February 27, 2004 Senate e-Briefly

A bill instituting certain institutional reforms in the Minnesota Lottery gained the approval of members of the Agriculture, Veterans and Gaming Committee when they met Mon., Feb. 23. The panel, chaired by Sen. Jim Vickerman (DFL-Tracy), advanced the measure to the State and Local Government Operations Committee.

Before taking up the bill, committee members heard the results of a program evaluation of the lottery by the Office of the Legislative Auditor. The report, presented by John Yunker, found that the lottery spent far more of its sales revenue on operating expenses than comparable state lotteries, resulting in less funding being available for environmental programs funded by lottery profits. The report also found the lottery to be less accountable to, and more autonomous from, the governor and Legislature than any other state agency. Spending on certain marketing and promotion activities, including the lease of a traveling exhibit trailer, was also drawn into question by the report. "However, we found nothing to have us conclude that there was any criminal activity going on at the Lottery," Legislative Auditor James Nobles said. The report includes several recommendations, including Legislative review of the lottery's budget and granting the governor more authority to remove and appoint the lottery director. The report is available online.

Acting Director Michael Vekich said the lottery has already implemented 11 of the recommendations in the report. The lottery intends to implement all of the recommendations in its power within 120 days, he said. Vekich characterized the lottery as "a business first, wrapped in a governmental wrapper." He said the lottery has been run, since its inception, under an entrepreneurial business model. It is time to move to a professional business model, Vekich said.

S.F. 2181, sponsored by Sen. Ann Rest (DFL-New Hope), implements some of the recommendations contained in the auditor's report. Under the bill, the lottery director serves at the pleasure of the governor. However, to maintain continuity within the lottery's direction, Rest said, the bill does not make the director's term coterminous with the governor's elected term. The bill also requires Legislative review of the lottery's budget, adds a requirement for the lottery director to include capital expenditures in an annual report to the Legislature and governor and creates a lottery organization task force.

John Curry said the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA) issued a report last year about perceived deficiencies in lottery operations and revenues for the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. Too many people took the report as being without merit, he said. Changes made since the MCEA report was issued have resulted in a more efficient and profitable lottery, Curry said. He said inefficiencies may have cost the trust fund as much as $130 million over the last 13 years. Curry said the center supports S.F. 2181, but recommends adding a section providing performance goals and objectives for the lottery and dedicating all unclaimed prize dollars to the Environment and Natural Trust Fund. The bill splits the unclaimed prize monies between the trust fund and the general fund.

An amendment prohibiting the lottery from spending money on advertising was offered by Sen. Sean Nienow (R-Cambridge). Minnesota is far above other states on advertising expenses, Nienow said, but it is unclear if the spending is effective. He questioned if the state should even be promoting gambling. Rest said the lottery, as a business, needs to advertise its product. The amendment was defeated.

Vickerman offered an amendment dedicating the entire balance of unclaimed prize dollars to the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund. Sen. Dick Day (R-Owatonna) said the trust fund has a balance of $280 million, while the state is facing a serious general fund shortfall of perhaps $400 million. At this stage, I can't see justifying losing the money in the unclaimed prize fund, he said. The amendment was adopted.

A bill authorizing the use of instant runoff voting (IRV) was granted final passage when Senators met Mon., Feb. 23. The measure was considered as a Special Order and granted final passage, 38-26.

S.F. 1613, sponsored by Sen. John Marty (DFL-Roseville), permits cities to implement instant runoff voting for city elections, if a city chooses to do so by local ordinance. Marty offered an amendment to the bill that limits its application to a special election in the city of Roseville. He said the city has to conduct a special election this year to fill a vacant city council seat. Discussions with members of the other body indicated that a limited version of the bill was the only passable option, Marty said. "The amendment is bad, but the bill is worse," said Sen. Dave Kleis (R-St. Cloud). If proponents of IRV want to solve the perceived problem of winners not receiving over 50 percent of votes cast, he said, then a runoff election should be held between the top two finishers in the general election. The amendment was adopted.

Kleis said instant runoff voting weakens the electoral system. Voters go to the polls to cast ballots for the person they feel is best, he said, not to indicate levels of acceptability. He said implementing instant runoff voting in any community changes our entire election philosophy. Kleis offered an amendment replacing the IRV authorization with permission to use a runoff election to held after the special election. Marty said cities effectively have a runoff system now. Municipal elections are nonpartisan, he said, and normally include a primary held before the general election. Cities want other methods to narrow the field of candidates, Marty said, to speed up the process and to save costs. He said holding a runoff election after the special election prolongs the vacancy on the city council and adds costs. The amendment was not adopted, 30-34.

In other action, members repassed S.F. 1015, carried by Sen. Dan Sparks (DFL-Austin). The bill authorizes the commissioner of revenue to disclose income tax return information to the commissioner of veterans affairs to locate and notify veterans of health hazards resulting from their service in the armed forces and of potential benefits entitlement.

Senators also granted preliminary passage to four measures on General Orders. Sen. Charles "Chuck" Wiger authored S.F. 1626, which changes how charges for sanitary sewer systems and storm sewer systems may be calculated. S.F. 148, carried by Marty, increases the disclosure of contributions and expenditures for local political campaigns. Sen. David Knutson (R-Burnsville) sponsored two bills. H.F. 480 provides limited immunity to employers providing references to current or former employees. The bill benefits employers, by allowing for free-flowing information about prospective employees, and employees, by letting them get fair, honest evaluations from their previous employers, Knutson said. S.F. 1745 makes various changes, suggested by the Minnesota State Bar Association, to the state's trust laws.

Senators held a very brief floor session Thurs., Feb. 26, in order to process bill introductions and committee reports. Majority Leader Dean Johnson (DFL-Willmar) said there would be no committee meetings Mon., Mar. 1, or Tues., Mar. 2, in order to allow members to attend precinct caucuses.

A bill reducing the number of deputy and assistant commissioners of state agencies was the focus of members of the Finance Committee when they met Wed., Feb. 25. The panel advanced the bill to the full Senate on a 9-7 roll call vote.

S.F. 2295, authored by Committee Chair Richard Cohen (DFL-St. Paul), limits state agencies to one deputy commissioner each and eliminates all assistant commissioner positions. The measure also eliminates 125 positions in the unclassified service that were authorized by the Legislature in 2003 and limits the salaries of agency employees to 88 percent of the agency head's salary. Out of state travel is banned, under the bill, and state agencies may not spend money on holding meetings or conferences at non-state-owned facilities. The bill also reduces the executive branch's budget by $10 million in FY 04 and $10 million in FY 05. "This is an effort to be more equitable," Cohen said, in trimming the state budget. He said the forecast to be released Feb. 27 is likely to top $300 million in projected shortfall for the current biennium. The bill does not solve the state's budget problems, but it is a significant start, Cohen said.

"There is a difference between frugality and foolishness," Sen. Dennis Frederickson (R-New Ulm) said, and the ban on out-of-state travel is foolishness. Agency staff often need to leave the state to meet with national officials on transportation or other projects, he said. Similarly, environmental officials need to interact with their counterparts in other states, Frederickson said. There are examples in every state agency, he said, where money spent to travel outside Minnesota is money well spent. Cohen said the state of modern telecommunications is sufficient to enable such meetings and discussion, without state officials or employees leaving Minnesota. He noted that the Senate itself has imposed a similar travel ban and Senators have had no difficulty interacting with Legislators from other states. Sen. Thomas Neuville (R-Northfield) offered an amendment deleting the travel ban and increasing the budget reductions to $12 million each fiscal year. The amendment was defeated, 7-11.

Neuville offered a second amendment including the Legislature in the $10 million cuts for FY 04 and FY 05. The Legislature should share in the reduction, he said, with the constitutional officers and the state agencies. The amendment was defeated on a 6-10 roll call vote. Frederickson offered an amendment deleting provisions eliminating the directors of the Offices of Trade and Tourism and eliminating the 125 unclassified positions. The trade and tourism offices, he said, bring in more money than they cost to operate, he said. Cohen said the bill does not eliminate the offices themselves, but does require the commissioner and deputy commissioner of the Department of Employment and Economic Development to assume more oversight responsibility. The amendment was defeated, 6-10. Members adopted, on a voice vote, an amendment removing a provision restricting special situation salaries to 108 percent, instead of 120 percent, of the salary of an agency head. Sen. David Knutson (R-Burnsville), who offered the amendment, said it was unclear to whom the provision applies.

The bill is transparently political, Neuville said. The issues surrounding the number and salaries of agency heads, and their deputies and assistants, can be dealt with substantively in the budget divisions, he said. The Senate traditionally acts thoughtfully and cautiously, but also quickly, Knutson said. He urged Cohen to give the proposal a full and fair hearing. However, Cohen said his intent is to be proactive toward the impending budget forecast. The Senate has frozen staff salaries, left positions vacant and instituted a travel ban, he said, and the House has acted similarly. The administration has not done so, Cohen said.

In other action, members recommended S.F. 1615 for placement on the Consent Calendar. The measure, sponsored by Sen. Keith Langseth (DFL-Glyndon), reduces the required local contribution for airport projects to five percent. Ray Strege of Short Elliot Hendrickson said a recent change in federal law changed the federal contribution to 95 percent, instead of 90 percent. Federal officials have indicated they cannot provide any funds, even at 90 percent, unless the state changes the local contribution to the lower level. The change has no impact on the state budget, as the state contribution to affected projects is zero.

Committee members also heard a report on fee increases from Mark Misukanis, director of the Senate Office of Fiscal Policy Analysis. He said fees increased, over the base amount, by 16.51 percent for FY 04 and by 19.01 percent for FY 05 for all funds. Fees represented 2.7 percent of total state revenue in FY 03, Misukanis said, and represent 3.5 percent of FY 04 revenue.

