Como Park.HF1972 (Biernat) Statewide youth athleticprogram provided and money appropriated.HF1863 (Johnson) Substitute teacher state-paidmedical benefits provided and moneyappropriated.

ENVIRONMENT & NATURALRESOURCES POLICY10 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Dennis OzmentAgenda: To be announced.

TAXES5 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Ron AbramsAgenda: HF656 (Daggett) Tree growth tax lawpublic hunting and fishing requirementexception created for nonindustrial privatelyowned forest land.HF723 (McElroy) Employer provided transitbenefits income tax credit created.HF1372 (Harder) Sales and use tax exemptionprovided for materials and supplies used inexpansion of an agricultural processing facility.HF1322 (Paulsen) Corporate franchise educationexpenses credit authorized.HF1136 (Carlson) Higher education income taxcredit provided.HF2007 (Abrams) Digital television broadcastequipment sales and use tax exemption provided.

12:30 p.m.

AGRICULTURE & RURALDEVELOPMENT FINANCE10 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Bob NessAgenda: Governor’s budget request forDepartment of Agriculture.

CAPITAL INVESTMENT5 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Jim KnoblachAgenda: To be announced.

COMMERCE200 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Gregory M. DavidsAgenda: To be announced.

2:30 p.m.

Child Care Workgroup/FAMILY & EARLY CHILDHOODEDUCATION FINANCE400N State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Barb SykoraAgenda: Child care issues.

4 p.m.

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES FINANCEBasement Hearing RoomState Office BuildingChr. Rep. Kevin GoodnoAgenda: Presentation on the ombudsperson formental health and mental retardation’s budget.Presentation on the ombudsperson for families’budget.Department of Human Services’ budgetpresentation continued.

6 p.m.

K-12 EDUCATION FINANCE5 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Alice SeagrenAgenda: Continuation of morning meeting.

WEDNESDAY, March 24

8 a.m.

GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS &VETERANS AFFAIRS POLICYBasement Hearing RoomState Office BuildingChr. Rep. Jim RhodesAgenda: To be announced.

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES FINANCE10 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Kevin GoodnoAgenda: HF669 (Goodno) Medical Assistanceincome standard increased.HF1260 (Tingelstad) Medical Assistancereimbursement rate maximums increasedrelating to special transportation services.HF912 (Jennings) Medical Assistancereimbursement geographic groups redefined,nursing facility rate increase negotiationsauthorized, and money appropriated.HF332 (Mulder) Rural health clinics andfederally qualified health center services cost-based reimbursement continued.HF1047 (Wejcman) Anorexia; MedicalAssistance coverage of anorexics authorized.

JOBS & ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT FINANCE200 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Dan McElroyAgenda: To be announced.

TRANSPORTATION FINANCE5 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Carol MolnauAgenda: HF698 (Workman) Majortransportation projects commission establishedand report required.HF1294 (McElroy) Prorated motor vehiclelicense fees authorized after dealer transfer.Other bills to be announced.

10 a.m.

CIVIL LAWBasement Hearing RoomState Office BuildingChr. Rep. Steve SmithAgenda: HF478 (Haas) Structured settlementpayment rights protected related to tort orworkers’ compensation claims.

ENVIRONMENT & NATURALRESOURCES FINANCE10 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Mark HolstenAgenda: Department of Natural Resouces budgetoverview.

HIGHER EDUCATION FINANCE300S State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Peggy LeppikAgenda: General education overview and generalfund expenditure report, Minnesota StateColleges and Universities.


K-12 EDUCATION FINANCE5 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Alice SeagrenAgenda: To be announced.

***Canceled***Property Tax Division/TAXES200 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Ron ErhardtAgenda: Canceled.

TAXES200 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Ron AbramsAgenda: HF1295 (Clark, J.) Property taxhomestead treatment extended to includeproperty leased to family farm corporations.HF1771 (Kuisle) Agricultural tax relief providedthrough offer-in-compromise program andincome tax exemption provided.HF1821 (Harder) Brown County property taxcredit provided for tornado damaged propertyand money appropriated.HF1839 (Van Dellen) Printing activities salesand use tax exemption provided.HF886 (Erhardt) State agency libraries sales anduse tax exemption provided.HF1087 (Harder) Farmer income averagingauthorized for income tax purposes.

12:30 p.m.

