SESSION WEEKLY A NON-PARTISAN PUBLICATION OF THE MINNESOTA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JANUARY 20, 1995 VOLUME 12, NUMBER 3 WEEK IN REVIEW. . . JAN. 12 - 19, 1995 HIGHLIGHTS State of the State . . . Carlson promises efficiency, no new general taxes The collapse of the Berlin Wall signaled a new era in global politics. Similarly, the 1994 elections marked a major political change and Gov. Arne Carlson promised Minnesotans that he would tear down the "wall between the citizen and his or her government." In his State of the State Address Jan. 18, Carlson outlined his vision of a leaner, more efficient state government. He called for changes that would get people off welfare and into jobs, and for keeping jobs in Minnesota by lowering the cost to employers of worker's compensation insurance. He also proposed consolidating all programs dealing with children into a new state department. But he also warned of a looming budget problem that will force the state to control spending. Citing a recent Minnesota Planning Report, Within Our Means, Carlson noted that a $2.5 billion "structural budget gap" will exist by the year 2005. It will be caused by an increased number of children in K-12 schools and Minnesotans reaching retirement age, coupled with a leveling off in the number of workers paying taxes over the next 10 years. But income or sales taxes won't be increased to narrow that budget gap, Carlson promised. The electorate made their "priorities abundantly clear" in the 1994 election, according to Carlson, and government must live within its means and operate more efficiently. He said there will be no general tax increases through 1998. "The taxpayers will be heard and this legislative session is the taxpayers' session," he declared. Carlson said it was time to "launch an all-out war on expensive and ridiculous mandates be they from the federal government or from the state." As an example, he cited a federal directive that calls for 10 percent of prison cells in the state to be wheelchair accessible. Minnesota has only 20 inmates in wheelchairs, and 14 of them reside in the geriatric unit in Faribault, said Carlson. Unless the state can obtain a waiver from the federal government, the state "will be forced to spend millions and millions of taxpayer dollars to create accessible space for 400 disabled inmates that we don't have," Carlson said. To eliminate the "great wall" between the people and the political elite, Carlson proposed "removing burdensome mandates" from the state, and instead make appropriations to communities in the form of block grants. "Give people the tools and they will be far more creative and far more effective than any centralized government could ever be," he said. Calling the state's welfare system a "social catastrophe," Carlson specified a number of reforms: -- Eliminate welfare for "able-bodied adults with kids"; -- Make first time welfare applicants aware that they have an obligation to work; -- Expand the Minnesota Family Investment Program, an experiment that allows welfare recipients to work and receive assistance, as a "sturdy, one-way bridge out of welfare"; -- Require teenage parents to live with their parents as a condition of receiving welfare; and -- Concentrate efforts to collect child support payments. A proposal is already being heard in the House (HF5) which incorporates many of Carlson's ideas. Carlson also proposed taking the "250 different children's programs scattered throughout 15 different state agencies" and folding them into a new Department of Children and Education Services. This echoed a similar proposal first aired in Carlson's 1993 State of the State Address. To prepare Minnesota's youth for the emerging economy which requires specific technical skills -- not a four-year college degree -- Carlson called for developing partnerships between schools and employers to create apprenticeship programs. "This will be a difficult budget year, but youth apprenticeship must be a priority," he said. DFL legislative leaders said that the governor made a good speech, but according to Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe (DFL-Erskine), "the devil is in the details." House and Senate DFL leaders said they were awaiting specific budget proposals. House Speaker Irv Anderson (DFL-Int'l Falls) said he "liked the emphasis on education," but noted that there was "no mention of property taxes." The idea of block grants to local communities "means money, and where are we going to get the money?" Anderson wondered. "You are just not going to give these communities dollars and let them do something." He said that state appropriations to local governments have to be tied to a specific legislative purpose. House Majority Leader Phil Carruthers (DFL- Brooklyn Center) called on the governor to be a "player" in the legislative process, and provide "leadership on a daily basis" throughout the 1995 session. Carruthers cited Carlson's proposal to create a new state department dealing with children. He said this was proposed by the governor first in 1993, but a bill to make it happen was never introduced. "It was a good idea, but there was no follow through," Carruthers said. Legislative funding debates will begin in earnest next week when the governor releases his budget proposal Jan. 24. -- Mordecai Specktor BUDGET Balancing act Minnesota lawmakers are encouraging their federal counterparts to balance the federal budget, but they want to know what such efforts are going to mean to Minnesotans. House members approved a non-binding resolution (SF66) Jan. 17 asking Congress for financial information on the impact of a balanced federal budget amendment on the Minnesota state budget. The vote was 124-3. The Senate approved the resolution Jan. 12 on a 63-0 vote. "We want to get information as to how a congressional balanced budget amendment would affect us, and more importantly, how it would affect the people of our state," said Rep. Phil Carruthers (DFL- Brooklyn Center). The Republican's "Contract with America" promises a vote within the first 100 days of the 104th Congress on a balanced budget amendment. It is necessary to "restore fiscal responsibility to an out-of-control Congress, requiring them to live under the same budget constraints as families and businesses," states the contract. It promises a balanced federal budget by the year 2002. Rep. Charlie Weaver (IR-Anoka) asked members not to assume that it would result in cuts to federal dollars flowing into Minnesota. "If the feds show just a little fiscal restraint -- as we [in Minnesota] have -- then it is possible" to balance the budget without hitting the states, Weaver said. Rep. Dee Long (DFL-Mpls) voted for the proposal, but wished it were more strongly worded. "I wish it would have called on Congress to stop the unfunded mandates. I wish we had a stronger resolution before us," she said. The resolution does recognize that working to balance the federal budget "may impose on the states unfunded mandates that shift to the states responsibility for carrying out programs that the Congress can no longer afford." A recent study completed by the U.S. Treasury Department for the nation's governors estimates that the balanced budget amendment would reduce federal grants to Minnesota by $1.2 billion. But some have dismissed that estimate as being politically motivated. SF66 is sponsored by Sen. Roger Moe (DFL- Erskine). Boxers, barbers, and artists There was some singing but no low blows or nicks, when three disparate groups -- boxers, barbers, and arts and humanities promoters -- took turns introducing their groups to the House Economic Development, Infrastructure and Regulation Finance Committee Jan. 18. The committee will adopt funding recommendations for each of the three organizations later this session. The Humanities Commission runs a teacher training institute, literacy programs, and awards over 150 small grants each year for community- based projects, explained commission chair Cheryl Dickson. The commission received about $1.2 million in state funds and an equal amount in federal grants in fiscal years 1994 and 1995. A 21- member board governs the commission, which is staffed by 12 full-time and two part-time employees. Following the presentation by the Humanities Commission, committee chair Jim Rice (DFL-Mpls.) introduced representatives from the Board of Boxing. "We'll now move from the sublime to the unconscious," he said. Rice, a Golden Gloves boxer in his youth, praised Minnesota for its safe management of boxing matches. Board chair Joseph Azzone, a former probation and parole officer in Ramsey County, and Joseph O'Hara, the board's volunteer executive secretary, testified before the committee. In recent years the state has appropriated about $60,000 annually to the board. Azzone and O'Hara told representatives that amateur boxing programs, which are encouraged by the Board of Boxing, offer disadvantaged youth a positive direction and discipline. "Our kids were at risk," O'Hara said. "We got 'em when they were hanging around on street corners." He said that 40 gyms in both the Metro area and outstate participate in the Upper Midwest Golden Gloves tournament. Professional boxing and full contact karate matches are regulated by the Board of Boxing, which also licenses female boxers, according to O'Hara. He said that "tough man" tournaments, where untrained fighters can get in a ring and clobber each other, are not allowed in Minnesota. Finally, Kenneth