SESSION WEEKLY A NON-PARTISAN PUBLICATION OF THE MINNESOTA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES FEB. 2, 1996 VOLUME 13, NUMBER 3 WEEK IN REVIEW. . . JAN. 25 - FEB. 1, 1996 HIGHLIGHTS Kids and tobacco . . . Proposal fines store owners for sales to minors A bill to get tough on retailers who sell cigarettes to minors is on the way to the House floor. SF558, sponsored by Rep. Loren Jennings (DFL- Harris), would require training for all clerks and use stiff fines and, in some cases, license suspensions to penalize retailers who violate state law forbidding tobacco sales to minors. The bill emerged Jan. 30 from the House Commerce, Tourism and Consumer Affairs Committee with support from store owners and opposition from some anti-smoking activists. Critics strongly opposed a provision in the bill that would forbid local units of governments from enacting tougher penalties in the future. Supporters praised the plan because it would set uniform statewide penalties for illegal tobacco sales. Under the bill: -- In addition to criminal and civil penalties already in statute, clerks who sell to minors would face at least a $50 fine, and minors who buy or attempt to buy cigarettes also would be fined at least $50. (Proceeds would be retained by the local unit of government.) Under current state law, clerks face gross misdemeanor criminal penalties of up to a year in prison and a $3,000 fine for selling to minors. Minors face up to a $200 petty misdemeanor fine for buying or attempting to buy cigarettes. -- All clerks would receive mandatory training on tobacco sales laws and the penalties for violations of those laws. The specifics of the training programs would be developed by retailers. Jennings described the training requirements as the "heart of the bill." -- Store owners would be fined $100 to $200 for a first violation. Second and third offenses within a 24-month period would bring a $200 to $400 fine, and a third violation also would result in as much as a seven-day suspension of the retailer's license to sell tobacco. Local officials would be allowed to set the punishment for a fourth violation. And local governments would be required to license shops for tobacco sales and to conduct compliance checks at least once every two years. "This is a tremendously tough, tough law," Jennings said. But some anti-smoking forces and local government officials are less than enthusiastic about the bill. Their criticism centered on a clause that would prohibit local units of government from enacting tougher tobacco sales ordinances. "Why should we stifle that initiative?" said Attorney General Hubert Humphrey III, who argued against the pre-emption proposal. ". . .Why should the Legislature put a stop to local initiative in this area? Communities are not going to act irresponsibly." The bill would allow existing local ordinances to remain in place. In cities such as Chanhassen, Litchfield, and Roseville, local ordinances are, in some cases, quite a bit stronger than what Jennings is proposing. In Chanhassen, for example, store owners can be hit with a 10-day license suspension for a first offense, 20 days for a second offense, and one-year revocation for a third offense, according to the city's public safety department. Current efforts to develop tobacco sales ordinances in the cities of Bemidji, Plymouth, and Stillwater would be thwarted under the bill. "We have a strong tradition of local control in Minnesota," said Karen Anderson, mayor of Minnetonka and president of the League of Minnesota Cities. "We ask that you don't erode or prohibit that local control." Pre-emption laws of varied strength are already on the books in at least 26 states. And pre-emption has been a hot topic of late in state legislatures across the country. At least 28 states, including several of those that already have some pre-emption measure on the books, considered pre-emption bills during 1995. Anti-smoking forces view pre-emption laws with great skepticism because they often are supported by tobacco companies. Critics argue the companies are accepting some sales restrictions and penalties as part of uniform statewide policies to halt varied and often stricter local ordinances. "They do not want local government to be able to control tobacco," said Rep. Matt Entenza (DFL-St. Paul). But, Jennings argued, removal of the pre- emption provision would erase retailer support for the bill and quash hopes for a vote on the House floor. An amendment to delete the pre-emption clause from the bill failed on a 14-12 vote. The bill later won approval from the committee on a 21-3 vote. Store owners traditionally have opposed efforts to impose statewide regulations for enforcement of tobacco sales law. Judy Cook, president of the Minnesota Retail Merchants Association, acknowledged the bill is tougher than what store owners would have supported even a year ago. But, she added, shop owners want uniformity in tobacco regulations. "Retailers are serious about our role in preventing the sale of tobacco to minors," Cook said. ". . .We want a tough standard statewide." -- Nick Healy AGRICULTURE Tax-free farm equipment Sales of used farm machinery would remain tax free for another year under a measure approved Jan. 29 by the House Agriculture Committee. The bill (HF2555), sponsored by Rep. Steve Wenzel (DFL-Little Falls), would extend until June 30, 1997, the sales tax exemption for used farm machinery. Under current law that exemption is set to expire June 30, 1996. "It means an awful lot to our small farmers," said Tom Cochrane, executive director of the Minnesota Agri-Growth Council, Inc. "Young farmers are the primary purchasers of used equipment." Minnesota currently charges a 2.5 percent sales tax on new farm machinery. Neighboring states Wisconsin and Iowa charge no sales tax on new or used equipment, but North Dakota and South Dakota both have a 3 percent tax on all farm machinery sales. Competition from Wisconsin and Iowa can be tough on machinery dealers in Minnesota, especially those in border communities, according to Rich Strom of the Association of Farm Equipment Dealers of Minnesota and South Dakota. "Farm dollars are going across state lines and that hurts our dealers," said Strom. "It hurts their employees and it hurts the small communities they're trying to support." Strom urged that Minnesota's sales tax exemption for used farm machinery be kept in place to preserve business for state dealers. A 1994 law exempted used equipment from a 2.5 percent sales tax for a one-year period. Lawmakers in 1995 extended that exemption for another year and Wenzel is looking to pass a similar extension this session. "I would like a permanent exemption," Wenzel said. But, he added, such a proposal is "not realistic" at this time. HF2555 now moves to the Taxes Committee. BONDING Linking communication A bill solidifying state participation in a metropolitan-area public safety radio communications system won approval from the House Economic Development, Infrastructure and Regulation Finance Committee Jan. 29. Passage of the bill will allow all metropolitan- area public safety personnel to communicate through a connected system of radio channels. The bill (HF2037), sponsored by Rep. Steve Kelley (DFL-Hopkins), authorizes $15 million in bonds to be used to assist in construction of the backbone of the system, including radio towers, transmitters, and the computers needed to run the system. The $15 million is over one-half of the system's total price tag. In 1995, the Legislature passed a bill (CH195) creating a Metropolitan Radio Board under the Metropolitan Council and allowing the Metropolitan Council to issue up to $13 million in bonds to assist in the construction of the system. The Metropolitan Council won't issue the bonds without a guarantee of state participation. Currently, communication among police, fire, and ambulance personnel, as well as state public safety units like the highway patrol, requires patching across several systems, making it difficult for separate public safety units to talk with one another. Also, radio frequencies can become overloaded when traffic increases in response to an emergency. According to Kelley, the proposed system will create a dramatic shift in the ability of units of government to cooperate. After completion, system operating costs will be paid for by user fees. Once the communications network is in place, the purchasing of equipment to tap into the system, such as radios, would be the responsibility of the system users. Passage of the legislation is required if the state is to maintain its current lock on channels being made available by the Federal Communications Commission. Otherwise, according to Ron Nicholas, chief of police for the city of Blaine and a radio board member, the opportunity to create a shared resource will be lost since the moratorium on the issuance of frequencies expires this year. Consequently, if the Legislature doesn't act, local units of government, including Hennepin County and the city of Minneapolis, would be forced to compete to secure blocks of frequencies. The bill now heads to the Capital Investment Committee. CHILDREN No kids operating speedboats The House Environment and Natural Resources Committee heard graphic and deeply emotional testimony Jan. 31 from the family and friends of a boy killed in a speed-boat accident last year. The committee then approved HF2834, which prohibits children under 12 from operating a boat with more than a 40 horsepower motor. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Kris Hasskamp (DFL- Crosby), is called the "Aaron Sahli Boating Safety Act." Aaron was eight years old last Memorial Day when he died in a boating accident in northern Minnesota. Aaron's aunt and a family friend spoke of a bloody boating accident that they say wouldn't have happened had a law been in place. "Think about it -- a 175 horsepower boat being operated by an 8-year-old," said Barb Bronco, who is Aaron's aunt. "None of us can feel safe knowing a child is behind the wheel of a car. And none of us can feel safe knowing a child is operating a boat." Family friend Cindy Wrobel criticized legislators for changing a law several years ago that had prohibited young children from operating boats. In addition to prohibiting children under age 12 from operating higher speed boats, the bill allows children between ages 12 and 17 to obtain DNR permits to operate a higher speed boat. Those permits require an adult who is not intoxicated to be within "immediate reach" of the boat's controls. An adult was in the boat with Aaron when he pushed the throttle to high speed, but the adult was unable to reach the controls in time to prevent a collision with a pontoon, Wrobel said. The bill was approved 19-1, with Rep. Arlon Lindner (R-Corcoran) voting no. He said he sympathized with the family and its tragic loss but questioned the need for legislation given the small number of such accidents. A boating association official who spoke against the bill said there have been about five accidents in the last 10 years involving young children in high speed boats. Most of those accidents involved children falling overboard, said Brad Nelson of the North Central Marine Association. "I just cannot see us overreacting to an accident," said Lindner. Lindner and Nelson said the bill will prevent adult family members from teaching young children to operate higher speed boats -- a source of enjoyment for many on the lake. "Some of us cannot afford to have more boats," Lindner said, countering Hasskamp's suggestion that young children can use fishing boats or other low-speed watercraft to learn how to operate a boat. Hasskamp said the legislation is "very minimal." "There is no way that not being able to drive something more than 40 horsepower is going to deprive anyone from anything," she said. HF2834 now goes to the House floor. CONSUMERS Telecommunication failure A bill that would have guaranteed Internet access and other advanced telecommunications services to every Minnesotan failed to pass the House Regulated Industries and Energy Committee Jan. 29. Rep. Steve Kelley's (DFL-Hopkins) HF2459 stalled after strong opposition from telephone companies and telecommunications providers. The bill, which contained measures Kelley has tried to pass in both 1993 and 1995, would have levied a 1 percent tax on sales of telecommunication and information services. It also would have established state-subsidized incentives for telecommunications providers to offer advanced services to any area where 25 or more people wanted such services. Providers who testified said that provision, which included competitive bidding for the subsidies, would squeeze out local phone companies. Others said the 1 percent tax would increase monthly telephone bills by $60 or more and would actually stall current progress that's leading to universal access. Paul Hoff of the Minnesota Telephone Association said the bill's goal of advanced telecommunications access for all wasn't necessary. The bill would have established goals over a 10- year period, including universal Internet access by the end of 1998 and high-speed, interactive, full- motion video by 2005. Currently, some outstate residents pay significantly more than those in the metro area for advanced telecommunications services and some can't get such services because local providers don't offer them. "I am skeptical that this bill, this kind of technology, is not only what Minnesota can't afford to use but many wouldn't use," Hoff said, noting that many of his rural Minnesota residents don't use touch-tone, call waiting, or other free advanced telephone services. After more than four hours of debate, Kelley withdrew the 1 percent tax and urged the committee to pass the bill's goals alone. "The technology exists today to do this. What does not exist . . . is the vision that this technology ought to be available not just to big business but to small businesses and residents," he said. Several telecommunications providers turned out to tell the committee that Minnesota needs Kelley's bill. Mike O'Connor, a local Internet access provider, talked about California's three-year-old telecommunications plan which has led to healthy local competition and increased access to rural areas. "They are far ahead of anyone else and a lot of that is due to the fact that government got involved," he said. "This issue should not be described as anything other than a leadership issue." O'Connor also said, "If you go anywhere outside the metro area, you are going to see the market isn't working here[in Minnesota]." Some committee members said the bill wasn't acceptable even without the controversial 1 percent tax . They said they feared the tax -- or some other private industry funding mechanism -- would be presented to them in the future. CRIME Building new prisons The Department of Corrections is asking lawmakers for $100 million in state bonds to pay for the construction of a new 800-inmate maximum security prison in Rush City, Minn. The department presented several bonding proposals to the House Judiciary Finance Committee Jan. 30. In 1994, the Legislature spent $2 million to design plans for the new facility. Originally it was slated for Braham, Minn., but environmental issues such as the impact on area wetlands pushed the project east to neighboring Rush City, about 50 miles north of the Twin Cities. In 1980, 1,950 adult men were confined in Minnesota's prisons. By 1995, that population more than doubled to 4,450, according to department figures. By 2001 -- the year the new prison is expected to open -- the prison population is expected to rise to 5,800. The Department of Corrections is also asking for $1.5 million in state bonds to make room for 210 new minimum security prisoners and 90 elderly inmates at the Brainerd Regional