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State Representative Paul Anderson
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-4317
For more information contact: Jodi Boyne 651-296-0640
NEW LAWS INCLUDE BOOSTER SEAT REQUIREMENT
By Paul Anderson
More laws took effect July 1, with the one garnering the most attention being the measure requiring booster seats in vehicles for children under the age of eight or below the height of 4 feet, 9 inches tall. The typical seat belt and shoulder restraint systems on today’s vehicles don't work well for small passengers, in fact they could actually do more harm than good. The lap belt could ride up over the stomach, and the shoulder restraint could cut across a small passenger’s neck, causing possible serious injury.
During debate we were told that a backless booster seat would, in essence, lift a passenger high enough off the car seat so the lap and shoulder belts would protect instead of possibly injure. They sell for around $20. It was also mentioned that for those unable to afford the booster seat, organizations such as Minnesota Triple A, would provide them free of charge.
Oh yes, there is a fine for not using the new booster seats for small passengers. It’s at least $50, but there’s a provision that waives the fine if a vehicle operator proves within 14 days after being fined that they have purchased the required booster seat.
Another new law that took effect July 1 is one that I’m sure lots of folks lost sleep over. It forbids naming a public building, roadway or other facility or council after anyone who is still living. Now, a person who would like to leave such a legacy must wait at least until the organ music has stopped.
The budgets for the Department of Agriculture and the Veteran’s Department, worked on by the same committee, took different twists. The ag budget took a 3.3% cut, while vets’ affairs was among the few agencies getting funding increases. The Veterans’ Department received over $5 million in new money, with the bulk of it coming from the deferral of ethanol payments and decreasing the Minnesota GI bill.
"Minnesota Grown" is a program run by the Dept. of Agriculture that seeks to promote food and other agricultural products that are homegrown here in the state. Two hundred thousand dollars was set aside as grant money for farmers setting up sustainable ag demonstration projects. An increase in the promotion budget for Minnesota Grown was also approved. Grocery and convenience stores will be the main focus for this new advertising.
Also included in the ag budget is $1 million to Second Harvest Heartland for the purchase of milk for food shelves in Minnesota, and $1.5 million for the Dairy Development and Profitability Enhancement Program.
A two-year old program that dealt with the collection of E-waste has been hugely successful, so much so it was feared the program might shut down. Changes made to the law this past session will keep the program going. Incentives provided to manufacturers in 2007 worked so well that they collected well beyond their required amounts of discarded televisions and computer monitors. The credits they had previously earned and were set to expire in three years will now last longer so they will no longer need stop their collection efforts because of having to utilize those credits.
As mentioned earlier, most state agencies and departments received cuts in their spending levels for the two-year biennium we are now in. The Legislature and the Governor each took 3% cuts, while most other agencies were cut 5%. There was one notable exception, that being the Office of State Auditor. With increased duties to oversee the federal stimulus money and having to file reports on its use, that office received a 3.7% spending increase.
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