Kirkpatrick, chair of the Board of Barber Examiners, told the committee that his agency issues apprentice and master barber licenses, licenses instructors in barber schools, and inspects shops and schools for compliance with sanitation standards. The board receives a general fund appropriation each year -- about $130,000 for fiscal year 1995 -- but recovers more than that amount from examination and license fees. One full-time secretary and one full-time inspector are employed by the board. The barbering business is healthy and barbers are in demand, according to Kirkpatrick. In response to a question about whether barbers still shave customers, he said that shaving is "part of the basics of barbering." Kirkpatrick noted that he was taught to shave faces by an instructor who accomplished the task with "seven strokes in about seven seconds." EDUCATION Revised K-12 funding State spending on K-12 education should increase by 20 percent, according to a preliminary report by the Coalition for Education Reform and Accountability (CERA). The 26-member coalition is an advisory committee that recommends reforms in public education. Members, who include teachers, school administrators, parents and several others, made a presentation to the House Education Committee Jan. 19. A 20 percent increase would boost the state's share of education funding from 60 to 80 percent and reduce the local districts' share from 40 to 20 percent, according to the report. An 80 percent share of K-12 funding would mean a price tag of about $5.7 billion for the 1996-97 school year. The Department of Finance has determined $2.9 billion is already available for K- 12 education. An additional $1.2 billion could come from support levies and local revenues such as fees and interest. That would leave a gap of $1.6 billion to be funded by the state, according to the CERA plan. The report also says the state shouldn't cap or defer state funding that forces school districts to borrow short term. In perhaps the most controversial piece of the report, CERA recommended that the state give each local school district a "block grant" free from most state mandates. In return, the schools would agree to meet certain performance standards. This would make districts more accountable to the state, said Scott Johnson, CERA chair. To help districts meet their 20 percent funding share, the CERA report says the Legislature should allow them to levy (without referendum) up to 25 percent of the state block grant amount they receive. The levy could be on a local individual income tax or local residential property tax, Johnson said. The size of state block grants would increase as the number of students enrolled in schools goes up and as inflation rises, he said. Also, the measures proposed in the report to increase district accountability should raise education spending about $8 per student, he said. The coalition made a number of recommendations on where additional state education dollars could be found to fill the $1.6 billion gap in increased state funding. Those recommendations included: -- Preventing local school districts from levying a property tax on commercial, industrial, and agricultural property. Instead, the state would impose a market value tax on such property. -- Reforming other general fund spending programs and directing savings to education. -- Seeking voluntary revenues from Native American Indian gambling operations. -- Extending the sales tax to clothing, services, or both. Rep. Becky Kelso (DFL-Shakopee) said she wasn't sure those measures would raise sufficient funds. "The only way I can see to raise $1.6 billion is an increase in the sales tax and Gov. Carlson has made it very clear he won't support that increase. I guess I don't see very many new ideas here about where the Legislature can come up with money," she said. The final version of the CERA report will be ready in about two weeks, Johnson said. Charter schools report card Minnesota's experiment with charter schools could put the state on the cutting edge of U.S. education. But problems with transportation, start-up funding, teacher morale, and rivalries between school districts and the charters threaten the future development of these innovative institutions, according to a House Research Department report presented to the House Education Committee Jan. 17. Charter schools were authorized by the 1991 Legislature. The schools operate under the auspices of an established school district, but are allowed more flexibility in their curriculum and structure. They "have the unique advantage of being released from most of the rules and regulations that bind, and some would say hinder, traditional schools," states the report. Parents of charter school students generally felt satisfied with the curriculums offered, the small class sizes, the teachers, and "the effect the school was having on their children." But the report found some problems in the relationships between charter schools and school districts. Because charter schools cannot issue bonds or levy taxes for building projects, they have moved into older, unused schools. The rent is low, but money is still needed for repairs, handicapped accessibility renovation, and meeting fire code requirements. School districts "were unsure of their role in terms of accountability and providing services to the charter," according to the report. The districts sometimes viewed the charter schools as a threat because they siphoned off students and consequently reduced the amount of government funding received by a district. The report notes that Minnesota provides no start-up funding to charter schools, so the schools have to rely on grants from other sources. As more charters are established there will be more competition for the limited amount of funding available. Other problems were related to starting a charter school that are similar to starting up a business. Teachers were sometimes "ill-prepared to deal with the day-to-day issues that emerged when they opened their doors," states the report. Planning for the charters tended to focus on educational aspects rather than the nuts and bolts details of operating. Teachers found that "wearing two or more hats required a great deal of time and effort." In its conclusions, the House Research report looked to Great Britain, where 700 charter schools have been established. These schools receive start- up grants and significant management and administrative support from outside consultants. Without such support from the state, the report warns that charter schools will be able to offer only a marginal degree of educational reform. Charter schools at a glance The House Research Department report lists some general characteristics of the 14 charter schools operating in 1993-94. -- Three charters served elementary/middle school students, two served K-12 students, and one served only high school students. -- The charter schools were small, ranging from 16 to under 200 students. -- Class sizes also were small with student to teacher ratios ranging from 4:1 to 20:1. -- Half of the schools served students with special needs (hearing impaired, at-risk, and drop-outs). -- Grant funding to the charters varied from nothing to $300,000. GAMBLING In the beginning -- Bingo Fewer than 20 years ago, lawmakers saw gambling as social recreation in need of only slight state regulation. Now, gambling is a Minnesota industry that saw $4 billion wagered in 1993 alone, said John Williams, legislative analyst for the House Research Department. Williams gave members of the House Governmental Operations Committee a history of Minnesota gaming laws Jan. 17. He serves as legislative analyst for the committee's Gambling Division, which hears all gaming bills. In 1945, the Legislature passed its first law regulating gambling. It allowed only non-profit organizations to hold bingo games. That law is still followed today, Williams said. From 1945 to 1981, lawmakers essentially legalized and regulated the already-existing bingo business, Williams said. They placed the proliferation of bingo parlors under state control. It wasn't until 1976, with the passage of a bingo reform law, that the Legislature first really attempted to control a flourishing charitable gambling industry. Since that law passed, all gambling has been regulated on the state -- not the local -- level, Williams said. In 1981, the state authorized pull tabs. Charitable pull tab booths in bars soon followed. Williams credited that "expansion of gambling" with touching off the beginning of what he called the "industrial revolution" of the 1980s, during which gambling became not a recreation but an industry. In the 1980s, for instance, voters approved constitutional amendments calling for pari-mutuel racing and a state lottery. Passage of the pari- mutuel betting amendment was expected to create a horse racing industry in Minnesota, bringing in millions of tourism and breeding industry dollars, Williams said. In fact, the Canterbury Downs horse track brought in $134 million in gross wagers during 1986, its most successful year. Wagers steadily declined in following years and now the track is closed to live racing. The lottery's gross sales in 1993 were $328 million. Also in the 1980s, the Legislature created a seven-member Gambling Control Board that grants charitable gambling licenses and oversees rules of play, Williams said. But the greatest expansion of gambling in the 1980s came at the federal level with the Federal