Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Legislative News and Views - Rep. Ben Lien (DFL)

Back to profile

Legislative Update - March 10, 2017

Friday, March 10, 2017

Greetings from the Floor,

House floor sessions were numerous but quick this week. This was because we are facing the first committee deadline of the year, and many bills are being heard and referred to other committees.  Referrals are officially done during floor sessions.  Also, sessions were quick so committees could continue meeting outside of their scheduled times.

The first committee deadline is March 10.  All policy and finance bills must receive a first committee hearing by this date.  The second deadline is March 17, and is for bills to be heard in both bodies.  The third deadline is March 31, and is for major finance bills (omnibus bills) to clear committees in both bodies.

One bill was passed off the House floor on Monday.  It was HF 778 and would restructure the Minnesota Sports Facility Authority and use of suites at U.S. Bank Stadium.  Much controversy arose over the last six months with reports of DFL and GOP officials (both elected and non-elected) using suites at U.S. Bank Stadium.  Major changes in the bill to the structure of the Authority pertained to:

  • the number of Authority members

  • compensation for the Authority’s chair

  • submission of the Authority’s budget to Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) for more transparency (also mandating that the Authority’s budget, meeting minutes, policies and procedures must be posted on the Authority’s website)

  • regulating use of U.S. Bank Stadium’s suites controlled by the Authority so that suites are only used for marketing and oversight purposes, and are significantly restricted by use of family and friends of Authority members

  • the negotiation of all suites controlled by the Authority to the Vikings (the Authority would still be able to use the suites for marketing and oversight purposes)

  • a transfer of the Authority’s reserves in excess of $1 million to MMB, which may use the reserves for the stadium’s debt financing

  • recovery by the Authority of all costs associated with food, parking, tickets and use of the suites prior to January 1, 2017 from people whose use was not in the public interest

I voted for the bill as I thought, like many people, that some use of the stadium’s suites by the Authority was not appropriate.  I think it should have been incumbent on recipients of the stadium suite privileges to ask themselves, if it were not for them serving a public role would they have received the same treatment.  I think the answer would have been no. 

I had three bill hearings this week on HFs 319, 320 and 490. HFs 319 and 320 were in the Higher Education Committee, while 490 was in the Health and Human Services Finance Committee.  HF 319 would establish a student debt forgiveness program for people who finished a post-secondary program and work in Greater Minnesota.  Minnesota ranks 5thin the country in terms of average student debt and 3rd in terms of the number of students carrying student debt, while Greater Minnesota has population declines and lower wages than the seven county metropolitan area.  Also, 70% of the jobs in Minnesota require some form of post-secondary education. Higher education continues to be the key to socio-economic mobility and a competitive economy.  This bill would encourage people to finish post-secondary education and begin careers (and families) in Greater Minnesota.  The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the committee’s omnibus bill to come out later this year.  HF 320 would establish tax credits for businesses that make cash or in-kind contributions to Minnesota State school foundations.  The school foundations would then use the cash for student scholarships and in-kind contributions for hands on education in classrooms.  These types of partnerships between schools and the private sector have proven an effective model to get people into high demand occupations and keep costs down for students.  I feel this tax credit would spur more of these partnerships.  The bill was referred to the House Tax Committee. 

HF 490 would bring higher reimbursements to non-profit nursing homes in Moorhead to allow them to better compete for staff with North Dakota facilities, and do more long-term planning for resident care.  This was the third, and final, hearing I had on the bill and will be laid over by the Health and Human Services Finance Committee for possible inclusion in the committee’s omnibus bill. 

I introduced HF 2155 this week, and it would do a couple of things around texting and driving.  The bill would increase the primary and subsequent penalties for texting and driving violations.  It would also codify into law that causing great bodily harm or death as a result of an accident caused by texting and driving is a gross misdemeanor.  Current law allows for gross misdemeanor charges to be brought forward for great bodily harm or death in the event of an accident because of texting and driving.  Essentially, this bill would take out the additional step of having to bring additional charges forward by putting these charges into law as a direct result of texting and driving.  This issue was brought to me by a constituent who commutes by bike and has noticed an increase in distracted driving because of texting.  I think this would be a good law for public safety. 

Thank You for the Opportunity to Serve,

Ben