Human Services Center. The elderly inmates would be transferred from the state's medium-security prison in Faribault. The money from the sale of state bonds would pay to install a fence and security cameras around the facility, as well as renovate some of the buildings to meet federal accessibility requirements under the Americans with Disability Act. The Brainerd facility is run by the Department of Human Services and serves a small nursing home population, people with traumatic brain injuries, and those with mental illness, mental retardation, and chemical dependency problems. Under the proposal, the Department of Corrections would enter into a shared service agreement with the Department of Human Services to house its elderly inmates and make room for 210 new minimum security prisoners. The Brainerd campus contains some vacant buildings to house the inmates. Moving the inmates from Faribault is not only expected to free up space there for more dangerous criminals, it is expected to save the state money because medical care is less expensive in rural Minnesota, said Dana Baumgartner, a health care administrator with the Department of Corrections. He also said the state will save money by sharing services already provided by the Brainerd facility such as laundry, maintenance, and food service. Older inmates represent a growing population and currently number about 250 (or 2 percent) of Minnesota's prison population, Baumgartner has said. But because of their medical needs, the elderly cost taxpayers a disproportionate amount of money compared to other inmates. Originally, the elderly inmates were expected to move to Ah-Gwah-Ching, a state-run nursing home in Walker, Minn., but corrections officials said it would cost more to locate the men there. Baumgartner said that just to house the elderly inmates at Ah-Gwah-Ching would cost $1.5 million. For the same dollar amount, the state can house both the elderly and an additional 210 minimum security inmates at Brainerd. He said the Ah-Gwah-Ching site would require an elevator to meet ADA requirements at cost of more than $550,000, while the Brainerd site is a single story and already has an elevator to the basement. Rep. Tony Kinkel (DFL-Park Rapids) and Sen. Skip Finn (DFL-Cass Lake) have both introduced bills to move the elderly prisoners from Faribault to Ah-Gwah-Ching. Both told members of the House Judiciary Committee that they questioned the switch from Ah-Gwah-Ching to Brainerd. "Somebody pulled some strings and pushed some buttons," Finn said. As late as September 1995 the department was making plans to move elderly inmates to Ah-Gwah- Ching. Lawmakers even took a tour of the Walker nursing home during a mini-session in that region of the state. Finn said the economy in Walker needed a boost and the nursing home there was a perfect fit. Both he and Kinkel suggested placing the 90 elderly inmate beds at Ah-Gwah-Ching and giving the Brainerd facility the 210 minimum security beds. Finn also questioned the department's numbers regarding the cost of installing an elevator at Ah- Gwah-Ching. James Bruton, deputy commissioner with the Department of Corrections, told lawmakers that there was "no hidden agenda" and that the department didn't know how much an elevator at Ah-Gwah-Ching would cost when legislators visited the area. The Department of Corrections' other bonding priorities include: -- $2.6 million to draw design plans for a new 100- bed health services center at Stillwater Correctional Facility. Construction money would be appropriated in later years; -- $2.4 million to renovate the inmate visiting room at St. Cloud Correctional Facility; -- $842,000 to draw up designs for a 72- to 80-bed segregation unit for trouble-making inmates in need of more discipline at the Lino Lakes Correctional Facility; and -- $2 million to do miscellaneous maintenance and repairs to various department buildings. Although Gov. Arne Carlson has recommended the above projects, the House Capital Investment Committee will choose which ones to include when its members put together the 1996 bonding bill later this session. Tougher gun penalties Certain convicted felons could not own a handgun for life and anyone carrying a firearm without a permit would face a felony charge rather than a gross misdemeanor charge under a bill now under debate. In the wake of mounting gun violence in Minnesota's inner cities as well as in rural towns, the House Judiciary Committee is considering a tough new gun bill. HF2578 is not designed to limit the rights of law-abiding citizens to own a gun, but punish criminals caught with guns, said sponsor Rep. Wes Skoglund (DFL-Mpls), chair of the Judiciary Committee. He presented his bill with State Attorney General Hubert H. Humphrey III Jan. 31. "Unfortunately," Humphrey said, "this bill is very timely." He spoke of the recent shooting death of a St. Joseph police officer and of the imprisonment of a Fargo-Moorhead family by gunmen. The idea is to get the guns out of the hands of those who commit violent crimes in Minnesota. "Take away their tools," Humphrey said. Skoglund compared Minnesota streets to many in war-torn countries. Northern Ireland, he said, had 84 killings in 1994. Last year, the city of Minneapolis alone recorded 97. "It's real . . . and we should do something about it," Skoglund said. Not all were pleased with the bill. David Gross, a St. Louis Park attorney representing the Gun Owners Civil Rights Alliance, told lawmakers he is not supporting felons but does not support the bill. Gross asked why lawmakers are tinkering with new laws and simply not requiring those already on the books be enforced. The bill, Gross said, accomplishes "absolutely nothing. . . . We haven't tried enforcement yet and I'm here to suggest that." He also opposed the provision that would ban certain convicted felons from ever owning a handgun or assault weapon. When they complete their sentence and wait 10 years as required under current law, their right to possess a firearm should be restored, Gross said. Under the bill: -- Those convicted of a crime of violence (which includes more than two dozen offenses, such as murder, various degrees of assault, robbery, kidnapping, criminal sexual misconduct, burglary, and harassment and stalking) would be banned from possessing a handgun or an assault weapon for the rest of their lives. Currently, those individuals have to wait 10 years after their sentence expires to legally possess those weapons. -- Felony theft would be added to the list of "crimes of violence." That provision raised concerns for Rep. Dave Bishop (R-Rochester) who questioned whether someone convicted of writing bad checks (which is a felony theft in certain circumstances) deserved the lifetime ban from possessing a handgun or assault weapon. -- A felon who has been convicted of a crime of violence who is later found to be possessing a firearm would receive a mandatory prison sentence of at least three years and a maximum of up to 20 years. This provision is loudly applauded by county prosecutors who say it will make their jobs easier. Under the provision, it doesn't matter if the felon is using the firearm to commit another crime or has it sitting in his or her car -- it is an automatic three- year minimum sentence. -- The penalty for carrying a handgun without a permit increases from a gross misdemeanor to a felony, punishable by up to five years in prison and a $10,000 fine. Skoglund's bill also asks for an undetermined amount of money so, if passed, the attorney general's office can run a public information campaign for the public about the new law. The Judiciary Committee is expected to debate HF2578 further on Feb. 2. Penalizing abusers Minnesotans convicted of stalking or violating protection orders would have to surrender their pistols for three years under a bill approved Jan. 26 by a House panel. The bill (HF2643) eyso spesharin tservices already provided by the Brainerd facility such as laundry, maintenance, and food service. Older inmates repquired to surrender the gun and could be barred from owning any firearm for the rest of their lives. "In 1995, 25 Minnesota women were killed by people who supposedly loved them," Ellen Ade of the Minnesota Coalition for Battered Women told the House Judiciary Committee. "[With this bill], we will never know how many lives we've saved; we can only count the ones who died as a result of domestic violence." HF2643, which is part of an effort by Minnesota Attorney General Hubert H. Humphrey III to combat violent crime in the state, is sponsored by Rep. Mary Jo McGuire (DFL-Falcon Heights). Among its other provisions: -- The county in which a domestic abuse offense is committed would conduct a domestic abuse assessment and submit a report to the court for any defendant convicted of domestic abuse or any defendant arrested for domestic abuse but convicted of another crime connected to the incident. -- Defendants sentenced for domestic abuse would be required to pay a $125 domestic abuse assessment fee. -- Anyone who commits domestic assault knowing that a child younger than 18 is likely to witness the assault would be guilty of a gross misdemeanor, punishable by up to a year in jail and a $3,000 fine. -- A judge could bar a domestic assault or stalking defendant who uses a gun during the crime from owning firearms for a period of three years to life. (Under current law, anyone convicted of assaulting a family household member who uses a firearm in any way during the assault can be banned from possessing any type of firearm for a period of three years to life at the discretion of the sentencing judge. Violation of the provision is a gross misdemeanor.) Patricia Moen, director of criminal justice and law enforcement services for the attorney general's office, told the committee that one in three women will encounter some form of domestic abuse in their lives, according to a recent Johns Hopkins University study. Almost 20 percent of last year's murders in the Twin Cities stemmed from domestic violence situations, she said. The portion of the bill making it a gross misdemeanor to commit domestic assault in front of a child was suggested by the Dakota County attorney's office. Assistant Dakota County Attorney Scott Hersey told lawmakers that being present during such a crime has far-reaching detrimental emotional effects on a child, whether they are injured or not. HF2643 will be included as part of the Judiciary Committee's omnibus crime bill. Hiding a criminal past A House committee has approved legislation that would make it harder for Minnesotans to hide their criminal court records. In a hearing Jan. 26, the House Judiciary Committee approved HF2215, which will become part of the committee's omnibus crime bill. (See Jan. 19 Session Weekly, page 5.) The intent of the bill, sponsored by Rep. Phil Carruthers (DFL-Brooklyn Center), is not to entirely eliminate expungement of records, but to make it more difficult to receive them. Under current law, individual courts in Minnesota are responsible for defining expungement. Existing case law allows judges who agree to grant expungement to either completely destroy arrest or conviction records or return them to the person asking for the expungement. HF2215 is an attempt to bring all Minnesota courts into accord on expungement. The new law would define expungement as sealing an arrest or conviction record and opening it only under a court order or statutory authority, and would not include the options of destroying records or returning them to defendants. Under the new law, a person seeking expungement would be required to: -- file a petition under oath and pay the regular civil filing fee; -- provide not only a full legal name but any aliases; -- provide all addresses beginning with the date of the offense or arrest and ending with the date of the petition; -- explain why they want their records expunged and tell the court specifically if it is to help them get a job or a license (Many employers rely on criminal background checks before hiring such employees as teachers, child-care workers, and police officers. Such checks also are required when applying for some licenses, including those for gambling, insurance sales, and liquor sales); -- explain, in the case of a conviction, what steps he or she has taken toward rehabilitation since the crime; -- provide a complete criminal conviction record, including all convictions for misdemeanors, gross misdemeanors, and felonies in Minnesota, along with all comparable convictions nationwide and worldwide; and -- include information on all prior requests for expungement, granted or not, in Minnesota, the United States, and the world. No cloning allowed A bill to make it a crime to engage in cellular phone "cloning" won approval from the House Regulated Industries and Energy Committee Jan. 29. The bill (HF2526), sponsored by Rep. Chuck Brown (DFL-Appleton), addresses what phone company officials say has become an increasingly popular crime. Cellular phone cloning -- or counterfeiting -- would be a felony under the bill, punishable by up to five years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine. Current statute prohibits cellular phone eavesdropping but does not specifically address any other wireless phone violations. "Cellular phone cloning is a $500 million illegal industry. . . . This is a very, very serious issue, and I believe as a public policy it warrants our attention," Brown said. Cellular phone cloning occurs when someone acquires a phone identification number -- assigned by the manufacturer -- and alters it. Cloners either use the number or provide it to a computer network system for others to use. Some use a combination of scanners, cables, computer chips, and software to create identification numbers themselves. Debra Burns of AT&T said cellular phone cloning has grown in popularity as more and more people use the technology. She said cellular phone counterfeiting needs to be addressed specifically with legislation because law enforcement isn't giving the issue enough attention. Rep. Steve Kelley (DFL-Hopkins) suggested broadening the bill to include other communication technologies. "If we are going to act on this, maybe we should address the whole range of communication devices," he said. Brown said he was open to the suggestion. Rep. Ron Erhardt (R-Edina) said he was concerned that the bill wouldn't address interstate cellular phone cloning. Burns acknowledged that the bill doesn't target interstate cloning, but she said it will help stop violations within the state where a significant number of the cases occur. HF2526 now heads to the Judiciary Committee. EDUCATION All-day kindergarten A proposal to ensure that disadvantaged children are ready for first grade by having them spend more time in a kindergarten classroom was considered Jan. 31 by a House panel. HF2147, sponsored by Rep. Jean Wagenius (DFL- Mpls), would set up full-day kindergarten in certain Minnesota schools. "All-day kindergarten, as we have designed it, gives a child an opportunity to succeed," Wagenius said in testimony before the K-12 Finance Division of the House Education Committee. The goal of the full-day kindergarten proposal is to make sure students arrive in first grade with a readiness to read. But the program would have benefits that reach far beyond the first grade, according to Wagenius. She argued full-day kindergarten would save school districts money now devoted to remedial programs by helping prevent students from falling behind in school. It could help reduce "massive" state expenses for juvenile delinquency and criminal justice programs, she said. "Children who fail cost us in prison costs and in violence," Wagenius said. And, she added, full-day kindergarten would help students living in poverty and narrow the performance gap between those students