Session Weekly April 16, 1999 Vol. 16, Number 15...2 SESSION WEEKLY / April 16, 1999 Session Weekly...

HF2374-HF2407

A Nonpartisan Publication of the Minnesota House of Representatives ♦ April 16, 1999 ♦ Volume 16, Number 15

2 SESSION WEEKLY / April 16, 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 AssistantsChristy Novak, 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.

Printed on recycled paper which is 50% recycled,20% post-consumer content.

Reflections

On the cover: The State Capitol is reflected in the hubcap of a 1948 Chrysler. The MinnesotaStreet Rod Association displayed more than a dozen vintage automobiles in front of the CapitolApril 13 in an effort to promote the hobby of street-rodding.

— Photo by Andrew Von Bank

INSIDEHighlights ............................................................................................................................................................ 5A Closer Look: Judiciary finance bill .........................................................................................................14Feature: Sick building ....................................................................................................................................15Feature: Experimental city ...........................................................................................................................16Feature: Life after the Legislature .............................................................................................................17Governor’s Desk (CH1 - CH65) ...................................................................................................................20Bill Introductions (HF2374 - HF2407) ......................................................................................................22Committee Schedule (April 19-23) ...........................................................................................................23

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Minnesota House of Representatives • April 16, 1999 • Volume 16, Number 15

About 142 years ago, legislators from the most north-ern part of the Minnesota Territory traveled to St. Paulby dog sled or oxcart. Lawmakers from the area, likeJoe Rolette and Norman Kittson, helped to build stategovernment early in Minnesota history. When theywent back north, they took with them many storiesabout life in the capital city for those who never ven-tured as far south.

Today, residents who live over 350 miles away stillmake the long trip to St. Paul, and when they arrive,they find out for themselves how people live in the

Twin Cities and how government works.Last week, on April 8, two groups of visitors from District 1A in Minnesota’s far north

came separately, in vans, to learn firsthand about the Legislature. They also visited suchsites as Como Zoo, The Mall of America, and the Science and Children’s museums.

The first group to arrive and meet with Rep. Jim Tunheim (DFL-Kennedy) were 154-H Club members who attend the junior and senior high school in Roseau on this thesecond stage of their three-day “capitol experience.” To complete their legislative assign-ments, they met with Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Thief River Falls), had questions forlobbyist, Sandra Neren, and sat in on a session in the House chamber. The other group,made up of nine grade-school students, two pre-schoolers, and six parents, arrived atTunheim’s office about an hour later.

Roseau students with chaperons Deon and Paul Willcox traveled 370 miles one-way toget to St. Paul, but it was not so simple for the second group. Those in the second groupwere unique.

Three of these youngsters and their parents trekked 10 miles by snowmobile across Lakeof the Woods, from a place called Oak Island, then traveled 18 miles to their charter schoolin Angle Inlet. There they joined their six classmates before leaving for St. Paul.

This second group, led by teacher Linda Kastl and parents, actually came from a distance 60miles farther north than Roseau. The hearty crew first had to travel across 50 miles of Manitoba,Canada to get to the accessible southern shores of “The Lake” as they headed south.

Angle Inlet students, like Roseau visitors, took stories home about St. Paul. But two oftheir own are more interesting. For example, at the Treaty of Paris in 1783, heavyweightsJohn Adams, Ben Franklin, and others held major debates to keep the land as part of theUnited States. More interesting news is the recent stir about seceding from the UnitedStates due to fishing restrictions by Canada.

Angle Island visitors and the 67 residents left at home know that they are unique. TheseNorthwest Angle residents are proud Minnesotans who live at 49° 23’ 04" — farther norththan anyone else in the lower 48 states of the United States.

— LeClair Grier Lambert

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3April 16, 1999 / SESSION WEEKLY

By Paul Wahl

A relatively minor budgetdeficiency bill has becomethe vehicle for a massive

tax-cut and tax-rebate plan thatmany hope will end a weeks-longdeadlock over opposing visionsof how to return to taxpayerssome of the state’s budgetsurplus.

After a surprising turn of eventson the House floor April 13, abipartisan agreement on a $1.3billion sales-tax rebate and an in-come-tax cut that would totalmore than $1 billion passedeasily. The vote was 129-1.

The plan would cut taxes forpeople in all three of the state’sincome-tax brackets. The middlebracket — presumably made upof middle-class Minnesotans —would get the largest cut.

The bill under considerationwas a $17 million plan to provideemergency funding for the Min-nesota Zoo, State Services for theBlind, security for Gov. JesseVentura, and governmentagencies.

The deficiency bill (HF878) is alargely routine measure designedto fill gaps in expenses incurredduring the current fiscal year. The measure,sponsored by Rep. David Bishop (R-Rochester),had failed to pass on the floor earlier this monthand was being reconsidered when the tax-related amendments began to fly.

With colleague Rep. Steve Trimble (DFL-St. Paul) hoisting a “Day 96” sign behind him(referring to the days since a key tax rebate billwas introduced), House Minority Leader TomPugh (DFL-South St. Paul) offered a 19-pageamendment containing the rebate based on asales-tax formula, $70 million in agriculturaltax relief, and cuts in income-tax rates.

“This isn’t normally my style, but this is aproposition the taxpayers of Minnesota havebeen wondering about for a long time,” Pughsaid. “This is a chance to have a conversationon the topic, and I’m thrilled the speaker hasgiven us the opportunity to take a step towardthat.”

Giving it back . . .

House unites behind tax cut, rebate package

Pugh acknowledged that the forthcomingomnibus tax bill could contain a similar perma-nent income-tax cut proposal to the one in hisamendment. Pugh’s plan called for income taxcuts only for the two lowest of the state’s threeincome brackets, both by 0.5 percent.

Rep. Ann H. Rest (DFL-New Hope) said theamendment would “send a very strong mes-sage to the Senate.”

“The message is that the House is seriousabout permanent income tax cuts,” Rest said.

She added that although the mechanismwas irregular, “these are extraordinary times.”

Rep. Ron Abrams (R-Minnetonka), chair-man of the House Taxes Committee, said hewasn’t pleased that the minority leader haddecided to bring up the rebate and tax cuts atthe time. Abrams said he would prefer to seethe provisions contained in the omnibustax bill.

But Abrams offered, and theHouse accepted, an amendmentthat he said represented “the realdeal.”

Among the provisions inAbrams’ proposal was a call tospeed up the rebate and requirethe state to pay interest if the re-bate checks aren’t in the hands oftaxpayers by the end of July.

And the amendment boostedthe income-tax cut plan, expand-ing the proposed cuts to benefitearners in the top tax bracket.

With the Abrams amendment,the bill would reduce income taxrates from 6 to 5.5 percent on thefirst $34,500 in taxable net in-come, from 8 to 7 percent forincome from $34,501 to $113,360,and from 8.5 to 8 percent on allincome over $113,360.

The bill also would eliminatethe so-called “marriage penalty,”a hitch in state law that forcesmarried couples filing jointly topay more taxes than single filerswith the same income.

The bill would require the stateto begin processing sales-tax re-bates by June 1 and to offer tax-payers the opportunity to signtheir rebate checks over to the

state for one of five specially designated fundsor for the general fund.

The bill would give $1 million to the rev-enue department to finance the rebateprocess.

During floor debate, several lawmakers ar-gued that giving a break to the 6 percent of thestate’s residents who fall into the highest in-come levels wasn’t proper.

Rep. Rob Leighton (DFL-Austin) said thathigh-income earners already get two breakson the first two tax levels and that adding a cutat the top would make that break even larger.

But Rep. Dan Dorman (R-Albert Lea) saidgiving a break at the top wouldn’t take any-thing away from anyone.

“It just gives fairness to every Minnesotan,”he said.

Rep. Tony Kielkucki (R-Lester Prairie)summed up the feelings of some lawmakers

House Speaker Steve Sviggum, top, and Minority Leader Tom Pugh meet withthe press the day after the House passed a sales-tax based rebate and income-tax reduction plan. The measure was approved late April 13 after it was addedto a routine deficiency bill on the House floor.


Most visitors to the recentlyre-opened WashingtonMonument in Washing-ton, D.C. walk right pastthe red stone that simplysays “Minnesota” and casttheir eyes instead at one of

the more ornate memorial stones embed-ded in the granite staircase leading to thetop.

But Minnesota’s contribution to themonument — although it may look unim-pressive — represents a truly uniquegesture.

In 1848, Henry H. Sibley was sent to thenation’s capital tolobby Congress forthe creation of anew Minnesotaterritory. Whilethere he heard thecall from the Wash-ington MonumentAssociation for me-morial stones.

In 1849, afterSibley had success-fully convincedCongress to grantMinnesota territo-rial status, he returned to Minnesota andacquired a block of pipestone forMinnesota’s gift to the monument honor-ing the first U.S. president. In September1849, he submitted the stone to the newterritorial Legislature for approval.

“Minnesota should not be backward inher contribution to a work which is in-tended to perpetuate the memory of the‘Father of his Country,’” Sibley wrote in aletter reprinted in the legislative journals.“The offering should be that of the consti-tuted authorities of the territory, ratherthan the act of a private individual.”

The Territorial Legislature followedSibley’s suggestion and passed a resolu-tion authorizing the donation of the rock.Territorial Gov. Alexander Ramsey signedthe resolution on Oct. 11, 1849.

Minnesota’s stone is one of 192 memo-rial stones, including gifts from each of the50 states, various municipalities, individualdonors, and several foreign nations.

All 50 states have dedicated memorialstones. The first state stone was Alabama’sstone, which was installed in 1849. And

State’s grand gesture made a modest giftAlaska was the last state to have its stoneplaced in 1982.

The red stone offered by Minnesota isabout 2 feet long, 1 foot high, and 2 inchesthick. It has no other writing besides theuppercase, block letters that spell out “Min-nesota.”

The red pipestone, also called Catlinite,was quarried from the historic quarry out-side of what is now Pipestone, Minn. Stonefrom that quarry has been used by NativeAmericans for centuries to make ceremo-nial pipes.

Sibley, in his letter to the Territorial Leg-islature, took issue with the name Catlinite.

He wrote that therock was named afterGeorge Catlin, whowas alleged to be thefirst white settler tosee the pipestonequarry. Sibley dis-puted this fact andclaimed that manysettlers had seen thequarry before Catlin.

“This designationis therefore clearlyimproper and un-just,” he wrote. “The

Sioux term for the stone is Eyanskah, bywhich, I conceive, it should be known andclassified.”

The geological community didn’t takeSibley’s advice and the stone is still referredto as Catlinite.

The Washington Monument was finallycompleted Dec. 6, 1884, and the structureis now enjoying a full-scale restoration. Itwas re-opened in February, after a tempo-rary shutdown to allow work crews to dotheir job.

Minnesota’s stone is far from the mostfamous stone. That honor belongs to theoriginal stone dedicated by Pope Pius IX.The marble stone was originally a part ofthe Temple of Concord in Rome.

On March 6, 1854, members of the KnowNothing Party, an anti-immigrant, anti-Catholic group, stole the stone and alleg-edly destroyed it. Some speculate that itstill sits at the bottom of the Potomac River.The Vatican donated a replica in 1982.

Luckily, the masked thieves passed upthe Minnesota stone on that night in 1854.

when he objected to another House memberterming the rebate a “reward.”

“This is not a reward, it’s their money,” hesaid. “We’re returning what we took fromthem because we don’t need it. It’s not areward, and until we get out of that mentality,we have real problems.”

Rep. Andy Dawkins (DFL-St. Paul) cast thelone vote against the measure. The bill wassent to the Senate, where its future isuncertain.

Early in the session, the House passed a bill(HF1) that would provide a tax rebate basedon income taxes paid. The Senate approved arebate based on a sales tax formula, which hasthe support of Gov. Jesse Ventura.

The two bills have been in conference com-mittee for weeks.

On March 31, the House declined to vote ona rebate plan the Senate had attached to a localtax bill (HF50), sponsored by Rep. JerryDempsey. That bill was laid on the table.

Almost no one expected the rebate plan tobe attached to the deficiency bill — a measurewhich had earlier drawn debate mainly be-cause of provisions to provide $600,000 forthe Minnesota Zoo in Apple Valley and$829,000 for the Department of Public Safety.

The zoo’s request would offset losses fromlower-than-expected attendance. Of the De-partment of Public Safety’s request, $629,000would pay for license plates for new automo-biles and $200,000 would fund additional se-curity for Ventura.

The bill also would require the zoologicalboard to study alternative management struc-tures, such as converting to a private non-profit organization instead of remaining astate agency. The board would have to submita report to the governor and Legislature byFeb. 1, 2000, analyzing how changes wouldimpact employees and what the ongoing costswould be to the state.

Among other proposals in the bill, about$11.7 million would go to the Minnesota De-partment of Human Services to make up for abudget shortfall due to a delay in federal reim-bursements for MinnesotaCare, a state-subsidized health care plan.

And the Minnesota Department of Chil-dren, Families and Learning would receive$3.5 million primarily to pay legal costs aris-ing from two lawsuits.

Other appropriations proposed in the billare $15,000 in legal fees for a lawsuit involvingthe Campaign Finance and Disclosure Boardand a $370,000 boost for the State Services forthe Blind.

This piece of pipestone was the state’scontribution to the Washington Monument.


Week in Review . . . April 8 - 15, 1999

AGRICULTURE

Omnibus ag bill advances

Disaster relief, marketing initiatives, andrecord ethanol producer payments head thelist of provisions in a $139 million spendingpackage approved April 13 by the House Ag-riculture and Rural Development FinanceCommittee.

The omnibus bill (HF2389) was hailed asthe biggest farm bill in Minnesota history. Itcomes in response to the deepening crisis inthe state’s agricultural sector, according toRep. Bob Ness (R-Dassel), who chairs thecommittee and is sponsoring the bill.

By far the largest single item in the spendingpackage is a proposed $74.7 million appro-priation for ethanol producer payments toplants around Minnesota.

The state purchases about one-fifth of allbushels of the state’s largest crop — corn —through ethanol subsidies.

The new funding would bring plants inAlbert Lea, Bingham Lake, Buffalo Lake,Luverne, and Preston to maximum produc-tion capacity.

An additional $500,000 would go to thestate’s newest proposed ethanol plant, whichwould be part of the operation at the Minne-sota Brewing facility in St. Paul.

The bill also would provide funding for aLittle Falls plant, which began production inMarch.

The omnibus bill includes about $8.2 mil-lion for the Agriculture Utilization and Re-search Institute and another $1.3 million toallow the commissioner of agriculture to de-velop collaborative efforts to expand directmarketing efforts.

