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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
For more information contact: House GOP Communications 651-296-5520
OP/ED COLUMN
Notes from the Capitol
By State Rep. Paul Anderson
All eyes were on the state Capitol Thursday when Gov. Tim Pawlenty addressed both houses of the Legislature and gave his State of the State message.
I had the honor to be among those in attendance, escorting the Governor into the House Chamber before he gave his speech. As was the case for the opening day of the session last week, the Chamber was packed full as we listened to the Governor speak.
Committees started gearing up this past week, with many holding their first meeting. Green Acres is a hot topic around the Capitol and several bills have already been introduced to either make changes in the action taken last session or to repeal it. The Stearns County Board of Commissioners has gone on record urging that it be repealed so that further study can be done before any changes are made.
Among the changes made last year was one that differentiates between “productive” and “non-productive” farm land. It has meant added work for local county assessors to split and re-classify some parcels, and it’s also had the unintended consequence of causing land that is currently planted to grass or trees to be cleared. It seems clear that some kind of change will be forthcoming regarding Green Acres.
I am also serving on the Government Operations Committee and, in light of the recent and on-going recount and court case in the U.S. Senate race, one area sure to be looked at is voting procedures in Minnesota.
The entire process of absentee voting needs to be made more “user-friendly.” I was informed about a Sauk Centre couple who had lived in town for more than 50 years and who had recently moved to the edge of town on the golf course. They applied to vote absentee and received the necessary papers from the county auditor in St. Cloud. A self-addressed envelope was also included, and the couple returned their votes in that envelope.
Turns out they were now residents of a township and not the city anymore, and their votes were delivered to the city of Sauk Centre. Since they hadn’t registered to vote in their new township, their votes couldn’t be counted. These folks were frustrated – and I don’t blame them. It was an honest mistake, one many of us would make because we just didn’t think of it.
In addition, absentee voting is on the increase. Folks going south for the winter and older residents – who don’t want to fight long lines or bad weather on Election Day – are choosing to vote early. We need to make it as easy as possible for them to complete the task, and we need to make sure their votes count.
On a final note, the House of Reps. launched a Web site that allows people to share their opinions regarding the economy and our state deficit. Log on to http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/budgetsuggestions.asp to offer your input or, as always, you can e-mail me directly at rep.paul.anderson@house.mn.
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Rep. Anderson encourages constituents to contact his new office with input regarding any state legislative issue. He can be reached on the web at www.house.mn/13A and via email at rep.paul.anderson@house.mn. To contact Anderson by phone, call (651) 296-4317. Mail can be sent to Rep. Paul Anderson, 239 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, Minnesota 55155.
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