and their middle class counterparts. It would cost an estimated $117 million to initiate all-day kindergarten in all Minnesota public schools. Wagenius' bill calls for each school to be ranked according to the percentage of its students on free and reduced-price lunch programs. Schools with the highest percentage of students on free and reduced-price lunch programs would be first in line to receive a share of an as yet- unspecified appropriation. The K-12 Finance Division took no action on the bill. It may be considered later for inclusion in this year's omnibus education spending package. Releasing student records The House Education Committee approved a bill Jan. 30 to ensure that a transferring student's educational records are received by his or her new school. The bill (HF2153), sponsored by Rep. Mike Delmont (DFL-Lexington), would close a loophole in current law that allows some schools to withhold a student's records. Current state law makes the school district responsible for passing along the records of a transferring student. Because the law addresses only school districts, private schools are exempt from the requirement. A small number of private schools exploit the situation by refusing to release the records until all disputes (often unpaid tuition or library fines) are settled, said Dale Swanson of the Minnesota Elementary School Principals Association. "This just says that pupil records belong to the pupil," Swanson said. ". . . They really shouldn't be held hostage because of disputes parents get into." The absence of educational records can complicate the new school's efforts to determine a student's grade placement or a need for special programming. It's in the "students' best interest" to have their files follow them, Swanson said. Delmont's bill would mandate that all schools -- rather than school districts -- transmit a transferring student's records to his or her new school within 10 business days of a request. In the absence of a request, a school -- not the district, as under current law -- must make "reasonable efforts" to locate a transferring student's new school. HF2153 now goes to the Judiciary Committee. ELECTIONS Pay up for foul play Candidates who step out of line on the campaign trail could have to pay back public campaign subsidy funds under a bill approved Feb. 1 by a House panel. The bill (HF2275), sponsored by Rep. Betty McCollum (DFL-North St. Paul), would make subsidy repayment a potential penalty for violations of the fair campaign practices law. It would be up to the courts to decide how much, if any, of the public subsidy funds the offender must return. The bill would apply to candidates in both general and special elections. It's not surprising McCollum is sponsoring such a measure. During her 1994 House campaign, McCollum was on the receiving end of what she called "substantial untruthful statements" made by her opponent. The Ramsey County attorney's office brought charges against the other candidate for violations of fair campaign practices law. After a guilty plea, the court sentenced McCollum's opponent to community service and required him to write a letter of apology. McCollum's bill also makes it a condition of receiving a public subsidy that a candidate abide by the fair campaign practices law and pledge to conduct a truthful campaign. The bill won approval from the Elections Division of the House General Legislation, Veterans Affairs and Elections Committee. It now moves to the full committee. Elected Met Council Members of the Metropolitan Council would be elected by the people they serve under a bill approved Feb. 1 by a House panel. The bill (HF2232), sponsored by Rep. Myron Orfield (DFL-Mpls), calls for all positions on the council to be up for grabs in the 1998 general election. The Metropolitan Council coordinates local government efforts in the seven-county metropolitan area. The governor has appointed members from 16 council districts (and another member to serve as chair) since the body's inception in 1967. Orfield said the council's responsibilities are so vast that its members ought to be chosen by voters. "We don't have governments in America that are this powerful, that have this much control, that are not elected," he said. Orfield's bill was approved by the Elections Division of the House General Legislation, Veterans Affairs and Elections Committee. The proposal calls for all 16 seats on the council to be put up for grabs in 1998. After that, members would serve staggered, four-year terms. The chair of the council would be elected by the members. To explain the need to elect council members, Orfield pointed to the bulk of the council's budget ($481 million in 1996), the council's taxing authority, and the council's role in regional issues including development of roads, parks, and sewer systems. "It's really one of the most powerful shaping forces in the region," he said. Rep. Tim Pawlenty (R-Eagan) said many members of the Republican Caucus would rather scale back the authority of the Metropolitan Council than put council seats up for election. And Rep. Bruce Anderson (R-Buffalo Township) said there is growing sentiment that the council should be completely eliminated. Orfield is renewing his push to make the council an elected body after seeing his similar 1994 proposal fail by one vote on the House floor. The issue also was debated frequently by legislators in the early 1970s. HF2232 now goes to the full committee. ENVIRONMENT Environmental justice Minnesota could get extra federal funds for community environmental programs under a bill approved Jan. 26 by the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee. HF1661, sponsored by Rep. Karen Clark (DFL- Mpls), would ask the Environmental Quality Board to study "environmental justice" -- a concept supported by President Bill Clinton. The term, defined by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, refers to the equitable distribution of environmental efforts among regions of different socioeconomic and ethnic populations. President Clinton issued an Executive Order in 1994 urging states to explore the issue. Specifically, HF1661 would mark $20,000 for the Environmental Quality Board, whose members would report to the Legislature by Jan. 1, 1997, with recommendations on environmental justice and whether a state task force on the issue is needed. The board would consult with various minority, state, labor, and business groups. At least eight states have environmental justice programs or task forces and more than 25 others are considering such action this year, Clark said. But Minnesota hasn't addressed the issue, state EPA officials said. That cost the state a piece of the $3 million the EPA disbursed nationwide last year for environmental justice projects, Clark told the committee. "These are federal dollars that we want so we can help our local citizens," said Clark, who said the issue is about equality as well. "The effect of this is to ensure that when we're making environmental decisions we are having fairness across the board for all those impacted," she said. Rep. Peggy Leppik (R-Golden Valley) questioned the balance of any future environmental justice panel, since the bill does not specify the composition of such a task force. "I have this feeling that the purpose of this group is to confront what some people already think about environmental justice and not to break any new ground," Leppik said. "I would put on the task force a representative of an industry that might come under criticism." Clark agreed that balance was a concern and said the Environmental Quality Board's study would address the issue. At least one committee member objected to Clark's emphasis on getting available federal funds. Although he voted for the bill, Rep. Richard Pellow (R-New Brighton) told Clark he objected to "just going after the money tree and developing some more bureaucracy." Clark did not say how much federal funding her legislation could bring the state. She said some of the community-based projects that other states have funded with the federal money include lead poisoning and well water contamination awareness programs. Massachusetts used a federal grant to help Cambodian communities deal with the problem of mercury in fish. The proposal now goes to the Environment and Natural Resources Finance Committee. Report supports coal plant An Environmental Quality Board (EQB) study concluded that the University of Minnesota's proposed riverfront steam plant is about as environmentally friendly as any alternative plan, including a gas oil plant located away from the river. The board conducted the study at the request of legislators last year. The findings, released by the board to the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee Jan. 31, drew critical questions from some members. The University's plan to modify one of their existing coal-burning steam plants has drawn criticism from those who prefer natural gas alternatives and oppose a plant along the Mississippi River. Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL-Mpls) has introduced HF2351, which would ban certain projects, such as a coal- burning facility, in the Mississippi River corridor. Although a modified plant would release less harmful substances than the current two plants, controversy has centered around whether or not to find an alternative to the University's proposal for a coal-burning plant along the Mississippi. John Wachtler of the EQB acknowledged the University's proposal would release more mercury into area lakes, but said the amount would not be significant enough to warrant environmental concern. "The issue is not whether coal emissions would have more mercury than alternatives. The issue is whether that incremental difference is significant enough," he said. "We don't have a state standard that says that amount of mercury is significant." Reps. Steve Trimble (DFL-St. Paul) and Jean Wagenius (DFL-Mpls) asked repeated questions about the intent and findings of the board's study. Wagenius asked EQB officials whether the increase in mercury that the University plan could cause would be enough to require fishing advisories in Lake Harriet or Lake Minnetonka. They said they didn't know because determining the effects on various lakes was outside the scope of the study. Wachtler said the potential increase in mercury for Lake Minnetonka would be around 1.4 micrograms per square meter per year. "I have always thought of my job as decision- making," said Wagenius. "But I do not have the information from you to make a reasonable decision because you've scoped out the details. And the devil is in the details." Trimble requested a copy of materials used in the study to determine its scope, among other things. Rep. Bill Haas (R-Champlin), commenting that the prolonged questioning about mercury levels was getting off track, asked board officials if the university's plan was environmentally preferable to alternatives. They said yes, it was. "So by upgrading the plant, we're actually going to clean up the air rather than add more to it?" he asked, rhetorically. GAME & FISH Feed the deer, please The Minnesota House of Representatives adopted Jan. 29 a resolution to start an emergency deer feeding program in northern Minnesota. HR11, sponsored by Rep. Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook), aims to help a deer population that could be hurt by this year's unusually cold and snowy conditions. Frigid temperatures and deep snow are "causing very severe vulnerability to the deer herd in northern Minnesota. . . . And that deer herd is very important economically, not just to northern Minnesota, but to the entire state," said Bakk. The northeast part of the state has more than 35 inches of snow on the ground and has had several record-breaking low temperatures as of Jan. 19 of this year, according to the National Weather Service. Although the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) said there's been no noticeable drop in the deer population, that could change if severe weather persists through February. The resolution requires the DNR to start a feeding program in the northern one-third of the state (areas north of State Highway 210 and U.S. Highway 10). The DNR currently runs a deer feeding program in agricultural areas of northwestern Minnesota but hasn't fed deer in the forested areas of the northeastern part of the state since 1989. That program, at a cost of $1.1 million, drew legislative criticism when it led to only a 3 percent increase in the deer population. DNR officials say it's very difficult to increase deer populations in the state's northeastern forest areas because the animals are hard to locate, hard to reach by road, and there are few volunteers to run the program. But Bakk said it is unfair to neglect that part of the state when hunters from the area help pay for statewide deer feeding programs. This biennium, the DNR expects to use $260,000 for deer feeding programs in northwestern Minnesota. The department gets the money from a surcharge on hunting licenses. "This resolution is to put the DNR on notice," Bakk said after the resolution was adopted. "And I am not sure the deer are as hard to reach as they are saying." Dave Schad, the DNR's Forest Wildlife Program leader, said all of the $260,000 this biennium has been earmarked for feeding programs in northwestern Minnesota. Whether the resolution will be funded by one of several appropriations bills under way in the Legislature is unclear, he said. Schad said the resolution will probably lead his department to review its 1989 feeding program. But he's not optimistic. "We'll certainly take a look at what we did in 1989 and see if we can improve on that. But we still don't think it's a cost effective way to manage deer populations," Schad said. GOVERNMENT Adjusting the focus The Minnesota Spanish-Speaking Affairs Council would become the Minnesota Council on Affairs of Chicano/Latino People under legislation approved Feb. 1 by a House committee. HF2193, sponsored by Rep. Matt Entenza (DFL- St. Paul), also would increase the size of the council from seven to 11 members, including one from each of Minnesota's eight congressional districts and three at-large members. Two members each from the Minnesota House and Senate would serve as non-voting members. "The community felt that in the 1990s, that was the appropriate name the council should have," Entenza told the House Governmental Operations Committee. The added members would ensure representation from all areas of the state, particularly areas such as Worthington, Willmar, and Moorhead, which have seen dramatic increases in Chicano-Latino populations in the last decade, Entenza said. The term "Chicano/Latino" is defined under state law as a person born in -- or whose ancestors came from -- Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Peru, Panama, Paraguay, Puerto Rico, Uruguay, or Venezuela. Although there has been opposition to changing the council's name in previous legislative sessions, Entenza said he knows of none this year. Gov. Arne Carlson's office also has indicated that the governor will support the bill, according to Entenza. Other provisions of HF2193 would: -- strike the list of specific countries required to be represented on the Asian-Pacific Minnesotans Council. Also, each Asian-Pacific ethnic community may be represented by no more than one council member; -- define "Asian-Pacific" as a person whose ethnic heritage is from any country in Asia east of, and including, Afghanistan, or the Pacific Islands; and -- abolish the duties of the Asian-Pacific Minnesotans Council and the Minnesota Council on Affairs of Chicano/Latino People to review data on out-of-home placement of Asian-Pacific or Chicano- Latino children. After approving the bill, committee members referred HF2193 to the House