Nearly $500,000 would go to the MinnesotaDepartment of Agriculture’s Farm AdvocateProgram, which provides assistance with pre-paring cash flow sheets, loan applications, andother financial documents to struggling farmfamilies across the state. Another $400,000would be targeted for helping farmers withmanagement options in disaster counties.

The bill also would establish a rapid re-sponse fund of $250,000 for crop and live-stock diseases. When a crisis develops and theLegislature is not in session, the opportunityto take quick action to prevent the spread ofdisease can be lost, supporters of the fund said.

And the measure would provide another

$250,000 for pseudorabies eradication in hogherds in the state. The governor has alreadysigned a separate bill (HF414*/SF428/CH45)appropriating $1.25 million to purchase pseu-dorabies vaccine.

Ness’ omnibus spending bill includes anappropriation of $316,000 to help farmerswho experience crop damage by protectedwildlife, rounding out the nearly $2 million inthe bill for disaster relief.

Also under the measure, $300,000 would gotoward planning for an urban agriculturalhigh school. The school would teach agricul-

Signedby the

governor

Funds vetoed, vaccine OK’d

More than $1.25 million in statefunding for pseudorabies vaccineis on its way to swine producers inMinnesota whose herds are in-fected, under a new law effectiveApril 13.

The vaccine is being provided to quell anoutbreak of the highly contagious disease,which is not harmful to humans but causespigs to have reproductive problems and togain weight more slowly.

But another $245,000 aimed at helping farm-ers with financial management was sliced fromthe measure, the victim of Gov. Jesse Ventura’sfirst line-item veto.

Money for the Center for Farm FinancialManagement at University of Minnesota wasadded to the House version of the bill in theSenate. It survived a conference committee,but not the governor’s pen.

In his veto message, Ventura said that thestate must do everything it can to eradicatepseudorabies and help hog farmers, but hesaid he believes the appropriation to provideabout 500 farmers with assistance to apply forspring operating loans had no place in the bill.

“In my view, all such relief proposals belongin an omnibus bill, especially now that thelegislative process has already taken too longto ensure adequate and timely financing ap-plication assistant to farmers for this plantingseason,” Ventura said.

Supporters of the measure to provide thevaccine said farmers had done a good job overthe years working to decrease incidences ofpseudorabies, but in recent months, there hasbeen a resurgence of infected herds.

Bill opponents claimed pseudorabies flared

Liquid protest

Milk runs down the street and into a stormsewer on the Capitol grounds after Mark Rohr,a dairy farmer from Otter Tail County, openedthe spigot of the holding tank on the back ofhis pickup truck and released 100 gallons ofmilk to protest low milk prices on April 15.

tural skills and farm awareness, with the even-tual aim of providing a pipeline for agricul-tural industry employees.

A plan to allow farmed cervidae — theanimal family that includes deer and elk — tobe hunted on game preserves is also includedin the finance bill.

Finally, the bill includes a provision backedby Ness that calls for legislative review of anyregulation or fee the Minnesota PollutionControl Agency might assess on livestock,poultry, or feedlot operations.

The bill moves to the House Ways andMeans Committee.


because farmers facing declining pork pricesdecided to gamble and not vaccinate.

Rep. Bob Gunther (R-Fairmont) and Sen.Paula Hanson (DFL-Ham Lake) sponsoredthe measure.

HF414*/SF428/CH45

BONDING

CRIME

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

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

Setting bonding priorities

The House passed a bill April 8 that wouldgive the Legislature a tool to better evaluatelocal capital improvement requests. The votewas 97-25.

Under the proposal, the Minnesota Depart-ment of Finance would review each local bond-ing request and submit its recommendationsto the Legislature for consideration in thebonding bill.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Jim Knoblach(R-St. Cloud), outlines a set of nine criteriathat the finance department would use inevaluating each proposal.

Those include considering whether eachproject has additional local, private, and userfinancing; helps fulfill an important state mis-sion of regional or statewide importance; willnot require additional state funding for op-eration; does not expand the state’s role into anew policy area; does not create serious ineq-uities among local jurisdictions; has a credibleplan for ongoing maintenance and fundingthroughout the life of the project; does notcompete with other local facilities; and hasresolutions of support from all governing bod-ies immediately affected by the project.

The measure also would limit state fundingto one-half of the project’s total costs, unlessthe project comes as a result of a naturaldisaster or would be located in an economi-cally depressed area.

While the bill would encourage local gov-ernments to submit their requests directly tothe department, it also states that neither theLegislature nor the governor would be boundby the recommendations of the departmentand that legislators and the governor couldintroduce projects for consideration that havenot been reviewed by the finance department.

Knoblach’s bill, which would apply to re-quests for the 2000 bonding bill, would re-quire local governments to submit theirproposals to the finance department byJune 1, 1999.

The measure (HF726) now goes to the Senate.

Waiting in the workhouse

Gov. Jesse Ventura signed a newlaw April 15 that will authorizecounty sheriffs to transfer prison-ers waiting for trial from the countyjail to the county workhouse.

Current law allows sheriffs totransfer only prisoners who have been sen-tenced. The new measure, effective Aug. 1,will allow sheriffs to do the same with pretrialprisoners.

Under the new law, sheriffs and workhouseadministrators are required to have an agree-ment in place on the conditions of the trans-fer, including how costs will be handled.

Rep. Rich Stanek (R-Maple Grove) and Sen.Dave Johnson (DFL- Bloomington) sponsoredthe measure.

HF216*/SF236/CH49

Signedby the

governor

Signedby the

governor

Challenging court orders

The governor signed a measure April12 that will place a time limit onwhen criminal defendants can chal-lenge court-ordered restitution.

Under current law, courts canorder that a person convicted of a

crime pay the victim expenses resulting fromthe crime. Restitution can include medicalbills, therapy costs, or the replacement of lostwages.

Current law also outlines a process wherebydefendants can challenge the amount claimedby the victim.

The new law, effective Aug. 1, will give thedefendant 30 days to challenge the amount ofthe restitution. The clock starts ticking whenthe defendant is informed of the amount re-quested or is sentenced to pay, whichever islater.

Rep. Mike Osskopp (R-Lake City) and Sen.David Knutson (R-Burnsville) sponsored themeasure.

HF733/SF117*/CH38

DEVELOPMENT

Omnibus development bill

The House passed the 1999 jobs and eco-nomic development finance bill April 15. Thevote was 72-55.

The $444 million appropriations bill, spon-sored by Rep. Dan McElroy (R-Burnsville),would provide funding for two dozen stateagencies over the next two years, including the

departments of commerce, economic secu-rity, housing, labor, and trade and economicdevelopment

The bill (HF2390) was approved by theHouse Jobs and Economic Development Fi-nance Committee on April 9 and by the HouseWays and Means Committee on April 12.

The bill also includes House Speaker SteveSviggum’s plan to replace lawmakers who serveon the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilita-tion Board (IRRRB) with appointed citizens.

Sviggum (R-Kenyon) has argued that theIRRRB’s current makeup causes constitutionalproblems, because legislators are prohibitedfrom holding other public offices.

Sviggum’s proposal would require the gov-ernor to appoint 10 board members who arenot legislators. No more than six board mem-bers could support the same political party,and all would have to live in the Iron Range taxrelief area.

The IRRRB oversees six different accountsthat appropriate money for environmental oreconomic development projects in northeast-ern Minnesota. The board administers fundsreceived through a specific tax paid by miningcompanies in the area.

Under current law, the House speaker ap-points five state representatives to serve on theboard, and the Senate Subcommittee on Com-mittees appoints five state senators.

The omnibus bill also includes a housingproposal originally sponsored by MajorityLeader Tim Pawlenty (R-Eagan). The planseeks to provide stable housing for familieswith school-aged children.

Specifically, the measure would enable or-ganizations to apply for grants through theFamily Homeless Prevention and AssistanceProgram, which was established by the Legis-lature in 1993. That program provides grantsto counties and nonprofit organizations forefforts to prevent homelessness.

Under Pawlenty’s plan, a new project aimedat providing stability for homeless childrenwould be added to the existing program.

The program would combine the housingservices with job training, social services, andthe schools. The bill would provide $1 millionfor the project.

The bill also would split the regulation ofhealth maintenance organizations (HMOs)between the departments of health and com-merce. Under current law, the Department ofHealth is the agency responsible for regulatingthose organizations.

Under the omnibus bill, the Department ofCommerce would be responsible for the fi-nancial regulation of these entities, and theDepartment of Health would regulate qualityof care issues.


EDUCATIONSCHOOL

Limits on locals

A bill that would restrict cities and countiesfrom a practice of using zoning ordinances toachieve certain goals was approved by theHouse April 13. The vote was 100-32.

The bill (SF854*/HF896) would prohibitcities and counties from setting a deadline fora nonconforming land use to cease. That pro-cess, known as “amortization,” gives local unitsof government a loophole in laws regardingthe public taking of private property, said Rep.Peg Larsen (R-Lakeland), sponsor of the bill.

Larsen said amortization allows local unitsof government to take, or condemn, privateproperty by saying it has no value due to thenonconforming use, such as a home located ina business district.

Rep. Michael Paymar (DFL-St. Paul) ob-jected to the bill, saying Minnesota would bethe only state to prohibit that practice and thatcourt rulings have found amortization to beconstitutional.

Paymar and Rep. Steve Trimble (DFL-St. Paul) each offered amendments to allowamortization to be used to reduce the numberof billboards throughout the state, but thoseproposals were rejected.

The bill now goes to the governor.

Other risk-bearing health organizations,such as community integrated service net-works (CISNs), health care cooperatives, andcommunity purchasing arrangements, wouldalso fall under the change.

Here are some other highlights of the bill.• The Department of Trade and Economic

Development would receive $81.2 millionover the next two years. Of that amount, $2million would fund the Wastewater Infra-structure Fund grant program for statewidewastewater improvement projects. Also in-cluded in that amount, $5 million would goto the Office of Tourism to increase market-ing and advertising.

• The Minnesota Housing Finance Agencywould get $96.2 million over the next twoyears. Of that amount, $10 million of addi-tional funding would go toward preservingfederally subsidized rental housing. The billalso would provide $1.6 million to an inno-vative housing demonstration project. Theprogram would seek to develop innovativebuilding techniques that could keep hous-ing costs affordable.

• Also under the bill, the Department of Eco-nomic Security would receive $83.5 millionover the next two years. Included in thisappropriation, State Services for the Blindwould receive $10.9 million. The depart-ment is required under the bill to audit StateServices for the Blind to find the cause forthe deficit that occurred in the agency’s 1999budget.

• The bill would provide $38 million to theDepartment of Commerce over the next twoyears. Of that amount, $1.4 million wouldfund an upgrade of the database systemsused by the department, and $90,000 wouldgo toward the development of an onlinelicensing web-site. The bill would also pro-vide $100,000 for an educational campaignto alert home buyers to the mortgage flip-ping scam.

• The bill would also provide $1.1 million tothe Minnesota Indian Affairs Council,$638,000 to the Chicano Latino Affairs Coun-cil, $563,000 to the Council on Asian-PacificMinnesotans, and $649,000 to the Councilon Black Minnesotans. Of the appropria-tion to the Council on Black Minnesotans,$25,000 would go to the annual planning ofthe Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

• Also under the bill, the Minnesota HistoricalSociety would get $50.4 million, the Depart-ment of Labor and Industry would be ap-propriated $48 million, and the Departmentof Public Service would receive $21 million.Several boards would also receive funding.The Board of Accountancy would get$1.3 million, the architecture board wouldreceive $1.6 million, and the Board of Barber

Examiners would get $293,000. But the stateBoard of Boxing would be eliminated underthe bill. This provision came as a result ofrecommendations made by the legislativeauditor in a report on occupational regula-tion. The auditor suggested that the func-tions of the board could best be handled bya private organization.

K-12 funding hike

Schools would receive about $127 more perstudent from the state next year, under a$7.7 billion omnibus K-12 finance bill ad-vancing in the House.

The 3.6-percent increase on the state’s gen-eral formula would be $42 per pupil morethan Gov. Jesse Ventura’s proposed hike, butit would come in almost $275 short of theincrease called for by DFLers on the HouseK-12 Education Finance Committee.

That committee approved the omnibus fi-nance bill (HF2333), sponsored by Rep. AliceSeagren (R-Bloomington), on April 12.

General formula funding for school dis-tricts is figured on weighted per-pupil units,with secondary students receiving more rev-enue than elementary students.

School districts receive the bulk of theirfunding from the general formula, currentlyset at $3,530 per pupil. The House plan wouldfollow next year’s increase with a 3-percentformula boost for the 2000-01 school year.

The increase in per-pupil funding wouldcost the state $204 million, which would bepart of the $6 billion sent to districts in generalformula funding.

The omnibus bill also includes key provi-sions designed to reduce class sizes, boostsummer school programs, support charterschools, and reduce the funding disparitiesbetween local school districts.

Class-size reductionThe measure would spend about $107 mil-

lion over the next two years for class-sizereduction initiatives. That’s about $43 millionless than the governor proposed.

But the House plan closely resemblesVentura’s plan in all other ways. The fundswould be targeted to kindergarten throughthird grade, with the goal of reducing classsizes, primarily in reading and math, to 17children to each teacher.

Districts would have to submit a plan to thecommissioner of the Department of Children,Families and Learning, and upon approval,they would receive up to $250 per student.Districts that have already met that 17-to-1goal in those grades could use the funding forreducing class sizes in higher grades, provid-ing all-day kindergarten, increasing staff, orimproving technology and other programs.

Targeted programsThe measure also would provide almost

$2.3 million over the next biennium to fundbasic skills summer school programs. Dis-tricts could receive the funding for studentswho do not pass a basic skills test in reading,writing, or mathematics.

The governor’s proposal did not includefunding for that provision, but in other areas,the House plan follows Ventura’s recommen-dations. For instance, both proposals wouldearmark almost $6 million over two years toexpand the Fast Break to Learning program,which provides in-school breakfasts and hasbeen shown to have a positive impact on testscores and attendance rates at certain pilotsites.

But the House plan would not continue tofund all-day kindergarten pilot programsaround the state. The first-grade preparednessprogram was initiated in 1996, with $5 millionin biennial spending, and it was given a $1.5million funding boost in 1998’s omnibus edu-cation law.


Charter schoolsFledgling charter schools would see more

state money under the House plan. Fundingfor both start-up and lease costs for thoseschools would be increased to almost $12 mil-lion for the biennium — almost $2.5 millionmore than the governor proposed.