Indian Gaming Law of 1988. The gaming law authorized gambling on tribal reservations. It allowed tribes to conduct any form of gambling allowed by a state, whether regulated by the state or not. Non-state approved forms of gambling such as video slot machines are governed by a compact negotiated between tribes and the state. In reality, though, the state has little control over tribal gambling, Williams said. Now Minnesota seems to be in a third gambling- regulatory phase: the moratorium, Williams told legislators. Since 1991, the Legislature has made no efforts to expand gambling. And voters failed to pass a proposed constitutional amendment in November authorizing off-track betting on horses. Last year, the Legislature created an advisory council to study state gambling policy and report back to lawmakers in 1995 and 1996, Williams said. The council will look at the proposed legalization of video lottery machines in bars, (which some say would be an expansion of gambling), changes in charitable gambling taxes, and compulsive gambling program funding. HUMAN SERVICES Welfare reform Two days of hearings on a House welfare reform proposal brought hundreds of protesters to the State Capitol, many of whom objected to what they considered the punitive tone of the bill. (See related story, page7.) But when the shouts of protest quieted down outside the House Health and Human Services Committee hearing room Jan. 17 and 18, the measure (HF5, formerly HF1) emerged in a form that was more palatable to some. One successful amendment eliminated the 16- hour-a-week work requirement for welfare students in universities and technical colleges as long as they are enrolled in a full load of courses. Some had argued single mothers who are full-time students have enough of a work load. An employment requirement would take away time from their children. A second successful amendment sets limits on which grandparents must become financially responsible for their minor child who has a child. Now under the bill, only grandparents who earn at least 200 percent more than the federal poverty level -- about $24,640 a year for a family of three -- will be held financially responsible for their minor child. (The state will still make the welfare payment to support the child, but it could now seek reimbursement from the grandparents.) Rep. Lee Greenfield (DFL-Mpls) proposed that amendment "to protect a level of income for the grandparents who are financially responsible." Grandparents themselves, he said, need money to prepare for retirement and potential health care problems. Another amendment eliminated the bill's new job search and work requirements for welfare recipients who can't speak English, provided they are taking classes to learn the language. Once they become proficient in the language, the job search and work requirements would kick in. Many of those testifying before the House Health and Human Services Committee objected to what they considered the punitive tone of the bill and its underlying assumption that people on welfare are lazy. "Moms on welfare are indeed already working," said Mary Devitt of Mothers Union, an advocacy group. The bill turns welfare from a program to help maintain a healthy life for children to "forced labor for their mothers." "We can't make successful public policy on misconception," said Susal Stebbins of the National Organization for Women of Minnesota. She said many components of the bill would help mothers and families, but many would not. The Legislature needs to increase wages, child support enforcement, and the availability of low cost health care and child care. Increasing money to help low- and moderate- income families afford child care, thus removing a barrier to their returning to work, would be "among the best investments you could ever make," Stebbins said. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Bob Anderson (DFL- Ottertail), committee chair, would require all teenage moms on welfare to live at home or with a supervising adult and request the elimination of federal rules that some argue discourage welfare recipients from finding work. One waiver would allow welfare recipients to spend more for an automobile, giving them more reliable transportation to and from work. The bill asks that the limit be raised to $4,500 -- up from the current $1,500 limit. A major component of the bill would establish a Work First pilot program. The new program would set out tough penalties, such as losing benefits, if participants don't stick to a contract to search for a job and accept work. The bill does not specify which counties could operate the program. The bill now goes to the House Health and Human Services Finance Division, where funding decisions are made. (See Jan. 13, 1995, Session Weekly, page 6.) Minnesota's top 10 AFDC counties, Fiscal Year 1994 Total annual payments, in Percent of Average monthly Average monthly County millions state total recipients payment per person Hennepin $103.0 31.6 56,642 $151.57 Ramsey $63.6 19.5 37,107 $142.80 St. Louis $17.5 5.4 10,606 $137.67 Anoka $12.6 3.9 7,832 $133.85 Dakota $11.5 3.5 6,791 $141.63 Beltrami $7.1 2.2 3,947 $150.25 Clay $5.9 1.8 3,656 $133.98 Washington $4.9 1.5 3,007 $135.49 Olmsted $4.9 1.5 3,081 $131.93 Stearns $4.4 1.3 2,694 $135.02 Source: Department of Human Services A woman's right to know Just a few hours after Gov. Arne Carlson pledged his support for a welfare reform bill "not cluttered with controversial amendments," an abortion waiting-period proposal was added to the bill. (See related story, page 6.) A "woman's right to know" amendment was attached to the measure (HF5, formerly HF1) during a six-hour House Health and Human Services Committee meeting Jan. 18, shortly after the governor's State of the State Address. The vote was 14 to 8. The amendment, sponsored by Rep. Tony Onnen (IR-Cokato), requires a 24-hour waiting period before a woman can have an abortion. It mandates she be informed -- by telephone or in person -- about the medical risks associated with an abortion, the probable age of her fetus, and the name of the doctor who will perform the procedure. Women could sue their doctor for failing to provide the information. A similar amendment stalled a welfare reform bill last session and some lawmakers fear welfare reform will suffer a governor's veto if the abortion proposal isn't removed. Carlson's staff has already said the governor will veto the welfare reform bill with an abortion waiting-period amendment in it. "This is politics at its most ridiculous," said Rep. Becky Lourey (DFL-Kerrick), who voted against the amendment. Women, she said, don't enter into a decision to have an abortion lightly and don't need the government telling them to wait 24 hours. "I beg you not to taint or compromise" the welfare reform effort, she said. But, Onnen said, "My purpose in offering this is not to kill welfare reform." He said he feels strongly about a woman's need to be well informed and said there was no other way to get the proposal to the House floor. The bill would never be heard on its own, he said. Amendment co-sponsor Rep. Kris Hasskamp (DFL- Crosby) agreed. She said she previously has tried to move an abortion-related bill through the legislative process without any success. Hasskamp said she has counseled pregnant women and has learned that women are not always informed about their choices or the risks associated with abortions. Rep. Lee Greenfield (DFL-Mpls) said the amendment only serves to add another roadblock for women making the personal decision to have an abortion. Two lines in the amendment, which require that patients receive the name of the doctor performing the procedure 24 hours in advance, also caused concern among some lawmakers. Lourey, who tried unsuccessfully to have the lines stricken, said the advance knowledge could fall into the wrong hands and endanger the lives of doctors. Some physicians who provide abortions have been killed by anti-abortion extremists. The welfare bill now goes to the House Health and Human Services Finance Division for further review. TAXES Price of government State lawmakers now have another forecasting tool to help them establish their fiscal priorities. It's called the "price of government" law, which was passed by the 1994 Legislature as part of the omnibus tax bill. Education Committee members received a primer on the new law Jan. 17. The idea is to tie the amount of state and local government spending to the growth of personal income of Minnesotans. It will show, over time, whether government is expanding faster than the taxpayers' ability to pay. The November 1994 revenue forecast showed that state and local government revenue currently stands at 18.5 percent of total state personal income. It is expected to drop to 17.4 percent by the end of the decade. The law doesn't mandate that the price of government go down should personal income go down, or rise as income rises. It simply requires that before any state spending decisions are made, the public be told how much money Minnesota state and local governments need to operate. Specifically, the law requires the governor and the Legislature to establish revenue goals before the state taxing and budgeting process begins. Those goals must detail: -- the maximum percentage of total personal income to be collected in taxes and other revenues to pay for state and local government services; -- the split of the revenue between state and local governments; and -- the appropriate