Committee update

Bills aimed at helping Minnesota dairy farmers were the focus of the Agriculture, Veterans and Gaming Committee meeting Wed., Feb. 25. The panel, chaired by Sen. Jim Vickerman (DFL-Tracy), advanced all the bills.

S.F. 1472, sponsored by Sen. Gary Kubly (DFL-Granite Falls), provides for an income tax credit for quality milk production. Under the bill, the quality milk credit is equal to 5 cents per hundred weight of milk produced during the taxable year. In order to qualify, the bill specifies that the milk must average a somatic cell count lower than 150,000 and that the taxpayer must maintain a rolling herd average milk production in excess of 21,000 pounds. The bill was approved and re-referred to the Tax Committee.

A second bill, S.F. 1473, also sponsored by Kubly, establishes a revolving loan fund for dairy farmers to purchase additional mature dairy cows. Kubly said the loans, up to $6,000, would allow farmers to purchase up to 6 additional cows. A representative of the Dept. of Agriculture said the department is concerned that the bill requires direct loans through the Rural Finance Authority, but the authority does not have the staff to perform that function. Members urged Kubly to work with the department to address the concerns before approving the bill and re-referring the measure to the Finance Committee.

S.F. 1939, authored by Sen. Dallas Sams (DFL-Staples), appropriates $1 million to expand the dairy development and profitability enhancement and the dairy business planning grant programs. The bill was also advanced to the Finance Committee.

Members also approved S.F. 1941, authored by Sen. Steve Dille (R-Dassel). The measure provides for a grant program to promote modernization of dairy equipment. Dille also offered, and members adopted, an amendment specifying that the commissioner of agriculture make cash payments to beginning milk producers of $1 per hundred pounds of milk for the first one million pounds produced each year for the first 5 years. The amendment specifies that total payments may not exceed $10,000 and that a beginning milk producer must agree to participate in a farm management program.

Dille offered another amendment that generated considerable discussion. The amendment, aimed at protecting sustainable family farms, prohibited local units of government from regulating family farms. Dille said the amendment was drafted because of a hostile political and social climate for farmers who want to raise livestock and expand their operations. Several committee members argued against the amendment because it would remove local control. Dille withdrew the amendment in order to fine-tune some of the language. The bill was approved and re-referred to the Finance Committee.

The committee also approved S.F. 1942. The measure, authored by Sams, extends the interest-free status of manure digester loans. Members adopted an amendment, offered by Kubly, that extends the loan program to on-farm processing of agricultural products. The bill was approved and advanced to the Finance Committee.

A bill requiring mortgage originators to register with the state hit a speed bump at the Wed., Feb. 25, meeting of the Commerce Committee. Panel members laid the bill on the table and urged interested parties to continue working out issues with the proposal.

S.F. 1083, carried by Sen. Linda Higgins (DFL-Mpls.), requires individual residential mortgage originators to register with the Department of Commerce. The bill requires an originator's employer to conduct a background check on the employee and to certify that the originator has completed at least 30 hours of continuing education within the past two years. Higgins said the bill is supported by both the industry and consumer protection groups. Wade Abed, president of the Minnesota Association of Mortgage Brokers (MAMB), said the background check provision is important because it will prevent originators with histories of illegal activity from jumping between employers. Systems are already in place to provide the continuing education and to register individual mortgage originators, Abed said. He acknowledged that employers could perform background checks now. Most MAMB member companies do perform checks, he said, but the association represents a small portion of the industry.

Deputy Commissioner Kevin Murphy, Dept. of Commerce, said the registration requirement imposes a significant burden on both the industry and the department. The bill does not include a registration fee to cover the department's costs, he said. The proposal provides no significant benefit to the public, Murphy said, but will economically benefit entities selling continuing education products. The department supports the goal of getting bad apples out of the mortgage origination business, he said, but the bill is not the way to do it.

In other action, committee members advanced four bills. S.F. 2137, authored by Sen. Gary Kubly (DFL-Granite Falls), increases the limit on cemetery perpetual care funds from $25,000 to $35,000. The measure was recommended for placement on the Consent Calendar. Sen. Steve Dille (R-Dassel) carried S.F. 1928. The bill, which increases the membership of the Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association (MCHA) Board and specifies that private insurance agents and employers must be represented, was re-referred to the State and Local Government Operations Committee. Committee Chair Linda Scheid (DFL-Brooklyn Park) carried S.F. 2138, requiring health carriers to notify persons being offered continuation policies that the continuation policy may be different from the person's COBRA policy and that the person may be eligible for MCHA. Members adopted an amendment, offered by Sen. Brian LeClair (R-Woodbury), adding notification that the person may be able to get coverage similar to the COBRA policy from another private carrier. S.F. 2138 was advanced to the full Senate. Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing) sponsored S.F. 521. The bill was approved by the committee in 2003 and sent to the full Senate. However, under Senate Rule 47, the bill was returned to the committee after it had not been acted up on at the end of last session. The bill-which requires that American flags, and novelty items bearing a depiction of the American flag, sold in Minnesota be made in the United States-was again sent to the full Senate.

Members of the Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee, chaired by Sen. Leo Foley (DFL-Coon Rapids), met Mon., Feb. 3, to continue hearing bills related to sex offenders. No formal action was taken; all of the measures were laid over for possible inclusion in the committee's omnibus sex offender bill.

Sen. Thomas Neuville (R-Northfield) started the discussion with S.F. 734. Neuville said the bill provides for indeterminate sentencing for convicted offenders with a sexual psychopathic personality or who are sexually dangerous persons. In addition, the measure prohibits civil commitment for those offenders. Neuville said the numbers of persons eligible for civil commitment are rising and that it is better to deal with the offenders through the Corrections Department, rather than through the Dept. of Human Services. Under the bill, a process is set up for a bifurcated, or two-step, trial with the first part determining guilt or innocence for the sex offense and the second part determining if the offender is a sexual psychopathic personality or a sexually dangerous person. Neuville said both portions of the bifurcated trial require a standard of proof of beyond a reasonable doubt. The measure specifies that if the person is found guilty of the crime and of being a psychopathic personality or a sexually dangerous person, the minimum sentence is the presumptive sentence under the sentencing guidelines and the maximum sentence for all offenders is 60 years. Neuville said the bill also creates a special review board to review petitions for release after the offender has served the minimum sentence. The bill outlines criteria that must be met before the petition is granted and specifies that the burden of proof is on the petitioner.

Committee members questioned whether prosecutors would be able to have enough information about offenders to be able to prove the offender is a sexual psychopathic personality or a sexually dangerous person at the beginning of a trial. Neuville said it was a concern, but that he presumed the county attorneys would base their decision to charge the offender for the two-step trial on whether or not they had sufficient information.

In other action, members heard several additional bills. S.F. 1708, sponsored by Sen. Wesley Skoglund (DFL-Mpls.), expands the requirement that risk-level assessments be conducted in the Predatory Offender Community Notification Law to include all offenders released from federal or state correctional facilities who intend to reside in Minnesota and offenders who move to Minnesota any time after release if they are subject to community notification in another state. S.F. 2051, also authored by Skoglund, requires that level III predatory offenders be photographed twice a year. Skoglund said appearances can change dramatically and that having an up-to-date photo will help law enforcement.

S.F. 1911, sponsored by Sen. Mike McGinn (R-Eagan), requires offenders without a primary address to register under the predatory offender registration law. Eric Knutson and Annemarie O'Neill both of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension spoke in support of the measure. Knutson said current law does not cover offenders who do not have a permanent residence and makes it difficult to keep track of the offenders. The bill sets up a procedure for offenders without a permanent residence to register for community notification purposes.

Members of the Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee met Wed., Feb. 25, to consider the appointment of Rich Stanek as commissioner of public safety. The panel, chaired by Sen. Leo Foley (DFL-Coon Rapids), had numerous questions for Stanek about statements made over the course of the last year. As a result of time constraints, a vote on the appointment was postponed until a future date.

The Early Childhood Policy and Budget Division met for an organizational meeting Thurs., Feb. 26. The panel, chaired by Sen. John Hottinger (DFL-St. Peter), also heard an overview of the impact of last year's budget cuts on Head Start and other programs aimed at early childhood education.

A bill permitting school districts to report truant students to the Department of Public Safety so that the students' drivers' licenses may be revoked was considered by members of the Education Committee, Tues., Feb. 24. The panel, chaired by Sen. Steve Kelley (DFL-Hopkins), laid the measure over for possible inclusion in an omnibus education policy bill.

S.F. 2036, authored by Sen. Geoff Michel (R-Edina), permits school districts, charter schools or state approved alternative programs to waive the school attendance requirement for driving privileges. The measure requires applicants, who are under the age of 18, to present certificates of school attendance in order to receive instruction permits, motorcycle licenses or driver's licenses. The bill also provides for the cancellation of permits or licenses when students are reported truant or have been expelled. A student whose driving privileges may be cancelled may, under the bill, request a hardship waiver from the school district superintendent.

Eighteen other states have enacted similar laws, Michel said, and Florida has reported significant improvements in student attendance. While the proposal might have been too expensive several years ago, he said, it is now much cheaper to implement. Government has been brought online at all levels, Michel said, and the bill takes advantage of that reality by providing for electronic communication between schools and the Dept. of Public Safety. Assistant Commissioner Mary Ann Nelson, Dept. of Education, said there is a significant relationship between a student's attendance and future needs for remediation. Providing students with an incentive to attend school will save money in the long term, she said.