AGRICULTURE POLICY10 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Tim FinsethAgenda: HF509 (Swenson) Manure digestertechnology demonstration project shared loansprovided, manure waste methane recoverysystem energy purchase required, rebatesprovided, and money appropriated.HF1235 (Swenson) Livestock productionfacilities exempted from ambient hydrogensulfide standards on days manure is beingremoved from barns or manure storage facilities.HF688 (Kubly) Hydroponic greenhousescorporate farm law exemption provided.

FAMILY & EARLY CHILDHOODEDUCATION FINANCE5 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Barb SykoraAgenda: HF883 (Nornes) Chemical abuseprevention matching grants provided tocommunity collaborative projects and moneyappropriated.HF1697 (Nornes) Male responsibility andfathering grants provided, and moneyappropriated.HF647 (Sykora) Maximum child care assistancereimbursement increased, paymentrequirements modified, and streamlined systemdeveloped.HF1864 (McGuire) Minnesota FamilyInvestment Plan (MFIP) and basic sliding feechild care assistance program consolidated, andprojected costs forecasted and recognized in thefund balance.HF1960 (Gray) Child care system obsoletereports eliminated.

LOCAL GOVERNMENT & METROPOLITANAFFAIRS200 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Peg LarsenAgenda: HF1290 (Larsen, P.) Minneapolis-St.Paul International Airport; Bloomington,Minneapolis, and Richfield airport impact zones

and tax increment financing districts authorized;airport impact fund created; and MetropolitanCouncil activities permitted.Other business to be announced.

Subcommittee on Regulated Industries/COMMERCEBasement Hearing RoomState Office BuildingChr. Rep. Ken WolfAgenda: To be announced.

4:30 p.m.

FAMILY & EARLY CHILDHOODEDUCATION FINANCE217 State CapitolChr. Rep. Barb SykoraAgenda: HF1209 (Boudreau) Child care workertraining grants provided, advisory committeecreated, and money appropriated.HF1610 (Nornes) Child care improvementgrants modified, and money appropriated.HF1857 (McGuire) Child care resource andreferral programs, and child care developmentgrants provided; and money appropriated.HF2073 (McGuire) Federal welfare-to-workgrant money state match for child care assistancefunding provided.

5 p.m.

Legislative Commission on Pensions andRetirement500N State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Harry MaresAgenda: HF1314 (Lenczewski) MSRS generalstate employees retirement plan service creditpurchase for prior temporary employmentauthorized for a certain person.HF1853 (Mares) Public employees police andfire plan and local police and fire consolidationaccount provisions modified.HF1483 (Tomassoni) Minimum fire state aidrelief association eligibility expanded.HF1487 (Wenzel) Minimum fire state aideligibility expanded to post-1993 reliefassociations.HF1444 (Krinkie) Public Employees RetirementAssociation (PERA) provisions modified.HF1842 (Swenson) Glencoe area health centeremployee privatization pension benefitaccommodation provided.HF256 (Kahn) Minneapolis Firefighters ReliefAssociation provisions modified.HF1561 (Mares) Metropolitan Councilauthorized to offer early retirement incentive.HF1076 (Rifenberg) Volunteer firefightersupplemental retirement benefit maximumincreased.HF1830 (Stanek) Minneapolis Police ReliefAssociation authorized fund disbursementsmodified.SF1886 (Sams) Retirement eligibility for Bertha-Hewitt school district teachers.HF1743 (Jennings) Public Employees RetirementAssociation (PERA) military service creditpurchase authorized for a certain Rush Cityschool district employee.HF1302 (Pugh) Teacher earning limitationsresumed for returning retirees.Other items designated by chair.

6 p.m.

JOBS & ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT FINANCEBasement Hearing RoomState Office BuildingChr. Rep. Dan McElroyAgenda: To be announced.

6:30 p.m.

K-12 EDUCATION FINANCE500S State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Alice SeagrenAgenda: To be announced.

THURSDAY, March 25

8 a.m.

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES POLICY10 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Fran BradleyAgenda: Member bills.

JOBS & ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT POLICY200 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Arlon LindnerAgenda: To be announced.

JUDICIARY FINANCE300S State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Sherry BroeckerAgenda: To be announced.

TRANSPORTATION POLICY5 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Tom WorkmanAgenda: To be announced.

8:30 a.m.