Economic Development, Infrastructure and Regulation Finance Committee. HEALTH Keeping the hospital open The only way for the University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic (UMHC) to survive is to join forces with another health care provider, according to the provost of the U of M's Academic Health Center. Dr. William Brody believes that the most practical solution to declining patient numbers and revenues is to combine the resources of the UMHC with Fairview Riverside Medical Center in Minneapolis. "We have searched and searched for ways to solve this problem," Brody told a Jan. 31 joint meeting of the House Education Committee's University of Minnesota Finance Division and the Health and Human Services Committee's Subcommittee on Health Care Resources. "We are in a marketplace today that is valuing deregulation and competition." Brody offered statistics to support the proposed merger: -- Acute-care admissions to Minnesota hospitals statewide declined 3.98 percent from 1988 to 1994. During the same period, admissions to Twin Cities- area hospitals declined only .03 percent, while admissions to the U of M Hospital dropped by 8.62 percent. -- The federal government is withdrawing support for education to teaching hospitals. In 1994, Medicare support for resident education at the UMHC was $17.4 million; in 1995, that number had fallen to $16.4 million, and is projected to fall in 1996 to $12.2 million. -- As of December 1995, the UMHC had 719 licensed beds and an average daily patient census of only 277. -- By the end of the decade, at its current rate of declining patient numbers and financial resources, the UMHC is projected to lose $100 million. Brody offered an example of the hospital's shrinking resources: One of the top three neurosurgeons in the world practiced for several years at the U of M, but watched his patient load steadily decline. He finally departed for greener pastures with more educational opportunities, according to Brody: "You can't survive in this kind of situation on 25 aneurysms a year. "We don't pretend to know all the answers. But we've not been able to find a model anywhere that would be a good model for us to follow other than a partnership scenario." Of the three possible solutions to the UMHC's crisis -- closing the hospital entirely, continuing to "go it alone," or integrating the hospital's resources with an existing health care system -- only the latter would provide a real solution, Brody said. If the hospital were to close, 4,700 employees would lose their jobs, and $140 million in bonds would have to be paid. That scenario also leaves the U of M Medical School particularly vulnerable, according to Brody. If the hospital continued to operate on its own, it would require "massive, severe" downsizing, he said, which is contrary to the need for a comprehensive health system with all levels of care, broad geographic access, and other facilities. By combining forces with Fairview Riverside, the UMHC would preserve the public's access to the facility, open up new sites for education and research, provide comprehensive health services, save more university employees' jobs, and make the hospital and clinic more competitive, Brody said. Lawmakers have not yet decided whether to allow the two hospitals to merge. Hospital stays after birth A bill to allow mothers and their newborn babies the option to stay in the hospital a little longer after birth passed the full House Feb. 1. The vote was 126-8. HF2008 would require insurance companies to cover a minimum of 48 hours of inpatient care following an uncomplicated vaginal delivery and at least 96 hours of inpatient care following an uncomplicated cesarean section. Under both scenarios, the extended time would apply to both the mother and the newborn if the physician, in consultation with the mother, determines it to be medically necessary. The bill doesn't require a mother to stay two days or four days, but gives her the option to do so depending on the method and difficulty of the delivery. Should a mother leave the hospital before 48 hours have elapsed, the bill says her insurance company must provide coverage for the option of one home visit by a registered nurse. Services provided by the nurse would include parent education, training in breast and bottle feeding, and conducting any necessary and appropriate clinical tests. Bill sponsor Rep. Joe Opatz (DFL-St. Cloud) told lawmakers that too many mothers and newborns are being sent home after 24 hours, only to return later sick. Although insurance companies maintain they have no 24-hour policy, he said the de facto policy is that they do. Up until a few weeks ago (when the bill received more publicity) an expectant mother who called her insurance company and asked how long she could stay in the hospital after birth was told 24 hours, Opatz said. The bill was opposed by a few lawmakers some of whom called it an unnecessary mandate on insurance companies. They argued the Legislature has no business mandating what health plans must cover. Rep. Richard Mulder (R-Ivanhoe), the only physician in the House, said the Legislature is sending insurance companies a mixed message. Although he often recommends new mothers stay in the hospital with their babies two or three days, he said he doesn't understand how the state can mandate what insurance companies cover and at the same time ask them to cut health care costs. HF2008 now moves to the Senate. (See Jan. 19, 1996, Session Weekly, page 10 and Jan. 26, 1996, Session Weekly, page 11.) HOUSING Housing dollars approved A bill to help Twin Cities neighborhoods gain more control over housing decisions so the results both meet current needs and lead to long-term revitalization won approval from the House Housing Committee Jan. 30. Bill sponsor Rep. Andy Dawkins (DFL-St. Paul) said the proposal (HF2268) would help address two main problems facing city neighborhoods: 1) A shortage of three- and four-bedroom units, and 2) poorly planned concentrations of high-density, low- income housing. The bill also appropriates $12 million and authorizes $2.5 million in state bonds for existing statewide housing programs. "Everywhere I go in this state . . . I hear people say housing is one of their main concerns," Dawkins said. "Greater Minnesota says their greatest need is affordable rental housing." Under the bill's community impact provision, Minneapolis and St. Paul communities would be required to decide -- through a public hearing process -- whether a proposed multi-unit, low- income housing project would contribute to their area's "stabilization and revitalization." Only proposed projects involving targeted areas would be affected. Targeted areas are those census tracts with more than 700 housing units in structures of five or more units. The bill also requires cities to consult with the Metropolitan Council on projects, and it requires project developers to pay for the public hearing and for advertising costs of the meeting notice. But some said they feared the community impact provision could be used to discriminate. "Sometimes we have situations where a community's idea of what's best for it runs counter to what's best for the broader society," said Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL-St. Paul). "You're not saying that if the community doesn't want low-income housing they can . . . keep it out, are you?" Tom Johnson, assistant executive director of the Alliance for the Mentally Ill of Minnesota, Inc., voiced a similar concern. "I could see people with low incomes and a disability trying to get housing and a community deciding those people would not bring stability," Johnson said. Reps. Clark and Dawkins said there are existing laws that prohibit such discrimination. Carruthers spoke in support of the proposed $7.5 million aimed at reducing the concentration of multi-unit, low-income housing. "This is an issue that very much affects our area. . . . Brooklyn Center and Brooklyn Park have been very supportive of low-income housing," Carruthers said. "But they also have very concentrated areas of low-income housing right now, some that would require an investment that's no longer economically viable. This is the type of thing we'd like to use this money to do." HF2268 includes the following supplemental appropriations: -- $7.5 million for the Community Rehabilitation Program -- $5 million to increase the supply of four- and five-bedroom affordable units and reduce the concentration of multi-unit rental housing by funding acquisition, removal and/or demolition of such properties; $2.5 million for low-income housing assistance. (The program received $5.8 million in 1995); -- $2.5 million for the Affordable Rental Investment Program (which received $6 million in 1995); and -- $2 million for the Family Homeless Prevention and Assistance Program (which received $400,000 in 1995). The bill also includes $2.5 million in state bonds for the Neighborhood Land Trust Program. The bill now moves to the Economic Development, Infrastructure and Regulation Finance Committee. HUMAN SERVICES Extra funds for the elderly Recognizing that good nutrition can help keep senior citizens out of nursing homes, the House Health and Human Services Committee approved a bill Jan. 30 to set aside $1 million to expand programs that offer meals and groceries to the elderly. "The purpose of this is to keep seniors in their homes," said bill sponsor Rep. Becky Lourey (DFL- Kerrick). "I really believe this is a preventative thing." The bill (HF2339) would appropriate $700,000 in fiscal year 1997 to the Minnesota Board on Aging to expand elderly food programs statewide. Another $300,000 would be given to local agencies on aging to help pay for such elderly services as the home delivery of meals, groceries, and prescriptions; transportation to supermarkets and congregate dining sites; vouchers for meals at selected restaurants in isolated rural areas; food stamp outreach; and nutrition screening and counseling. Senior citizens quickly suffer from dehydration and become malnourished if they don't eat properly, Lourey said, adding that minor illnesses can worsen and broken bones take longer to heal due to poor eating. Home delivery of meals to "shut-ins" as well as congregate meals at senior centers and other sites, are invaluable, she said, noting that they not only keep many seniors healthy, but the latter is especially helpful in getting seniors out and socializing. Some lawmakers questioned whether the meals and groceries were going to the right people. Rep. Tom Van Engen (R-Spicer) said he had heard that some seniors could afford to pay more for the meals and food they received. Jim Varpness, executive director of the Minnesota Board on Aging, said that more than 70 percent of the seniors participating in the nutrition programs had annual fixed incomes equal to 125 percent of the federal poverty level or $9,337. Since 1990, while the demand for nutrition programs among the elderly has increased, federal and state dollars for the programs has remained about the same, according to statistics from the Minnesota Board on Aging. That's why the $1 million is needed, Lourey said. In 1994, 94,000 senior citizens were served 3.5 million meals at nearly 487 senior dining sites throughout Minnesota at a cost of $14.7 million, according to the Board on Aging. About $1.9 million came from state dollars, $4.8 million from the federal government, $2.1 from the United States Department of Agriculture, and more than $5.2 million from seniors themselves. During that same time period, nearly 18,000 elderly individuals received more than 1.6 million home-delivered meals at a cost of $6.2 million. The state picked up about $225,000 of the tab; the federal government $1.7 million; the United States Department of Agriculture $984,000; and seniors themselves paid nearly $2.7 million. The bill is expected to be incorporated into an omnibus health and human services bill. INSURANCE Making insurers pay Bills mandating that health insurers cover testing costs for one malady and treatment expenses for another were approved Jan. 31 by a House subcommittee. But the bills stoked debate over the proper role of the Legislature in determining proper medical coverage. The House Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee's Subcommittee on Insurance approved bills requiring insurers to cover screening for prostate cancer and treatment for Lyme disease. HF2394, sponsored by Rep. David Tomassoni (DFL-Chisholm), would require insurance companies, under certain conditions, to pay for a blood test used to detect prostate cancer. Insurers would have to cover the prostate specific antigen (or PSA) test for all men older than 50 and men older than 40 who suffer symptoms of the disease or are at high risk for developing the cancer. The test is already covered by all but a few health insurance companies. Tomassoni argued it is too important to be denied any policyholder. "Prostate cancer is a major public health problem for males in the United States," he said. ". . . Men should have the opportunity to be tested for early detection and treatment." It's also similarly important that Lyme disease victims are covered for the treatment they need, said Rep. Mary Murphy (DFL-Hermantown). Her bill (HF219) would require insurance companies to pay for treatment of the disease. Lyme disease -- a bacterial illness transmitted by the bite of an infected deer tick -- affects the skin, joints, and other parts of the body. It can have serious results including chronic arthritis and neurological impairment. Some insurers won't pay for adequate antibiotic treatment for the disease, said Barb Jones, a registered nurse who testified in support of Murphy's bill. "We know that antibiotics can kill it if you get enough [medication] for a long enough time," Jones said. Criticism of the bills focused not on their specifics but on the wisdom of legislative intervention in such situations. Rep. Lee Greenfield (DFL-Mpls) suggested such issues would be better resolved within the medical community. He argued laws mandating coverage for specific care can quickly be rendered obsolete by medical advances. "I think we're trying to practice medicine here," Greenfield said. "We're going to run up the cost of health care, and we may or may not help it." He made a similar case during earlier debate on a maternity-stay bill currently awaiting action on the House floor. The bill (HF2008) would ensure that mothers and newborn babies have the option to stay in the hospital longer than the increasingly common 24 hours after birth. HF219 and HF2394 now move to the full Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee. METRO AFFAIRS No more VIP spots A bill that eliminates 105 free underground valet parking spots for Minnesota's business and government leaders was approved by the House Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs Committee Feb. 1. The vote was 15-3. HF 2321, sponsored by Rep. Howard Orenstein (DFL-St. Paul), prohibits the Metropolitan Airports Commission from providing the permanent free parking except under limited circumstances. Those include people driving to the airport for volunteer work or other low-compensation jobs related to the commission. The bill also requires the commission to keep a record of anyone who receives free temporary parking. In the wake of the 1994 ethics law, the Legislature's strictest ever, Orenstein said it's wrong for legislators to get free parking benefits from an entity that depends on their votes. While he acknowledged the Ethical Practices Board has not defined the commission as a lobbyist, he said the free parking lot and most free parking requests by legislators are inappropriate. He also questioned the fairness of highly paid business leaders getting such perks. Orenstein showed the committee a list