Attendance is important, Roger Aronson said, and the Minnesota Association of Secondary School Principals was initially excited about the proposal to link driving privileges with student attendance. However, he said, support dwindled as the proposal was put on paper. He said the association will recommend districts opt out of the proposal because of the paperwork required. It is a large reporting burden, electronically submitted or not, Aronson said, to catch a very small group of truant students.

The Minnesota Association of School Administrators, however, supports the proposal, according to Charles Kyte. He said schools and educators are looking desperately for ways to keep students in school. While the proposal will require extra effort, the exertion is worth it, Kyte said. Jim Bartholomew, Minnesota Business Partnership, said the financial consequences on students of not attending school and eventually not graduating are immense and lifelong.

Committee members also considered five other bills. All the measures were laid over for possible inclusion in the committee's omnibus policy bill. S.F. 311, carried by Sen. Charles "Chuck" Wiger (DFL-North St. Paul), improves student access to services that support academic success. Sen. Mady Reiter (R-Shoreview) sponsored two measures. S.F. 1880 allows students to carry non-syringe injectors of epinephrine, a drug used to combat severe allergic reactions. S.F. 1881 permits students to carry and use nonprescription pain relievers. S.F. 1989, authored by Sen. Thomas Bakk (DFL-Cook), requires children under the age of seven to complete kindergarten before entering first grade. The bill is effective beginning with the 2005-2006 school year. Sen. Rod Skoe (DFL-Clearbrook) carried S.F. 258. The bill transfers authority over the Indian scholarship program from the commissioner of education to the Higher Education Services Office.

A bill requiring the Osseo School District to split into six single-member election districts, instead of electing its school board members at-large, generated considerable discussion at the Thurs., Feb. 26, meeting of the Education Committee. Panel members, chaired by Sen. Steve Kelley (DFL-Hopkins), laid the bill over for possible inclusion in an omnibus education policy bill.

S.F. 1660, authored by Sen. Linda Scheid (DFL-Brooklyn Park), requires the district to either split into six single-member election districts or submit the question of splitting into the six districts to its voters at the 2004 general election. Scheid, whose Senate district includes most of the eastern half of the school district, said no school board members live in the eastern portion of the district. The east side, she said, has serious economic and cultural issues that the west side of the district does not face. Scheid acknowledged that five of the six at-large members oppose the proposal. However, she said, the eastern portion of the district needs fair representation on the school board to ensure that its needs are understood and met. Sen. Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove), whose Senate district includes most of the western portion of the school district, said the Osseo School District has elected its entire board at-large for 130 years. This is the first time that the eastern side of the district has lacked representation on the board, he said. Limmer said he has not been contacted by any constituents requesting the school district change its elections procedure. State law allows citizens to petition for a change in school board elections, he said, and seek a ballot question. Limmer said the threshold in state law required to put the question on the ballot is just over 500 signatures in the Osseo district. S.F. 1660 is offered with good intentions, he said, but it is not needed. Approving the bill, Limmer said, sets a bad precedent for state intervention in local issues. Scheid said current law was not sufficient. Presented with the petition, she said, the board could choose a plan other than six single-member districts, such as three districts and three at-large members. "I want half the population to have half the seats," Scheid said.

In other action, committee members heard three other bills. All three bills were also laid over. S.F. 2070, sponsored by Sen. Gary Kubly (DFL-Granite Falls), provides that school board members employed by the school district must not be paid more than half the average salary of district employees. Kelley carried a bill, S.F. 1873, expanding the list of eligible charter school sponsors to include the Perpich Center for Arts Education. Sen. Tom Saxhaug (DFL-Grand Rapids) carried S.F. 1844, which permits school boards to establish employee recognition programs. Tom Deans, Minnesota School Boards Association, said the Attorney General's Office and State Auditor's Office have advised school districts that spending on employee recognition programs serves no public purpose. Counties, he said, have specific statutory authorization to engage in employee recognition, and school districts have been advised to seek the same authority.

The Elections Committee, chaired by Sen. Charles "Chuck" Wiger (DFL-North St. Paul), met Fri., Feb. 20, to consider two measures.

S.F. 1666, authored by Sen. Dan Sparks (DFL-Austin), provides for the acquisitions of voting systems to comply with the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA). The bill appropriates up to $35 million to purchase voting equipment to comply with the mandate of HAVA that every polling place be equipped with a voting machine that permits people with disabilities to vote in private without assistance.

Sparks offered an amendment to require each voting system purchased in Minnesota to either mark a paper ballot that can be read by a precinct count optiscan machine or to accept a manually marked paper ballot. The amendment requires that the machine provide all voters an opportunity to verify their votes and to change their votes or correct any error before their ballots are cast and counted, produces a permanent paper record of the ballot cast by each voter and preserves the paper record as an official record available for use in any recount. In addition, the amendment requires that remaining funds will be spent to replace any existing precinct scan machines not compatible with ballot marking systems.

Sparks said the amendment also directs the secretary of state, in cooperation with the commissioner of administration, to establish a state voting systems contract from which counties and municipalities may purchase or lease voting systems and obtain related election services. The measure also requires that the amount allocated to each county must be in proportion to the number of polling places used by the county in the state general election of 2004.

Kevin Corbid, Washington County, spoke in support of the measure. He said cities and counties will have significant on-going costs associated with HAVA and that it is important to have the funds distributed equitably.

Alberto Quintela, chief deputy secretary of state, spoke in opposition to the amendment. He said HAVA is aimed at helping citizens with disabilities vote without assistance. He asked that members keep in mind the needs of disabled voters, the needs of voters in small precincts, and the ability of voters to have their votes counted equally. Quintela said the Secretary of State's Office is exploring using a disability voting machine and the optiscan machines in each precinct. He said the office does not know what the final costs of the machines will be, but the office is hoping to negotiate a master contract for the entire state.

Sparks said the amendment allows small precincts to have just one machine that serves all voters, including those with disabilities.

Margot Imdieke, Minnesota State Council on Disability, also spoke in opposition to the amendment. She said the unamended bill has the support of the council. "We are working with the Secretary of State's Office to see that every precinct has a machine to allow persons with disabilities to vote.

Sparks said that either version of the bill provides for a machine for disabled voters in every precinct.

Members indicated that the needed more information before making a decision. Sen. Dave Kleis (R-St. Cloud) suggested that the author and staff from the Secretary of State's Office work out an agreement before the measure is heard by the Finance Committee.

Scheid offered an amendment that specifies that the machine purchased must be able to use software that allows cumulative, or instant run-off, voting. Kleis opposed the amendment and said it is premature to require specifics for the machines. The amendment was adopted.

Sen. Warren Limmer (R-Maple Grove) moved that the measure be laid on the table. He noted the fact that persons speaking on the bill, because they are disabled, weren't able to consider the amendment in advance. The motion failed.

In other action, members also approved S.F. 1660, a bill that establishes single-member school board election districts equal in population for the Osseo School District. Sen. Linda Scheid (DFL-Brooklyn Park) said the district has changed dramatically over the years and that one side of the district is underrepresented by electing school board members on an at-large basis.

Tom Deans, Minnesota School Boards, spoke in opposition. "Our concern is that the Legislature has already dealt with the issue. Under current law, if there is a petition the school district has to put the question on the ballot," Dean said. Former board member Nancy Miller countered that the East side of the district has more than half of the students eligible for free and reduced lunch, yet there are no board members from that part of the district.

The panel approved the bill and forwarded the measure to the Education Committee.

A measure requiring elected officials to disclose campaign contributions in excess of $100 as a potential conflict of interest was defeated by members of the Elections Committee when the panel met, Thurs., Feb. 26.

S.F. 8, authored by Sen. John Marty (DFL-Roseville), makes the acceptance of a contribution larger than $100 by an elected official, or the official's principal campaign committee, a conflict of interest with regard to any action or decision coming before the official in which the contributor has a financial interest that is of greater consequence to the contributor than the general interest of all residents or taxpayers. The measure applies to contributions from individuals, associations or agents of individuals or associations. Elected officials must attempt to avoid participating in the action or decision, under the bill, either by asking to be excused from a vote, if a Legislator or board member, or by assigning the action or decision to a subordinate, if an executive. A similar proposal has been enacted in a Colorado municipality, Marty said. The measure aims to break the connection between lobbying and campaign contributions, he said. The bill does not imply that lobbyists or officials who accept campaign contributions are bad, Marty said, but merely acknowledges that everyone is human.

There are any number of reasons why individuals or groups choose to contribute to candidates for election, said Sen. Julianne Ortman (R-Chanhassen). The bill embraces a very broad concept of potential conflicts of interest, she said. S.F. 8 makes it very hard for candidates to raise the money they need to wage an effective campaign, she said, and may be more focused on taking the state down the road to full public financing of campaigns. Nothing in the bill prevents candidates from taking contributions larger than $100, but as elected officials, they must disclose those contributions when an issue of financial interest to a contributor arises, said David Schultz, a law professor at Hamline University. Of course many associations will stop making contributions larger than $100, Marty said, that is the point of the bill. He said several examples of what committee members called "unintended consequences" were exactly the types of changes the bill is meant to create. We want to see a change in behavior, he said. "Disclosure is important, but disclosure is not enough," Schultz said. Sen. Dave Kleis (R-St. Cloud) said the bill assumes officials are predisposed to favor contributors, even though a Legislator may not intend to vote the way a contributing association might prefer. The bill implies that we are all corrupt, said Sen. John Hottinger (DFL-St. Peter). Hottinger said he prefers implementing an elections system with full public financing, rather than send another message to the public that lawmakers are corrupt.