STATE GOVERNMENT FINANCE300N State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Philip KrinkieAgenda: Budget presentations on publictelevision and public radio.

10 a.m.


EDUCATION POLICY200 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Harry MaresAgenda: To be announced.

ENVIRONMENT & NATURALRESOURCES POLICY10 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Dennis OzmentAgenda: To be announced.

TAXES5 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Ron AbramsAgenda: HF584 (Dawkins) Low-income housingincome tax credit provided.HF1961 (Otremba) Low-income housing taxcredit provided.


HF1335 (Hasskamp) Sales tax exemptionprovided for construction materials used inbuilding Hallett Community Center in Crosby.HF1334 (Howes) Sales tax exemption providedfor equipment and materials used to makeimprovements to certain resorts.HF1485 (Howes) Deep Portage environmentallearning center construction materials sales taxexemption provided.HF900 (Rest) Working family income tax creditpercentages modified.HF1997 (Dawkins) Comprehensive low-incometax credit provided replacing the working familytax credit, dependent care tax credit, educationcredit, and property tax refund; and moneyappropriated.

12:30 p.m.

AGRICULTURE & RURALDEVELOPMENT FINANCE10 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Bob NessAgenda: Governor’s budget request forDepartment of Agriculture and Minnesota Boardof Animal Health.

CAPITAL INVESTMENT5 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Jim KnoblachAgenda: To be announced.

COMMERCE200 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Gregory M. DavidsAgenda: To be announced.

2:30 p.m.

The House meets in session.

30 minutes after session

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES FINANCEBasement Hearing RoomState Office BuildingChr. Rep. Kevin GoodnoAgenda: HF1858 (Rhodes) Crisis interventionhotline pilot project established for themetropolitan area Hmong community andmoney appropriated.HF948 (Huntley) St. Louis County; statewideadolescent compulsive gambling prevention andeducation project grant provided, and moneyappropriated.HF910 (Finseth) Rural mental health servicesgrants provided and money appropriated.HF818 (Nornes) Residential mental healthfacility upgrades established and moneyappropriated.HF834 (Boudreau) Adult mental illness crisishousing assistance program created and moneyappropriated.

FRIDAY, March 26

8 a.m.

GOVERNMENTAL OPERATIONS &VETERANS AFFAIRS POLICYBasement Hearing RoomState Office BuildingChr. Rep. Jim RhodesAgenda: To be announced.

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES FINANCE10 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Kevin GoodnoAgenda: HF756 (Westfall) Clay Countynonprofit dental services grant provided andmoney appropriated.HF424 (Westfall) Living-at-home/block nurseprogram expanded and money appropriated.HF1116 (Huntley) City of Duluth appropriatedmoney for a family practice residency programfor northeastern Minnesota.HF1770 (Fuller) Senior nutrition meals providedincreased funding and money appropriated.

JOBS & ECONOMICDEVELOPMENT FINANCE200 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Dan McElroyAgenda: To be announced.

10 a.m.


ENVIRONMENT & NATURALRESOURCES FINANCE10 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Mark HolstenAgenda: Department of Natural Resourcesbudget overview.

HIGHER EDUCATION FINANCE300S State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Peggy LeppikAgenda: HF1547 (Bishop) Minnesota StateColleges and Universities capital improvementsauthorized, and money appropriated.


STATE GOVERNMENT FINANCE500S State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Philip KrinkieAgenda: To be announced.

TAXES5 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Ron AbramsAgenda: HF25 (Pawlenty) Charitablecontributions federal income tax subtractionallowed for persons who do not itemizedeductions.HF108 (Pawlenty) Charitable contributionincome tax credit provided.HF109 (Pawlenty) Charitable contributionincome tax credit provided.HF224 (Ozment) Charitable contributionsexcluded from alternative minimum taxableincome.HF89 (Rest) Nonprofits provided grants forvolunteer assistance to low-income taxpayers,and money appropriated.HF1311 (Dawkins) This old house; property taxvaluation exclusion for certain improvementsapplication requirements modified.HF1505 (Carruthers) Nonprescription drugs andresidential fuels exempted from sales tax.HF1511 (Carruthers) General sales tax ratereduction provided.