of those who can park in the garage which included 20 top state and federal politicians, commission and commission foundation board members, and a significant number of airline officials, mostly from Northwest Airlines. He then presented a chart with the names and salaries of five of the listed airline executives. "These five individuals earn $3.233 million dollars from their companies and they get free parking," he said. "Those five alone make more than the total revenue of the underground parking garage." The 105 parking spots could provide at least $2 million in annual revenue, Orenstein said. He also said airport employees pay to park in remote lots. Several committee members questioned whether the issue should be before the Legislature. Rep. Eileen Tompkins (R-Apple Valley) said the bill amounted to "micromanagment." "I'm having trouble with this . . . because we don't have taxpayer money involved in this, " said Tompkins. "I don't think the Legislature should have to make decisions for every entity in the state." Orenstein said the commission has repeatedly avoided taking action on the issue despite suggestions by some members. Rep. Joe Opatz (DFL-St. Cloud) said he supported the bill, but thought it raised questions for more than just top government officials and business leaders. "My concern is that this addresses an issue that may have a lot of other implications for other parts of state government," he said. The bill now goes to the House floor. SPORTS New stadium needed? House legislators dug into the sports stadium debate Jan. 31 when the Advisory Task Force on Professional Sports released its report to the House Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs Committee. The task force, comprised of business and city leaders as well as Republican and DFL legislators, found the following: -- The rules governing sports stadium ownership and operation have changed dramatically since the advent of professional sports, particularly in the area of public-private partnerships. -- The national trend in baseball and football is toward single-sport facilities. -- Financially and physically, the Metrodome cannot accommodate improvements for both the Minnesota Twins and Vikings. "The problem we have here is either we're going to do something about it and we'll retain [the Vikings and the Twins] or if we don't, we won't," said Henry Salvelkoul, chair of both the task force and the Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission. Salvelkoul and officials from both sports teams presented many charts that painted a picture of a state behind the times in professional sports. The Twins are pushing for a new baseball-only stadium while the Vikings have said they are constrained by sharing the Metrodome with the Twins. Salvelkoul pointed out possible revenue- generating changes to the teams' current leases. He said both teams' share of concessions profits -- less than 20 percent for the Vikings and around 40 percent for the Twins -- is below the 50 percent average for most other professional teams. In addition, the admissions tax, after-game clean-up costs, and rent paid as a percentage of revenue could be modified in the teams' favor, Salvelkoul said. Lastly, he said both teams suffer financially because there's no stadium advertising or revenue from stadium-naming rights. Roger Headrick of the Minnesota Vikings said such proposed changes could add up to an extra $6 to $10 million a year for his team. "The Vikings like Minnesota and the dome. We do not need a new stadium, we do not need a public hand out," he said. "But we do need changes." Several legislators suggested the task force is asking for something Minnesota can't support. "Could it be that Minnesota just isn't big enough to handle all these sports?" asked Rep. Mike Osskopp (R-Lake City). "I hope we keep the Twins and I'll do whatever I can. But I think this thing is out of control, and I don't know if a new stadium is the answer." Salvelkoul said Minnesota can support at least three teams, noting the Denver market -- smaller than the Twin Cities' -- supports four. Very few professional baseball teams have relocated to another city in recent memory. Rep. Phil Krinkie (R-Shoreview) asked, "Why, if a major baseball team hasn't relocated in 25 years, are we here today discussing the possibility that the Twins might relocate if they don't have a new facility? What is it that's gone awry here in the Twin Cities that puts this team in the position to do what no other team has done in 25 years?" Salvelkoul said the professional sports world is changing rapidly, noting Minnesota is one of only two states in the American League without a baseball-only stadium. Despite the historical facts, he said, the Twins will probably get better offers if they continue to lose $7 million a year. On Jan. 31, the Senate Metroplitan and Local Government Committee approved SF2464, which calls for a non-binding referendum on a stadium in the metropolitan area. No men allowed A Twin Cities-based running club for women would be allowed to exclude men from an annual running event under a bill approved Jan. 26 by a House panel. HF2042, sponsored by Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL- Mpls), would amend the state's Human Rights Act by allowing single-gender athletic teams or clubs to restrict membership to members of one sex "whose overall athletic opportunities have previously been limited." The legislation arose out of a conflict last year when a man filed a discrimination complaint against the Northern Lights Running Club for Women. The club wouldn't allow him to participate in its annual "Bruegger's Run for the Bagels," an event that includes 10-kilometer and 5-kilometer races and girls' events and has attracted more than 3,000 runners in recent years. The race's "wonderful atmosphere, the wonderful ambiance . . . was shattered" by the lawsuit, according to Sue Wurl, the club's president, who testified before the House Judiciary Committee in support of HF2042. When the man's complaint was dismissed, he filed a civil lawsuit against Bruegger's, the Minneapolis Park Board, and the running club, alleging sexual discrimination. Rather than dealing with the "logistical nightmare" of such a changed format and the "philosophical changes" that the club might have had to adopt, Wurl said, club members canceled the race. The customarily "nurturing" atmosphere of an all-female running event changes dramatically when men compete, Wurl said. "As soon as there are men in the picture in a non-supportive role, it becomes a completely different event." Jack Moran, who publishes a Minnesota-based running magazine, and Kahn also spoke in support of the bill. HF2042 is now awaiting action on the House floor. TAXES Helping foster children Minnesota foster children would no longer have to pay sales tax on automobiles given to them as gifts by their foster parents under a bill considered Jan. 31 by a House panel. HF2139, sponsored by Rep. Darlene Luther (DFL- Brooklyn Park), expands current law governing motor vehicle sales tax exemptions to include the foster parent-child relationship. The bill was considered by the House Taxes Committee's Sales and Income Tax Division. The bill defines a foster relationship as one in which a foster parent's home is or was licensed as a foster family home under Minnesota law. The county must verify that the child lived or previously lived in the foster parent's home for non-emergency shelter care. Only children who are or were state wards in court-ordered, permanent foster care would be eligible for the exemption. Automobile buyers in Minnesota pay a 6.5 percent sales tax, based on the purchase price of the vehicle, less the value of any trade-in vehicle. Sales and Income Tax Division members delayed action on the bill, which will be considered as part of the omnibus tax bill. TRANSPORTATION Speed hike sputters Efforts to increase speed limits on Minnesota highways have stalled in the House Transportation and Transit Committee. The committee took up proposals Jan. 26 to boost speed limits, but no action was taken on any of the measures. Clearly, some lawmakers would like it to stay that way. "We are not traffic engineers," said Rep. Sharon Marko (DFL-Newport). "I think it would be irresponsible for us to set speed limits." If the Legislature does not act to increase speed limits, the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Transportation would be left to handle the issue. Minnesota is one of many states considering speed limit increases in the wake of the 1995 repeal of federal speed limit mandates. Under terms of the federal act, speed limits in Minnesota will revert to existing state orders if the Legislature does not act within 60 days of the beginning of the 1996 session. That would mean more of the status quo -- 65 mph on rural interstates and 55 mph on all other highways. Transportation Commissioner James Denn, who has statutory authority to set speed limits on all roads, could increase limits if he sees fit. But Denn has indicated he would not be inclined to change current limits. In anticipation of legislative action this year to increase speed limits, a task force was organized by the state transportation and public safety departments to study the issue. The task force released a report in January calling for speed limit increases on certain highways along with several new safety requirements. Each of the speed limit increase bills introduced in the House includes at least some of the task force's recommendations. But all that may be academic. Transportation committee members left three bills in limbo: HF2178, sponsored by Rep. Dave Bishop (R- Rochester); HF2349, sponsored by Rep. Jim Tunheim (DFL-Kennedy); and HF2088, sponsored by Rep. Ted Winter (DFL-Fulda). Debate in the committee quickly shifted from the merits of the bills to whether legislative action on the issue is even appropriate. Some said it was. "This is really a public policy debate," said Rep. Becky Kelso (DFL-Shakopee). "I think the will of the people on these issues is important." But most committee members thought otherwise. "We ought to let the professionals do it," said Rep. Tom Osthoff (DFL-St. Paul). Criticism of the bills focused on the broad changes each proposes. Provisions of the bills (such as a proposal to increase the speed limit on all divided, four-lane highways to 65 mph) fail to address complex problems such as regional and local differences in road designs and traffic patterns, according to Marko. "We cannot have a one-size-fits-all approach to speed limits in Minnesota," she said. VETERANS Honoring women vets A plaque honoring Minnesota's women veterans would be placed on the State Capitol grounds under a bill approved Jan. 29 by the House General Legislation, Veterans Affairs and Elections Committee. Bill sponsor Rep. Loren Jennings (DFL-Harris) said such a plaque would be "a small step" to pay tribute to women who have served in all branches of the military. More than 40,000 Minnesota women have served in the military and 17,000 women veterans currently live in the state, according to Jennings. Under the bill (HF2137), the plaque would be placed in the Court of Honor near the Veterans Service Building just south of the State Capitol. The Vietnam Memorial, dedicated in 1992, also is in that area of the Capitol grounds. The bill stipulates that no state funds would be used to pay for the plaque. Money for the memorial likely would come from private donors and veterans organizations. Veterans groups voiced strong support for the proposal. "We think it's important to recognize the contribution of women veterans in this state," said Milton Schoen, state legislative chair for the Minnesota American Legion. The bill now moves to the Rules and Legislative Administration Committee. Jennings has introduced similar legislation calling for a plaque on the State Capitol grounds to honor Persian Gulf War veterans, but it has not yet received a hearing. NOTES The date the Emancipation Proclamation was first publicly read in Texas will be observed as a day of recognition in Minnesota under a bill approved Feb. 1 by a House panel. HF1889, sponsored by Rep. Richard Jefferson (DFL-Mpls), designates June 19 as the official state observance of Juneteenth. Jefferson told the House Governmental Operations Committee that historians haven't been able to determine the exact date in 1865 when everyone in the nation knew that slavery had been abolished, but it was sometime between June 13 and 19 that year. As a state day of recognition, Juneteenth will be similar to Arbor Day and Ethnic American Day, which are not state holidays. The committee unanimously approved the bill, which now goes to the full House. A closer look . . . Problems continue to plague licensing process When Bill Welke of St. Paul applied to renew his Minnesota driver's license in December 1994, he was sure he'd allowed the state ample time to process his application. His license was set to expire on his birthday in March 1995; surely, he thought, three months would be adequate for the state to process the new license and send it to him. January came and went. February slipped by. So did March. Finally, in mid-April, Welke called the Driver and Vehicle Services Division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety to inquire about his license. He was told it would be another six to eight weeks before he was once again a legally licensed Minnesota driver. He called again on the last day of May and was told that it would take another two weeks. In July, concerned about an upcoming trip he was planning to Montana and Canada, Welke decided to change his plan of action. "I wasn't comfortable driving out of state with an expired license," he told the House Ways and Means Committee's Government Efficiency and Oversight Division on Jan. 31. So Welke sought help from his state representatives. Less than a week after their intervention, his license arrived in his mailbox. The upshot: It took Bill Welke more than seven months to get his driver's license -- and he got it that soon only after appealing for help to state lawmakers. Welke's testimony before the House panel came during a discussion of recent problems and delays in the Department of Public Safety in processing driver's license applications. Problems first surfaced with delayed driver's licenses in mid-1994, when the state switched to a new licensing system that was supposed to cut the wait for a license to two weeks, down from four to six weeks. The first problems had to do with photo images being transmitted over telephone lines to a Shoreview company producing the licenses. More than 4,000 photos were inadvertently devoured by computers, and those applicants had to have their pictures taken again, causing a backlog that ended up delaying 400,000 driver's licenses. But that wasn't the end of the problems. Last summer, after workers had finally cleared the backlog resulting from the photo foul-up, the state became part of the federally mandated Problem Driver Pointer System (PDPS), which cross-checks Minnesota license applicants in all other states to ensure that they have no license revocations elsewhere. Almost immediately, data entry operators -- who previously were able to enter license application information into state computers in about 30 seconds -- found that the PDPS system added up to a 20-second delay in moving from one screen to the next. That caused the productivity of the data entry operators, who previously were averaging 5,000 applications a day, to drop to 3,000 applications a day. By last September, that problem was fixed. But by that time, there was another daunting backlog in the Driver and Vehicle Services Division, and Minnesotans who apply for a driver's license today still must wait up to 45 days to receive it. Members of the Government