In other action, committee members advanced four bills to the Senate floor. H.F. 1006, authored by Committee Chair Charles "Chuck" Wiger (DFL-North St. Paul), provides for a single track election administration and voter registration system and makes changes in Minnesota election law to conform to the federal Help America Vote Act. S.F. 917, carried by Sen. Linda Higgins (DFL-Mpls.), prohibits party units from accepting contributions indirectly they could not accept directly. Marty sponsored S.F. 2292, which responds to a federal District Court decision regarding the distribution of anonymous campaign material. The measure identifies purposes for imposing a disclosure requirement on campaign material, amends the definition of campaign material to focus on the intent of distributors of the material, increases the exemption from the disclaimer requirement from $300 to $500 and requires anonymous campaign material to be distributed at least seven days before the election to qualify as exempt. Sen. Julie Rosen (R-Fairmont) sponsored a measure involving "push-polling." Push-polling is polling intended to influence the person being polled to support or oppose a specific candidate. S.F. 1373 requires an individual engaged in push-polling to disclose who the person represents in conducting the poll, the name of the candidate, campaign committee or party unit that has authored the poll and contact information where the person being polled can get more information about the polling effort.

The Environment and Natural Resources Committee met Mon., Feb. 23, to consider a variety of bills. Much of the discussion centered on a bill, S.F. 1934, requiring motor vehicle manufacturers to establish a program to collect mercury switches at the end of a vehicle's use.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Mpls.), spells out the details of the program, which requires the manufacturers to participate in a program, by Jan. 1, 2005, to remove, collect and recover mercury switches before crushing or shredding the motor vehicles. The program also specifies that manufacturers implement the plan using existing motor vehicle recycling infrastructure and provides for a $1 payment to vehicle recyclers for each mercury switch assembly or mercury pellet recovered from any motor vehicle. The measure also requires manufacturers to phase-out the use of mercury switches by Jan. 1, 2007. Dibble said the mercury switches are used in convenience lighting in vehicle trunks or under the hood. He said the bill aims to remove more mercury from the waste stream and protect the environment. Supporters of the measure said an estimated 280,000 vehicles are removed from service each year in Minnesota and that over the course of the next 15 to 20 years an estimated 4,800 to 8,100 pounds of mercury could be released into the atmosphere.

Opponents, including representatives of the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers, said the measure is not needed and that voluntary recovery of the switches is working. Eric Hyland, representing the alliance, said manufacturers are committed to a shared responsibility of reducing mercury.

A representative of the Ford Motor Company said the $1 payment is not needed and that switch collection succeeds if the salvage yard or recycler does not have to transport the switches, if there is little paperwork and if assistance is provided.

Members discussed the measure and decided to lay the bill over for further consideration.

In other action, the committee, chaired by Sen. John Marty (DFL-Roseville), advanced three additional bills. S.F. 2198, authored by Sen. Dallas Sams (DFL-Staples), establishes a facilities management account within the Dept. of Natural Resources and authorizes interdepartmental billing for services related to building and infrastructure facilities. S.F. 2199, also carried by Sams, modifies payment terms for Dept. of Natural Resources contracts and grants. Both measures were approved and re-referred to the Finance Committee. S.F. 2211, carried by Sen. Wesley Skoglund (DFL-Mpls.), modifies provisions for the control of invasive and non-native species. The measure also sets criminal and civil penalties for violations. The bill was approved and advanced to the Crime Prevention and Public Safety Committee.

The exchanges of land between various entities and the state provided the focal point for discussion at the Wed., Feb. 25, meeting of the Environment and Natural Resources Subcommittee on Public Land and Water. The panel, chaired by Sen. Tom Saxhaug (DFL-Grand Rapids), heard a variety of bills providing for exchanges and sales.

S.F. 2205, carried by Saxhaug, removes land from the George Washington State Forest.

Saxhaug said the bill is the vehicle for the omnibus measure and that other bills would be amended into S.F. 2205.

S.F. 1593, sponsored by Sen. Thomas Bakk (DFL-Cook), authorizes a land exchange in Cook County. S.F. 1672, authored by Saxhaug, authorizes tax-forfeited and conservation land sales in Aitkin County. S.F. 1735, carried by Saxhaug, provides for tax-forfeited land private sales in Itasca County.

S.F. 2072, sponsored by Bakk, provides for the sale of surplus state land in St. Louis County. S.F. 2073, carried by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Thief River Falls), provides for the conveyance or sale of tax-forfeited land in Roseau County. S.F. 2184, sponsored by Sen. Gen Olson (R-Minnetrista), provides for the sale of tax-forfeited land in Hennepin County.

S.F. 2204, carried by Saxhaug, modifies provisions for the sale and disposition of surplus state lands, modifies state land management provisions and adds to state forests and wildlife management areas. S.F. 2205, also carried by Saxhaug, removes land from the George Washington State Forest.

All of the measures were amended into the subcommittee's omnibus land bill, S.F. 2205.

S.F. 1988, authored by Sen. Dennis Frederickson (R-New Ulm), provides for the conveyance of surplus state land in Redwood County. The measure was approved and advanced to the full committee.

S.F. 2163, carried by Sen. Jim Vickerman (DFL-Tracy), authorizes land additions to state parks and recreation areas. The bill was amended into S.F. 2164. The bill, also sponsored by Vickerman, modifies the requirements for state parks and recreation area fees and deposits. The amended measure was advanced to the full committee.

Members of the Environment, Agriculture and Economic Development Budget Division met for a marathon meeting Tues., Feb. 24, to consider a variety of individual bonding proposals. The panel, chaired by Sen. Dallas Sams (DFL-Staples), laid all the bills over for consideration for inclusion in the division's omnibus bonding proposal.

S.F. 247, authored by Sen. Sandra Pappas (DFL-St. Paul), appropriates $5 million for design and construction of river's edge improvements in St. Paul and redevelopment of a public park on Raspberry Island. S.F. 1622, carried by Sen. Tom Saxhaug (DFL-Grand Rapids) appropriates $3 million for a grant to the Western Mesabi Mine Planning Board to evaluate up to 10 specific proposals to alleviate flooding emanating from the abandoned Caniesteo Mine. S.F. 1629, sponsored by Sams, appropriates $9.46 million for accelerated state trail development. S.F. 1607, authored by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Thief River Falls), appropriates a total of $13.158 million for replacement of infrastructure damaged by flooding in Roseau and for replacement of civic facilities damaged by the flood. S.F. 1681, also carried by Stumpf, appropriates $3.5 million for riverbank protection and erosion control for the city of Crookston. A third measure sponsored by Stumpf, S.F. 1682, appropriates $1.25 million for improvements in the Red Lake Watershed.

S.F. 1851, sponsored by Sen. James Metzen (DFL-South St. Paul), appropriates $1.2 million for a grant to the city of Inver Grove Heights for flood hazard mitigation. S.F. 1564, authored by Sen. Sheila Kiscaden (IP-Rochester), appropriates funds to develop a trail primarily for nonmotorized riding and hiking between Chester Woods County Park and the city of Eyota. S.F. 1585, carried by Sen. Charles "Chuck" Wiger (DFL-North St. Paul), appropriates $840,000 for design of the Lake Links Trail between Ramsey and Washington Counties. S.F. 1596, carried by Sen. Jim Vickerman (DFL-Tracy), appropriates $4.2 million for phase one of capital planning, acquisition and development of the Casey Jones Trail.

S.F. 1686, sponsored by Sen. Thomas Bakk (DFL-Cook), appropriates $1.8 million for construction of a visitor center and maintenance shop at Grand Portage State Park. S.F. 1611, authored by Sen. Carrie Ruud (R-Breezy Point), appropriates $400,000 for installation of heavy riprap to protect the Paul Bunyan Trail along the southeastern shore of Lake Bemidji.

S.F. 1849, carried by Sen. Steve Kelley (DFL-Hopkins), appropriates $1.128 million for flood hazard mitigation for the city of St. Louis Park. S.F. 2159, sponsored by Stumpf, appropriates $3.4 million for the state share of flood hazard mitigation grants for the Roseau River Wildlife Management Area, Palmville, Malung and the Grand Marais Creek flood reduction project in the Red Lake Watershed District. S.F. 1684, carried by Sen. Dan Sparks (DFL-Austin), appropriates $800,000 for the segment of the Shooting Star Trail from Taopi to Rose Creek.

The committee also heard bonding requests from the Department of Employment and Economic Development.

Members of the Environment, Agriculture and Economic Development Budget Division held a second marathon meeting Thurs., Feb. 26, to finish reviewing bonding proposals. The panel, chaired by Sen. Dallas Sams (DFL-Staples) took no formal action on the bills.

S.F. 268, authored by Sen. Linda Higgins (DFL-Mpls.), appropriates $12 million to the city of Minneapolis for infrastructure improvements in empowerment zone subprojects. S.F. 661, carried by Sen. Gary Kubly (DFL-Granite Falls), appropriates $2 million to the city of Olivia to establish a center for agricultural innovation. The bill requires a match from nonstate sources. S.F. 754, also carried by Kubly, appropriates $1.775 million to the Board of Water and Soil Resources for a grant to the Lac Qui Parle-Yellow Bank Watershed District for the Prairie Farm Preservation Education and Exhibit Center.

S.F. 1146, sponsored by Sen. David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisholm), appropriates $1.2 million for a grant to the Central Range Economic Development Initiative for predesign of projects that will promote economic development and have statewide significance. S.F. 1749, also carried by Tomassoni, appropriates $500,000 for the Central Iron Range Sanitary Sewer District. The measure was amended into S.F. 1146.

S.F. 1587, carried by Sen. Charles "Chuck" Wiger (DFL-North St. Paul), appropriates $150,000 to the city of Maplewood to complete restoration of the Bruentrup farm. S.F. 1595, authored by Sen. Thomas Bakk (DFL-Cook), appropriates $3.5 million for capital improvements to Lake Superior safe harbors. S.F. 1601, sponsored by Sen. Michael Jungbauer (R-East Bethel), appropriates $700,000 to the Minnesota Historical Society to acquire about 50 acres of land adjacent to the Oliver Kelley Farm historic site.