mix and rates of income, sales, and other state and local taxes and other revenues, and the amount that should be raised through local property taxes. The governor will deliver his revenue targets on Jan. 24. By March 15, the Legislature must adopt a resolution setting revenue targets. Both the governor and state lawmakers will have better data from the departments of finance and revenue on which to base their revenue goals. The price of government law mandated that the February and November budget forecasts include local government revenue -- not just state general fund revenue. That gives a more accurate picture of dollars taken in by government. The November 1994 forecast was the first to provide local government revenue information. Once legislators establish revenue goals, they will use the price of government figures as guides -- not spending caps -- for state spending decisions. It's a process that will help not just lawmakers, but citizens as well. "This is a tool that should prove useful to taxpayers," Art Rolnick, director of research for the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis, told House Taxes Committee members Jan. 12. "It will show them what they are getting from government, and what they are paying for." What's the problem? Driver's licenses backlogged for three months Rep. Henry Kalis' (DFL-Walters) phone has been ringing off the hook the past several months with constituents complaining about the same problem: a driver's license that was supposed to arrive in the mail, but didn't. Kalis brought his problem to Katherine Burke Moore, director of the Driver and Vehicle Services Division of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, who addressed members of the Transportation and Transit Committee Jan. 17. Kalis joined nearly every other representative on the 22-member committee in inquiring about the three-month backlog in distributing the new driver's licenses. "I just have complaint after complaint after complaint," Kalis said. "There isn't a day that I don't . . . hear someone complaining about this." After applying for a new or renewed license, Minnesotans are issued a "receipt" while they wait for their new license to arrive by mail. The receipt doubles as proof of licensure to show to law enforcement agents and retailers. Receipt holders also keep their old licenses. New ones are expected to arrive by mail in about four to six weeks, Burke Moore said. But in 1994, that wait was more like three months, and the delays are still lengthy as 1995 begins. The problem originated in 1993 when the Legislature approved a $3.50 hike in the cost of a Minnesota license. With the additional revenue, Burke Moore's department planned to find a new vendor to issue licenses that didn't use photo negatives and couldn't be easily copied, she said. They chose Deluxe Corp. in Shoreview, Minn. The company promised to produce a high-tech tamperproof license. But in December 1993, National Business Systems, the company previously under contract to make the state's licenses, sued Driver and Vehicle Services, alleging unfair bidding practices, Burke Moore said. The company obtained a restraining order to keep the Deluxe Corp. contract from moving ahead, she said. Driver and Vehicle Services eventually won the case and the restraining order was lifted in May 1994. But the first Deluxe Corp. tamperproof licenses were scheduled to be issued in early June, leaving no time to work the kinks out of the new system, she said. There proved to be several kinks. New equipment couldn't be installed in every state licensing station to meet the June production date, so several Minnesotans had to return to have their pictures taken when the equipment arrived, Burke Moore said. The photo images, now transmitted electronically over telephone wires, also struck a glitch. Whole batches of photos were lost over the wires, so those whose photos 'disappeared' needed to make a return trip for a retake, Burke Moore said. "Many people didn't know their image hadn't transmitted until they called. They were sent retake letters, but not until the information was typed into our database, so they could have applied in July and gotten a retake letter in October," Burke Moore said. Also, the receipts Minnesotans receive when renewing licenses expire after 60 days. Public safety employees notified law enforcement agencies nationwide and retailers across the state, telling of the licensing problems and requesting that expired receipts be honored. In mid-September, Driver and Vehicle Services sent a press release to everyone with expired receipts, assuring them the receipts were still legal, Burke Moore said. Deluxe Corp. is picking up the tab for the press releases, the extra hours logged by temporary employees re-entering information into computers, and other extra expenses, Burke Moore said. The company receives $1.29 for each license. About 1.2 million Minnesotans need new or renewed licenses each year, she added. The state's contract with Deluxe Corp. contains a penalty clause, but Driver and Vehicle Services has chosen not to levy it as long as the company pays additional expenses. "We don't want to kill the vendor," Burke Moore said. Minnesotans currently wait three months between applying for and receiving their licenses, but hopefully the waiting period will return to the standard four-to-six weeks by March, Burke Moore added. "Because of the backlog, I'm not confident there'll be no more problems," she said. "We had planned to have no backlog by Christmas, but here it is January and we have a backlog and expired receipts," she said. Interactive TV beams to, from House Think of it as a conference call with television screens. In an effort to reach more Minnesotans, this year the House of Representatives has introduced interactive (two-way) television, which allows members to hold committee hearings in St. Paul and hear -- and see -- testimony from several other locations around the state. Interactive television already has been used in some committee hearings. Its first use occurred last fall at a meeting of the Task Force on Workers' Compensation Reform. Chair Rep. Ted Winter, (DFL- Fulda) using equipment in St. Paul, (a black remote control box and a twin screen television receiver) hooked up lawmakers with people in Marshall, Minn. and Fergus Falls, Minn. Turnout was small for the first running of interactive television but its potential was appreciated. George Spang, general manager of Heartland Food Co. in Marshall, said he liked the new technology. It allowed him to testify on workers' compensation by simply walking across the street from his office, instead of driving to St. Paul. "We can make it a lot easier for citizens to speak to their Legislature," said House Majority Leader Phil Carruthers (DFL-Brooklyn Center). Interactive television will reduce the psychological as well as the geographical distance between the people and their state government, he said. Rep. Virgil Johnson (IR-Caledonia) said interactive television is a good way for rural constituents to have access to their state lawmakers, hear all sides of an issue, and remain close to home. Constituents in his district need to travel about 300 miles round trip to get to St. Paul. "The more involvement people have in government. . . the better the end result." Committee chairs will have the ability to zoom in on speakers from different cities and switch from city to city, depending on how many are hooked up to participate in a particular committee hearing. The link is made via MNet, an existing state- owned network of telephone data transmission lines that reach 18 colleges and other public buildings around the state. More sites are expected to be hooked up this legislative session and eventually more than 200 locations will be linked. The House also has the ability to use private carrier telephone transmission lines to bring interactive television to other sites around the state, said Chris Cowman, director of House Television. Most of the twin screen television receivers and other equipment needed for the interactive broadcasts already exist at the public buildings in outstate Minnesota because they have used interactive television for some time. Currently, the House is leasing its equipment used in St. Paul and is investigating the costs of ownership, Johnson said. Cowman estimated it would cost about $90,000 to $100,000 for the House to purchase its own equipment. New members . . . Bakk represents land of 'three Ts': timber, taconite, and tourism Unlike most candidates on the campaign trail, Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) didn't knock on a single door. He said it wasn't practical to meet voters by strolling through the sprawling District 6A in northeastern Minnesota, which encompasses part of the Iron Range, Lake Superior's North Shore, and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area. Instead, Bakk relied on mailings and appearances at city council meetings and civic events. His strategy worked. Bakk emerged from a crowded field to win the seat held for the last 18 years by former Rep. Dave Battaglia. Last summer, the DFL district convention failed to endorse a candidate from among five contenders, and the "floodgates kind of opened up," Bakk said. Eleven candidates filed to run in the DFL primary. With 17.5 percent of the vote, Bakk emerged the victor and then took the general election by a comfortable margin. Although he will miss his two teenaged