Efficiency and Oversight Division had some pointed questions Jan. 31 for Katherine Burke Moore, director of the Driver and Vehicle Services Division, who has repeatedly promised both license applicants and lawmakers that the problems have been fixed, and that there will be no more problems in issuing licenses. "I respect you personally and professionally," Rep. Chuck Brown (DFL-Appleton) told Moore. "But I must be candid: Frankly, what I'm hearing here today, for lack of a better word, is excuses. You still haven't addressed the real issue: Why does it take 45 days for someone in Minnesota to get a driver's license?" Rep. Howard Orenstein (DFL-St.Paul) told Moore that the public is becoming increasingly frustrated with the delays, along with the fact that they have no alternative place to get a driver's license. "If I go into Burger King and they say I can't get a burger for seven weeks because their broiler's not working, I'll go to McDonald's," Orenstein said. "Minnesotans applying for driver's licenses don't have that option." Moore told lawmakers that her office is doing "everything within our means" to issue licenses more quickly, and said her goal is to bring the wait down to 10 to 14 days. She agreed to provide information to the committee on the benefits and disadvantages of using a central-issue driver's license system like Minnesota's; the alternative is an over-the-counter system like those in North Dakota and Wisconsin, where applicants receive their licenses the same day they apply for them, usually in about 15 minutes. Moore told the committee that a central-issue system is preferable, because an over-the-counter system doesn't provide the necessary time to do background checks on license applicants. Last year, the Legislature passed a bill that would have authorized refunds of license fees for any Minnesotan who had to wait six weeks or more for their license. Gov. Arne Carlson subsequently surprised lawmakers by vetoing the bill, calling it a "knee-jerk, quick-fix reaction to the contract problems the Driver and Vehicle Services Division experienced" during the summer of 1994. That bill, authored by Rep. Phil Carruthers (DFL- Brooklyn Center), has been reintroduced this year as HF2895. Committee members discussed the bill briefly, but took no action on it. --Betsy Gerboth The making of the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Recent talk of building a new sports stadium sounds like "deja vu all over again," to quote baseball great Yogi Berra. Twin Cities and state leaders spent nearly a decade grappling with proposals to build or not to build the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome before its construction in 1982. But it was the Vikings -- not the Twins -- that sparked Minneapolis and St. Paul officials to consider a new sports stadium in 1971. Vikings officials said Metropolitan Stadium was too small, too old and, in the winter, too cold. Built in 1956 for the Minneapolis Millers baseball team, the Met had undergone several renovations but, with a capacity of 48,700, was considered small relative to stadiums in other major cities. By 1972, the Minneapolis City Council was hearing highly charged debates on a proposed $51 million, 70,000-seat stadium to be built in the northern part of downtown Minneapolis. Despite opinion polls that showed Minnesotans strongly opposed to the idea, the city approved a plan and began arranging to borrow money. The plan died, however, when Minneapolis Mayor Charles Stenvig registered his opposition and called for a funding referendum. Voters backed his position. Stadium proponents were resilient, however, and in 1975, the Legislature began hearing stadium proposals, which ranged from expanding the University of Minnesota's Memorial Stadium to a $28 million open air football structure to a $126 million multi-purpose dome. There was even a proposal to build a recessed "earth" stadium in Lakeville. Many dome supporters said a dome would increase revenues. "Consumers in the state of Minnesota are very weather conscious,'' said then Twins executive Clark Griffith. "A dome eliminates the weather factor. It will bring more people to the ball games." The fear of losing one or even two major sports franchises was a big concern for many legislators. In April 1975, the Senate's Metropolitan and Urban Affairs Committee decided that something, either remodeling the Met or building a new stadium, had to be done to keep the Twins and Vikings in Minnesota. In 1976, the Joint House-Senate Subcommittee on Sports Facilities concluded that remodeling Bloomington's Met or the University of Minnesota's Memorial Stadium would cost more than building a multi-purpose stadium. As the stadium issue worked its way through both legislative houses, financing and location became key issues. Many outstate legislators resented a proposed motel-hotel tax, saying their constituents shouldn't pay for something they would seldom use. South suburban legislators didn't want their constituents paying a tax to support a Minneapolis stadium. And Minneapolis and St. Paul legislators had their own rivalries. At one point early in the stadium controversy, someone proposed building a stadium with one goal line in Minneapolis and the other in St. Paul, to be fair to both cities. That plan never developed. But a bill specifying no site for the stadium did prevail and was signed into law by Gov. Rudy Perpich in May of 1977. That same year a hotel- motel liquor tax was levied over the seven-county metro area to finance the stadium. In 1978, however, the law, which would have created public debt, was ruled unconstitutional by a district judge because it wasn't passed by 60 percent of both legislative bodies. The 2 percent liquor tax in the bill was also ruled unconstitutional. Predictably, the setback didn't kill the issue. A year and much political wrangling later, Gov. Al Quie signed a bill for a $55 million domed sports stadium in Minneapolis to be financed, in part, through a more limited hotel-motel and liquor tax, local business donations, and payments within a special tax district near the dome site. Some have said significant pressure for a Minneapolis dome from both the Vikings and the local business community were deciding factors in the final legislation. Despite more legal challenges, continued criticism from groups like Minnesotans Against the Downtown Dome and even a collapsed roof, the Metrodome was finished for the Twins' home opener in 1982. The 65,000-seat facility was the last two-sport stadium built in the United States. -- Kendall Anderson In the Hopper . . . Jan. 26 - Feb. 1, 1996 Bill Introductions Monday, January 29 HF2721--Knoblach (R) Governmental Operations Tribal government state gambling negotiations initiated by the governor. HF2722--Knoblach (R) Governmental Operations Tribal government state negotiations on issues of mutual interest initiated by the governor. HF2723--Trimble (DFL) Regulated Industries & Energy High-level radioactive waste and spent fuel storage fee provisions modified, and midwest regulatory utilities agreement development provided. HF2724--Ness (R) Education Experimental learning program teacher license variance provided. HF2725--Clark (DFL) International Trade & Economic Development Green business development program established to encourage environmentally friendly business development, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2726--Ness (R) Education Instructional transformation through technology grant use provisions modified. HF2727--Entenza (DFL) Education Special education revenue base year definition modified. HF2728--Mahon (DFL) Labor-Management Relations Railroad employee interests protected following railroad acquisitions, and penalty provided. HF2729--Cooper (DFL) Health & Human Services Nursing facility reimbursement provisions modified. HF2730--Cooper (DFL) Transportation & Transit Telecommuting encouraged by public safety department and telecommuting day established. HF2731--Dawkins (DFL) Governmental Operations Military affairs facility design and development provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2732--Hasskamp (DFL) Education School district aid reduction eliminated for certain districts. HF2733--Osskopp (R) Taxes Senior citizens provided property tax rate freeze. HF2734--Rukavina (DFL) Judiciary College education program payment by corrections department prohibited for certain inmates convicted of murder. HF2735--Rukavina (DFL) Labor-Management Relations Charitable hospital employer/employee arbitration provisions modified. HF2736--Wejcman (DFL) Health & Human Services Human service foster care deemed a community social service. HF2737--Lourey (DFL) Health & Human Services Vocational rehabilitation employment support services for persons with mental illness provided additional funding, and money appropriated. HF2738--Hasskamp (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Crow Wing County tax-forfeited land sale authorized. HF2739--Marko (DFL) Transportation & Transit Toll road facility public hearings required prior to development agreement approval or denial. HF2740--Macklin (R) Judiciary Civil action sanction provisions modified and expanded. HF2741--Luther (DFL) Education Independent School District No. 279, Osseo, tax levy authorized for instructional services for at-risk children. HF2742--Luther (DFL) Education Low-income concentration grant program funding increased, and money appropriated. HF2743--Lourey (DFL) Health & Human Services Community integrated service network standard benefit set exemption provided. HF2744--Kelso (DFL) Education Charter school law and interdistrict open enrollment expanded. HF2745--Kelso (DFL) Education School districts authorized to enter into extended building agreements. HF2746--Otremba (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Potato blight research grant provided, and money appropriated. HF2747--Hasskamp (DFL) Judiciary Marriage license applications to indicate that parties are of legal age. HF2748--Davids (R) Financial Institutions & Insurance Elmira detached banking facility establishement authorized. HF2749--Weaver (R) Health & Human Services State-funded abortion right prohibited, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF2750--Mulder (R) Taxes Rock County aggregate removal tax imposition provided. HF2751--Mulder (R) Health & Human Services State-funded abortion right prohibited, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF2752--Luther (DFL) Commerce,Tourism & Consumer Affairs Pawnbroker regulation act adopted. HF2753--Greenfield (DFL) Health & Human Services Medical Assistance burial expense exclusion limitation provided, asset transfers prohibited, and penalties provided. HF2754--Kraus (R) General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Incumbent candidate number of years of service printed on ballots. HF2755--Bradley (R) Health & Human Services Health care cost containment goals provided. HF2756--Orenstein (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance St. Paul science museum design and construction provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2757--Rest (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Metropolitan Airports Commission revenue bond issuance authorized. HF2758--Orenstein (DFL) Governmental Operations State agency action deadline provisions modified. HF2759--Opatz (DFL) General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Recall provided for elected state officers, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF2760--Wejcman (DFL) Judiciary Standby guardians provided to care for minors in emergency situations. HF2761--Weaver (R) Judiciary Adoption process flexibility and finality provided. HF2762--Carruthers (DFL) Judiciary Finance Law enforcement officer hiring grant program established to increase the number of officers working on juvenile crime, and money appropriated. HF2763--Murphy (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Western Lake Superior sanitary district sewer interceptor extension provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2764--Lindner (R) Health & Human Services Omnibus state medical aid program consolidation bill. HF2765--Gunther (R) Health & Human Services Omnibus state medical aid program consolidation bill. HF2766--Dawkins (DFL) Taxes Neighborhood assistance program contribution income tax credit provided. HF2767--Dawkins (DFL) Taxes Revenue recapture act claimant agency provisions modified related to municipal library claims. HF2768--Greiling (DFL) Governmental Operations State employee parking facility fees limited. HF2769--Larsen (R) Governmental Operations Casino gaming authorized by a nonprofit organization, net revenue dedication provided, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF2770--Larsen (R) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Metropolitan Council, Metropolitan Parks and Open Space Commission, Metropolitan Sports Facilities Commission, Metropolitan Radio Board, and Metropolitan Mosquito Control District abolished, and duties transferred. HF2771--Hackbarth (R) Agriculture Agricultural chemical use liability immunity provisions modified. HF2772--Winter (DFL) Transportation & Transit Telecommuting encouraged by transportation department, and community dialouge process established. HF2773--Schumacher (DFL) Education Secondary pupil unit weightings adjusted and appropriation caps repealed. HF2774--Clark (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure, & Regulation Finance Omnibus bonding bill providing capital improvements, and money appropriated. HF2775--Dorn (DFL) Education South central Minnesota educational cooperative appropriated money for materials lost in the Ramy building fire. HF2776--Pelowski (DFL) Education Winona State University chiller plant construction authorized, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2777--Delmont (DFL) Governmental Operations National Sports Center and national volleyball center construction and land acquisition provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2778--Orenstein (DFL) Judiciary Family court block calendar pilot program referee powers and duties modified. HF2779--Entenza (DFL) Judiciary Motor vehicle operation resulting in bodily harm crime defined, and penalties prescribed. HF2780--Carlson, L. (DFL) Transportation & Transit Driver's license residence address use restrictions provided. HF2781--Long (DFL) Taxes Property tax treatment provided for facilities funded from multiple sources. HF2782--Orenstein (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Intergovernmental relations advisory council established. HF2783--Osthoff (DFL) Governmental Operations State employee accrued vacation donation authorized for the benefit of a state lottery employee. HF2784--Trimble (DFL) Regulated Industries & Energy Nuclear waste dry cask storage provisions modified. HF2785--Kelso (DFL) Education Higher education institution contribution income tax credit established. HF2786--Johnson, V. (R) Governmental Operations Rushford public television transmitter construction provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2787--McCollum (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure, & Regulation Finance North St. Paul highway overpass construction provided, and bonds issued. HF2788--Frerichs (R) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Temporary on-sale intoxicating liquor license restrictions modified. HF2789--Entenza (DFL) Judiciary Fraudulent transfers under theft statute intent element clarified. HF2790--Pelowski (DFL) Health & Human Services Nursing home bed moratorium exception allowed for a facility in Winona. HF2791--Mares (R) Education Independent School District No. 624, White Bear Lake, class size reduction grant provided, and money appropriated. HF2792--Dawkins (DFL) Financial Institutions & Insurance Dishonored check service charges regulated. HF2793--Dawkins (DFL) Taxes Property assessment equalization and payment procedure study provided. HF2794--Rice (DFL) Governmental Operations Cambridge state bank judgement bond issuance authority repealed. HF2795--Van Engen (R) Health & Human Services Willmar Regional Treatment Center planning and remodeling provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2796--Tompkins (R) Transportation & Transit Metropolitan area replacement transit service permitted. HF2797--Tompkins (R) Taxes Seasonal recreational property tax class rate reduced. HF2798--Hasskamp (DFL) Judiciary Law enforcement data classification provisions modified. HF2799--Milbert (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Aquatic farm provisions modified, wild rice harvesting season established, youth hunting residency requirement removed, trout and salmon stamp exceptions modified, and state hatchery egg and fry disposal priorities modified. HF2800--Entenza (DFL) Housing Tenant security deposit central depository institution required. HF2801--Dawkins (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Local government performance aid program created, and money appropriated. HF2802--Tompkins (R) Taxes Property tax assessments limited to four-year intervals. HF2803--Worke (R) Taxes Cemetery lawn and garden care sales tax exemption provided. HF2804--Bertram (DFL) Judiciary DWI; driving while intoxicated and criminal vehicular operation laws prohibitions expanded. HF2805--Bertram (DFL) Taxes Used farm machinery sales tax exemption extended. HF2806--Koppendrayer (R) Education Nonpublic school educational aid provisions modified. HF2807--Bertram (DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Bed and breakfast establishements allowed to offer wine without a license, liquor license fee provisions modified, and retailers allowed to offer samples of distilled spirits. HF2808--Long (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Local government official compensation limit provisions modified. HF2809--Bradley (R) Judiciary Probate descent homestead and property tax exemption provisions modified. HF2810--Van Dellen (R) Judiciary Personal injury action non-economic damages limited, joint and several liability eliminated, and attorney fees provided. HF2811--Haas (R) Health & Human Services MinnesotaCare private sector administration report due date modified. HF2812--Haas (R) Taxes Use tax payment provided with income tax returns. HF2813--Haas (R) Health & Human Services Regional treatment center privatization feasibility study required. HF2814--Winter (DFL) Taxes Alcoholic beverage sales tax rate increased, and revenue dedication provided to the chemical dependency treatment account. HF2815--Wagenius (DFL) Education Adopt-a-classroom program created, school site foundation guide developed, and endowed chair program for schools established. HF2816--Kelley (DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Computer information services use data access regulated. HF2817--Tompkins (R) Governmental Operations Gambling minimum legal age increased to 21. HF2818--Greenfield (DFL) Health & Human Services Health and human services supplemental appropriations bill. HF2819--Erhardt (R) Financial Institutions & Insurance Health plan risk adjustment enrolee cost sharing provision disclosure required. HF2820--Peterson (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Minnesota River watershed best management practices monitoring provided, and money appropriated. HF2821--Bakk (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Wastewater treatment projects appropriated money, water pollution control grants provided, and bonds issued. HF2822--McElroy (R) Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance State highway truck station design-build methodology established. HF2823--Milbert (DFL) Taxes Housing interest rate reduction program tax increment use allowed. HF2824--Greiling (DFL) Governmental Operations Political subdivision compensation limit eliminated. HF2825--Dorn (DFL) Governmental Operations Indian gaming negotiation commission created. HF2826--Johnson, V. (R) Environment & Natural Resources Individual sewage treatment system compliance requirements specified. HF2827--Kinkel (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Cass County land conveyance authorized. HF2828--Kinkel (DFL) Education Independent School District Nos. 113, Walker- Akeley, 115, Cass Lake, 118, Remer, and 2174, Pine River-Backus, special education base revenue adjustment provided, and money appropriated. HF2829--Kinkel (DFL) Education State college and university board of regents composition modified, and board member duties specified. HF2830--Sviggum (R) Taxes Taconite production tax permanent rate established, and taconite economic development fund distribution provisions modified. HF2831--Milbert (DFL) Governmental Operations Amateur Sports Commission ice arena grants provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2832--Larsen (R) Governmental Operations Government employee interchange governance provisions modified. HF2833--Clark (DFL) Governmental Operations Minneapolis urban sports facility development provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2834--Hasskamp (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Child boating safety act adopted. HF2835--Carlson, L. (DFL) Judiciary DWI-related offense sanctions advanced. HF2836--Ostrom (DFL) Judiciary Neuroleptic medication hearing county responsibilities clarified. HF2837--Molnau (R) Judiciary Sentencing Guidelines Commission annual judge sentencing practices report required. HF2838--Pellow (R) Judiciary Juvenile crime data release to crime victims authorized. HF2839--Garcia (DFL) Transportation & Transit Motor fuel tax increase revenue dedicated to the multimodal transportation fund, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF2840--Marko (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Wakota Bridge construction provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2841--Leighton (DFL) Labor-Management Relations Minimum wage employer liability provisions modified, and penalties imposed. HF2842--Kelley (DFL) Judiciary Domestic assault and harassment offender release provisions modified, and notice required. HF2843--Peterson (DFL) Education Education funding stabilization account established, and education appropriation caps removed. HF2844--McElroy (R) Transportation & Transit Speed limits raised on highways, seat belt and child restraint use failure citations authorized, Dimler amendment repealed, and money appropriated. HF2845--Rest (DFL) Governmental Operations Legislative auditor appointment provisions modified, and data privacy provided. HF2846--Kalis (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Faribault County tax-forfeited land conveyance authorized. HF2847--Orenstein (DFL) Judiciary Finance Board of Invention state money use prohibition removed. HF2848--Pelowski (DFL) Housing Single-family housing bond allotment use provisions modified. HF2849--Cooper (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Passing on the farm center appropriated money. HF2850--Jennings (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance St. Croix valley heritage center appropriation transfer provided. HF2851--Tomassoni (DFL) Governmental Operations Video game of chance definition modified. HF2852--Osskopp (R) Judiciary Property value reduction as a result of government action civil cause of action provided, and attorney general required to review proposed rules relating to taking property. HF2853--Johnson, V. (R) Environment & Natural Resources Wetland compensation and replacement credit studies required. HF2854--Peterson (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Blue Earth/Minnesota River trail acquisition provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2855--McCollum (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure, & Regulation Finance North St. Paul highway overpass construction provided. Wednesday, January 31 HF2856--Wenzel (DFL) Judiciary Drive-by shooting crime penalties increased. HF2857--Cooper (DFL) Agriculture Feedlot regulatory authority granted to local governments. HF2858--Wenzel (DFL) Governmental Operations Camp Ripley National Guard education center use authorized as a state education and training center. HF2859--Carruthers (DFL) Taxes Senior citizens provided property tax refund. HF2860--Bakk (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Disabled angling and spearing license provisions modified. HF2861--Pugh (DFL) Judiciary Finance Courts, prosecutors, and law enforcement agencies required to provide certain documents to public defenders free of charge, and public defense board appropriations use provisions modified. HF2862--Sviggum (R) Taxes Agricultural land property tax classification provisions modified. HF2863--Rukavina (DFL) Labor-Management Relations Flame retardant clothing provided by employers at no cost to employees. HF2864--Onnen (R) Governmental Operations Norwood and Young America firefighter relief association consolidation provided. HF2865--Workman (R) Transportation & Transit Lead-free road pavement marking requirement delayed. HF2866--Osskopp (R) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Temporary on-sale liquor license restrictions modified. HF2867--Leighton (DFL) Labor-Management Relations Workers' compensation premium calculation provisions modified, and independent contractor provisions modified. HF2868--Winter (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Prairieland expo facility construction provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2869--Olson, E. (DFL) Taxes Used farm machinery sales tax exemption extended. HF2870--Luther (DFL) Transportation & Transit Olympic license plate issuance authorized, fee revenue dedication provided, and money appropriated. HF2871--Pugh (DFL) Health & Human Services Family services collaborative representative selection provided. HF2872--Pugh (DFL) Judiciary Unwed mother birth information released to family service collaboratives. HF2873--Delmont (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Anoka County tax-forfeited land sale authorized. HF2874--Kelso (DFL) Education Law school loan repayment assistance program established, and money appropriated. HF2875--Rukavina (DFL) General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Biwabik election date modification authorized. HF2876--Kahn (DFL) Education University of Minnesota steam plant construction provided away from the Mississippi River, and money appropriated. HF2877--Macklin (R) Judiciary Joint and several liability apportionment abolished in certain cases. HF2878--Huntley (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Home energy assistance program funded, and money appropriated. HF2879--Farrell (DFL) Governmental Operations Alcohol use prohibited in state buildings. HF2880--Carlson, L. (DFL) General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Recall provided for elected state officers, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF2881--Cooper (DFL) Transportation & Transit Transportation funding formula modification provided, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF2882--Wagenius (DFL) Taxes Apartment building property tax class rate reduction provided. HF2883--Cooper (DFL) Transportation & Transit Traffic and parking violation delinquent fine notification, recording, and collection system established, and money appropriated. HF2884--Dawkins (DFL) Taxes County property tax reduction provided, and money appropriated. HF2885--Daggett (R) Taxes Long-term care insurance premium income tax credit provided. HF2886--Pawlenty (R) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Metropolitan comprehensive land use plans superseded by local zoning requirements. HF2887--Dauner(DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Carbon monoxide detectors required in residential buildings. HF2888--Leppik (R) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Metropolitan Council regional parks land acquisition and improvements provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2889--Onnen (R) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Norwood and Young America consolidated into the city of Norwood-Young America. HF2890--Clark (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Youthbuild training program funded, and money appropriated. HF2891--Farrell (DFL) Judiciary Finance Municipal curfew enforcement grants provided by public safety department, and money appropriated. HF2892--Jennings (DFL) General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Nonprofit corporation fund use authorized for the administration of political committees or funds. HF2893--Dawkins (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Ramsey County tax-forfeited land acquisition allowed. HF2894--Mahon (DFL) International Trade & Economic Development Economic recovery grant use conditions imposed. HF2895--Carruthers (DFL) Ways & Means Drivers' license fee refund provided in certain cases, and state contract validity conditions provided. HF2896--Leppik (R) Education Permanent university fund financial conditions removed. HF2897--Kelso (DFL) Education University of Minnesota biomedical engineering center funded, and money appropriated. HF2898--Erhardt (R) Taxes Property tax refund provisions repealed. HF2899--Kahn (DFL) Governmental Operations University of Minnesota Hospital and Clinic employees to receive state retirement benefits. HF2900--Murphy (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Emergency deer feeding appropriation deficiency corrected, and money appropriated. HF2901--Cooper (DFL) Financial Institutions & Insurance Health insurance technical changes and clarification provided. HF2902--Bakk (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Emergency deer feeding program appropriated money. HF2903--Carruthers (DFL) Judiciary Truancy citation issuance authorized, juvenile booking procedures established, and aliases of juvenile offenders entered into the statewide juvenile information system. HF2904--Warkentin (R) Education Anoka-Ramsey Community College improvements provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2905--Perlt (DFL) Education School districts to provide transportation to bus stops near day care facilities. HF2906--Osskopp (R) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Temporary on-sale liquor license restrictions modified. HF2907--Haas (R) Health & Human Services Medical care vendor claims submission provisions modified. HF2908--Girard (R) Agriculture Corporate farm ownership limitations modified. HF2909--Dawkins (DFL) Housing State bond issuance provided for housing purposes, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF2910--Greenfield (DFL) Health & Human Services Personal care assistant age requirements modified related to school-sponsored work programs. HF2911--Peterson (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Alfalfa research and development program provided, and money appropriated. HF2912--Tunheim (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Turf grass research and development support continued, and money appropriated. HF2913--Tunheim (DFL) Labor-Management Relations Workers' compensation daily wage definition modified. HF2914--Kalis (DFL) Taxes Cemetery lawn and garden care sales tax exemption provided. HF2915--Hasskamp (DFL) Education School district aid reduction eliminated for certain districts. HF2916--Smith (R) Education School district financial responsibility established for provision of special services for disabled children. HF2917--Seagren (R) Governmental Operations Highland Hills/Bush Lake ski area ski jump construction provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2918--Greenfield (DFL) Judiciary Administrative forfeiture law criminal proceeding commencement timing specified. HF2919--Pugh (DFL) Judiciary Prisoner labor provisions modified, and imprisonment prohibited for failure of prisoner to pay fines or other court costs. HF2920--Delmont (DFL) Education Education equalized debt service levy and appropriation provisions modified. HF2921--Haas (R) Environment & Natural Resources Hennepin County tax-forfeited land conveyance authorized. HF2922--Brown (DFL) Judiciary Finance Prairie correctional facility state acquisition provided, and money appropriated. HF2923--Pugh (DFL) Judiciary Civil action sanction acknowledgement, imposition, and initiation provided. HF2924--Wenzel (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Morrison County rural development finance authority grant provided, and money appropriated. HF2925--Solberg (DFL) Financial Institutions & Insurance Homeowner's insurance mortgagee payments regulated. HF2926--Solberg (DFL) Financial Institutions & Insurance Homeowner's insurance claim denials regulated. HF2927--Kalis (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Farmamerica funded through the state historical society, and money appropriated. HF2928--Bertram (DFL) Governmental Operations Volunteer firefighters relief association lump sum benefit amount provisions modified. HF2929--Farrell (DFL) Judiciary Electronic pager sales prohibited to minors, and penalties provided. HF2930--Farrell (DFL) Judiciary Drivers required to yield to pedestrians in crosswalks, and penalties increased. HF2931--Farrell (DFL) Judiciary Employment criminal background check mandatory dismissal provisions modified. HF2932--Farrell (DFL) Judiciary Finance Prairie correctional facility prisoner housing contract required with corrections department. HF2933--Solberg (DFL) Education Itasca County provided grant for integrated community resource centers with interactive television links, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2934--Solberg (DFL) Education Itasca County provided grant for integrated community resource centers with interactive television links, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2935--Carruthers (DFL) Housing Real estate contracts for deed rent assignment provided, and tenant rights clarified. HF2936--Perlt (DFL) Taxes Valley Branch watershed district fund levy increase permitted. HF2937--Haas (R) Health & Human Services Minnesota employees insurance program appropriation repealed. HF2938--Skoglund (DFL) Judiciary Revisor's bill correcting oversights, inconsistencies, ambiguities, and technical errors. HF2939--Peterson (DFL) Governmental Operations Disaster relief fund established for individuals and families, and money appropriated. HF2940--Pugh (DFL) Governmental Operations Pulltab and tipboard tax provisions modified. Thursday, February 1 HF2941--Krinkie (R) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Municipal net debt exclusion limitation provided related to personal property transactions. HF2942--Macklin (R) Taxes Homestead improperly claimed benefit recovery provided. HF2943--Garcia (DFL) Housing Apartment property valuation increase limitation provided. HF2944--Greenfield (DFL) Health & Human Services Mental health and mental retardation omdudsman technical modifications provided. HF2945--McGuire (DFL) Judiciary Patient medical data access and fee provisions modified. HF2946--Workman (R) Judiciary Child visitation restrictions provided for parents convicted of certain offenses. HF2947--Larsen (R) Health & Human Services Constitutional standard established relating to abortion, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF2948--Long (DFL) Judiciary DWI; impaired driving offense conviction provided felony penalty for third offense within five years and fourth offense within 10 years. HF2949--Long (DFL) Transportation & Transit Metropolitan regional transportation policy established, and money appropriated. HF2950--Cooper (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Airport construction restricted, noise mitigation plan inclusion and soundproofing provided, transitway construction required, met center purchase authorized, and money appropriated. HF2951--Wejcman (DFL) Health & Human Services Alternative care and home and community-based waiver for the elderly programs combined. HF2952--Wejcman (DFL) Health & Human Services Medicare reimbursement federal waiver request provided. HF2953--Wejcman (DFL) Governmental Operations Retiring state employees provided offer of long- term care insurance. HF2954--Johnson, V. (R) Environment & Natural Resources Tresspassing while hunting penalties modified. HF2955--Carlson, L. (DFL) Education Vocational technical education council provisions modified, and money appropriated. HF2956--Rest (DFL) Taxes Tax increment financing local contribution calculation provisions clarified. HF2957--Jennings (DFL) Regulated Industries & Energy Dairy cattle electric current study program extended, and money appropriated. HF2958--Erhardt (R) Taxes Seasonal residential property references modified. HF2959--Leighton (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Airport construction restricted, noise mitigation plan inclusion and soundproofing provided, transitway construction required, met center purchase authorized, and money appropriated. HF2960--Orenstein (DFL) Education Work skills update program demonstration provided, and money appropriated. HF2961--Jefferson (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Minneapolis Convention Center expansion provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2962--Abrams (R) General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections School district referenda notice requirements imposed. HF2963--Long (DFL) Taxes Unimproved property bordering water provided property tax class rate. HF2964--Long (DFL) Taxes School district referenda levy provisions modified. HF2965--Goodno (R) Taxes Noncommercial seasonal residential property referendum levy provisions modified. HF2966--Krinkie (R) Taxes Seasonal residential property owners allowed to vote on bonding and property tax questions where property is located, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF2967--Macklin (R) Taxes Seasonal residential property tax classification provisions modified. HF2968--Solberg (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources St. Louis County tax-forfeited land sale authorized. HF2969--Broecker (R) Judiciary Finance Ramsey County at-risk juvenile programs provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2970--Macklin (R) Judiciary Joint and several liability apportionment regulated. HF2971--Kelso (DFL) Education School district operating referenda conducted at the same time as bond elections. HF2972--Erhardt (R) Judiciary Finance Edina south metro joint public safety training facility provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2973--Delmont (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Metropolitan Council regional parks land acquisition and improvements provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2974--Rest (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Professional sports stadium construction nonbinding referendum provided. HF2975--Kelso (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Scott County auditor, recorder, and treasurer appointment permitted. HF2976--Tomassoni (DFL) Governmental Operations Video lottery terminal and pull-tab dispensing device operation at licensed horse racetracks regulated bu the state lottery. HF2977--Kinkel (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Toxics in products law repealed. HF2978--Greiling (DFL) Ethics Lobbyist periodic reporting requirements modified. HF2979--Dehler (R) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Tobacco sales to minors crime provided mandatory minimum fines. HF2980--Bakk (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Toxics in products law repealed. HF2981--Entenza (DFL) Education Pupil unit definition and learning and development revenue provisions modified. HF2982--Wenzel (DFL) Agriculture Minnesota dairy producers board established, and money appropriated. HF2983--Sarna (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Metropolitan Council regional parks land acquisition and improvements provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2984--Hasskamp (DFL) Health & Human Services Constitutional standard established relating to abortion, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF2985--Johnson, A. (DFL) Taxes Long-term insurance premium income tax credit provided. HF2986--Johnson, A. (DFL) Education Education obsolete references removed. HF2987--Dawkins (DFL) Judiciary Vacant property redemption period provided. HF2988--Wenzel (DFL) Transportation & Transit Trunk Highway No. 131 designated as Veterans Memorial Highway. HF2989--Jennings (DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Legislative committees to provide advice and comment regarding state agency rules. HF2990--Wenzel (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Crow Wing and Morrison County land conveyances authorized. HF2991--Wenzel (DFL) Governmental Operations Gambling prohibited other than gambling for charitable purposes, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF2992--Wenzel (DFL) Judiciary Finance Camp Ripley correctional facility established, and money appropriated. HF2993--Davids (R) Health & Human Services Child support county administrative participation made optional. HF2994--Orfield (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Minneapolis special service district expansion provisions modified. HF2995--Daggett (R) Environment & Natural Resources Wadena County tax-forfeited land sale authorized. HF2996--Tunheim (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Beaver damage control joint powers board grant provided, and money appropriated. HF2997--Vickerman (R) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Non-intoxicating liquor term usage discontinued. HF2998--Krinkie (R) Transportation & Transit Road authority nonconforming mailbox structure removal charges mandated. HF2999--Dauner (DFL) Taxes Breckenridge tax increment financing requirements modified. HF3000--Krinkie (R) Regulated Industries & Energy Retail wheeling for qualifying facilities act adopted. HF3001--Davids (R) Health & Human Services Recreational camping area water supply requirement exemption provided. HF3002--Wenzel (DFL) Judiciary Violent criminal sexual conduct in the first or second degree provided mandatory minimum sentences. HF3003--Peterson (DFL) Transportation & Transit Train unlawful intersection blocking deemed a misdemeanor, and penalty provided. HF3004--Rice (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance State departments prohibited from imposing geographical limitations on license issuances. HF3005--Rukavina (DFL) Labor-Management Relations Workforce investment fund allocation provisions modified. HF3006--Rukavina (DFL) Taxes Municipalities authorized to turn property over to development associations. HF3007--Jaros (DFL) International Trade & Economic Development International classroom connection grant program established, and money appropriated. HF3008--Rukavina (DFL) Ethics Ethical Practices Board name changed to board of public disclosure. HF3009--Knoblach (R) General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Legislative and congressional reapportionment provided, and constitutional amendment proposed. DO YOU KNOW It took a "political orphan" to break one party's 40-year hold on the Minnesota governor's chair. A one-handed teacher turned lawyer turned politician named John Lind won election to the state's top executive post in 1898 and became the first Democrat to hold the job since Henry Sibley, Minnesota's first governor. But Lind was no run-of-the-mill Democrat. He was elected as the state's 14th governor under the banner of the Democrat, Populist, and People's Silver Republican parties -- a coalition forged during a divisive time in GOP politics. Lind had served as a Republican during three terms in Congress stretching from 1887 to 1892. But, with the party in turmoil, he followed William Jennings Bryan in a split with President William McKinley. After a failed bid for governor in 1896, Lind received the backing of a fusion of political interests, dubbed the "Succotash Party," for a gubernatorial run in 1898. "To be frank with you my friends, I will have to say to you that I don't know that I have any party," Lind said as quoted by George M. Stephenson in John Lind of Minnesota. "Perhaps it might be said of me that I am a political orphan." Despite losing his left hand in a childhood hunting accident, Lind was in Georgia in the summer of 1898 serving as a lieutenant with Minnesota National Guard. The troops were called into action during the Spanish-American War. He was able to free himself of his military obligations in time for only two weeks of campaigning, but Lind still managed to defeat Republican William Henry Eustis to become the state's second foreign-born chief executive and its first of Swedish descent. Lind, the son of immigrant farmers who lived in Goodhue County, served one two-year term as governor. His administration was marked by his (mostly failed) efforts to reform state tax practices. He argued that property taxes were unduly burdensome -- a familiar theme today -- and called for cuts in property taxes, a small income tax, and increased taxes on corporations. But his proposals found little support in the Legislature. After losing a re-election bid, Lind lived and practiced law in Minneapolis, spent one more term in Congress (this time as a Democrat), and served President Woodrow Wilson as a special representative in Mexico. Lind died in 1930 at his Lowry Hill home in Minneapolis at the age of 76. MINNESOTA INDEX Tobacco in Minnesota House vote to ban the sale of cigarettes in Minnesota, March 22, 1901 72-36 Senate vote on March 26, 1901 25-27 Maximum fine for violating Minnesota's Clean Indoor Air Act $200 Percent of adults who smoke in Anoka County, highest in the 7-county Metro area 24 Percent of adult Minnesotans who smoke, 1993 22.5 Surveyed smokers who smoked their first cigarette before age 14 2:3 Members of the Minnesota Smokers' Rights Coalition 1,600 Number of licensed child care centers in Minnesota in which you're allowed to smoke 0 Number, of 14 businesses tested in an October 1991 sting operation in Austin, Minn., that sold cigarettes to minors 14 Number that still sold to minors the following spring 5 Under current law, maximum fine that may be imposed on a clerk selling tobacco to a minor $3,000 Maximum jail sentence, in days 365 Under current law, maximum fine that may be levied against minors who smoke or chew tobacco, or who purchase, attempt to purchase, or possess tobacco $200 Number of tobacco-oriented billboards permitted in Litchfield, Roseville, and Shoreview 0 Length of time that a Chanhassen retailer may not sell tobacco if caught selling to minors a third time, in years 1 States with some form of "pre-emption" law, disallowing local governments from engaging in the regulation of tobacco sales, November 1995 26 Times that a state pre-emption law has been repealed 0 States passing laws during 1994 related to the sale of tobacco or tobacco products to minors 13 Number of permitted tobacco product factories nationwide, FY1993 114 Cigarettes produced by those factories, in billions, FY1993 687.4 Minnesota Statutes; House Journal, 1901; Minneapolis Star Tribune, Mower County Chemical Health Team; Governing, November 1995; Minnesota Department of Health; Ready Reference 1994, Department of the Treasury, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, Public Affairs Branch; National Conference of State Legislatures.