Other provisions are aimed at making iteasier to create new charter schools. Cities,towns, and educational cooperative boardswould be added to the list of entities that cansponsor charter schools, and districts wouldbe required to convert existing schools to char-ter schools if the majority of full-time teachersat a school petition for the change. Undercurrent law, 90 percent of those teachers mustpetition to necessitate the conversion.

Funding disparitiesThe bill also includes provisions to address

statewide funding disparities between districts.Currently, about 32 percent of school dis-tricts’ budgets come from local property taxlevies, and districts that, for whatever reason,have trouble getting voter approval for levyhikes face recurring funding crunches.

The House proposal would direct almost$28 million over the upcoming biennium to anew funding component called equity rev-enue. Equity revenue would provide addi-tional money, on a sliding scale, to districtsthat have less than the state’s average per-pupil funding based on combined state andlocal revenue.

The plan also would increase the level atwhich the state “equalizes” local referendumfunding. Currently, additional state funds areprovided for districts’ first $315 in per-pupilfunding from local levies, based on the dis-tricts’ property tax base. The House plan wouldraise that level to $350 for fiscal year 2000 andto $415 the following year.

Also, the bill would create an equity compo-nent for the current spending, called compen-satory funding, that is directed to districtswith high concentrations of poor and non-English speaking students. Compensatory eq-uity funding would share that money withmore districts, and the bill would add about$12 million over two years in compensatoryfunding for districts that don’t have highenough concentrations of poor students toqualify under the current formula.

The measure was approved by the HouseTaxes Committee April 14 and moves next tothe House Ways and Means Committee.

ENVIRONMENT

FAMILY

Daffodils bloomed on the Capitol grounds thisweek, a sure sign that spring is really here.

Signs of spring

Seeking waste solutions

The House passed a bill April 8 that wouldmake the Office of Environmental Assistanceresponsible for part of the state’s Waste Man-agement Act. The vote was 123-1.

The Waste Management Act is a state lawthat requires the Minnesota Pollution Con-trol Agency (MPCA) and the commissioner ofpublic service to recommend policy changesto help the state reduce the amount of wastethat is sent to landfills. Goals of the programinclude purchasing products that contain re-cycled material, conducting tests on agencies’experiences using those products, and keep-ing other data related to recycling.

Under current law, the Pollution ControlAgency and the commissioner of public ser-vice recommend policy changes to the gover-nor and the Environment and NaturalResources committees in the House and Sen-ate. The bill (SF1176*/HF1151) would shiftthe MPCA’s responsibility to the Office ofEnvironmental Assistance.

The bill now moves to the governor’s desk.

Protecting lake waters

The House passed a bill April 13 that wouldmodify the state’s policy for controlling thespread of Eurasian water milfoil and otherexotic species. The vote was 132-0.

The Minnesota Department of Natural Re-sources (DNR) developed the Exotic SpeciesProgram after Eurasian water milfoil was foundin Lake Minnetonka in 1987 and zebra mus-sels were found in Duluth harbor. The pro-gram includes inspection of boats and trailersat launching sites of lakes that are known to beinfested.

The bill (SF1528*/HF1248) would extendthose inspections to lakes that are not infested,and it would allow more time for those inspec-tions. Under current law, the DNR inspectsboats from May 1 to Oct. 15 each year. The billwould extend those dates to the entire openwater season.

Current law also prohibits people from har-vesting bait from infested waters. The billwould allow the DNR to grant permits for thatpurpose to people who have had training inhandling exotic species.

The bill is sponsored by Rep. Larry Howes(R-Hackensack) and Sen. Leonard Price (DFL-Woodbury).

The measure now goes to the governor.

Kids in treatment

Parents of teen-agers with chemi-cal dependency problems often findtheir hands are tied when dealingwith their children, but a new lawsigned by the governor April 12aims to give them aid.

Under current law, children under the ageof 16 can be admitted by their parents to achemical dependency treatment program, pro-vided that an independent evaluator confirmsthe need for treatment. But for minors ages 16and 17 the treatment must be voluntary.

The new law, effective Aug. 1, will make 16-and 17-year-olds subject to the same require-ments as children under the age of 16.

“It is highly questionable that a 16- or 17-year-old who is chemically dependent canmake this choice by themselves,” said Rep.Mark Buesgens (R-Jordan), who sponsoredthe measure in the House.

Sen. Claire Robling (R-Prior Lake) spon-sored the Senate bill.

HF183*/SF144/CH32

Signedby the

governor

Child care terms

A new state law extends a tempo-rary legal definition of day careterms including newborn, infant,toddler, preschooler, and schoolage. The measure is effectiveApril 13.

Signedby the

governor


GOVERNMENT

The definitions were adopted in 1997 be-cause of concerns regarding adequate day careoptions in light of welfare reform. They werepart of new guidelines aimed at allowing daycare operations to take a greater mix of chil-dren than was allowable under the priordefinitions.

State law dictates how many children in acertain age group — newborns, for example— can be under the care of one day careprovider at one time. The 1997 changes weredesigned to give greater flexibility and to makeavailable more child care options.

Rep. Jim Abeler (R-Anoka) and Sen. ClaireRobling (R-Prior Lake) sponsored the bill.

HF1126*/HF862/CH36

New veto authority

The governor would be able to veto rulesthat are adopted by state agencies, under a billthe House passed April 8. The vote was 93-32.

Rep. Marty Seifert (R-Marshall) is sponsor-ing the bill (HF1905), under which the gover-nor would receive a copy of all new rulespromulgated by state agencies and would havethe authority to veto all or part of a rule andsend the vetoed measure to the Legislature forconsideration.

Seifert mentioned two recent controversialrules — the so-called diversity rule and theProfile of Learning — that were considered orcreated by the State Board of Education andSeifert said the state would have benefited byhaving the rule veto in place.

In those examples, the governor could havevetoed the entire rules or only certain parts,such as the much-criticized paperwork re-quirements that accompanied the Profile ofLearning initiative. The Legislature could thenhave proposed alternatives to address the prob-lems, Seifert said, instead of allowing the agencyto impose the rules on school districts.

Rep. Jean Wagenius (DFL-Mpls) said thatthe public currently enjoys considerable inputin the rulemaking process, and she said thatinput would be diminished if the governorcould veto rules. She also said rules ofteninvolve complicated scientific data, and theLegislature might have less time than the agen-cies to hear from experts regarding that data.

But Seifert said the governor would nothave ultimate veto power. If the Legislaturewere to fail to act on a governor’s veto of a rule,the rule would automatically go into effect. Hedescribed the bill as a “modest proposal to givethe governor and the Legislature some over-sight in the rulemaking process.”

The measure now moves to the Senate.

Time limit on confirmation

People who are appointed by the governoras commissioners of state agencies would haveto be confirmed by the Senate within one yearof the appointment, under a bill the Housepassed April 8. The vote was 115-7.

The bill (HF118), sponsored by Rep. SondraErickson (R-Princeton), would prevent anacting or temporary commissioner from serv-ing in that role for more than one year.

Under the bill, if the Senate did not confirman appointment within one year, the governorwould have to make a new appointment.

The measure now moves to the Senate.

S.A.D.D. at the Capitol

HEALTH

School representatives from Students Against Drunk Driving (S.A.D.D.) listen as Tom Brockwaydescribes dealing with the death of his son, Kevin Brockway. The boy died at age 16 in a car crashon New Year’s Eve in 1997, after leaving a party where an adult had provided alcohol. S.A.D.D.students came to the Capitol from around the state on April 15 to support a bill that would allowfelony charges to be brought against certain adults who provide alcohol to minors. Studentsare, left to right, Lidsey Ruliffson and Maggie Snetting, from South High School in Minneapolis;Laura Skidmore and Jennifer Wisnew, from Lakeville High School; and Talman Wiles and LaurieVanPeursen, from Stewartville High School.

Allowing bed rails

A bill that would clarify the permitted usesof bed rails in Minnesota nursing homes is onits way to Gov. Jesse Ventura.

The bill won final passage in the House onApril 12. The vote was 127-0.

Under provisions of the measure (HF40), anursing home resident’s right to bed rails andother restraints would be reaffirmed. Fear offalling would be included as a legitimate medi-cal reason for prescribing bed rails, and astudy of the use of restraints would beinitiated.

The bill was proposed after a number ofnursing homes were fined by the MinnesotaDepartment of Health last spring for improp-erly using bed rails according to thedepartment’s interpretation of federalregulations.

Concern about use of bed rails arose be-cause of injuries and even deaths caused whenpatients became entangled in the rails. Thefederal regulations called for a moratorium onrail use in cases where a patient would be putin “immediate jeopardy.” Many nursing homessubsequently removed bed rails entirely, hop-ing to avoid fines but leaving some residentsand their families upset.

The bill’s sponsor, Rep. Fran Bradley (R-Rochester), said the idea was to craft a bill atthe state level that would spell out patientrights under federal guidelines but wouldn’tjeopardize the state’s Medicare and Medicaidreimbursements. He said action in the Senatewas delayed as long as possible awaitingcomment from federal sources.

Bradley told his House colleagues that inthe “best guess of the professionals,” the billwould be acceptable to the federal Health CareFinance Authority, although there is noguarantee.

If the measure becomes law and is eventu-ally found objectionable in the eyes of thefederal government, it may have to be revis-ited next session, Bradley said.


HIGHER EDUCATION

Health-related regulations

The governor signed a bill April 12implementing changes in licensingfor physicians, acupuncture prac-titioners, and athletic trainers.

Effective Aug. 1, medical studentsenrolled in dual-degree programs

will have additional time to pass portions ofthe state licensing exam. The increasing num-ber of double-majors studying at the MayoClinic and other facilities has made the cur-rent time restrictions unrealistic.

The new law also will provide protectionfrom charges of practicing medicine without alicense for acupuncturists, and will authorizea temporary permit for athletic trainers, simi-lar to what is currently in law for other regu-lated health occupations.

The Board of Medical Practice requestedthe changes in the law.

Rep. Richard Mulder (R-Ivanhoe) and Sen.John Hottinger (DFL-Mankato) sponsoredthe measure.

HF413*/SF418/CH33

College campus cash infusion

Lawmakers on the House Higher Educa-tion Finance Committee narrowly approved a$2.6 billion spending bill April 9 to supportthe state’s higher education institutions.

The bill would provide funds to increasefinancial aid for students, provide salary in-creases for faculty at Minnesota colleges, cre-ate a University of Minnesota campus inRochester, and make changes to the way Uni-versity of Minnesota regents are selected.

DFLers on the committee voted against themeasure, saying the bill’s appropriations —which don’t include a $350 million proposedendowment fund for medical education —are not adequate to provide for colleges anduniversities throughout the state.

The endowment, proposed by Gov. JesseVentura, was considered by the committeebut was not included in the omnibus measure.The $350 million would have come from thestate’s tobacco lawsuit settlement funds.

Apart from that provision, the bill (HF2380)proposes the same spending amount calledfor in Ventura’s recommendations. However,funds would be distributed differently thanunder Ventura’s plan for the four major highereducation organizations the state finances.

The bill, which is sponsored by Rep. PeggyLeppik (R-Golden Valley), was approved bythe House Ways & Means Committee April 12and now moves to the House floor.

Here’s a look at key provisions of the omni-bus bill.

MnSCU spendingThe bill would provide $1.13 billion to the

Minnesota State Colleges and Universities sys-tem (MnSCU), about $3.3 million less thanthe governor’s recommendation.

Under the bill, about half of MnSCU’s re-quested increases would be funded. MnSCUofficials had originally asked the Legislaturefor an additional $230 million to fund a longlist of initiatives for the 53-campus system.That list included faculty pay raises, technol-ogy improvements, and joint training pro-grams with industries to fill job market needs.

Instead of targeting dollars for specific pro-grams, lawmakers chose to appropriate moneyby category, leaving MnSCU to decide how tospend it.

For technology improvements, the bill in-cludes $3.5 million increase in funding overtwo years. The committee did not appropriatemoney for the industry partnerships and jobtraining programs, for which MnSCU hadrequested $46 million.

Lawmakers approved $84.1 million for fac-ulty salary increases, institutional operatingexpenses, and facility repair. A total of$10 million also would be appropriated forunder-funded campuses in the system.

In other projects, the bill would providefunding for a rural research center at South-west State University and expand farm busi-ness management programs at MnSCUinstitutions. And $20 million is included inthe bill for equipment purchases and otherexpenses left to the discretion of MnSCUofficials.

University of MinnesotaThe University of Minnesota would receive

$1.2 billion, also $3.3 million less than thegovernor’s proposal. About 60 percent of theU of M’s requests for new dollars would befunded under the plan. The bill would notprovide as large an increase as requested formedical education, which officials say is badlyneeded.

Ventura’s proposal called for $1.3 millionfor four endowment funds that would comefrom the state’s tobacco settlement. Underthat proposal, a $350 million endowmentwould go toward the university’s AcademicHealth Center. However, the committee’s billdoes not include the endowment fund, whichcould provide $13 million annually for theU of M’s medical programs.

Of the Academic Health Center’s $37 mil-lion requested budget increase, the measurewould provide $6 million.

In other areas, the bill would target$69.4 million to boost salaries of faculty orstaff members. Another $20.1 million wouldgo toward undergraduate education programs,and $10.1 million would fund facilitiesupkeep.

The bill also would allow for the establish-ment of a new, non-residential U of M campusin Rochester and would direct $5.3 million infunding toward the project. Another $1.2 mil-lion would be divided between other univer-sity outreach programs, technology projects,or miscellaneous collaborative programsaround the state.

The university’s extension service also wouldreceive a $600,000 funding boost over twoyears, under the bill.

In addition to the funding provisions, thebill would tinker with the university’s Boardof Regents election process. It would set up atask force to look at more aggressive recruit-ment strategies for potential regents and di-rect the Regent Candidate Advisory Councilto automatically forward incumbent candi-dates for the Legislature’s selection.

Financial aid fundingThe Higher Education Services Office

(HESO), which serves as Minnesota’s finan-cial aid bureau, would receive $292 million tofund the state grant program, operate librarysystems, and provide informational servicesto current and prospective post-secondary stu-dents. The total HESO appropriation is about$6.6 million more than the governor’s budgetproposal.

Through several different programs, the billprovides about $19 million in aid toMinnesota’s higher education students.

First, the minimum state grant is reducedfrom $300 to $200. That means some studentswho did not previously qualify for grants couldbe eligible for grants. Also, the assigned stu-dent responsibility — the amount the stateexpects students to contribute to their educa-tion — would be lowered from 47 to 46 per-cent of the total cost.

And the public tuition allowance and pri-vate tuition maximum will be capped at ornear the inflation rate. A tuition maximum orallowance is the state’s tool for calculatingstate grants, and it is a flat rate of tuition basedon tuition at public and private colleges allover the state.