sons' basketball games during the legislative session, Bakk is looking forward to serving on committees that will consider legislation important to his constituents. The economic bedrock of his arrowhead district is composed of what Bakk called the "three T's: timber, taconite, and tourism." He noted an upturn in both the wood products industry and mining. As the business manager for the carpenters' union on the Iron Range, Bakk is looking forward to sitting on the House Labor-Management Relations Committee. "That's probably the easiest committee for me to be on, because I'm so familiar with the labor- management issues," he said. "The workers' comp debate I expect to be real difficult, though." Bakk vowed to oppose any reforms that would reduce benefits to injured workers. "Roughly 22 percent of the premiums [employers] pay for workers' comp actually ends up going to the injured worker. Now there's 78 percent there that's in the bureaucracy somewhere." Part of the solution, according to Bakk, lies in regulating the insurance companies, as they do in Wisconsin. Department of Natural Resources (DNR) officials can count on getting an earful from Bakk when they appear before the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee. Bakk and his constituents would like to know what the DNR is doing with all the money it collects in license fees. He opposes any fee increases. "One of the things I want to look at is lowering the price of deer licenses for young kids," said Bakk, who objects on principle to charging children and adults the same fee for a hunting license. "For a lot of people, it's a matter of economics. I know when I go buy a deer license for myself and my two sons, it's 69 bucks! Sportsmen ask themselves, 'What is the DNR giving me for 69 bucks?'" He pointed out that kids under 16 don't need a license for fishing or hunting small game. A framed photo of his older son wearing his football uniform hangs on the wall of Bakk's office. When he isn't "following his teenaged sons around to football, basketball, baseball, and track," Bakk enjoys hunting, fishing, snowmobiling, and canoeing in the Boundary Waters, which begins nine miles from his home on Lake Vermilion -- "the most beautiful lake in Minnesota," he claims. Bakk said that he has been closely involved in his sons' education, even taking them to their pre- school medical screenings. And he is proud to say that he has never missed a school conference. He says it's difficult being away from them, and that he's looking forward to a long weekend with them -- snowmobiling and ice fishing. The sacrifices will be worth it if Bakk can fulfill some of his expectations. He hopes to help make Minnesota a better place for his children to live in -- better than it was for him. "That's partly what has driven me into becoming a labor leader -- trying to provide the leadership in the workplace that will help accomplish that," he said. -- Mordecai Specktor District 6A Population: 32,676 Distribution: 23.32 percent urban; 76.68 percent rural Counties: Cook, Koochiching, Lake, St. Louis Largest city: Two Harbors Location: northeastern Minnesota Unemployment rate: 10.15 percent Residents living below poverty level: 12.18 1992 presidential election results: Bush/Quayle 24.96 percent Clinton/Gore 50.72 percent Perot/Stockdale 22.92 percent Other: 1.4 percent New members . . . Leighton brings family's DFL tradition to House In 1958, then 29-year-old Robert Leighton Sr. ran for a seat in the Minnesota Senate against longtime incumbent Sen. Peter Holland. He almost pulled it off, his son says proudly. In 1994, that son, Robert Leighton Jr., also 29, found himself in much the same position his father faced years before. But Leighton Jr. faced no incumbent in his run for a Minnesota House seat. Rep. Leo Reding (DFL-Austin) chose not to seek re- election after 16 years in the House. Though Leighton had never sought political office, he seemed a natural for the District 27B seat. He comes from a family steeped in DFL tradition. In addition to his father's run for office, Leighton's brother, Scott, was the Mower County DFL Party chair until he gave up the office last year to manage Leighton's campaign. Scott Leighton should be given almost full credit for the first term legislator's appearance at the Capitol, Leighton said. "When Leo Reding decided to retire, my brother decided I would run, and he would manage the campaign. He feels he's better at behind-the-scenes campaign work," Leighton said. The campaign turned out to be a family affair. Not only did his father, brother, and mother help out, his girlfriend, Shawn, walked door-to-door with him. "I was never really alone -- I had fun doing it," Leighton said. He's not new to campaign work. Leighton worked on Sen. Paul Wellstone's election campaign in 1990 and Rep. David Minge's 2nd District campaign for Congress in 1992. While he attended law school in Berkeley, Calif., in 1990, he helped out with Sen. Dianne Feinstein's run for California governor. "I was taught at an early age we have a responsibility to make society better. I knew I'd be active and interested in political issues, but I didn't know I'd ever run for an office," Leighton said. After law school, Leighton came back to Minnesota, first to Minneapolis for a two-year stint as a lawyer with Dorsey and Whitney. He then returned home to Austin, Minn., to work at the law firm his father founded. His father, brother, and three other attorneys practice law at the firm. Many of the issues he plans to pursue at the Capitol come about because of his ties to his hometown. Labor issues, for example. "That's one thing that motivated me in my run," he said. "I lived through the 1985 Hormel strike in Austin. I saw how labor strife can impact an entire community." He was a University of Minnesota undergraduate economics student at that time and his best friend's father was a striker. Leighton traveled to Austin on the weekends to see how the strike progressed. He first met Wellstone during one weekend at home. Wellstone, then a political science professor at Carleton College in Northfield, Minn., made a speech in support of the strikers. Leighton's father spoke directly before Wellstone. Nine years later, Wellstone serves as a Minnesota senator and Leighton, in his first term as a state representative, serves as vice chair of the House Labor-Management Relations Committee. He's pleased, also, by his appointment to the House committee involving economic development. "Economic development is an important issue for rural Minnesota. I want to do everything I can to further economic development in Mower County," he said. During his time in office, Leighton hopes to take inspiration from Democratic leaders. Three photos of himself shaking hands with Wellstone dot his office tables. On the walls hang photos of Martin Luther King and John F. Kennedy. But perhaps the prize possession is a leaded plate his father's friend, Bill Thomsen, gave him after his victory in the November election. On the plate is a painting of Hubert Humphrey, his father's idol. Leighton promised Thomsen he would hang it in his office and look at it often. On the border is a quote from Humphrey that Leighton plans to take to heart during his time in office: "A fellow that doesn't have any tears doesn't have any hearts." -- Jean Thilmany District 27B Population: 32,285 Distribution: 67.86 percent urban; 32.14 percent rural County: Mower Largest city: Austin Location: southeastern Minnesota Unemployment rate: 4.38 percent Residents living below poverty level: 10.17 percent 1992 presidential election results: Bush/Quayle 23.99 percent Clinton/Gore 50.03 percent Perot/Stockdale 23.77 percent Other: 2.21 percent NOTES Those who question the importance of agriculture in Minnesota need look no further than the voluminous Minnesota Statutes. Of the 800 or so chapters (different sections of law) in the statute books, 122 make reference to the Department of Agriculture, explained Sam Rankin of the state House of Representatives Research Department. The scope of the agriculture department is "almost stunning," Rankin told members of the House Agriculture Committee Jan. 18. Not only is the department charged with the protection of the state's wildflowers, but it also has some regulatory authority over those who raise Eurasian wild pigs. Many people in Greater Minnesota look fondly back on the first half of the 20th century when electricity first arrived on the farm. But for Rep. Mike Jaros (DFL-Duluth), those memories are a lot more recent. Jaros, who grew up on a farm in Bosnia, said electricity didn't come to his family farm until 1979. Jaros made the comment Jan. 18 when members were asked to introduce themselves during the first meeting of the Agriculture Committee this session. Although Jaros has served in the House since 1973, this is his first stint on the committee. How times change? Back in 1976, now Rep. LeRoy Koppendrayer (IR- Princeton) was honored by none other than Rep. Steve Wenzel (DFL-Little Falls) for being the "conservation farmer of the year." Koppendrayer's good deed? "Draining my wetlands," he explained during the first meeting of the Agriculture Committee Jan. 18. Now, of course, such a practice would land him in a lot of legal hot water. Koppendrayer owns a 360-acre dairy farm in Mille Lacs County. Wenzel, who has been the House Agriculture Committee chair since 1981 (with the exception of 1985-86 when Independent-Republicans took control of the