S.F. 1610, authored by Sen. Carrie Ruud (R-Breezy Point), appropriates $250,000 for a grant to the city of Crosslake for design and construction of a library. The measure also requires that at least $500,000 be committed to the project from nonstate sources. S.F. 1644, sponsored by Sen. Bob Kierlin (R-Winona), appropriates $125,000 for a grant to the city of Winona to predesign the Great River Shakespeare Festival Theater.

S.F. 1647, sponsored by Sen. Yvonne Prettner Solon (DFL-Duluth), appropriates $3.331 million for a grant to the Duluth entertainment and Convention Center for schematic design, design and construction documents for a new Duluth arena. S.F. 1648, also carried by Solon, appropriates $4.95 million to the city of Duluth for design and construction of sanitary sewer overflow storage facilities at selected locations. The measure specifies that the appropriation is available when matched by $1 secured or provided by the city for each $1 of state money.

S.F. 1739, authored by Sen. Sheila Kiscaden (IP-Rochester), appropriates $4 million for a grant to Olmsted County to design, construct and equip the county's municipal solid waste combustor by upgrading and expanding capacity with a third combustion unit. S.F. 1858, sponsored by Sen. Linda Berglin (DFL-Mpls.), appropriates $3.5 million to design, construct, furnish and equip a new cultural and community center in the East Phillips neighborhood in Minneapolis. S.F. 1885, authored by Sams, appropriates $25 million for grants under the greater Minnesota business development public infrastructure grant program. S.F. 1901, carried by Berglin, appropriates $6.35 million to design, construct furnish and equip the Colin Powell Youth Center in Hennepin County. The facility is to provide educational, job training, counseling and other supportive services to disadvantaged youth.

S.F. 1920, authored by Sen. Lawrence Pogemiller (DFL-Mpls.), appropriates $250,000 to develop a plan to complete the Grand Rounds National Scenic Byway by providing a link between Northeast Minneapolis on Stinson Ave. and Southeast Minneapolis at East River Road. S.F. 1995, sponsored by Sen. Linda Higgins (DFL-Mpls.), appropriates $24 million for a planetarium in conjunction with the Minneapolis downtown library.

S.F. 2013, authored by Pogemiller, appropriates $9 million to acquire land for and design and construct public infrastructure improvement including a primary storm water management pond in the University Research Park project area. S.F. 2071, sponsored by Kubly, appropriates $170,000 to Big Stone County to acquire and upgrade an excursion boat and to develop a dock for the board within the boundaries of Big Stone Lake State Park. The measure provides for the boat, dock and parking areas to be leased to the Bonanza Education Center.

S.F. 2207, authored by Sen. Richard Cohen (DFL-St. Paul), appropriates $10 million for the renovation of the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. S.F. 165, also carried by Cohen, appropriates $10 million for permanent and transitional supportive housing. S.F. 1695, sponsored by Tomassoni, appropriates $2.5 million for a grant to the Laurentian Energy Authority to construct a wood yard for processing and prepping agricultural biomass and forest-derived biomass wood waste for biomass energy facilities.

The Health and Family Security Committee, chaired by Sen. Becky Lourey (DFL-Kerrick), devoted the Tues., Feb. 24, meeting to hearing testimony on a major health care cost containment bill. Lourey said, "Eighty percent of Minnesotans want universal health care according to the Durenberger Commission on Health Care. The commission also found that most Minnesotans are willing to pay more to achieve that goal." She said, "We have a very short session, but it is imperative that something be done."

S.F. 1760, sponsored by Sen. Linda Berglin (DFL-Mpls.), requires the commissioners of commerce and health to establish premium growth limits for health plan companies, requires health plan companies to provide educational information to enrollees on the increased personal health risks and the additional cost to the health care system due to obesity and smoking, requires the implementation of electronic medical record systems and establishes an electronic medical record system loan program. The measure also requires the commissioner of human services to convene an advisory committee of providers who serve low-income patients to address their specific needs and concerns. The measure also provides that a clinical medical education program that trains pediatricians must include in its program curriculum training in medication management for children with mental illness in order to be eligible for MERC funds. Berglin said the measure also specifies that no health plan company is required to cover any health care service included in the list of services that do not work under evidenced based medicine.

The bill also extends the continuing care program for persons with mental illness to persons with mental illness who are eligible for General Assistance Medical Care. Berglin said the provision allows hospitalization when no regional treatment facility bed is available. The measure includes teaching at a post-secondary program for at least 20 hours in the nursing field for mid-level practitioners and nurses as an option for participation in the loan forgiveness programs.

Berglin said the bill abolishes the cap on Medical Assistance dental services, reinstates the dental benefits in the MinnesotaCare program, abolishes the co-payments in General Assistance Medical Care and reinstates the ability of individuals and families to remain on MinnesotaCare if their income increases over the maximum eligibility level but is still less than 10 percent of the annual premium for a policy with a $500 deductible available through the Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association.

The bill requires the implementation of disease management programs for Medical Assistance, General Assistance Medical Care and MinnesotaCare. In addition, the bill requires the implementation of a disease management program for Medical Assistance and General Assistance Medical Care recipients who are receiving services on a fee for service basis. The bill specifies that the commissioner establish a list of primary care providers who are qualified to act as case managers for the three most serious conditions to coordinate the care of the patients.

The measure establishes a MinnesotaCare option for small employers in order to allow the employers to offer health care to their employees. The bill spells out the requirements for participation and provides that the coverage provided is the MinnesotaCare covered services with all the applicable co-pays and coinsurance.

Sen. John Hottinger (DFL-St. Peter) explained the portion of the bill dealing with prescription drugs. He said most of the changes in the bill conform to recently passed federal legislation. In addition, the bill makes changes to the prescription drug discount program by eliminating the income limit on eligibility, making individuals who are enrolled in Medicare ineligible and changing the administration fee to an enrollment fee.

Berglin said the bill provides a rate increase of two-tenths of one percent to providers for employee scholarships and job-related training in English as a second language. The measure also requires a disease management initiative for public health care program recipients who have been diagnosed with hemophilia in order to maximize the discounted prescription drug prices of the federal 340B program.

The bill also appropriates money for a nursing education loan forgiveness program, for a nursing and health care education plan and for the electronic medical record system loan fund.

The committee heard testimony from a wide range of individuals who have experienced difficulties under the current system and as a result of cuts made last year. George Greene, owner of a small business, spoke on the difficulty of providing affordable health insurance. Individuals with hemophilia, multiple sclerosis and diabetes spoke on the hardships in coping with the $5,000 cap on drugs and medical supplies. Representatives from the Minnesota State Council on Disability, Courage Center and the National Alliance for the Mentally Ill spoke on the effect of co-pays. Bill Conley, Mental Health Association of Minnesota, and dental practitioners spoke on the limits for mental health care and dentistry imposed last year.

The panel also heard testimony in support of scholarships for nursing education and loan forgiveness. Dave Renner, Minnesota Medical Association, spoke on case management and Medical Assistance fee for service and pointed out some of the concerns of the MMA. In addition, Dr. Mary Braddoc, Minnesota Hospital Association, also pointed out concerns with the bill, including the mandate to develop electronic medical records systems and the $10,000 cap on in-patient hospital care.

Beth Hartwig, Minnesota Business Partnership, said the partnership applauds the goal of the bill, but is cautious about restraining the growth of premiums because the market place needs flexibility to properly function. She said the partnership looks forward to working to identify creative solutions to the health care crisis. Julie Brunner, Minnesota Council on Health Plans, also said her organization has concerns about the limits on health care premiums.

Members began discussing particular portions of the bill, but laid the measure over because of time constraints.

The Health and Family Security Committee resumed discussion of S.F. 1760 at the hearing Thurs., Feb. 26. The bill, authored by Sen. Linda Berglin (DFL-Mpls.) makes numerous changes in order to control costs of health care.

"The bill has several components," Berglin said, "but a lot of what we are trying to do is keep people out of the deep-end of the health care system, which is the part of the system that is so much more expensive." The measure restricts health insurance premium growth rates, requires health plan companies to provide educational information on the increased personal health risks and costs due to obesity and smoking, extends the MinnesotaCare program to small employers, requires an electronic medical records system and provides bond appropriations for nursing and health care education.

Sen. Sheila Kiscaden (IP-Rochester) offered an amendment appropriating $500,000 to allow the University of Minnesota Dental School to continue to take MA patients as it has in the past. The amendment was adopted. Sen. Steve Kelley (DFL-Hopkins) offered an amendment clarifying language relating to the electronic medical record system implementation.

Kiscaden expressed concerns with several provisions in the bill. She said she was troubled by the expansion of MinnesotaCare to small employers and the caps on premiums. She said the changes may erode the private market. Berglin said the expansion of MinnesotaCare allows small employers to do something for their employees and that there has not been an erosion of the private market in other states. Sen. Brian LeClair (R-Woodbury) moved to delete the provisions capping the growth of premiums. The motion failed on a 4-5 roll call vote.

The bill was approved and re-referred to the Committee on Education on a 6-3 roll call vote.

In other action, the panel also advanced two additional bills. S.F. 1699, sponsored by Committee Chair Becky Lourey (DFL-Kerrick), modifies Medical Assistance (MA) estate recovery provisions and eliminates recoveries for alternative care cost. The measure was approved and advanced to the Finance Committee.