Because colleges raise their tuition almostevery year, increasing the state’s tuition maxi-mum takes the actual increases into accountwhen calculating grant awards. However, cap-ping that cost at inflation does not mean col-lege costs would necessarily rise at the rate ofinflation, and proponents say it could

Signedby the

governor


encourage institutions to keep their tuitionincreases at a low level.

Much of the financial aid package would befunded with an expected increase in the fed-eral Pell Grant amount per student, whichresults in about $10 million in savings fromthe state grant program.

In Minnesota, the state grant is decreasedwhen the federal grant goes up, so studentsreceive the same amount of money. For the1999-2000 school year, the Pell Grant willincrease to $3,125 from $3,000.

The bill would eliminate two programs thatprovide grants for nursing students, but itwould appropriate $500,000 to add more stu-dents into work study programs.

Mayo Medical SchoolThe Mayo Foundation would receive its full

funding request of $3.2 million for the bien-nium, under the omnibus plan. That amountwould fund an increase in the base budgets forthe Mayo Medical School, a family medicineresidency program, and a residency programat St. Cloud Hospital.

The increases would make more grant dol-lars available to students attending the medi-cal school and would make up for studentcosts incurred by recent and potential tuitionincreases.

In addition, the bill would increase the state’sshare of some residency program participants’stipends and maintain the same level of fund-ing for other participants. The programs aredesigned to encourage students to practicemedicine in Minnesota, particularly in ruralor under-served geographical areas.

Other changesOther provisions in the bill include an up-

dated policy on private career school regula-tion and how information on hazing rules isdistributed to students.

Lawmakers also approved a plan for generaleducation requirements for technical collegestudents. According to the bill, general educa-tion courses such as math or English wouldonly be included in a technical course of studyif they are occupational requirements or partof a two- or four-year degree program.

Building is Taylor made

Gov. Jesse Ventura signed a billApril 12 approving the construc-tion of the Taylor Center, a pri-vately-funded building atMinnesota State University,Mankato.

The Legislature was required to approveconstruction because the building will be on a

campus of the Minnesota State Colleges andUniversities system, which is a state entity.

Formerly known as Mankato State Univer-sity, the school raised $16.5 million in privatedonations to pay for the center. It is named inhonor of alumnus Glen Taylor, chief execu-tive officer and chair of the Taylor Corpora-tion and owner of the MinnesotaTimberwolves basketball team.

Taylor donated $9.2 million toward theproject, which consists of a 5,000-seat arena,athletic programs and facilities, and a studentwelcome center. The law took effect April 13,and construction is scheduled to begin thisspring.

Rep. John Dorn (DFL-Mankato) and Sen.John Hottinger (DFL-Mankato) sponsoredthe measure.

HF492*/SF518/CH34

HUMAN SERVICES

HOUSING

LAW

Signedby the

governor

New regulations on renting

The House passed a bill April 8 that wouldregulate the pre-lease deposits required bysome landlords. The vote was 123-3.

Currently, landlords sometimes require pro-spective tenants to pay a deposit before enter-ing into a rental agreement. Under the bill(HF1178), sponsored by Rep. Dan McElroy(R-Burnsville), landlords could demand sucha deposit only if they specify in writing thecircumstances under which the deposit will bereturned.

The bill also would require landlords toreturn the deposit within seven days.

The bill now moves to the Senate.

Oversight of building code

The House passed a bill April 8 that wouldpartially consolidate authority over the statebuilding code. The vote was 92-30.

Several state departments currently developand enforce various sections of the state build-ing code. The bill (HF1568), sponsored byRep. Lynda Boudreau (R-Faribault), wouldtransfer authority over the energy code fromthe Department of Public Service to theDepartment of Administration.

The administration department currentlyoversees many provisions of the state buildingcode. However, other parts of the code aredeveloped and enforced under the depart-ments of health, public safety, or public ser-vice. Several state agencies and boards alsohave input in inspecting and reviewing build-ing plans for public buildings.

Disagreements and poor coordination be-tween the various state agencies and depart-

ments have caused unnecessary delays in con-struction, according to a January report by theOffice of the Legislative Auditor.

The bill now moves to the Senate.

Mental health council

The governor signed a bill April 12that will modify membership andreporting requirements for theState Advisory Council on MentalHealth. The new law takes effectAug. 1.

The new law will add a representative fromthe Mental Health Consumer/Survivor Net-work of Minnesota to the council. It also willrequire one or more of the council membersto be a person of color.

Finally, the law will require the council toreport on its activities to the Legislature, inaddition to the executive branch.

The 30-member panel is charged with pro-viding input on policy, programs, and servicesaffecting people with mental illness.

Rep. Fran Bradley (R-Rochester) and Sen.Sheila Kiscaden (R-Rochester) sponsored thebill.

HF640*/SF488/CH39

Divorce law correction

Gov. Jesse Ventura signed a billApril 12 correcting an error madein the state’s marriage dissolutionlaw.

In 1991, the Legislature created asimplified process for couples with-

out children and with limited property to filefor divorce.

Then in 1997, the Legislature amended thesummary process but unintentionally failedto remove a provision that discontinued theprogram in the summer of that year.

The new measure, retroactively effectiveJuly 1, 1997, restores the summary processand makes it permanent.

Rep. Matt Entenza (DFL-St. Paul) and Sen.Leo Foley (DFL-Coon Rapids) sponsored thenew law.

HF1258*/SF487/CH37

Signedby the

governor

Signedby the

governor

To find out who represents youat the Capitol . . .

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


Saving shooting ranges

Some lawmakers say existing shootingranges are important for promoting safe hunt-ing and need additional legal protections.

The House passed a bill April 8 that wouldprovide new protections for such shootingranges. The vote was 99-26.

Bill sponsor Rep. Tom Hackbarth (R-Cedar) said shooting ranges are important forpromoting gun safety and education, and hesaid that his bill would help implement thenew constitutional protections for huntingand fishing approved by voters on the Novem-ber 1998 ballot.

The bill would prohibit local governmentsfrom passing ordinances that would limit theoperation of shooting ranges. The bill alsowould outline the process by which local gov-ernments could close or relocate shootingranges.

And the bill would mandate that shootingranges that are in compliance with the opera-tion practices could not be subject to a nui-sance action and that courts would not be ableto restrict these facilities bases on such a claim.

Critics of the bill said it would take animportant zoning power from local govern-

Teen challenge

TAXESTRANSPORTATION

Steve Fair of Minneapolis testifies in favor ofthe Teen Challenge, a Christianity-basedresidential drug-treatment program, during ahearing of the House Health and HumanServices Finance Committee on April 9.

Tax cut mulled

The House Taxes Committee considered ameasure April 9 expected to be the heart of theHouse version of this year’s omnibus tax bill.

Sponsored by Rep. Dan Dorman (R-AlbertLea), the bill (HF2) calls for an across-the-board income tax cut, an end to the so-calledmarriage penalty, and property tax breaks forcertain residences as well as commercial andindustrial property owners. It also includes aprovision that would eliminate the health careprovider tax and would fund MinnesotaCarethrough the general fund.

The plan was initially offered as a partner toHF1, a proposed rebate of the state’s budgetsurplus based on income taxes paid. That billwas eventually passed by the House and sent tothe Senate. There, a rebate based on a sales taxformula was substituted. A conference commit-tee has been attempting to reconcile the twoversions for weeks. (The House has since passeda sales-tax based rebate plan and a permanentacross-the-board income tax reduction in a sepa-rate bill. See related story on page 3.)

Since most of the initiative contained inDorman’s bill had already been considered in

the more than 200 tax-related bills alreadyheard this session, the taxes panel focusedattention on the property tax provisions aimedat lowering commercial/industrial tax ratesand the apartment class rate.

Dorman said Minnesota businesses are notable to be competitive with surrounding statesbecause of the property tax formula.

Rep. Myron Orfield (DFL-Mpls) questionedthe need for the commercial/industrial taxbreaks, noting that despite the relatively hightaxes, Minnesota has been “beating the day-lights” out of its neighbors when it comes toeconomic development and job creation.

Besides, Orfield said, property taxes paid bybusinesses have been coming down over theyears.

“Wouldn’t it make more sense to concen-trate our efforts on helping middle-incomefamilies with their property taxes?” Orfieldquestioned.

Bill Blazar, senior vice president of the Min-nesota Chamber of Commerce, said that it istrue the rates have come down but more needsto be done.

“After the first round of reforms, our na-tional ranking for a $1 million commercialproperty improved only slightly in the metro-politan area — falling from first to third high-est — and actually deteriorated in GreaterMinnesota — increasing from third to sec-ond,” Blazar said.

Jack Horner, who heads the Minnesota MultiHousing Association, said the tax break forapartment owners would help spur develop-ment of more units.

That assertion drew fire from Rep. PhilCarruthers (DFL-Brooklyn Center), who saidhe wants to be assured that if apartment own-ers get a tax break, it would be reflected instable or lower rental rates.

“Rent increases are a common complaint inmy district,” Carruthers said.

Horner maintained the only way to guaran-tee lower rents is to build more units and easethe 1- to 2-percent vacancy rate currentlyfound in the Twin Cities metro area.

Property tax reforms outlined in the billwould result in just over $222 million less inrevenue collections for the coming biennium.The income tax proposals would cost about$1.3 billion to implement, or about $249 pertaxpayer for tax year 1999.

The bill was laid over for possible consider-ation in the omnibus tax bill.

Penalties for illegal vehicles

In a move to avoid the risk of losing $30million in federal highway funding, the Housepassed a bill April 13 that would increasepenalties for drivers who use trucks that havebeen ordered out of service. The vote was116-15.

Rep. Tom Workman (R-Chanhassen) issponsoring the bill.

An out-of-service order means that a truckis damaged or defective and cannot be drivenuntil repairs are made. Under current law,penalties for driving such a vehicle involvefines for drivers and their employers.

But Workman said the federal highwayfunding could be in jeopardy if Minnesotadoes not increase its penalties.

Under the bill, drivers would be disquali-fied from driving commercial motor vehiclesfor 90 days after the first offense. A secondoffense in five years would disqualify driversfor one to five years, and a third offense withinfive years would result in three to five yearsdisqualification.

The Minnesota Department of Transporta-tion would be required to impose fines of atleast $1,000 for drivers and up to $10,000 for

LOCAL GOVERNMENT


100100

200300

400

500

600Bills

on the General Register0

In the House, the General Register serves as a parking lotwhere bills await action by the full body. Bills thatappear on the Calendar for the Day or on the FiscalCalendar are drawn from General Register.

As of April 15

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employers who knowingly violate out-of-service orders.

The bill (HF1046/SF1324*) moves to Gov.Jesse Ventura’s desk.

Blue lights on bikes

A new law effective April 13 allowsmotorcycles to display blue rearbrake lights.

Previously, only emergency ve-hicles, snowplows, and road main-tenance vehicles could display a

blue light.Proponents of the new law said the blue

lights would improve safety for motorcycleriders by increasing the visibility of their ve-hicles on the road.

Rep. Sherry Broecker (R-Vadnais Heights)and Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing) spon-sored the measure.

HF766*/SF739/CH35

Signedby the

governor

Slowdown on town roads

A new law effective Aug. 1 reducesspeed limits in residential areas ofrural townships. It was signed byGov. Jesse Ventura April 12.

The law sets a speed limit of 30miles per hour on town roads that

run through residential developments.Under existing law, many of those roads

had limits of 55 miles per hour. The roadscurrently do not qualify for a lower speed limitbecause they do not pass through areas thatmeet the state’s current definition of an urbandistrict.

In an urban district, the speed limit is 30

Signedby the

governor

VETERANSTitle transfer time limit

A bill that would close a legal loophole thatcan cause car dealerships to break the lawpassed the House April 13. The vote was132-0.

The bill (SF778*/HF790) would decreasethe amount of time banks are allowed to re-lease a title after a car is paid off. Under currentlaw, banks have 15 days to do so. The billwould reduce that to seven days when the carsare sold by most types of auto dealerships.

Car dealers have only 10 days to transfertitles to buyers after a vehicle is sold. This canpresent a problem when dealers need to ob-tain titles from a bank. If the bank takes longerthan 10 days, the dealer’s deadline has notbeen met and they break the law.

Rep. Bill Kuisle (R-Rochester) is sponsor-ing the measure, which would require banksto release a title within seven days for new andused auto dealerships and leasing companies.

Kuisle’s bill also includes a proposed changein state law regarding the mounting of televi-sion screens in motor vehicles.

That provision — originally in a separatebill (HF745) sponsored by Rep. Carol Molnau(R-Chaska) — would allow television screens

Drive to honor veterans

A new law honoring veterans in Otter TailCounty was signed April 12 by Gov. JesseVentura.

The law, effective Aug. 1, designates a por-tion of Minnesota Highway 59 runningthrough the county as “Otter Tail VeteransMemorial Drive.”

Rep. Bud Nornes (R-Fergus Falls) and Sen.Cal Larson (R-Fergus Falls) sponsored thelegislation.

HF1986/SF1888*/CH42

miles per hour where buildings are within 100feet of each other.

The new law, sponsored by Rep. TomWorkman (R-Chanhassen) and Sen. JanetJohnson (DFL-North Branch), creates a sepa-rate definition for rural residential districts,allowing the reduced speed limit when housesare within 300 feet of each other for a distanceof at least one quarter of a mile.

HF1265/SF1150*/CH44

in any place except where visible by the driverof an automobile.

If it becomes law, Kuisle’s bill it wouldultimately let Minnesota dealers sell theOldsmobile Silhouette minivan. The van’s tele-vision screen does not fit current state law,which restricts screen mounting to a spacespecifically behind the driver.

The bill now moves to the desk of Gov. JesseVentura.

Grade school students and parents from Angle Inlet Charter School visited thestate Capitol and their legislator, Rep. Jim Tunheim, April 8. Some of the groupstarted out on snowmobiles to cross Lake of the Woods before joining otherstudents for the 430-mile journey to St. Paul.

The industrial hemp issue continues to flameup, but lawmakers just keep refusing to inhale.The House Jobs and Economic DevelopmentFinance Committee rejected a hemp studyamendment to their omnibus finance bill April9. The amendment was defeated on a 5-5 vote.

The proposal, sponsored by Rep. BobGunther (R-Fairmont), would have directed theDepartment of Trade and Economic Develop-ment to study industrial hemp production inCanada.

Rep. Steve Trimble (DFL-St. Paul), a supporterof Gunther’s amendment, brought a bottle ofCalifornia beer made from hemp seeds to showother possible uses of the product. Referringto the old Hamm’s beer commercials, Gunthertold the committee that brewery of this sortcould “return Minnesota to the land of sky bluewater and the dancing bear.” The bottle ofbeer remained capped during the meeting.