House), represented the area in the House in the 1970s. Minnesota House of Representatives 1995-96, committee assignments Abrams, Ron (IR-Minnetonka) 45A Financial Institutions & Insurance Rules & Legislative Administration Taxes Property Tax & TIF Division Ways & Means Government Efficiency & Oversight Division Anderson, Bob (DFL-Ottertail) 10A Health & Human Services, chair Health & Human Services Finance Division MinnesotaCare Finance Division Regulated Industries & Energy Ways & Means Anderson, Bruce (IR-Buffalo Township) 19B General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Elections Division Governmental Operations State Government Finance Division Anderson, Irv (DFL-Int'l Falls) 3A Rules & Legislative Administration Taxes Property Tax & TIF Division Ways & Means Bakk, Thomas (DFL-Cook) 6A Taxes Sales & Income Tax Division, vice chair Environment & Natural Resources International Trade & Economic Development Labor-Management Relations Bertram, Jeff (DFL-Paynesville) 14B Education, vice chair K-12 Education Finance Division Financial Institutions & Insurance Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Bettermann, Hilda (IR-Brandon) 10B Education Higher Education Finance Division Ethics Labor-Management Relations Rules & Legislative Administration Bishop, Dave (IR-Rochester) 30B Capital Investment Judiciary Judiciary Finance Ways & Means Boudreau, Lynda (IR-Faribault) 25B Environment & Natural Resources General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Elections Division Health & Human Services Health & Human Services Finance Division Bradley, Fran (IR-Rochester) 30A Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Health & Human Services MinnesotaCare Finance Division Transportation & Transit Broecker, Sherry (IR-Vadnais Heights) 53B Judiciary Finance Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Transportation & Transit Brown, Chuck (DFL-Appleton) 13A Environment & Natural Resources Finance, chair Capital Investment Judiciary Ways & Means Government Efficiency & Oversight Division Carlson, Lyndon R. (DFL-Crystal) 46B Education, chair Higher Education Finance Division K-12 Education Finance Division University of Minnesota Finance Division Capital Investment (ex officio) Financial Institutions & Insurance Ways & Means Carruthers, Phil (DFL-Brooklyn Center) 47B Rules & Legislative Administration, chair Taxes Sales & Income Tax Division Ways & Means Clark, Karen (DFL-Mpls) 61A Housing, chair Capital Investment Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Transportation Finance Division Commers, Tim (IR-Eagan) 38A General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Elections Division Taxes Sales & Income Tax Division Cooper, Roger (DFL-Bird Island) 15B Health & Human Services MinnesotaCare Finance Division, chair Agriculture Transportation & Transit Daggett, Roxann (IR-Frazee) 11A Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Labor-Management Relations Taxes Property Tax & TIF Division Dauner, Marvin (DFL-Hawley) 9B Taxes Property Tax & TIF Division, vice chair Agriculture Claims Education Housing Davids, Gregory M. (IR-Preston) 31B Agriculture Capital Investment Ethics Financial Institutions & Insurance General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Government Efficiency & Oversight Division Dawkins, Andy (DFL-St. Paul) 65A Taxes, vice chair Sales & Income Tax Division Capital Investment Housing Judiciary Dehler, Steve (IR-St. Joseph) 14A Education Higher Education Finance Division Governmental Operations Gambling Division Delmont, Mike (DFL-Lexington) 51A Government Efficiency & Oversight Division, vice chair Financial Institutions & Insurance Health & Human Services Health & Human Services Finance Division Regulated Industries & Energy Rules & Legislative Administration Dempsey, Jerry (IR-Hastings) 29A Capital Investment Environment & Natural Resources Governmental Operations Regulated Industries & Energy Dorn, John (DFL-Mankato) 24A Governmental Operations Gambling Division, chair Education Higher Education Finance Division Financial Institutions & Insurance Entenza, Matt (DFL-St. Paul) 64A Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Business Regulation Division, vice chair Education K-12 Education Finance Division Judiciary Government Efficiency & Oversight Division Erhardt, Ron (IR-Edina) 42A Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Regulated Industries & Energy Taxes Sales & Income Tax Division Farrell, Jim (DFL-St. Paul) 67A Judiciary Finance, vice chair Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Business Regulation Division Governmental Operations State Government Finance Division Finseth, Tim (IR-Angus) 1B Agriculture Environment & Natural Resources Environment & Natural Resources Finance Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Frerichs, Don L. (IR-Rochester) 31A Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Transportation Finance Division Transportation & Transit Ways & Means Garcia, Edwina (DFL-Richfield) 63B Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Transportation Finance Division, vice chair Environment & Natural Resources Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Girard, Jim (IR-Lynd) 21A Financial Institutions & Insurance International Trade & Economic Development Taxes Property Tax & TIF Division Ways & Means Government Efficiency & Oversight Division Goodno, Kevin (IR-Moorhead) 9A Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Labor-Management Relations Taxes Property Tax & TIF Division Greenfield, Lee (DFL-Mpls) 62A Health & Human Services Health & Human Services Finance Division, chair Financial Institutions & Insurance Housing Greiling, Mindy (DFL-Roseville) 54B Governmental Operations State Government Finance Division, vice chair Education K-12 Education Finance Division (ex officio) Ethics General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Elections Division Haas, Bill (IR-Champlin) 48A Environment & Natural Resources Health & Human Services MinnesotaCare Finance Division Labor-Management Relations Hackbarth, Tom (IR-Cedar) 50A Environment & Natural Resources Environment & Natural Resources Finance International Trade & Economic Development Harder, Elaine (IR-Jackson) 22B Agriculture Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Transportation Finance Division Housing Hasskamp, Kris (DFL-Crosby) 12A Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs, vice chair International Trade & Economic Development, vice chair Health & Human Services MinnesotaCare Finance Division Hausman, Alice (DFL-St. Paul) 66B Environment & Natural Resources Finance, vice chair Environment & Natural Resources International Trade & Economic Development Regulated Industries & Energy Holsten, Mark (IR-Stillwater) 56A Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Business Regulation Division Environment & Natural Resources Finance Regulated Industries & Energy Hugoson, Gene (IR-Granada) 26A Agriculture Taxes Sales & Income Tax Division Transportation & Transit Huntley, Thomas (DFL-Duluth) 6B Health & Human Services MinnesotaCare Finance Division, vice chair Financial Institutions & Insurance Regulated Industries & Energy Jacobs, Joel (DFL-Coon Rapids) 49B Regulated Industries & Energy, chair Environment & Natural Resources Rules & Legislative Administration Taxes Property Tax & TIF Division Jaros, Mike (DFL-Duluth) 7B International Trade & Economic Development, chair Agriculture Taxes Sales & Income Tax Division Jefferson, Richard H. (DFL-Mpls) 58B General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Elections Division, chair Governmental Operations State Government Finance Division International Trade & Economic Development Jennings, Loren (DFL-Harris) 18B Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Business Regulation Division, chair Health & Human Services Health & Human Services Finance Division Regulated Industries & Energy Johnson, Alice M. (DFL-Spring Lake Park) 48B Education K-12 Education Finance Division, chair International Trade & Economic Development Labor-Management Relations Johnson, Bob (DFL-Bemidji) 4A Labor-Management Relations, chair Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Governmental Operations State Government Finance Division Johnson, Virgil J. (IR-Caledonia) 32B Environment & Natural Resources Environment & Natural Resources Finance Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Kahn, Phyllis (DFL-Mpls) 59B Governmental Operations, chair Gambling Division State Government Finance Division Ways & Means Kalis, Henry J. (DFL-Walters) 26B Capital Investment, chair Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Transportation Finance Division Transportation & Transit Ways & Means Kelley, Steve (DFL-Hopkins) 44A Regulated Industries & Energy, vice chair Education University of Minnesota Finance Division Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Kelso, Becky (DFL-Shakopee) 35B Education University of Minnesota Finance Division, chair Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Regulated Industries & Energy Transportation & Transit Kinkel, Anthony G. "Tony" (DFL-Park Rapids) 4B Education Higher Education Finance Division, chair Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Governmental Operations Housing Knight, Kevin (IR-Bloomington) 40B General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Governmental Operations State Government Finance Division Transportation & Transit Knoblach, Jim (IR-St. Cloud) 16B Capital Investment Governmental