S.F. 1991, carried by Berglin, also modifies MA estate recovery provisions. Berglin said the bill also attempts to buy back some of the cuts made last year in the Minnesota Family Investment Program (MFIP) through changing corporate tax provisions. The bill modifies the parental fee schedule, extends MA estate recovery to apply to the alternative care program and extends MA liens to apply to life estates and joint tenancies, repeals MFIP provisions that count $50 of rental subsidy as unearned income and reduces the MFIP cash grant by $125 for each supplemental security income recipient living in the household. Members adopted several technical amendments. Lourey offered an amendment that made a number of changes to the MFIP program. A second amendment, offered by Lourey, adds county adoption assistance payments up to an amount equal to state adoption assistance payments to income exclusions for purposes of MFIP-S eligibility.

LeClair offered an amendment to delete portions of the bill relating to taxes. LeClair said the provisions are anti-job creation. Berglin said she strongly opposed the amendment. "The bill needs those provisions in order to pay for restoring the cuts," Berglin said. The amendment failed. The bill was approved on a 4-3 roll call vote and advanced to the Tax Committee.

The first portion of the hearing was devoted to hearing public testimony on the state's nursing shortage.

The first portion of the Thurs., Feb. 26, meeting of the Health, Human Services and Corrections Budget Division was devoted to hearing the recommendations of the Citizens Forum on Health Care Costs. The forum, chaired by former U.S. Sen. Dave Durenberger, spent November and December, 2003, conducting town hall meetings and informal listening sessions across the state to find out what Minnesotans want and expect from the health care system. An executive summary of the report was presented by Michael Scandrett, staff director of the forum.

Scandrett said there is a crisis of affordability and that major change is needed. "Isolated, band-aid approaches will not have a lasting effect," Scandrett said. He said that almost all Minnesotans agree on two fundamental principles: they want a responsive system where everyone gets the health care they need; and they want a privately-based health care system that offers as much choice as possible.

Scandrett said the report recommends putting Minnesotans in the driver's seat by providing more choices and control of their health care treatment with incentives for choosing higher quality, lower cost providers. The report also recommends fully disclosing costs and quality so that Minnesotans can make informed decisions. Scandrett said the report recommends reducing costs through better quality and providing incentives to encourage health. The report also recommends assuring universal participation in the health care system, supporting new models for health care education, and reducing the cost of overhead and administration, Scandrett said.

In other action, the division, chaired by Sen. Linda Berglin (DFL-Mpls.) also heard several bonding proposals. S.F. 2136, sponsored by Sen. Sheila Kiscaden (IP-Rochester), authorizes grants to assist counties to construct regional adult detention facilities. The measure appropriates $40 million to provide the grants. Under the bill, grants of up to 25 percent of the cost of construction may be made to individual county applicants and grants of up to 75 percent of the cost of construction may be made to multicounty or county or groups of county and tribal government applicants.

S.F. 1795, authored by Sen. Carrie Ruud (R-Breezy Point), appropriates $5 million for a grant to Cass County to construct a regional publicly operated jail. The measure requires a non-state match of a least $6 million and allows adjacent counties to participate in the project.

S.F. 2053, sponsored by Berglin, appropriates $1.4 million for a grant to Hennepin County to renovate and expand the acute psychiatric service at Hennepin County Medical Center. The measure also requires a match of non-state funds. S.F. 2388, also carried by Berglin, appropriates $5 million to remove asbestos and lead contamination from the site of the former Sears store near Chicago and Lake Streets and to construct space within that site for the Health Career Institute.

S.F. 1303, sponsored by Sen. Becky Lourey (DFL-Kerrick), appropriates $500,000 for purchasing and placing cemetery grave markers or memorial monuments at cemeteries located at regional treatment centers.

No formal action was taken on the measures, but members did rank bonding priorities to be forwarded to the Capital Investment Committee.

Representatives of Minnesota's private colleges presented the results of a study on meeting college costs to members of the Higher Education Budget Division when the panel met Tues., Feb. 24.

Larry Goodwin, president of the College of St. Scholastica, said the Private College Council recognizes that higher education is vital to Minnesota's economic future. Baccalaureate degrees are the entry-level credential needed for full participation in the knowledge economy, he said. Looking at demographics, Minnesota will need 500,000 new bachelor's degree holders in the next 10 years to offset the retirement of the baby boomer generation, he said. However, all of the state's public and private institutions are on track to produce only 230,000 graduates, Goodwin said. The council recognizes that funding for higher education is limited, he said, and decided to focus on determining the best way to leverage higher education dollars in Minnesota. David Laird, president of the council, said private colleges represent the fourth largest private employer in the state and bestow one third of the state's bachelor's degrees, but account for only three percent of state higher education expenditures. Since 1968, he said, only two studies have been done on students' and families' experiences with college financing. A 1992 study underwritten by the Lilly Endowment, and encompassing the University of Minnesota, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (MnSCU) and the private colleges, found that higher income families expected to receive high levels of public support for higher education, Laird said. Another finding of the 1992 study, he said, was that the median income of research university families is higher than the median incomes of families with students enrolled at either state colleges and universities or private colleges.

The most recent study, said Doug Shapiro, surveyed 501 graduates of the class of 2002 in early 2003. Shapiro, vice president of research for the private colleges, said the study showed that the average total amount of loans students took out to pay for college was $22,100, which represents a 50 percent increase over the last 10 years. However, Shapiro said, 91 percent of respondents said borrowing money for college did not impact their choice of major or career. In comparing students who received state grant aid against those who did not, he said, no statistical differences were found in college attended, ability to graduate in four years or less or satisfaction with the college experience. He said there are also no statistical differences in average personal income for full-time employed graduates or the ability to find full-time employment between the two groups, even though there was a $40,000 difference in family incomes between the groups when the students enrolled. Laird said the last statistic was among the most significant. It is a challenge to find another area in the state budget where that sort of transformation occurs, Laird said.

The full study is available from the Minnesota Private Colleges Council website.

In other action, division members, chaired by Sen. Sandra Pappas (DFL-St. Paul), heard from Dr. Peter Agre on the importance of higher education. Agre is a 1970 graduate of Augsburg College, a professor at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the recipient of the 2003 Nobel Prize for chemistry. "Nothing that any of us do anywhere is more important than the education of our children," he said. Agre said science teachers are more important than Nobel laureates for the nation's future. It is important for everyone to know about science, he said; otherwise, those without knowledge are at the mercy of others.

Division members also heard briefly from President Larry Litecky, Century College, and Allen Johnson, MnSCU associate vice chancellor for facilities, on a science laboratory project for which Century College requested bond proceeds. The project was not included in the governor's recommendations.

Members of the Higher Education Budget Division, chaired by Sen. Sandra Pappas (DFL-St. Paul), met Thurs., Feb. 26, to hear about the impacts of state grant changes enacted in 2003 on higher education. The panel also heard a projection of available grant funds and the need for grant funds.

The Jobs, Energy and Community Development Committee met Mon., Feb. 23, and took action on a variety of bills.

One of the measures sparking discussion, S.F. 1609, sponsored by Sen. Mady Reiter (R-Shoreview), prohibits employers from asking job applicants their armed forces reserve or National Guard status. Reiter said that applicants who have been asked the question have found it difficult to obtain employment. Dave and Peggy Peterson, whose son is currently serving in Iraq, said their son was unable to find a job when he answered truthfully about his guard status. Lt. Col. John Brossert, National Guard, also spoke in support of the bill. Members said the measure was similar to the prohibition on asking about pregnancy or marital status. The committee adopted an amendment to clarify that the provisions of the bill did not apply to employers using the information for purposes of veterans preference. The bill was approved and re-referred to the Agriculture, Veterans and Gaming Committee.

Members also approved a bill, S.F. 2044, prohibiting employers from using state funds to encourage or discourage union organizing. Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Mpls.), chief author, said the measure is similar to laws enacted in New York and California that require that state funds not be used when there is an issue of labor organization. He said funds are provided to a variety of entities, such as nursing homes for the care and quality of care of residents, and are not meant to be used to encourage or discourage labor union organization. Members adopted an amendment deleting a requirement for state agency rulemaking. The measure was approved and advanced to the Senate floor.

The committee also approved a bill, S.F. 1946, directing the commissioner of employment and economic development to conduct an extended employment pilot project. Chief Author LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Thief River Falls) said the measure directs the commissioner to conduct the pilot project to study an industrial model for employment for individuals with severe disabilities at a company in Thief River Falls. The bill specifies that the pilot project maintain a minimum ration of 60 percent of nondisabled persons, must pay minimum wages or better to all employees with severe disabilities and must provide them a level of benefits equal to those provided to nondisabled employees. In addition, the measure requires all work teams to be integrated. The bill was approved and advanced to the full Senate.

S.F. 2182, sponsored by Committee Chair Ellen Anderson (DFL-St. Paul), was approved and recommended for the Consent Calendar. The measure repeals the sunset of performance-based gas utility regulation.

Members also heard, but took no action on, a bill providing privacy protection to consumers of telecommunications, cable and Internet services. The measure, S.F. 1746, is sponsored by Sen. Ann Rest (DFL-New Hope).

Members of the Jobs, Energy and Community Development Committee gathered Wed., Feb. 25, to hear from University of Minnesota researchers about climate change. The committee is chaired by Sen. Ellen Anderson (DFL-St. Paul).

We are facing the problems we have because humans have been extraordinarily successful, said Regents Professor of Ecology David Tilman. He said a consensus on climate change has been forged within the scientific community over the past several years. The world was demonstrably colder only a century ago, Tilman said, and it is now warmer than it has ever been in recorded meteorological history. Tilman reviewed how greenhouse gases cause global warming and how scientists collect data to determine historical trends. By 2095, he said, Minnesota's weather will be comparable to what is now the weather in Illinois or Oklahoma. For the future, he said, we need to become more energy efficient as a society and shift to new sources of energy. "Global warming is a fact," Tilman said. "The only debate is how warm it is going to be in the future," he said, and the only long-term solution is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. He said the Earth can sustain projected population growth, but per capita consumption of resources must be reined in.