By Grant Martin

A $1.1 billion crime bill ap-proved by a House panelwould crack down on repeatfelons, help to avoid accidentsthat result from high-speedchases, and build a databaseof DNA samples from

dangerous criminals.Crime rates across Minnesota appear to be

on the decline, and lawmakers want to pro-vide the tools to continue that trend. To thatend, members of the House Judiciary FinanceCommittee completed and approved theiromnibus judiciary finance bill April 13.

The spending bill would fund the state courtand correctional systems, law enforcementand public safety agencies, and agencies suchas the human rights department and the crimevictim services center.

The measure also contains several policyprovisions that have an impact on the state’scriminal justice budget.

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Sherry Broecker(R-Vadnais Heights), now goes to the HouseWays and Means Committee.

Here are some highlights of the omnibusbill (HF2404).

Three strikesThe proposal includes provisions from the

so-called three strikes sentencing bill, origi-nally sponsored by Rep. Jim Seifert(R-Woodbury).

The omnibus bill would require courts tosentence a person who is convicted of a thirdviolent felony to a life sentence. Offendersserving a life sentence could not be releasedinto a supervised release program until theyhad served a minimum of 30 years in prison.

For second-offense violent felons, the billwould lower the threshold necessary to use in-creased sentences already in place in current law.

Seifert’s proposal would limit the scope ofcrimes that could be counted toward the man-datory sentence and allow some judicial dis-cretion.

The measure would exempt several felony-level crimes from consideration, includingcertain drug crimes, third-degree assault, sec-ond-degree arson, and burglary.

The measure also would give judges thepower to waive the mandatory life sentence ifthe court finds substantial and compellingreasons to do so.

Cops, courts & criminals . . .

Billion-dollar bill aims to cut crime in Minnesota

Police pursuitThe omnibus bill also addresses several is-

sues involving police chases. The provisionswere originally sponsored by Rep. Rich Stanek(R-Maple Grove).

The bill would mandate additional trainingtime for officers, create a statewide pursuitpolicy, provide new technologies for trainingand pursuit, and strengthen the current lawsagainst fleeing an officer.

Under the bill, the Peace Officer Standardsand Training (POST) Board would establish apursuit training course for police officer ca-dets. The bill would mandate that each cadetreceive at least seven hours of training and thatall current officers receive at least eight hoursof training every two years. And the bill wouldprovide $800,000 in grants to local law en-forcement agencies to assist with the new train-ing requirements.

The bill also would require the POST boardto develop a statewide model pursuit policy.The policy would be used to develop guide-lines for each local law enforcement agency.Under current law, local agencies are givenwide latitude to establish their own proce-dures for pursuit.

And the bill would provide funding fortechnologies that would both train officersand, supporters hope, end pursuits morequickly. The measure would provide $1.4 mil-lion over the next two years for the purchase ofcomputer controlled driving simulators, and$250,000 to pay for so-called “stop-stick” tire

deflators to be distributed to local agencies.

DNA databaseThe omnibus bill also includes provisions,

originally sponsored by Rep. Doug Fuller (R-Bemidji), that would increase the state’sdatabase of DNA samples.

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.

The bureau would get $125,000 to update itsfacilities to handle the new data, under the bill.

Public safety spendingThe Department of Public Safety would get

$77.8 million over the next two years, underthe bill.

Of that amount, the Bureau of CriminalApprehension would get $50.3 million, thedivision of Alcohol and Gambling Enforce-ment would receive $3.6 million, and the stateFire Marshal would get $6.4 million.

Also included in the department’s appro-priation, the Emergency Management Divi-sion would be given $7.7 million. Of thatamount, $55,000 would go to an existing pro-gram that allows police departments to seekreimbursements for costs incurred from usingContinued on page 23

Judge R. Joseph Quinn, of the 10th Judicial District Court, sentences an offender during a hearing in hisAnoka County courtroom April 14. An omnibus judiciary finance bill advancing in the House wouldprovide funding for six additional district court judges to assist with the increasing workload throughoutthe state.


By Sarah Hallonquist

Just across Interstate 94 from theCapitol complex sits the recently emp-tied Capitol Square building, waitingfor a wrecking ball to come its way.

In 1998, the state health departmentrecommended that the employees work-ing in the building vacate the buildingas soon as possible.

An air quality study — the last of 17conducted since 1990 — had revealedfungi, mold, and bacteria within thewalls, carpeting, and ductwork of thebuilding. The deteriorating air qualityand other problems had employees com-plaining of sinus infections, congestion,and headaches; some even started work-ing from home.

In the spring of 1998, then-Gov. ArneCarlson requested that the employeesbe allowed to vacate the building laterthat year. He also asked the Legislature,as he had done during each of his eightyears in office, for funds to tear thebuilding down.

What lawmakers approved was $3.1million for the employees to move to anew site, but no money was made avail-able for demolition.

The Capitol Square building, locatedat 550 Cedar Street, was built in 1912and was merged with another in themid-1960s. It originally had only fourfloors, but five more stories were addedin 1968.

The state purchased Capitol Square in 1970for $6.4 million. Since then, Minnesota hasspent approximately $9.7 million in renova-tions and repairs. The last year the blightedbuilding received any money for remodelingor safety repairs was 1987. The air qualitycomplaints began in 1988.

The building housed nearly 600 employeesof the state’s education agencies: the Depart-ment of Children, Families and Learning, theHigher Education Services Office, and the ex-ecutive offices of the Minnesota State Collegesand Universities (MnSCU) system.

Capitol Square . . .

Sick building prompts costly office relocations

The Department of Children, Families andLearning left the building late last summerand now has a five-year lease at a Rosevilleoffice building formerly occupied by StateFarm Insurance Co.

A permanent home for the state’s educationoffices is likely at some point; a new educationbuilding was included in the 1993 CapitolStrategic Plan for Locating State Agencies.

In its 1998 appropriation, the Legislature in-cluded $175,000 for pre-design work on such abuilding, and construction could start withinthe next few years, depending on when the funds

are allocated. The plan lists the existingCedar Street Armory as the site for thenew facility. The former Taystee Bakerysite, just behind the armory, would host a530-space parking lot.

Six months before he left office,Carlson laid the groundwork for a neweducation building on the bakery sitewith a price tag of $35 million. ButCarlson’s hopes for a fast-track con-struction project like the one developedfor the new Minnesota Department ofRevenue building haven’t been met thisyear in Gov. Jesse Ventura’s budget.

As for Capitol Square, plans havebeen discussed to put a surface parkinglot on the site if and when the buildingis demolished. Eventually, a new officecomplex could be built there, accordingto the long-range Capitol planningdocument.

But for now, the departments areflung far from the Capitol, though stillin St. Paul. MnSCU is housed in theWorld Trade Center in downtownSt. Paul, and the Higher Education Ser-vices Office is located on Energy ParkDrive, a couple miles from the Capitol.

David Dahlin, a plant managementengineer for the south side of the Capi-tol complex, oversees the mechanicaloperations in the Capitol Square build-ing. Dahlin keeps the air circulation andcooling systems operating so that moldand mildew build-up does not worsen

and cause health hazards for workers that stillenter the building.

“I’ve heard that this is going to come downfor a couple of years, but it’s still there,” Dah-lin said.

Nick Turner, the Capitol Square’s buildingmanager, said about $2 million is needed fordemolition. However, it isn’t likely lawmakerswould fund the project this year. Next session— a bonding year — would be the better fit forsuch a request.

“It is a high priority for us,” Turner said.

Secretary of the Senate231 Capitol ...................................... 296-0271Voice mail/order bills .................. 296-2343Chief Clerk of the House211 Capitol ...................................... 296-2314

Index, Senate110 Capitol ...................................... 296-2887Index, House211 Capitol ...................................... 296-6646Information, Senate231 Capitol ...................................... 296-0504

Frequently called numbers(Area code 651)

Information, House175 State Office Building ........... 296-2146TTY, Senate ................................ 296-0250Toll free ................................ 1-888-234-1112TTY, House ................................. 296-9896Toll free ................................ 1-800-657-3550

The Capitol Square building, formerly the headquarters for 600employees of state education agencies, has sat vacant at 550Cedar St. in St. Paul since an air quality study condemned thebuilding in 1998.


By Paul Wahl

How would you like to live in acompletely new city? It wouldbe a city where no one has lived

before, where your home is next door toyour work, everyone has a job, and awhisper-silent automated train stops infront of your home to providetransportation.

If the Minnesota Experimental Cityhad been built, you would have had theopportunity to live in just such a place.

By the dawn of the 1970s, urban cen-ters in the United States — includingthe Twin Cities — were experiencingserious problems with decay, blight,crime, and pollution. To many, thereseemed to be few solutions.

Out of those frustrations, an interna-tional group of futurists based at theUniversity of Minnesota began to imag-ine an ideal urban center — the ulti-mate planned city, a Utopia they wouldcreate on the farmlands of centralMinnesota.

The steering committee was headedby Otto A. Silha, publisher of Minne-apolis Star and Tribune, and includedluminaries such as R. BuckminsterFuller, inventor of the geodesic dome, andArthur S. Flemming, then president ofMacalester College and later U.S. secretary ofhealth, education and welfare.

Researchers from the University of Califor-nia, Berkeley, the Brookings Institute, HarvardUniversity, and Syracuse University also lenttheir voices to the effort.

As with so many other good ideas, the ex-perimental city needed both governmentalsanction and money. The group approachedthe Minnesota Legislature in 1970 and $25,000was appropriated to study the idea.

The concept had been around since 1966, asa plan to accommodate about 250,000 resi-dents by 1976 in a city “in which the humancondition would be improved significantlyand where, as a national proving ground, tech-nological innovations could be demonstratedand evaluated.”

The city would occupy 45,000 virgin acres,and researchers would come from around theglobe to see the experiment.

It was billed as a new direction for urbanAmerica, but the idea wasn’t exactly novel.

At about the same time, another experi-mental city was being created on land outsideMinneapolis, in an area that would later

Flight from blight . . .

Bold planners put hopes in experimental city plan

become the northern edge of Chaska.Diamond Bar and Irvine Ranch in Califor-

nia were being studied, along with Columbia,Md., and Seward’s Success in Alaska, theworld’s first totally climate-controlled city.

It was an idea whose time had come. (Sev-eral years later a well-known cartoonist fromSouthern California would unveil somethingin the same spirit called the ExperimentalPrototype Community of Tomorrow, orEPCOT, in the swamps of central Florida.)

After a year of testimony, the committeecreated to study the issue in Minnesota for-warded a report to the Legislature in 1971,filled with glowing reports about the pros-pects for an experimental city and concludingwith a draft of a bill to create a MinnesotaExperimental Authority to oversee its con-struction.

The premise was simple. Old urban prac-tices weren’t working, yet there was no way tostudy new ones because no new cities werebeing built.

“Since urban systems are complex and in-teracting and should not be changed withoutassurance of improvement, and cannot bechanged except at great expense, no existingcity can serve as a laboratory for total system

experimentation and planning in a co-ordinated way,” the report read. “A newcity, established and brought to sub-stantial completion within a relativelyshort period, is the only institution bywhich new techniques of study, plan-ning, and development can be fullyused.”

The committee, consisting of Houseand Senate members, equated the needfor the experimental city to the Manhat-tan Project, the all-out effort at the endof World War II to develop the atomicbomb.

Supporters promised legislators inter-national prominence and reminded law-makers that Minnesota had always beenan innovator. And they said this wouldbe bigger than anything anyone had everseen.

Rep. John W. Johnson of Minneapolisintroduced a bill to establish the Minne-sota Experimental Authority. It was even-tually passed by both houses and signedinto law.

Gov. Wendell Anderson appointedEugene A. O’Brien of Hopkins to serveas chairman of the authority. Silha alsoserved on the board. A 15-member advi-

sory committee was also appointed, whichincluded Johnson and Reps. Robert Dunn ofPrinceton and A. J. Eckstein ofNew Ulm.

The board was given a two-year time periodand $140,000 to study the experimental cityconcept thoroughly.

No one seemed clear how much moneywould be needed or where it would comefrom. Supporters suggested that $320,000 inresearch for Phase I would be sufficient, butthey had few solid figures for the succeedingthree phases.

Another plan was to secure $300 millionunder Title VII of the U.S. Housing and UrbanDevelopment Act of 1970, which authorizedloans and grants to developers of new cities.That money could be followed with an infu-sion of private capital, planners hoped.

The authority spent a great deal of its timeattempting to find a suitable site for construc-tion. Eventually two potential sites were se-lected, one in Douglas County and one inAitkin County. After 12 public hearings incities in those counties, the authority recom-mended the Aitkin County site, including the

A long-since abandoned plan from the early 1970s would havedeveloped the Minnsota Experimental City in Aitkin County. Theabove plan illustrated potential sites for homes, businesses, andservices in what proponents said would be the ideal new city.

Continued on page 21


By Paul Wahl

As the owner of a political consultingfirm, former Rep. Doug Ewald foundthat his client list consisted of just about

every conceivable group, except for formerlawmakers like himself.

For years, he told friends and colleaguesthere should be an association for formerlegislators.

Several tentative attempts to start one hadbeen made by others, but none succeeded. Sothree years ago, Ewald took action and formallycreated the Minnesota Legislative Society.

“I felt a real sense of honor for having servedin the House and a real sense that if the averagecitizen could be here and see their legislators atwork, they would be very impressed,” saidEwald, who served four terms in the Housefrom 1975 to 1982 as a Republican fromMinnetonka.

His society is dedicated to preserving “thehistory and honor of the Minnesota Legisla-ture” and providing social and service oppor-tunities for former lawmakers.

Only former Minnesota legislators and theirspouses may belong, and the association isstrictly apolitical. The group won’t becomeinvolved in political campaigns or legislativeissues, Ewald said.

To form a board of directors to help run the130-member organization, Ewald turned to acadre of former lawmakers he believed had therespect of the community. Former Sens. RayW. Faricy of St. Paul and Ed Gearty of Minne-apolis were chosen, along with former Reps.Otto Bang Jr. of Edina and Rod Searle ofWaseca.

To add what Ewald called a “sense of stabil-ity,” Edward Burdick, chief clerk of the House,and Patrick Flahaven, secretary of the Senate,were added as honorary members.

For Searle, former Republican Speaker ofthe House, the best part of the society is get-ting together with the friends who served withhim, trading stories, and catching up.

Searle, who served from 1956 to 1981, saidhe’s pleased that with Ewald’s leadership thesociety has prospered. He said other attemptsat forming an association were “one nightstands.”