Operations Gambling Division State Government Finance Division Koppendrayer, LeRoy (IR-Princeton) 17A Agriculture Education K-12 Education Finance Division International Trade & Economic Development Rules & Legislative Administration Kraus, Ron (IR-Albert Lea) 27A Agriculture Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Education University of Minnesota Finance Division Krinkie, Phil (IR-Shoreview) 53A Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Taxes Sales & Income Tax Division Transportation & Transit Ways & Means Government Efficiency & Oversight Division Larsen, Peg (IR-Lakeland) 56B Environment & Natural Resources Finance International Trade & Economic Development Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Leighton, Robert (DFL-Austin) 27B Labor-Management Relations, vice chair Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Transportation Finance Division Environment & Natural Resources International Trade & Economic Development Leppik, Peggy (IR-Golden Valley) 45B Education University of Minnesota Finance Division Environment & Natural Resources Lieder, Bernie (DFL-Crookston) 2A Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Transportation Finance Division, chair Capital Investment Transportation & Transit Limmer, Warren (IR-Maple Grove) 33B Education University of Minnesota Finance Division Judiciary Lindner, Arlon (IR-Corcoran) 33A Environment & Natural Resources Health & Human Services Health & Human Services Finance Division Housing Long, Dee (DFL-Mpls) 60A Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs, chair International Trade & Economic Development Taxes Property Tax & TIF Division Lourey, Becky (DFL-Kerrick) 8B Financial Institutions & Insurance, vice chair Agriculture Health & Human Services Health & Human Services Finance Division MinnesotaCare Finance Division Luther, Darlene (DFL-Brooklyn Park) 47A Ways & Means, vice chair Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Business Regulation Division Judiciary Judiciary Finance Lynch, Teresa (IR-Andover) 50B Rules & Legislative Administration, vice chair Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Environment & Natural Resources Finance Judiciary Macklin, Bill (IR-Lakeville) 37B Judiciary Judiciary Finance Taxes Property Tax & TIF Division Mahon, Mark P. (DFL-Bloomington) 40A Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance, vice chair Ethics Labor-Management Relations Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Regulated Industries & Energy Transportation & Transit Mares, Harry (IR-White Bear Lake) 55A Education K-12 Education Finance Division Financial Institutions & Insurance Governmental Operations Gambling Division Mariani, Carlos (DFL-St. Paul) 65B Housing, vice chair Education K-12 Education Finance Division (ex officio) University of Minnesota Finance Division Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Transportation & Transit Marko, Sharon (DFL-Newport) 57B Transportation & Transit, vice chair Health & Human Services Health & Human Services Finance Division Government Efficiency & Oversight Division McCollum, Betty (DFL-North St. Paul) 55B General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Elections Division, vice chair Environment & Natural Resources Health & Human Services MinnesotaCare Finance Division Rules & Legislative Administration McElroy, Dan (IR-Burnsville) 36B Capital Investment Housing Transportation & Transit McGuire, Mary Jo (DFL-Falcon Heights) 54A Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs, vice chair Ethics (alternate) Judiciary Judiciary Finance Labor-Management Relations Milbert, Bob (DFL-South St. Paul) 39B Taxes Sales & Income Tax Division, chair Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Business Regulation Division Environment & Natural Resources Molnau, Carol (IR-Chaska) 35A Agriculture Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Transportation Finance Division Financial Institutions & Insurance International Trade & Economic Development Mulder, Richard (IR-Ivanhoe) 21B Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Business Regulation Division Health & Human Services Health & Human Services Finance Division Munger, Willard (DFL-Duluth) 7A Environment & Natural Resources, chair Environment & Natural Resources Finance General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Rules & Legislative Administration Murphy, Mary (DFL-Hermantown) 8A Judiciary Finance, chair Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Judiciary Labor-Management Relations Ness, Robert "Bob" (IR-Dassel) 20A Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Business Regulation Division Education K-12 Education Finance Division Olson, Edgar (DFL-Fosston) 2B Claims, chair Ethics, chair Judiciary Finance Regulated Industries & Energy Taxes Property Tax & TIF Division Olson, Mark (IR-Big Lake) 19A Education Governmental Operations Gambling Division Housing Regulated Industries & Energy Onnen, Tony (IR-Cokato) 20B Financial Institutions & Insurance Health & Human Services Health & Human Services Finance Division Regulated Industries & Energy Opatz, Joe (DFL-St. Cloud) 16A Education University of Minnesota Finance Division, vice chair General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections, vice chair Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Government Efficiency & Oversight Division Orenstein, Howard (DFL-St. Paul) 64B Ways & Means Government Efficiency & Oversight Division, chair Education Higher Education Finance Division Ethics Judiciary Orfield, Myron (DFL-Mpls) 60B Education K-12 Education Finance Division Environment & Natural Resources General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Osskopp, Mike (IR-Lake City) 29B Governmental Operations State Government Finance Division International Trade & Economic Development Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Osthoff, Tom (DFL-St. Paul) 66A General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections, chair Elections Division Environment & Natural Resources Finance Governmental Operations State Government Finance Division Transportation & Transit Ostrom, Don (DFL-St. Peter) 24B Capital Investment Financial Institutions & Insurance Taxes Property Tax & TIF Division Otremba, Ken (DFL-Long Prairie) 11B Health & Human Services Health & Human Services Finance Division, vice chair Agriculture Environment & Natural Resources Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Ozment, Dennis (IR-Rosemount) 37A Claims Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Environment & Natural Resources Regulated Industries & Energy Ways & Means Government Efficiency & Oversight Division Paulsen, Erik (IR-Eden Prairie) 42B Education Higher Education Finance Division Financial Institutions & Insurance Labor-Management Relations Pawlenty, Tim (IR-Eagan) 38B General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Elections Division Governmental Operations State Government Finance Division International Trade & Economic Development Rules & Legislative Administration Pellow, Richard (IR-New Brighton) 52B Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Business Regulation Division Environment & Natural Resources Judiciary Finance Pelowski Jr., Gene (DFL-Winona) 32A Education Higher Education Finance Division, vice chair General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Elections Division Judiciary Perlt, Walter E. (DFL-Woodbury) 57A Governmental Operations Gambling Division, vice chair State Government Finance Division Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Labor-Management Relations Peterson, Doug (DFL-Madison) 13B Agriculture, vice chair Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Business Regulation Division Environment & Natural Resources Environment & Natural Resources Finance Pugh, Thomas (DFL-South St. Paul) 39A Judiciary, vice chair Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Ethics Governmental Operations Gambling Division Judiciary Finance Rest, Ann H. (DFL-New Hope) 46A Taxes, chair Property Tax & TIF Division Sales & Income Tax Division Rules & Legislative Administration Ways & Means Rhodes, Jim (IR-St. Louis Park) 44B Capital Investment General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Judiciary Transportation & Transit Rice, James I. (DFL-Mpls) 58A Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance, chair Transportation Finance Division Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Business Regulation Division Ways & Means Rostberg, Jim (IR-Isanti) 18A General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Governmental Operations State Government Finance Division Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Rukavina, Tom (DFL-Virginia) 5A Governmental Operations State Government Finance Division, chair International Trade & Economic Development Labor-Management Relations Government Efficiency & Oversight Division Sarna, John J. (DFL-Mpls) 59A Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs, chair Business Regulation Division Agriculture Environment & Natural Resources Finance Rules & Legislative Administration Schumacher, Leslie (DFL-Princeton) 17B Education K-12 Education Finance Division, vice chair Agriculture Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Transportation & Transit Seagren, Alice (IR-Bloomington) 41A Education K-12 Education Finance Division Housing Judiciary Simoneau, Wayne (DFL-Fridley) 52A Financial Institutions & Insurance, chair Capital Investment