Peter Wyckoff, an assistant professor at the University's Morris campus, said the state's forests will retreat as the state warms. It is possible, he said, that Minnesota could become one large prairie state. Lucinda Johnson said Minnesotans are seeing a change in how they think of winter. Johnson, a senior research associate at the Natural Resources Research Institute in Duluth, said the state is moving toward slushier winters. Average minimum temperatures in February have risen from 6.5 degrees to 11.7 degrees Fahrenheit, she said, since 1891. The state is also experiencing much warmer summers, Johnson said. By the end of the century, she said, the state is likely to experience more precipitation in the winter and spring months, with less precipitation in the summer months. As a matter of policy, we need to reduce emissions, minimize other pressures on the environment and prepare for climate change, Johnson said.

The issue is not the economy versus the environment, said Steve Polasky, a professor of applied economics. There are costs on both sides of the equation, he said. Polasky reviewed the environmental costs of inaction and the economic costs of acting to reducing emissions. Meeting the Kyoto Protocol standards by 2010, he said, requires a 30 percent reduction is fossil fuel consumption.

Members of the Judiciary Subcommittee on Family Law, chaired by Sen. Thomas Neuville (R-Northfield), met Tues., Feb. 24, to consider three measures. All three bills were forwarded to the full Judiciary Committee.

Sen. Steve Dille (R-Dassel) carried two bills. S.F. 1841 increases the amount of the marriage license fee to be retained by counties, requires a portion of the fee to be deposited in the special revenue fund for an appropriation for the Minnesota healthy marriage and responsible fatherhood initiative and requires local registrars to annually report to the Department of Health the number of marriage licenses issued under the reduced fee for completion of premarital education. S.F. 1846 requires parents, involved in contested custody or parenting time cases, to participate in a parent education program for a minimum of ten hours. S.F. 2277, authored by Neuville, establishes standards and procedures for the emancipation of minors.

Members of the K-12 Education Budget Division, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Thief River Falls), continued their consideration of a study on school employee health insurance during their Tues., Feb. 24, meeting. Earl Hoffman, an actuary with Reden and Anders, reviewed the findings of the study and the various health plan options considered.

John Sylvester, director of management services for the Minnesota School Boards Association and a member of the study group, said the issue of employee health insurance is exceedingly complex and involved. The association is concerned about the possible impacts on individual districts if a mandatory statewide pool is adopted, he said. Sylvester said many districts could be characterized as "losers" under the proposal, seeing their health care costs rise with implementation of the proposal. The proposal also fails to solve core problems with health insurance, he said, and instead chooses to pass on costs to others by avoiding paying into the state's high-risk health assessment.

We now have a complete look at what is wrong with health care as provided to school employees, said Lee Johansen, a negotiation specialist with Education Minnesota and a member of the study group. He said the mandatory pool proposal allows the state and districts to be nimble and adapt to changes in law quickly. Johansen said numerous elements of health insurance are still open to local negotiation under the proposal, including how much of the premium burden employees bear, how much employers contribute to health reimbursement accounts and how employees become eligible for insurance. The current system is unsustainable, Johansen said, and will create a state filled with "loser" districts. A larger pool ratchets down health care costs and creates stability, he said. It is not a realistic approach to insure over 300 school districts individually, Johansen said.

The assumptions in the work done by Reden and Anders are overly optimistic, said actuary Bill Bluhm of Milliman USA. He said savings assumed to come from administrative costs are unrealistic in that they assume the plan can receive top-of-the-line services from a third-party administrator while paying low-end prices. The rate stabilization reserve included in the study, he said, is about half of what the state employee insurance plan has found it has needed in the past two years. He also cited indications in the report that should serve as cautionary signals that insurers are not willing to provide aggregate stop-loss risk to the mandatory pool.

The K-12 Education Budget Division met Wed., Feb. 25, and heard a bill relating to all-day kindergarten.

S.F. 2239, authored by Sen. Sharon Marko (DFL-Cottage Grove), provides funding for optional all-day kindergarten. The bill provides that a kindergarten pupil who is enrolled in an all-day, everyday kindergarten program is counted as 1.115 pupil units for FY 2006 and beyond. Marko said the bill does not create a mandate. She said, though, that should districts opt in, per pupil funding would increase from .557 to 1.115. Sen. Gen Olson (R-Minnetrista) said some districts already offer all-day kindergarten that parents support with additional funding. Sen. Steve Kelley (DFL-Hopkins) said the bill provides a benefit to families who are currently paying for the program.

The Superintendent of ISD #191, Ben Kanninen, spoke in support of all-day kindergarten. He said the district had a pilot program to see if all-day kindergarten was beneficial for students in the earliest grades and found that it was. In addition, Vicki Roy spoke on a study done that shows the long-term academic and social benefits for students participating in all-day kindergarten. Bill Swope, Marshall Public Schools, also spoke in support of the bill. The measure was laid over.

The panel, chaired by Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-Thief River Falls), also continued the discussion of the school employee insurance plan study. Members heard from insurance and health plan representatives who expressed concern about the concept of a mandatory pool structure. Several speakers said the administrative savings might not be as significant as indicated, some employees would have higher costs and less generous benefits, there is a significant difference in the impact at the school district level, there would be a significant impact on the insurance market and the proposal poses a significant loss for the Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association. However, a representative of Education Minnesota spoke in favor of the proposal.

A proposal to remove tourism development responsibilities from the Dept. of Employment and Economic Development and create a new state agency was approved by members of the State and Local Government Operations Committee during their Mon., Feb. 23, meeting.

S.F. 2009, authored by Sen. Thomas Bakk (DFL-Cook), creates a new office of Explore Minnesota Tourism, provides a detailed mission statement for the office and creates a 28-member council to oversee the agency's activity. The director of the new office is appointed by the governor, under the bill, but supervised by the commissioner of the Dept. of Employment and Economic Development (DEED). Bakk said the tourism industry is deeply concerned about reduced state support for tourism development activity. The industry has expressed an interest in helping the state elevate its tourism promotion activity and visibility. John Edman, director of the Office of Tourism in DEED, said tourism is a $9 billion industry that employs 230,000 people in Minnesota. The state is being significantly outspent by its competition in Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan and Missouri, he said.

Edman said DEED's strategic plan includes the separation of tourism promotion activity. The proposal is supported by the DEED commissioner and the governor, he said. The council created by the bill, he said, is charged with looking at other funding options for the future of tourism promotion. In the last five years, Edman said, the tourism office's budget has fallen from almost $12 million to $7.5 million, and staffing has fallen from 75 full-time equivalents to fewer than 50. Representatives of Hospitality Minnesota, the Minnesota Association of Convention and Visitors Bureaus and the Minnesota Tourism Alliance spoke in support of the measure. S.F. 2006 was re-referred to the Jobs, Energy and Community Development Committee.

Committee members also advanced S.F. 1903. Carried by Sen. Julie Rosen (R-Fairmont), the bill includes counties in the definition of "municipality" for the purpose of removal of hazardous property. The measure was amended to make it effective the day following final enactment and recommended for placement on the Consent Calendar.

In other action, the panel, chaired by Sen. Linda Higgins (DFL-Mpls.), heard from the University of Minnesota on its stadium proposal. Richard Pfutzenreuter, associate vice president in the University's Office of Budget and Finance, and Athletic Director Joel Maturi provided committee members with an overview of the $222.2 million, 50,000 seat stadium to be located on campus, next to Mariucci and Williams Arenas. More information on the proposal is available from the University's website.

Two bills relating to the 911 emergency telephone service were studied at the Wed., Feb. 25, meeting of the State and Local Government Operations Committee. S.F. 1972, sponsored by Sen. Jane Ranum (DFL-Mpls.), raises the 911 emergency telephone service fee to eliminate a deficit and to help defray the cost of operating public safety answering points (PSAPs). The measure also makes changes to the Metropolitan Radio Board.

Ranum said the bill increases the fee by 20 cents, with 9 cents going to the deficit, 10 cents earmarked for enhanced 911 service and 1 cent is slated for medical reserve communications center (MRCC). John Dejung, director, Minneapolis 911, said the current 10 cent allocation to the 911 Centers covers between 4 percent and 12 percent of the 911 Centers funding. "Not all of the centers' needs are covered with those revenues," he said. "The progress we have made and the public safety that it has provided will be in jeopardy if no action for the PSAPs or 911 Centers is taken," Dejung said.

Dr. R.J. Frascone, legislative co-chair for the Minnesota American College of Emergency Physicians, spoke on the needs of MRCCs. He said MRCCs are critical in the event of major emergencies and that current funding places existing MRCCs in jeopardy. The committee, chaired by Sen. Linda Higgins (DFL-Mpls.), approved the measure and re-referred the bill to the Jobs, Energy and Community Development Committee.

The second measure, S.F. 1973, also carried by Ranum, makes changes to the governance of the Metropolitan Radio Board. Ranum said the bill removes the expiration date for the board, expands the membership and jurisdiction of the board to include members from Chisago and Isanti Counties and provides for requests to the Metropolitan Council for authorization and issuance of revenue bonds for the public safety radio communication system. Dave McCaulley, Anoka County commissioner and member of the board, said the board was created with several governing principles in mind-fiscal independence, user governance, local decision making and accountability to the electorate. He said the bill maintains the independent, yet regionally cooperative, nature of the board. The measure was approved and advanced to the Jobs, Energy and Community Development Committee.