He strongly supports the society’s goal toreach out to the community, particularly youngpeople.

“It could be a positive force for young peoplewho want to be part of the political scene,”Searle said. “There’s a lot of resources here,and everyone involved would be glad to meet

Life after the Legislature . . .

Society unites former lawmakers in promoting servicewith young people who are interested in theLegislature.”

Gearty, a DFLer, also ranks camaraderie ashis chief reason for being involved. He likensthe feeling to that he has about his former U.S.Navy buddies.

“It’s a good feeling, a feeling of good peoplegetting together to do something important,”Gearty said.

Gearty served in the Legislature 18 yearsand said he got to know some “wonderfulpeople.”

Ewald admits that to date, the most success-ful arm of the society has been the socialinteraction.

“Legislators love to talk and they love to talkabout the good old days and tell stories —some real, some imagined — most of whichnever got in the newspaper,” Ewald said.

Ewald was particularly careful to balancehis board politically, although he said partylines tend to blur the longer you’re out ofoffice.

“In the Legislature, you tend to be known aspartisan,” Ewald said. “I knew it couldn’t bemy organization, there had to be a board ofpeople who may have been partisan at onetime or another but couldn’t be anymore andthey had to be recognizable.”

Among society members are former Secre-

Ewald said. “If people will call me and saywe’ve got a meeting of whatever organization— public or private, schools, senior citizens— and they’d like to have a former legislatorcome in and talk to us, you know there’snothing we’d rather do.”

He also sees the society playing the role of a“defense league.”

“You don’t have to look too far in the mediato find someone making fun of or berating thelegislative process,” Ewald said. “One of mygoals is to really help people see the Legisla-ture, the process, and the people who serve init for what they really are, which is by and largededicated public servants.”

Ewald estimates the society’s membershipcould swell to about 400 if everyone eligiblejoined. When he pitches membership, he usesa sense of history as a hook.

“They may or may not have a sense ofhistory having served in the Legislature,” Ewaldsaid. “But I would tell them, good or bad, bygolly, for a number of years you had some-thing to do with establishing the law of thestate of Minnesota.”

Ewald has seen a number of changes overthe 30 years he’s been involved with the legis-lative process, but one major improvementstands out.

“One thing that has really improved has

“I felt a real sense of honor for having served in theHouse and a real sense that if the average citizen couldbe here and see their legislators at work, they would be

very impressed.”

—Former Rep. Doug Ewald

tary of State Joan Growe and U.S. Reps. JimRamstad and Martin Sabo.

Board meetings are held quarterly, and twosocial events are planned each year. This com-ing summer, the group will hold an event atthe Governor’s Residence. The organizationhopes to make a contribution to the state funddedicated to upkeep and improvements at theresidence following the July 11 gathering.

Ewald’s vision is to host more such eventsand eventually form a foundation within thesociety to assist other Legislature-relatedprojects with funding.

Another goal for Ewald is public service.“We would like people of the state to know

we see a public purpose for our existence,”

been the involvement of the public, and thathas just skyrocketed over recent years,” Ewaldsaid. “There’s a real need for professional lob-byists, but legislators today are benefiting froma much greater involvement of the public.”

He said that has meant more work and insome instances has lengthened an already longprocess, but the results are in the final product— better legislation.

Ewald will be retiring from his consultingfirm in July. His son has purchased the busi-ness. But Ewald will continue to serve as ex-ecutive director of the society, operating fromhis home.


PhoneDistrict/Member/Party Room* (651) 296-


Minnesota House of Representatives 1999 Members

Note: Room numbers are subject to change. *All rooms are in the State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155

49A Abeler, Jim (R) .............................................. 581 ..................................... 172945A Abrams, Ron (R) .......................................... 585 ..................................... 993419B Anderson, Bruce (R) ................................... 411 ..................................... 5063

3A Anderson, Irv (DFL) .................................... 343 ..................................... 49366A Bakk, Thomas (Tom) (DFL) ...................... 345 ..................................... 2190

59A Biernat, Len (DFL) ....................................... 303 ..................................... 421930B Bishop, Dave (R) .......................................... 453 ..................................... 057325B Boudreau, Lynda (R) .................................. 473 ..................................... 823730A Bradley, Fran (R) .......................................... 559 ..................................... 924953B Broecker, Sherry (R) ................................... 533 ..................................... 715335B Buesgens, Mark (R) .................................... 415 ..................................... 107246B Carlson, Lyndon R. (DFL) .......................... 279 ..................................... 425547B Carruthers, Phil (DFL) ................................ 217 ..................................... 370910B Cassell, George (R) ..................................... 421 ..................................... 431752A Chaudhary, Satveer (DFL) ........................ 311 ..................................... 433123A Clark, James T. (R) ........................................ 583 ..................................... 930361A Clark, Karen (DFL) ....................................... 307 ..................................... 029411A Daggett, Roxann (R) .................................. 439 ..................................... 429331B Davids, Gregory M. (R) .............................. 367 ..................................... 927865A Dawkins, Andy (DFL) ................................. 215 ..................................... 515814A Dehler, Steve (R) ......................................... 491 ..................................... 780829A Dempsey, Jerry (R) ..................................... 549 ..................................... 863527A Dorman, Dan (R) ......................................... 579 ..................................... 821624A Dorn, John (DFL) ........................................ 201 ..................................... 324864A Entenza, Matt (DFL) ................................... 213 ..................................... 879942A Erhardt, Ron (R) ........................................... 591 ..................................... 436317A Erickson, Sondra (R) ................................... 407 ..................................... 6746

1B Finseth, Tim (R) ............................................ 517 ..................................... 991844A Folliard, Betty (DFL) ................................... 211 ..................................... 3964

4A Fuller, Doug (R) ............................................ 525 ..................................... 551636A Gerlach, Chris (R) ........................................ 531 ..................................... 550663B Gleason, Mark S. (DFL) .............................. 313 ..................................... 5375

9A Goodno, Kevin (R) ...................................... 563 ..................................... 551558B Gray, Gregory (DFL) ................................... 229 ..................................... 865962A Greenfield, Lee (DFL) ................................ 207 ..................................... 017354B Greiling, Mindy (DFL) ................................ 253 ..................................... 538726A Gunther, Bob (R) ......................................... 379 ..................................... 324052B Haake, Barb (R) ............................................ 429 ..................................... 014148A Haas, Bill (R) .................................................. 569 ..................................... 551350A Hackbarth, Tom (R) .................................... 575 ..................................... 243922B Harder, Elaine (R) ........................................ 487 ..................................... 537312A Hasskamp, Kris (DFL) ................................ 353 ..................................... 433366B Hausman, Alice (DFL) ................................ 245 ..................................... 3824

8B Hilty, Bill (DFL) ............................................. 241 ..................................... 430837B Holberg, Mary Liz (R) ................................. 433 ..................................... 692656A Holsten, Mark William (R) ........................ 381 ..................................... 3018

4B Howes, Larry (R) .......................................... 431 ..................................... 24516B Huntley, Thomas (DFL) ............................. 351 ..................................... 22287B Jaros, Mike (DFL) ......................................... 291 ..................................... 4246

18B Jennings, Loren Geo (DFL) ...................... 237 ..................................... 051848B Johnson, Alice M. (DFL) ............................ 349 ..................................... 551015A Juhnke, Al (DFL) .......................................... 329 ..................................... 620659B Kahn, Phyllis (DFL) ..................................... 255 ..................................... 425726B Kalis, Henry J. (DFL) .................................... 317 ..................................... 424060A Kelliher, Margaret Anderson (DFL) ....... 231 ..................................... 017120B Kielkucki, Tony (R) ...................................... 521 ..................................... 153416B Knoblach, Jim (R) ........................................ 451 ..................................... 631649B Koskinen, Luanne (DFL) ........................... 301 ..................................... 423153A Krinkie, Philip (R) ........................................ 365 ..................................... 290715B Kubly, Gary W. (DFL) ................................... 315 ..................................... 434631A Kuisle, William (R) ....................................... 565 ..................................... 437856B Larsen, Peg (R) ............................................. 551 ..................................... 424440A Larson, Dan (DFL) ....................................... 225 ..................................... 715827B Leighton, Rob (DFL) .................................. 261 ..................................... 419340B Lenczewski, Ann (DFL) ............................. 337 ..................................... 421845B Leppik, Peggy (R) ........................................ 485 ..................................... 7026

2A Lieder, Bernie L. (DFL) ............................... 323 ..................................... 5091

33A Lindner, Arlon (R) ....................................... 417 ..................................... 780647A Luther, Darlene (DFL) ................................ 371 ..................................... 375167A Mahoney, Tim (DFL) .................................. 223 ..................................... 427755A Mares, Harry (R) ........................................... 401 ..................................... 536365B Mariani, Carlos (DFL) ................................. 209 ..................................... 971457B Marko, Sharon (DFL) .................................. 221 ..................................... 313555B McCollum, Betty (DFL) ............................. 239 ..................................... 118836B McElroy, Dan (R) .......................................... 437 ..................................... 421254A McGuire, Mary Jo (DFL) ............................ 259 ..................................... 434239B Milbert, Bob (DFL) ...................................... 243 ..................................... 419235A Molnau, Carol L. (R) .................................... 443 ..................................... 887221B Mulder, Richard (R) .................................... 515 ..................................... 433658A Mullery, Joe (DFL) ....................................... 387 ..................................... 4262

7A Munger, Willard (DFL) ............................... 283 ..................................... 42828A Murphy, Mary (DFL) ................................... 357 ..................................... 2676

20A Ness, Robert “Bob” (R) ............................... 509 ..................................... 434410A Nornes, Bud (R) ........................................... 471 ..................................... 494619A Olson, Mark (R) ............................................ 501 ..................................... 423716A Opatz, Joe (DFL) .......................................... 281 ..................................... 661260B Orfield, Myron (DFL) .................................. 377 ..................................... 928129B Osskopp, Mike (R) ...................................... 449 ..................................... 923666A Osthoff, Tom (DFL) ..................................... 273 ..................................... 422411B Otremba, Mary Ellen (DFL) ..................... 393 ..................................... 320137A Ozment, Dennis (R) .................................... 479 ..................................... 430642B Paulsen, Erik (R) ........................................... 445 ..................................... 744938B Pawlenty, Tim (R) ........................................ 459 ..................................... 412864B Paymar, Michael (DFL) .............................. 331 ..................................... 419932A Pelowski Jr., Gene (DFL) ........................... 295 ..................................... 863713B Peterson, Doug (DFL) ............................... 287 ..................................... 422839A Pugh, Thomas W. (DFL) ............................. 267 ..................................... 682846A Rest, Ann H. (DFL) ....................................... 277 ..................................... 417628A Reuter, Doug (R) ......................................... 507 ..................................... 536844B Rhodes, Jim (R) ............................................ 409 ..................................... 988932B Rifenberg, Michelle (R) ............................. 423 ..................................... 106918A Rostberg, Jim (R) ......................................... 545 ..................................... 5364

5A Rukavina, Tom (DFL) .................................. 375 ..................................... 017017B Schumacher, Leslie J. (DFL) ..................... 327 ..................................... 537741A Seagren, Alice (R) ....................................... 477 ..................................... 780357A Seifert, Jim (R) .............................................. 577 ..................................... 780721A Seifert, Marty (R) ......................................... 593 ..................................... 5374

2B Skoe, Rod (DFL) ........................................... 321 ..................................... 426562B Skoglund, Wes (DFL) ................................. 251 ..................................... 433034A Smith, Steve (R) ........................................... 503 ..................................... 9188

3B Solberg, Loren A. (DFL) ............................. 309 ..................................... 236533B Stanek, Rich (R) ........................................... 543 ..................................... 550214B Stang, Doug (R) ........................................... 597 ..................................... 437324B Storm, Julie (R) ............................................ 527 ..................................... 706528B Sviggum, Steve (R) ..................................... 463 ..................................... 227323B Swenson, Howard (R) ................................ 539 ..................................... 863443B Sykora, Barb (R) ........................................... 403 ..................................... 431550B Tingelstad, Kathy (R) ................................. 567 ..................................... 5369

5B Tomassoni, David J. (DFL) ........................ 233 ..................................... 017267B Trimble, Steve (DFL) .................................. 289 ..................................... 420125A Tuma, John (R) ............................................. 369 ..................................... 4229

1A Tunheim, Jim (DFL) .................................... 335 ..................................... 963534B Van Dellen, Henry Todd (R) ..................... 571 ..................................... 551151B Vandeveer, Ray (R) ..................................... 529 ..................................... 412463A Wagenius, Jean (DFL) ................................ 227 ..................................... 420061B Wejcman, Linda (DFL) ............................... 203 ..................................... 715212B Wenzel, Stephen G. (DFL) ........................ 389 ..................................... 424751A Westerberg, Andrew (R) ........................... 523 ..................................... 4226

9B Westfall, Robert L. (Bob) (R) .................... 553 ..................................... 682913A Westrom, Torrey (R) ................................... 557 ..................................... 492938A Wilkin, Tim (R) .............................................. 413 ..................................... 353322A Winter, Ted (DFL) ........................................ 247 ..................................... 550541B Wolf, Ken (R) ................................................. 359 ..................................... 518543A Workman, Tom (R) ...................................... 537 ..................................... 5066

List as of April 15, 1999


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Minnesota Senate 1999 MembersPhone

District/Member/Party Room* (651) 296-

4344454647484950515253545556

*Capitol or State Office Building, St. Paul, MN 55155

This document can be madeavailable in alternative

formats by calling the House at(651) 296-2146 voice,

(651) 296-9896 TTY or the Senate at(651) 296-0504 voice

or (651) 296-0250 TTY


5758596061626364656667

Minnesota House and Senate MembershipA • Rep. Jim Tunheim-DFLB • Rep. Tim Finseth-RSen. LeRoy A. Stumpf-DFL

A • Rep. Bernie L. Lieder-DFLB • Rep. Rod Skoe-DFLSen. Roger D. Moe-DFL

A • Rep. Irv Anderson-DFLB • Rep. Loren A. Solberg-DFLSen. Bob Lessard-DFL

A • Rep. Doug Fuller-RB • Rep. Larry Howes-RSen. David J. Ten Eyck-DFL

A • Rep. Tom Rukavina-DFLB • Rep. David J. Tomassoni-DFLSen. Jerry R. Janezich-DFL

A • Rep. Thomas (Tom) Bakk-DFLB • Rep. Thomas Huntley-DFLSen. Douglas J. Johnson-DFL

A • Rep. Willard Munger-DFLB • Rep. Mike Jaros-DFLSen. Sam G. Solon-DFL

A • Rep. Mary Murphy-DFLB • Rep. Bill Hilty-DFLSen. Becky Lourey-DFL

A • Rep. Kevin Goodno-RB • Rep. Robert L. (Bob) Westfall-RSen. Keith Langseth-DFL

A • Rep. Bud Nornes-RB • Rep. George Cassell-RSen. Cal Larson-R

A • Rep. Roxann Daggett-RB • Rep. Mary Ellen Otremba-DFLSen. Dallas C. Sams-DFL

A • Rep. Kris Hasskamp-DFLB • Rep. Stephen G. Wenzel-DFLSen. Don Samuelson-DFL

A • Rep. Torrey Westrom-RB • Rep. Doug Peterson-DFLSen. Charles A. Berg-IND.

