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State Representative Jeanne Poppe
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4193
For more information contact: Sandy Connolly 651-296-8877
NEWS COLUMN
Local project advances to Governor
With the end of the 2006 Legislative session rapidly approaching, we are steadily working on finishing the many bills we have yet before us. The priority bill of this session, the Capital Investment Bill, is in the final stage of Conference Committee. On Thursday, conferees were named to the Supplemental Budget Conference Committee and the Stadium Conference Committee. The charge of the Conference Committee is to reach a compromise agreement between the House and the Senate. We will need to vote on the final version of these bills next week in order to be finished on time.
This week, I received unanimous support on the House floor for a bill I submitted on behalf of Catherwood Child Care Home in Austin. As you may know, Catherwood is operated by a non-profit organization and contracts with numerous employers to provide 24-hour childcare. The new legislation will allow for Catherwood to be licensed under home child-care licensing standards. In addition, a capacity variance was granted that will allow the program to offer flexibility during transition periods, such as early morning and after school.
As a first-term legislator, it is a rare opportunity to bring a bill to the House floor. With over 4,000 bills introduced over the last two years, having one selected for a vote on the Floor is significant. The Senate has already approved this bill, moving it now to the Governor for his signature.
Two other bills I co-authored also passed this week. The first sets some standards for a growing industry - assisted living services. Between 1997 and 2004, the number of assisted living establishments in the state more than doubled, going from 426 to 907. Minnesota has more assisted living establishments and units than nursing homes and nursing home beds.
There is no doubt this rapid growth of the assisted living and home care industry provides a valuable service to thousands of Minnesotans who are unable to live on their own. Up until now, there has been no standard definition of what this service is, and as such, no consistent regulations. This bill helps define what assisted living is, and establishes some quality standards and consumer protection provisions.
For example, under this legislation, assisted living facilities must provide supportive services such as at least two meals a day, weekly housekeeping and laundry service, assistance with transportation to medical and social services and help with accessing community resources.
Assisted living programs are also required to have a response system that includes a registered nurse on call at all times and an awake staff person ready to respond to health and safety requests. By establishing standards such as these, we are helping residents in assisted living facilities receive the proper medical, diet, hygienic and social assistance they need.
Liability limits set for local government joint ventures
I also co-authored a bill passed on Thursday that sets liability limits for local governmental joint ventures. This legislation arose out of a recent court decision, which allowed recovery of the maximum liability limit from both a school district and a city for an accident that occurred at a jointly operated swimming pool.
The best way to describe what this bill does is to give an example. If someone is injured in a library that is part of a regional library system, this new legislation will not allow for stacking the liability limits of each library for a settlement. Instead, only the liability limit of the library where the incident occurred will be in force.
At the same time, this bill also raised the liability limit for units of government, from $300 thousand per incident to $400 thousand until 2010, when it goes up to $500 thousand.
I believe this bill does a good job of allowing cooperative ventures between governmental units to continue, while at the same time providing enough liability coverage to protect the consumer.
Fire Safety Account and Fire Insurance Tax
I supported legislation this week to establish a surcharge on homeowner's and commercial property insurance for the establishment of a Fire Safety Account. The funds in this account will be used for firefighter training and education, programs and staffing for the State Fire Marshall Division, and fire-related regional response team programs.
We depend on our community firefighters to save our property and our lives; I was pleased this dedicated funding source was established to ensure they receive the support and training they need to do their job.
Civic Life Workgroup
I recently became a member of the Civic Life Workgroup, a bipartisan group of legislators who are looking at ways to promote civic engagement in Minnesota. As a 19-year member of the local League of Women Voters, I strongly believe in active participation in government and encourage community members to become educated on issues. Providing citizens of all ages with the opportunity to get involved in policy making and keeping residents informed of the issues facing our state is critical to the success of our representative democracy.
Please feel free to contact me with your suggestions and feedback. I can be reached by phone at 1-888-682-3180 or 1-651-296-4193, by mail at 231 State Office Building, 100 Martin Luther King Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155 or via e-mail at rep.jeanne.poppe@house.mn.
News Items
- POPPE SELECTED AS AGRICULTURE POLICY COMMITTEE CHAIR - (Posted: 2012-11-16 00:00:00)
- Rep. Jeanne Poppe Encourages High School Juniors to Apply for Minnesota House of Representatives Page Program - Application Deadline is November 19th - (Posted: 2012-11-12 00:00:00)
- HORMEL INSTITUTE EXPANSION SIGNED INTO LAW - 2012 legislative session adjourns sine die - (Posted: 2012-05-11 00:00:00)
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