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State Representative Duane Quam
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
651-296-9236
For more information contact: Jason Wenisch 651-296-2317
NEWS COLUMN
SIGNIFICANT BILLS BEING PASSED OFF HOUSE FLOOR
With the goal of finishing the 2012 Legislative session by the end of April (at the latest), a substantial number of bills are being passed in committees and sent to the House floor for a full debate. I had my emergency medical personnel and services bill pass unanimously off the House floor on Thursday. It updated statutes, terminology, and aligned education and training to national standards.
As for other significant bills, an omnibus education policy proposal is ready for action. This bill makes a number of reforms that will assist our hometown schools in the future. Included is an initiative that I’m carrying, which gives a school district the flexibility to move funds from one account to another in order to rectify any cash flow issues that may unexpectedly appear.
Speaking of reform, a number of Reform 2.0 agenda items have already been approved by the full House, and even more are coming to our floor agenda every day. One initiative approved this week includes a bill requiring school boards to implement policies prohibiting publicly funded resources (including but not limited to time, materials equipment, facilities and email) from being used by public employees to advocate the election or defeat of any candidate for elective office; advocate the passage or defeat of any referendum question; or solicit funds for political purposes.
Another would study potential reorganization of the management functions of state government agencies, making them more customer-friendly by eliminating redundancies in the organizational structure. This promotes a more effective and efficient agency by giving those employees working at lower levels greater autonomy, flexibility, and responsibility.
A health and human services omnibus finance bill was also approved on Thursday. Building on last session’s reforms, the legislation promotes accountability and value in our health system, while supporting providers and families, and maximizing the use of limited resources.
Among the reforms addressed are those relating to Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) card benefits and welfare abuse. First, the legislation restricts Minnesota EBT cash fund use to Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, Iowa, and Wisconsin. This ensures that taxpayer dollars are not leaving the surrounding area.
Some would argue these funds shouldn’t leave the state in the first place. In 2007, a study found Minnesota EBT benefits were used in 49 states, including Alaska and Hawaii. Of the 12.9 million EBT welfare transactions made that year, 309,717 took place in states other than Minnesota for a total of more than $10 million. This provision obviously would limit this abuse.
Another initiative would disqualify anyone found guilty of using an EBT card to purchase prohibited items, such as tobacco or alcohol, one year for the first offense, two years for the second offense, and permanently for the third offense.
Finally, the legislation allows for data sharing between the Department of Public Safety and the Department of Human Services for purposes of preventing welfare fraud, and also helps counties be notified if an MFIP recipient has been convicted of a drug offense in the past ten years in order for them to be put on vendor pay.
This HHS legislation will make certain that the people who need assistance are receiving it, and establish restrictions that ensure public assistance dollars are being used as intended. As with the other proposals mentioned above, it seeks to make government more efficient while spending your tax dollars with purpose and accountability.
News Items
- Legislative Update from Rep. Duane Quam - (Posted: Jan 11 2013 3:55PM)
- CLARIFYING MISCONCEPTIONS ON SEVERAL BILLS - (Posted: 2012-04-05 00:00:00)
- SIGNIFICANT BILLS BEING PASSED OFF HOUSE FLOOR - (Posted: 2012-03-30 00:00:00)
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