A • Rep. Steve Dehler-RB • Rep. Doug Stang-RSen. Michelle L. Fischbach-R

A • Rep. Al Juhnke-DFLB • Rep. Gary W. Kubly-DFLSen. Dean E. Johnson-R

A • Rep. Joe Opatz-DFLB • Rep. Jim Knoblach-RSen. Dave Kleis-R

A • Rep. Sondra Erickson-RB • Rep. Leslie J. Schumacher-DFLSen. Dan Stevens-R

A • Rep. Jim Rostberg-RB • Rep. Loren Geo Jennings-DFLSen. Janet B. Johnson-DFL

A • Rep. Mark Olson-RB • Rep. Bruce Anderson-RSen. Mark Ourada-R

A • Rep. Robert “Bob” Ness-RB • Rep. Tony Kielkucki-RSen. Steve Dille-R

A • Rep. Marty Seifert-RB • Rep. Richard Mulder-RSen. Arlene J. Lesewski-R

A • Rep. Ted Winter-DFLB • Rep. Elaine Harder-RSen. Jim Vickerman-DFL

A • Rep. James T. Clark-RB • Rep. Howard Swenson-RSen. Dennis R. Frederickson-R

A • Rep. John Dorn-DFLB • Rep. Julie Storm-RSen. John C. Hottinger-DFL

A • Rep. John Tuma-RB • Rep. Lynda Boudreau-RSen. Thomas M. Neuville-R

A • Rep. Bob Gunther-RB • Rep. Henry J. Kalis-DFLSen. Don Ziegler-R

A • Rep. Dan Dorman-RB • Rep. Rob Leighton-DFLSen. Pat Piper-DFL

A • Rep. Doug Reuter-RB • Rep. Steve Sviggum-RSen. Dick Day-R

A • Rep. Jerry Dempsey-RB • Rep. Mike Osskopp-RSen. Steve Murphy-DFL

A • Rep. Fran Bradley-RB • Rep. Dave Bishop-RSen. Sheila M. Kiscaden-R

A • Rep. William Kuisle-RB • Rep. Gregory M. Davids-RSen. Kenric J. Scheevel-R

A • Rep. Gene Pelowski Jr.-DFLB • Rep. Michelle Rifenberg-RSen. Bob Kierlin-R

A • Rep. Arlon Lindner-RB • Rep. Rich Stanek-RSen. Warren Limmer-R

A • Rep. Steve Smith-RB • Rep. Henry Todd Van Dellen-RSen. Gen Olson-R

A • Rep. Carol L. Molnau-RB • Rep. Mark Buesgens-RSen. Claire A. Robling-R

A • Rep. Chris Gerlach-RB • Rep. Dan McElroy-RSen. David L. Knutson-R

A • Rep. Dennis Ozment-RB • Rep. Mary Liz Holberg-RSen. Pat Pariseau-R

A • Rep. Tim Wilkin-RB • Rep. Tim Pawlenty-RSen. Deanna L. Wiener-DFL

A • Rep. Thomas W. Pugh-DFLB • Rep. Bob Milbert-DFLSen. James P. Metzen-DFL

A • Rep. Dan Larson-DFLB • Rep. Ann Lenczewski-DFLSen. Dave Johnson-DFL

A • Rep. Alice Seagren-RB • Rep. Ken Wolf-RSen. William V. Belanger Jr.-R

A • Rep. Ron Erhardt-RB • Rep. Erik Paulsen-RSen. Roy Terwilliger-R

A • Rep. Tom Workman-RB • Rep. Barb Sykora-RSen. Edward C. Oliver-R

A • Rep. Betty Folliard-DFLB • Rep. Jim Rhodes-RSen. Steve Kelley-DFL

A • Rep. Ron Abrams-RB • Rep. Peggy Leppik-RSen. Martha R. Robertson-R

A • Rep. Ann H. Rest-DFLB • Rep. Lyndon R. Carlson-DFLSen. Ember R. Junge-DFL

A • Rep. Darlene Luther-DFLB • Rep. Phil Carruthers-DFLSen. Linda Scheid-DFL

A • Rep. Bill Haas-RB • Rep. Alice M. Johnson-DFLSen. Don Betzold-DFL

A • Rep. Jim Abeler-RB • Rep. Luanne Koskinen-DFLSen. Leo Foley-DFL

A • Rep. Tom Hackbarth-RB • Rep. Kathy Tingelstad-RSen. Paula E. Hanson-DFL

A • Rep. Andrew Westerberg-RB • Rep. Ray Vandeveer-RSen. Jane Krentz-DFL

A • Rep. Satveer Chaudhary-DFLB • Rep. Barb Haake-RSen. Steven G. Novak-DFL

A • Rep. Philip Krinkie-RB • Rep. Sherry Broecker-RSen. Linda Runbeck-R

A • Rep. Mary Jo McGuire-DFLB • Rep. Mindy Greiling-DFLSen. John Marty-DFL

A • Rep. Harry Mares-RB • Rep. Betty McCollum-DFLSen. Charles W. Wiger-DFL

A • Rep. Mark William Holsten-RB • Rep. Peg Larsen-RSen. Gary W. Laidig-R

A • Rep. Jim Seifert-RB • Rep. Sharon Marko-DFLSen. Leonard R. Price-DFL

A • Rep. Joe Mullery-DFLB • Rep. Gregory Gray-DFLSen. Linda I. Higgins-DFL

A • Rep. Len Biernat-DFLB • Rep. Phyllis Kahn-DFLSen. Lawrence J. Pogemiller-DFL

A • Rep. Margaret Anderson Kelliher-DFLB • Rep. Myron Orfield-DFLSen. Allan H. Spear-DFL

A • Rep. Karen Clark-DFLB • Rep. Linda Wejcman-DFLSen. Linda Berglin-DFL

A • Rep. Lee Greenfield-DFLB • Rep. Wes Skoglund-DFLSen. Carol Flynn-DFL

A • Rep. Jean Wagenius-DFLB • Rep. Mark S. Gleason-DFLSen. Jane B. Ranum-DFL

A • Rep. Matt Entenza-DFLB • Rep. Michael Paymar-DFLSen. Richard J. Cohen-DFL

A • Rep. Andy Dawkins-DFLB • Rep. Carlos Mariani-DFLSen. Sandra L. Pappas-DFL

A • Rep. Tom Osthoff-DFLB • Rep. Alice Hausman-DFLSen. Ellen R. Anderson-DFL

A • Rep. Tim Mahoney-DFLB • Rep. Steve Trimble-DFLSen. Randy C. Kelly-DFL

66 Anderson, Ellen R. (DFL) .............................................. G-24 Cap. ............................. 553741 Belanger Jr., William V. (R) ........................................... 113 SOB ................................ 597513 Berg, Charles A. (IND) ................................................... G-51 SOB .............................. 509461 Berglin, Linda (DFL) ...................................................... 309 Cap. ................................ 426148 Betzold, Don (DFL) ........................................................ 306 Cap. ................................ 255664 Cohen, Richard J. (DFL) ............................................... 317 Cap. ................................ 593128 Day, Dick (R) .................................................................... 147 SOB ................................ 945720 Dille, Steve (R) ................................................................. 103 SOB ................................ 413114 Fischbach, Michelle L. (R) ............................................ 149 SOB ................................ 208462 Flynn, Carol (DFL) .......................................................... 120 Cap. ................................ 427449 Foley, Leo (DFL) .............................................................. G-9 Cap. ................................ 415423 Frederickson, Dennis R. (R) ........................................ 139 SOB ................................ 813850 Hanson, Paula E. (DFL) ................................................. 328 Cap. ................................ 321958 Higgins, Linda I. (DFL) .................................................. 227 Cap. ................................ 924624 Hottinger, John C. (DFL) .............................................. 120 Cap. ................................ 6153

5 Janezich, Jerry R. (DFL) ................................................ 328 Cap. ................................ 801740 Johnson, Dave (DFL) .................................................... 111 Cap. ................................ 926115 Johnson, Dean E. (R) ..................................................... 117SOB ................................. 3826

6 Johnson, Douglas J. (DFL) .......................................... 205 Cap. ................................ 888118 Johnson, Janet B. (DFL) ............................................... G-9 Cap. ................................ 541946 Junge, Ember R. (DFL) .................................................. 205 Cap. ................................ 288944 Kelley, Steve (DFL) ......................................................... 321 Cap. ....................... 297-806567 Kelly, Randy C. (DFL) ..................................................... 323 Cap. ................................ 528532 Kierlin, Bob (R) ................................................................ 127 SOB ................................ 564930 Kiscaden, Sheila M. (R) ................................................. 135 SOB ................................ 484816 Kleis, Dave (R) ................................................................. 143 SOB ................................ 645536 Knutson, David L. (R) .................................................... 133 SOB ................................ 412051 Krentz, Jane (DFL) ......................................................... 235 Cap. ................................ 706156 Laidig, Gary W. (R) .......................................................... 141 SOB ................................ 4351

9 Langseth, Keith (DFL) .................................................. 122 Cap. ................................ 320510 Larson, Cal (R) ................................................................. 153 SOB ................................ 565521 Lesewski, Arlene J. (R) .................................................. 131 SOB ................................ 4125

3 Lessard, Bob (DFL) ........................................................ 111 Cap. ................................ 413633 Limmer, Warren (R) ....................................................... 25 SOB .................................. 2159

8 Lourey, Becky (DFL) ...................................................... G-9 Cap. ................................ 029354 Marty, John (DFL) .......................................................... 326 Cap. ................................ 564539 Metzen, James P. (DFL) ................................................ 303 Cap. ................................ 4370

2 Moe, Roger D. (DFL) ...................................................... 208 Cap. ................................ 257729 Murphy, Steve (DFL) ..................................................... 301 Cap. ................................ 426425 Neuville, Thomas M. (R) ............................................... 123 SOB ................................ 127952 Novak, Steven G. (DFL) ................................................ 322 Cap. ................................ 433443 Oliver, Edward C. (R) ..................................................... 121 SOB ................................ 483734 Olson, Gen (R) ................................................................. 119 SOB ................................ 128219 Ourada, Mark (R) ............................................................ 145 SOB ................................ 598165 Pappas, Sandra L. (DFL) ............................................... 120 Cap. ................................ 180237 Pariseau, Pat (R) ............................................................. 109 SOB ................................ 525227 Piper, Pat (DFL) ............................................................... G-9 Cap. ................................ 924859 Pogemiller, Lawrence J. (DFL) ................................... 235 Cap. ................................ 780957 Price, Leonard R. (DFL) ................................................. 235 Cap. ....................... 297-806063 Ranum, Jane B. (DFL) .................................................... 306 Cap. ....................... 297-806145 Robertson, Martha R. (R) ............................................. 125 SOB ................................ 431435 Robling, Claire A. (R) ..................................................... 151 SOB ................................ 412353 Runbeck, Linda (R) ........................................................ 107 SOB ................................ 125311 Sams, Dallas C. (DFL) .................................................... 328 Cap. ....................... 297-806312 Samuelson, Don (DFL) ................................................ 124 Cap. ................................ 487531 Scheevel, Kenric J. (R) ................................................... 129 SOB ................................ 390347 Scheid, Linda (DFL) ....................................................... 317 Cap. ................................ 8869

7 Solon, Sam G. (DFL) ...................................................... 303 Cap. ................................ 418860 Spear, Allan H. (DFL) ..................................................... 120 Cap. ................................ 419117 Stevens, Dan (R) ............................................................. 105 SOB ................................ 8075

1 Stumpf, LeRoy A. (DFL) ................................................ G-24 Cap. ............................. 86604 Ten Eyck, David J. (DFL) ............................................... G-24F Cap. ........................... 4913

42 Terwilliger, Roy (R) ........................................................ 115 SOB ................................ 623822 Vickerman, Jim (DFL) ................................................... 226 Cap. ................................ 565038 Wiener, Deanna L. (DFL) .............................................. 303 Cap. ....................... 297-807355 Wiger, Charles W. (DFL) ............................................... 325 Cap. ................................ 682026 Ziegler, Don (R) .............................................................. 149 SOB ................................ 5713

List as of April 15, 1999.

Tracking the Bills . . . January 5 - April 15, 1999

CH1-CH65

20 April 16, 1999 / SESSION WEEKLY

HF VetoedSignedDescriptionCH SF

Bills await governor’s action

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 signifi-cant as the actions themselves.

In the first year of the biennium, theimportant thing to remember is that the

governor has three days from the time of“presentment” to veto a bill. If the governordoesn’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

because 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.