12 noon

HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES FINANCE10 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Kevin GoodnoAgenda: HF634 (Bradley) Crisis nurserydevelopment funding increased and moneyappropriated.HF1146 (Howes) Indian Child Welfare DefenseCorporation provided grants to promote IndianChild Welfare Act compliance.HF1364 (Koskinen) New chance programappropriation provided in Hennepin County.HF1443 (Abeler) Independent living skillstraining program funded for persons withepilepsy and money appropriated.HF1852 (Stanek) Asian-American juvenile crimeintervention and prevention program grantprovided and money appropriated.


Joint FAMILY & EARLY CHILDHOODEDUCATION FINANCE/JUDICIARY FINANCE217 State CapitolChrs. Rep. Barb Sykora,Rep. Sherry BroeckerAgenda: Takeover of the Office of Drug Policyby House Judiciary Finance Committee.

Committee DeadlinesEach year the House and Senate set dead-

lines by which most bills must be heard ina committee and forwarded through theprocess. The deadlines weed out some ofthe thousands of bills introduced each year.

The first 1999 committee deadline isFriday, March 19. That means to be con-sidered further, a bill must pass out of allnecessary policy committees in its house oforigin.

The second committee deadline isWednesday, March 31. By that date, allbills other than those containing appro-priations will have to be passed out of allpolicy committees in the both the Houseand Senate. To meet the second deadline,bills will have to be acted upon before4 p.m. March 31.

The third deadline is Friday,April 16. All omnibus appropriations billswill have to pass out of a finance commit-tee by that date.

Of course, there are exceptions to thedeadlines. The House Ways and Means,Taxes, and Rules and Legislative Adminis-tration committees are exempt, as are theSenate Finance, Taxes, and Rules and Ad-ministration committees. Also, a bill canbe heard after the deadlines if the rulescommittee in either body allows it.

MINNESOTA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVESPUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE175 STATE OFFICE BUILDING

ST. PAUL, MN 55155-1298

Speaker of the House: Steve SviggumMajority Leader: Tim Pawlenty

Minority Leader: Thomas W. Pugh

For more information

For general information, call:House Information Office(651) 296-2146 or1-800-657-3550

To obtain a copy of a bill, call:Chief Clerk’s Office(651) 296-2314

To find out about bill introductions orthe status of a specific bill, call:House Index Office(651) 296-6646

For up-to-date recorded messagegiving committee meeting times andagendas, call:Committee Hotline(651) 296-9283

The House of Representatives can bereached on the World Wide Web at:http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us

Teletypewriter for the hearing impaired.To ask questions or leave messages,call:TTY Line (651) 296-9896 or1-800-657-3550

Check your local listings to watchHouse committee and floor sessionson TV.This document can be made availablein alternative formats.

Competition at the airport

Rank of Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport among U.S. airports,in passengers served ...................................................................................................... 13Rank among world airports ......................................................................................... 19

Rank of Northwest Airlines among world airlines, in passengers served ....................... 5Number of gates at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport .................................. 70

Number controlled by Northwest ................................................................................ 53Number of new gates at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport since 1991 .......... 5

Number of those controlled by Northwest ................................................................... 4Number of new gates planned by 2002 ........................................................................... 12Northwest passengers in 1997, in millions ...................................................................... 55Percent of passengers to, from, or passing through Twin Cities in 1998

who flew Northwest ...................................................................................................... 81Percent in 1975 .............................................................................................................. 45

Year U.S. airline industry was deregulated, allowing airlines to set their ownroutes and prices ....................................................................................................... 1978

Year Northwest began airline service in Twin Cities .................................................. 1927Year Northwest began service from Twin Cities to Asia ............................................ 1947Year until which Northwest provided the only nonstop service from

Twin Cities to destinations outside North America ............................................... 1997Percent of passengers at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport who were

connecting between two flights, in 1997 ..................................................................... 55Percent in 1985 .............................................................................................................. 45Percent in 1980 .............................................................................................................. 33

Number of major U.S. airports to which Northwest had no scheduled nonstop competition from Twin Cities, September 1998 ....................................................... 16Number of those airports that are in Los Angeles ........................................................ 3Number that are in Washington, D.C. .......................................................................... 3

Percent decline in average fares at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airportfrom 1990-1998 ............................................................................................................. 13

Percent above national average (for 45 similar airports) paid by Twin Citiespassengers in 1998 ......................................................................................................... 49

Source: Flight Plan: Airline Competition in Minnesota, 1999, Minnesota Planning.

session weekly march 19, 1999 vol. 16, number 11

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