Members also advanced three additional bills. S.F. 1859, authored by Sen. Dallas Sams (DFL-Staples), authorizes agency heads to contract with national purchasing organizations for the purchase of goods. Gary Nytes and Mike Hajek of the North Central Services Cooperative said the bill offers efficiencies through volume purchasing. Kent Allin, Dept. of Administration, said the measure could spark contractual problems and that current purchasing, through the Dept. of Administration, must follow a number of laws relating to minority owned businesses and environmentally acceptable businesses. Members adopted an amendment requiring purchasing organizations to follow the same procedures as the department. The bill was approved and advanced to the full Senate.

S.F. 1799, authored by Sen. Claire Robling (R-Jordan), adds watershed districts to the list of governing bodies that may, by unanimous vote, contract for goods and services with an interested officer of the governmental unit. The measure was approved and recommended for placement on the Consent Calendar. Members also recommended that S.F. 1697 be placed on the Consent Calendar. The bill, authored by Sen. David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisholm), increases the threshold amount, from $100,000 to $150,000, for annual audits in towns and statutory cities.

Members of the State Government Budget Division, chaired by Sen. Jane Ranum (DFL-Mpls.), devoted much of the Tues., Feb. 24, hearing to discussion of a report on public safety answering point (PSAP) consolidation.

The report, presented by Charlie Peterson, Management Analysis Division, was mandated by legislation enacted in the 2003 session. Peterson outlined the methodology used, conclusions and recommendations. Peterson said the methodology included interviews, regional focus groups, line level staff focus groups, site visits, surveys, operational data, existing reports and studies and best practice interviews from other states. Peterson said the study showed PSAP consolidation can provide cost savings and public safety benefits under the right circumstances, but determining whether those circumstances exist for specific PSAPs is difficult without detailed study. He said the study recommends that the state role in local consolidation be focused on incentives, rather than mandates and that the PSAP Advisory Committee recommends that the state appoint a committee to develop PSAP standards in six areas. The minimum standards for PSAP include performance, personnel, training, infrastructure, administration and governance.

Peterson said the study team concluded that PSAP consolidation is feasible and has the potential to offer cost saving and public safety benefits when the circumstances are right. Further, the study team recommends that PSAPs examine their operations to see if the circumstances exist and to consider consolidation as a means to save money and improve public safety, he said. In addition, the study team recommends that the state not mandate or coerce PSAP consolidation, but that funding incentives for consolidation be structured around cost-savings and public safety rather than consolidation as an end in itself, Peterson said. Finally, Peterson said the study recommends that jurisdictions exploring consolidation consider a governance structure similar to those used by Anoka County and the Red River Dispatch Center in Fargo, North Dakota.

The panel also heard a 911 fund status check and an update on the 800 megahertz radio system. Ranum said she wanted members to hear how the 911 fund was impacting the implementation of the 800 megahertz radio system.

Members of the State Government Budget Division met Thurs., Feb. 26, to consider several bonding proposals.

Division Chair Jane Ranum (DFL-Mpls.) carried S.F. 2097, which clarifies that the share of contributing entities in bond-financed property must be determined on the fair market value of the property at the time the bond-financed betterment of the property began. S.F. 1495, authored by Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing), provides $400,000 for a workers memorial on the Capitol grounds. Sen. Richard Cohen (DFL-St. Paul) sponsored S.F. 1975, which appropriates $1 million to fund the pre-design costs of four to five biomass-fueled, municipal and state college or university-owned community heating and cooling systems.

The panel also approved, for recommendation to the Capital Investment Committee, a spreadsheet of bonding proposals it has heard this year. The document includes 17 proposals, in priority order: a World War II veterans memorial, Dept. of Military Affairs asset preservation, Dept. of Military Affairs facility life and safety improvements, indoor range abatement and conversion for the Dept. of Military Affairs, Capitol interior renovation design, Capitol building repair, Dept. of Transportation headquarters exterior maintenance, the statewide asset preservation account (CAPRA), agency relocation and asset preservation for properties maintained by the Dept. of Administration. The final seven priorities are demolition of the Ford Building, energy retrofitting, parking facilities, phase two of the National Volleyball Center in Rochester, the workers memorial, the bio-mass energy systems proposal and a regional public safety training center in Rochester.

Members of the Tax Committee met Tues., Feb. 24, to consider several bills dealing with tax increment financing (TIF) districts. Sen. Lawrence Pogemiller (DFL-Mpls.), chair of the committee, said the measures would be laid over and ranked according to the A - E scale the panel uses to consider bills for inclusion in an omnibus bill.

S.F. 1778, sponsored by Sen. Bob Kierlin (R-Winona), modifies the authority to extend TIF districts to offset deficits. The measure also establishes a state grant program to offset deficits caused by the 2001 property tax reform. The measure was placed on the B list.

Sen. Linda Scheid (DFL-Brooklyn Park) sponsored S.F. 1983. The measure extends the time to expend tax increments in TIF district number 3 in Brooklyn Center. The bill was placed on the B list. S.F. 2261, carried by Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing), authorizes the extension of a redevelopment district in the city of Wabasha. The measure was approved for the B list. S.F. 2278, authored by Sen. Mee Moua (DFL-St. Paul), authorizes housing districts containing mixed-income occupancy. The bill was placed on the A list.

Members also considered S.F. 103. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Richard Cohen (DFL-St. Paul), makes permanent the limited market value law. The measure was placed on the C list.

The Tax Committee, chaired by Sen. Lawrence Pogemiller (DFL-Mpls.), met Wed., Feb. 25, to consider two bills that eliminate the offset for taconite aids from the local government aid formula.

S.F. 2100, sponsored by Sen. Thomas Bakk (DFL-Cook), eliminates taconite aids from the computation of city formula aid in the local government aid formula. The measure also makes other changes in calculating the local government aid formula, but Pogemiller said the committee was focusing only on the taconite provision. The panel designated the bill for the B list.

Sen. Dean Johnson (DFL-Willmar) authored S.F. 1577. The measure eliminates the offset for taconite aids from the computation of city formula aid in the local government aid formula. The bill also provides that for aids payable in 2005, the total aids are limited to $438.052 million. The measure was set aside.

Members also spent a portion of the meeting hearing an update on JOBZ from Commissioner Matt Kramer, Dept. of Employment and Economic Development.

Members of the Transportation Policy and Budget Division devoted their Tues., Feb. 24, meeting to consideration of bonding proposals. The panel, chaired by Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing), did not take action on the measures, but laid them over for consideration for inclusion in the division's omnibus proposal.

Kevin Gray, assistant commissioner MnDOT, began the hearing with an overview of the department's 2004 bonding proposals. The committee also heard three additional bills.

S.F. 1897, authored by Sen. John Hottinger (DFL-St. Peter), appropriates $15.72 million in trunk highway bonds for a district headquarters building in Mankato. S.F. 1952, sponsored by Sen. Keith Langseth (DFL-Glyndon), authorizes $83.5 million in state transportation bonds for local bridge replacement. The measure specifies that $13.5 million of the total be used for the Sauk Rapids Bridge.

S.F. 1955, also carried by Langseth, authorizes $125 million in general obligation bonds for the local road improvement program. The measure also abolishes the authority to use program money for loans and establishes a rural road safety program in the local road improvement fund.

Members heard extensive testimony from representatives of various county organizations, the League of Minnesota Cities, the Minnesota Transportation Alliance and county engineers.

The Transportation Policy and Budget Division, chaired by Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-Red Wing), met Thurs., Feb. 26, to hear a variety of bills dealing with traffic provisions.

S.F. 1674, sponsored by Sen. Brian LeClair (R-Woodbury), alters the length limitation from the definition of residential roadway. Current law defines a residential roadway as a street or portion of a street that is less than one half mile in length and is functionally classified as a local street by the road authority having jurisdiction. The bill originally changed the length to one mile, but after members expressed concern about the statewide nature of the bill, an amendment was adopted to change the length to three fourths of a mile. S.F. 1852, authored by Sen. Mady Reiter (R-Shoreview), requires vehicles to wait at railroad crossings until the roadway is clear for at least 10 feet past the farthest railroad track. Reiter said the bill is in response to vehicles that have been hit because they have been stopped by a traffic signal or congestion.

S.F. 1813, carried by Sen. Betsy Wergin (R-Princeton), allows a vehicle that is operated by a volunteer firefighter to display flashing blue lights when the individual is responding to an emergency call. S.F. 1592, authored by Sen. Charles "Chuck" Wiger (DFL-North St. Paul), establishes a speed limit of 25 miles per hour in school zones. The bill also allows a local road authority, by agreement with a school board, to lower a school zone speed limit below 25 miles per hour on a road that is not a trunk highway. On a trunk highway, the bill specifies that the school zone speed limit may be raised or lowered only by agreement between the commissioner of transportation and the school board. S.F. 1584, also sponsored by Wiger, prohibits the sale and unauthorized use and ownership of mobile infrared transmitter devices to change traffic lights.

S.F. 1788, sponsored by Sen. Dave Kleis (R-St. Cloud), requires an applicant for a driver's license renewal to re-take the written test if the applicant has received a warning letter or attended a preliminary hearing as a habitual violator. The measure also requires an applicant to re-take the road examination if the applicant was at fault in two or more crashes or had driving privileges suspended as a habitual violator. S.F. 1910, carried by Sen. Mark Ourada (R-Buffalo), makes technical corrections to conform state law to federal regulations relating to truck driver hours.

Members also heard a bill, S.F. 1676, requiring peace officer vehicles to have the lights and markings covered when driven by someone other than a peace officer. Members had numerous questions on the bill and the measure's author, Sen. Mee Moua (DFL-St. Paul), asked that the bill be laid on the table.

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February 27, 2004 Issue of Senate e-Briefly

Highlights

Committee update