Res. 1 544* 638 Resolutions for Minnesota/Ontario border lakes trade agreements violation resolution. 3/26/99

Res. 2 719 757* Resolutions to prohibit federal recoupment of state tobacco settlement recoveries. 3/29/99

1 139* 88 Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board member qualifications specified. 2/17/99

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

18 610 649* Safe drinking water act public water supply definition modification. 3/25/99

19 812 914* Legislative Electric Energy Task Force membership modification. 3/25/99

20 434 593* St. Cloud paramount arts district regional arts center grant recipient change. 3/25/99

21 48 50* Public utilities performance based natural gas purchasing plans sunset repeal. 3/25/99

22 137* 463 Collector watercraft license numbers and display requirements exemption. 3/26/99

23 56* 90 Health care provider actions statute of limitations modification. 3/26/99

24 193 255* Emergency telephone (911) calls interference crime expansion. 3/29/99

25 165 460* Special disability license plates for modified motor vehicles. 3/29/99

26 438 407* McLeod West School District #2887; secondary educational facility grant. 3/29/99


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27 564 609* Landscape irrigation systems rain check installation requirement. 4/1/99

28 732 99* Criminal offenders costs payment for failure to appear after release. 4/1/99

29 1305* 1280 Kenyon Trunk Highway #56 relocation easements transfer. 4/1/99

30 475* 517 Town officers or employees criminal charges defense costs reimbursement. 4/1/99

31 379* 381 Mortgage registry and deed taxes technical corrections and administrative changes. 4/1/99

32 183* 144 Civil Commitment; minors voluntary chemical dep. admission & treatment parental consent conditions modifications. 4/12/99

33 413* 418 Physicians, acupuncturists and athletic trainers licensing and registration requirements modifications. 4/12/99

34 492* 518 Minnesota State University, Mankato authorized to construct the Taylor Center multipurpose facility. 4/12/99

35 766* 739 Motorcycle blue lights display. 4/12/99

36 1126* 862 Family day care licensure child age groupings definitions. 4/12/99

37 1258* 487 Marriage dissolution summary process revival. 4/12/99

38 733 117* Criminal offenders restitution challenge hearing requests time limit. 4/12/99

39 640* 488 Mental Health State Advisory Council membership representation requirements modification. 4/12/99

40 1336 727* Contracts continuity under European currency. 4/12/99

41 2024 1660* Government innovation and cooperation board local government services delivery laws or rules exemptions. 4/12/99

42 1986 1888* Otter Tail veterans memorial drive designation. 4/12/99

43 1184 794* One call excavation notice system requirements modifications. 4/12/99

44 1265 1150* Rural residential districts speed limit. 4/12/99

45 414* 428 Pseudorabies control program continuation appropriation and vaccine reimbursement requirement. 4/12/99 Line item

46 1565* 1677 Eligibility expanded for certain state military service. 4/15/99

47 1556* 2043 Extending the civil service pilot project in the Housing Finance Agency. 4/15/99

48 525* 404 Anoka County dangerous dog registration system administration responsibility. 4/15/99

49 240* 236 DWI investigations county sheriff contingent funds use. 4/15/99

50 216* 237 County prisoners transfer authority clarification. 4/15/99

51 614* 913 Community integrated service networks net worth reserve corridor increase and utilization review. 4/15/99

52 583* 735 Township mutual insurance companies authorized investments expansion. 4/15/99

53 1066* 1190 Township mutual insurance companies territories of operation regulation modifications. 4/15/99

54 1660* 1650 Nonprofit organizations human diseases research personnel unlawful practice of medicine exemption. 4/15/99

55 1216* 1391 Chiropractors licensed in other states practical examination requirement modification. 4/15/99

56 1403 1173* Scott County Blue Lake wastewater treatment plant consumptive water use permit approval. 4/15/99

57 1109 803* St. Louis River estuary fishing guide license requirement. 4/15/99

58 982 984* Psychological test results release regulation. 4/15/99

59 384 836* Food handlers licensing period and fee modifications for state operators. 4/15/99

60 1132* 1116 Delinquent real estate taxes duplicate publication copies filing requirement.

61 643* 676 All persons under civil commitment status provided the same legal rights.

62 408* 170 Pharmacy practice definition modification.

63 1714* 1693 Pharmacists to pharmacy technicians ratio requirements waiver.

64 735* 495 Crime of adulteration scope expansion and penalty increases.

65 841 881* Stearns, Benton, and Sherburne counties regional parks and trails plan.

townships of Hill Lake, Macville, Lemay,and Shovel Lake.

The chosen site was rural enough to assurethat no other cities would be created nearby,and Aitkin County officials were the mostamenable to being placed under a micro-scope by urban designers from around theworld. It was also viewed as the ultimateeconomic development project.

In April 1973, the authority presented a

Continued from page 16

summary document to the Legislature, out-lining what had been accomplished.

But the legislative verve appeared to haveburned out. There is no record of any furtherlegislative action being taken. The authoritywas allowed to expire and was unceremoni-ously removed from the statutes, leavingbehind only an asterisk in Minnesotahistory.

Find legislative publications onthe World Wide Web at: http://w w w . l e g . s t a t e . m n . u s / l e g /publicat.htm


In the Hopper . . . April 12 - 15, 1999

HF2374-HF2407

Monday, April 12

HF2374—Abrams (R)TaxesThis Old House; market value eligi-bility and age requirement increasedfor certain residential property, andexclusion eligible improvementminimum increased.

HF2375—Chaudhary (DFL)TaxesSmall business equity investmentscredit allowed against corporatefranchise taxes.

HF2376—Mulder (R)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment FinancePipestone aquatic center litigationlosses reimbursement grant providedand money appropriated.

HF2377—Carruthers (DFL)TaxesGovernmental pension plan incometax subtraction allowed.

HF2378—Van Dellen (R)TaxesTelephone services equipment salesand use tax exemption provided.

HF2379—Lenczewski (DFL)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyHennepin County authorized to con-vey tax-forfeited land borderingpublic water.

HF2380—Leppik (R)Ways & MeansOmnibus higher educationappropriations bill.

HF2381—Carruthers (DFL)TaxesSubstantially rehabilitated rentalhousing unit property tax classifica-tion provided.

HF2382—Anderson, I. (DFL)Governmental Operations &Veterans Affairs PolicySandy Lake Band of MississippiChippewa Indians act adopted.

HF2383—McCollum (DFL)K-12 Education FinanceAdults with disabilities program aidprovided and money appropriated.

HF2384—Carruthers (DFL)K-12 Education FinanceIndependent School District No. 286,Brooklyn Center, facility grant pro-vided, bond sale authorized, andmoney appropriated.

HF2385—Holsten (R)Environment & NaturalResources PolicyDepartment of game and fish created,and duties transferred.

HF2386—Krinkie (R)State Government FinanceState government administrative ex-penses bill and money appropriated.

HF2387—Molnau (R)Ways & MeansOmnibus transportation appropria-tions bill.

HF2388—Holsten (R)Environment & NaturalResources FinanceOmnibus environment and naturalresources appropriations bill.

HF2389—Ness (R)Agriculture & RuralDevelopment FinanceOmnibus agriculture appropriationsbill.

HF2390—McElroy (R)Ways & MeansOmnibus economic developmentappropriations bill.

Tuesday, April 13

HF2391—Paulsen (R)TaxesMetropolitan Council general levylimit reduced, livable communitiesdemonstration account levy limit set,and tax base revitalization accountlevy repealed.

HF2392—Jennings (DFL)TaxesChisago County aggregate removaltax approval filing deadline extended.

HF2393—Daggett (R)TaxesSales and use tax capital equipmentdefinition expanded to includetelephone services equipment.

HF2394—McGuire (DFL)CommerceViolent video games sale to childrenprohibited, display in public placesrestricted, and remedies provided.

HF2395—McGuire (DFL)Education PolicyJuvenile access to violent video gamesreport and study required.

HF2396—McElroy (R)TaxesRenter and homeowner property taxrefund schedules combined, and rentconstituting property taxespercentage increased.

HF2397—McElroy (R)TaxesPre-1982 tax increment financingdistrict pooling rules established.

Wednesday, April 14

HF2398—Winter (DFL)TaxesProperty tax rebate extended to in-clude qualifying rented farm land andimprovements.

HF2399—Hasskamp (DFL)TaxesProperty tax class rate for qualifyingland bordering public waters reduced.

HF2400—Erhardt (R)TaxesProperty tax class rates reduced, andlocal government and school districtaids increased.

HF2401—Kelliher (DFL)TaxesProperty class tax rates reduced, andlocal government and school districtaids increased.

Thursday, April 15

HF2402—Erhardt (R)TaxesMilk and juice product sales taxexemption provided.

HF2403—Sviggum (R)TaxesMedford tax increment financing dis-trict revenue use provisionsmodified.

HF2404—Broecker (R)Ways & MeansOmnibus crime prevention andjudiciary finance bill.

HF2405—Rest (DFL)TaxesCities with concentrations of Class 4dproperty provided reduced thresholdto qualify for state aid.

HF2406—Peterson (DFL)Health & Human Services FinancePrepaid Medical Assistance programrule change required providing anenrollment exemption for aqualifying child.

HF2407—Peterson (DFL)Jobs & EconomicDevelopment PolicyClara City water quality capital im-provement grant provided and moneyappropriated.

To track bills on the WorldWide Web as they movethrough the Legislature go to:http://www.leg.state.mn.us/leg/legis.htm


Coming Up Next Week . . . April 19 - 23, 1999

Schedule is subject tochange.For information updates,call House Calls at(651) 296-9283.All meetings are open to thepublic.Sign language interpreterservices:(651) 224-6548 v/ttyTo have the daily and weeklyschedules delivered to youre-mail address, send amessage to:[email protected]

In the body of the messagetype:

subscribe h-schedules

MONDAY, April 19

9 a.m.

ENVIRONMENT & NATURALRESOURCES POLICY10 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Dennis OzmentAgenda: HF1437 (Ozment)Sustainable Forest Resources Act.

10 a.m.

TAXES5 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Ron AbramsAgenda: Taxes omnibus bill.

12 noon

The House meets in session.

TUESDAY, April 20

10 a.m.


12 noon


WEDNESDAY, April 21

10 a.m.


12 noon


Immediately following sessionor 4 p.m.

Legislative Audit Commission316 State CapitolChr. Rep. Dan McElroyAgenda: Program evaluation topicselection.Review of Program Evaluation BestPractices Report: Fire Protection.

one of the state’s few bomb disposal units.Currently, local law enforcement agencies

must call on one of four police departments inMinnesota with bomb disposal units when deal-ing with bombs or other hazardous explosives.

Also within the department’s appropria-tion, $9.7 million would go for law enforce-ment grants to be awarded to individualcommunities.

Included in that amount, the bill would pro-vide $2 million to assist the courts in Minneapo-lis now dealing with the influx of cases as a resultof that city’s CODEFOR police strategy.

CODEFOR, which stands for Computer Op-timized Deployment-Focus on Results, uses com-puter analysis to deploy police resources basedon daily reports of crime. The management planalso seeks to actively involve the community inpolicing, holds precincts and divisions account-able for results, and focuses on crime reductionas the overall police mission.

Also in the community grant provisions, $4million would go to the state criminal gangoversight council and strike force and $1.1million would go to assist in the developmentof a statewide, integrated criminal justice com-puter system.

The bill also would provide a $500,000 com-munity grant to the Ramsey County Attorney’s

Office to implement a domestic assault andchild abuse prosecution pilot project. Theproject would combine city and county pros-ecutors into one unit to deal with these crimes.

Also, $1 million would be provided for grantsunder the community-oriented policing pro-gram. Under the program, local law enforce-ment agencies can apply for grants to pay forpolice officer overtime in high crime areaswithin their jurisdiction.

Courts and public defenseThe state court system would receive $221.3

million over the two years, under the bill.Of that amount, the state Supreme Court

would get $49.9 million, the state Court ofAppeals would get $13.2 million, and the trialcourts would get $156.4 million.

Included in the trial court appropriation,the bill would provide six additional districtcourt judges. The proposal would increase thenumber of judges in four of the state’s 10judicial districts, and it would provide $3 mil-lion for these new positions and related costs.

The original request called for 18 new judge-ships in the state. Court officials say that theiroriginal proposal would have provided a 6.5percent increase in judgeships since the lasttime new judges were approved in 1995. Mean-while, caseloads have increased by 10 percent

over the same period.The Board of Public Defense would receive

$93.4 million over the two-year budget pe-riod. Of that amount, the state public de-fender would get $6.5 million and districtpublic defenders would receive $84.5 million.

Funds for correctionsThe bill would provide $684.4 million to the

Department of Corrections for the operationsof the state’s correctional system over the nexttwo years. Minnesota’s correctional systemcurrently houses 5,500 inmates.

Also included in that amount, the Commu-nity Service Division would receive $197 mil-lion. Of that amount, $450,000 would gotoward youth intervention programs and $8.4million would go for probation caseload re-ductions and intensive supervisions programs.Currently, more than 115,000 offenders are inprobation or community services programsacross the state.

The bill would close the Camp Ripley workprogram, providing a $2.7 million savings.The work program was established by theLegislature in 1997 to provide a sentencingalternative for nonviolent offenders. The pro-gram was seen as a way to relieve pressure oncounty jails.

THURSDAY, April 22

8 a.m.

TAXESBasement Hearing RoomState Office BuildingChr. Rep. Ron AbramsAgenda: Taxes omnibus bill.

TRANSPORTATION POLICY200 State Office BuildingChr. Rep. Tom WorkmanAgenda: Informational meetingconcerning Upper Harborterminals on the Mississippi River.

12 noon


FRIDAY, April 23

No meetings have beenscheduled.

Continued from page 14

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.

Major Minnesota industries

Minnesotans employed in private-sector industries, 1996 ................................ 2,038,017Percent increase since 1988 ....................................................................................... 21.7Percent increase in U.S. in same period ................................................................... 13.4

Minnesotans employed in health and medical industries, 1996 .......................... 216,209Percent increase since 1988 ....................................................................................... 29.3Percent increase in U.S. in same period ................................................................... 32.2

Minnesotans employed in printing and publishing industry, 1996 ....................... 55,416Percent increase since 1988 ....................................................................................... 16.1Percent decrease in U.S. in same period........................................................................ 1Minnesota’s national rank in industry .......................................................................... 9

Minnesotans employed in forest products industry, 1996 ..................................... 57,800Percent increase since 1988 ......................................................................................... 4.3Percent decrease in U.S. in same period........................................................................ 1

Minnesotans employed in logging, 1996 ....................................................................... 749Percent increase since 1988 ....................................................................................... 38.2Percent decrease in U.S. in same period........................................................................ 8

Minnesotans employed by newspapers, 1996 .......................................................... 12,561Minnesotans employed by greeting card companies, 1996 ......................................... 133Value of Minnesota’s total manufactured exports in 1997, in billions of dollars ....... 9.5

As percent of total U.S. manufactured exports .......................................................... 1.5Iron ore produced in Minnesota in 1996, in millions of metric tons ........................... 46

As percent of total U.S. production ............................................................................. 75As percent of total world production ......................................................................... 4.6

Minnesotans employed in high-technology industries, 1996 ............................... 167,732Percent increase since 1988 ......................................................................................... 5.5Percent decrease in U.S. in same period..................................................................... 0.7

Minnesotans employed in guided missile or space vehicle parts industry, 1996 ........... 0Minnesota’s national rank in patents issued per million residents, 1997 ....................... 6

Rank in Midwest ............................................................................................................. 1Number of patents issued in Minnesota, 1997 .......................................................... 2,015

Source: Compare Minnesota: An Economic and Statistical Fact Book, 1998/1999, MinnesotaDepartment of Trade and Economic Development.

Session Weekly April 16, 1999 Vol. 16, Number 15...2 SESSION WEEKLY / April 16, 1999 Session Weekly...

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Transcript of Session Weekly April 16, 1999 Vol. 16, Number 15...2 SESSION WEEKLY / April 16, 1999 Session Weekly...