General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections International Trade & Economic Development Skoglund, Wes (DFL-Mpls) 62B Judiciary, chair Capital Investment Housing Judiciary Finance Smith, Steve (IR-Mound) 34A Ethics, vice chair Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Judiciary Judiciary Finance Solberg, Loren (DFL-Bovey) 3B Ways & Means, chair Government Efficiency & Oversight Division Capital Investment General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Elections Division Judiciary Sviggum, Steven A. (IR-Kenyon) 28B Rules & Legislative Administration Taxes Sales & Income Tax Division Ways & Means Swenson, Doug (IR-Forest Lake) 51B Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Business Regulation Division Judiciary Judiciary Finance Swenson, Howard (IR-Nicollet) 23B Agriculture Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Business Regulation Division Education Sykora, Barbara (IR-Excelsior) 43B Education University of Minnesota Finance Division Housing International Trade & Economic Development Tomassoni, David (DFL-Chisholm) 5B Governmental Operations, vice chair Gambling Division Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Education K-12 Education Finance Division Financial Institutions & Insurance Tompkins, Eileen (IR-Apple Valley) 36A Ethics (alternate) Health & Human Services Health & Human Services Division Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Transportation & Transit Trimble, Steve (DFL-St. Paul) 67B Capital Investment, vice chair Environment & Natural Resources Environment & Natural Resources Finance Housing Rules & Legislative Administration Tuma, John (IR-Northfield) 25A Education Higher Education Finance Division Environment & Natural Resources Housing Tunheim, Jim (DFL-Kennedy) 1A Transportation & Transit, chair Education K-12 Education Finance Division Regulated Industries & Energy Van Dellen, H. Todd (IR-Plymouth) 34B Capital Investment International Trade & Economic Development Taxes Sales & Income Tax Division Van Engen, Tom (IR-Spicer) 15A Ethics Health & Human Services MinnesotaCare Finance Division Judiciary Vickerman, Barb (IR-Redwood Falls) 23A Health & Human Services Health & Human Services Finance Division Labor-Management Relations Regulated Industries & Energy Wagenius, Jean (DFL-Mpls) 63A Environment & Natural Resources, vice chair International Trade & Economic Development Taxes Sales & Income Tax Division Transportation & Transit Weaver, Charlie (IR-Anoka) 49A Education K-12 Education Finance Division Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Rules & Legislative Administration Ways & Means Government Efficiency & Oversight Division Wejcman, Linda (DFL-Mpls) 61B Health & Human Services, vice chair Health & Human Services Finance Division Housing Judiciary Finance Wenzel, Stephen G. (DFL-Little Falls) 12B Agriculture, chair Environment & Natural Resources Finance Labor-Management Relations Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Winter, Ted (DFL-Fulda) 22A Taxes Property Tax & TIF Division, chair Agriculture Rules & Legislative Administration Transportation & Transit Wolf, Ken (IR-Burnsville) 41B Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Transportation Finance Division Labor-Management Relations Regulated Industries & Energy Worke, Gary D. (IR-Waseca) 28A Financial Institutions & Insurance Health & Human Services MinnesotaCare Finance Division Labor-Management Relations Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Workman, Tom (IR-Chanhassen) 43A Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Ethics Regulated Industries & Energy Transportation & Transit It's a Fact While it's still early in the 1995 session, at least five state lawmakers -- all of them senators -- have called for a nickel-per-gallon increase in the state's gasoline tax (SF67). This year will mark the 70th anniversary of the Legislature's decision to place a state tax on gasoline. When Gov. J.A.O. Preus took office in January of 1921, he promised better roads to Minnesota citizens, noting that "a great road system will make Minnesota a better state in which to live." He kept his promise. On the theory that more roads would boost the agriculture and tourist industries statewide, the number of graded roads tripled, the graveled roads quadrupled, and the paved roads quintupled during Preus' four years as governor. However, maintaining this ballooning transportation system was expensive, and by 1923 the words "gas tax" were on the lips of state lawmakers. But before the Legislature could institute a gas tax, the state constitution had to be amended. In November of 1924, Minnesota voters -- by more than a 2 to 1 margin -- paved the way for state lawmakers to tax gasoline. Incoming Gov. Theodore Christianson called the vote a "mandate from the people to enact a law imposing such a tax." The Legislature agreed, voting in April of 1925 to place a two-cent-per-gallon tax on gas. The tax applied to motor vehicles driven on public highways and directed revenues to the trunk highway fund. While Minnesota wasn't the first to tax gasoline, it was the first state to dedicate the revenue for highway construction and maintenance. To this date, all revenue generated by the tax must be used to build and maintain the state's roads and bridges. To change this, the state constitution must be amended. The current distribution formula (unchanged since 1956), gives 62 percent of the revenue to the trunk highway fund, 29 percent to the county-state aid highway fund, and 9 percent to the municipal state aid fund. Since its inception, Minnesota's gas tax has been raised 11 times to it's current rate of 20 cents per gallon. It has not increased since 1988. Under the dome . . . Despite odds, Capitol club continues social tradition They used to wear fashionable hats, visit Betty Crocker's Kitchen, attend style shows at major department stores, and knit outside House committee hearings waiting for their lawmaker husbands to finish their business. Today participation in the Rotunda Club -- a social group formed in 1949 for spouses of Minnesota House members -- has slipped a bit from its glory years. Gone are the days when the club was regularly featured in Doris Bock's St. Paul Pioneer Press column "Good Morning to You," but the club is still active and recruiting new members. "Sometimes I feel we should just hang this thing up. But the people who come really enjoy it," said Ann Sarna, president of the Rotunda Club and wife of Rep. John Sarna (DFL-Mpls). "More people need to learn about it. I wish that new people would join." For more than a decade now the Rotunda Club has battled a societal change -- more women entering the work force. Fewer spouses (most often wives) can find the time to join the monthly social get-togethers that occur during legislative sessions. Although women now account for a quarter of all House members, only a handful of husbands have ever participated in the Rotunda Club. The club originally organized 45 years ago to help outstate wives meet other woman and socialize when they joined their husbands in St. Paul for the legislative session. Today, few spouses uproot their lives, families, and careers to temporarily move to St. Paul with their lawmaker partners. "It is not like it used to be." Outstate spouses with jobs and children just can't take a drive down to the cities to spend an afternoon with the Rotunda Club, Sarna said. In its heyday the Rotunda Club, briefly dubbed "House Wives" by some, could throw luncheons or other gatherings and easily entertain 50 or more people. Today "we're lucky if we can get 15." Currently, there are 42 dues-paying Rotunda Club members, although participation doesn't always show it, said Elaine Steensma, club secretary and wife of former Rep. Andy Steensma of Luverne. "Most everybody has a job now." All spouses of new House members and former House members are invited to join and are sent notices of events each session unless they specify they don't want to receive them. "You don't realize what good friends each other can be," said Sarna. From the campaign trail, to the media, and constituent complaints, "we're all in the same boat. It is kind of like group therapy." Any thoughts that the Rotunda Club wives have some sort of political influence over their husbands is misguided at best. "We pretty much don't talk politics. We're a social group," Sarna said. Over the past 45 years there have been trips to museums, tours of businesses such as the Federal Reserve Bank and Fanny Farmer; lectures on finance for women and rape prevention; teas with the governor's wife; restaurant parties; luncheons at Eastcliff, the University of Minnesota president's residence (one centered around a theme of the zodiac); classes on typing, stenography, and charm; and a firsthand look at a heart surgery in 1963 with Dr. C. Walton Lillehei, a pioneer heart transplant surgeon with the University of Minnesota. A scrapbook notation regarding this event reported: "This was not very well attended." Last year, the club traveled to Dayton's Marketplace for a cooking lesson. "It's kind of hard because almost everything's been done. . . . We've been to every museum. We've done it all," Sarna said. Like the House of Representatives, the Rotunda Club has always run itself with leadership and budgets. It apparently took great pride in its budgets. Looking through scrapbooks and journals from the old days, numerous entries could be found such as these from 1953 and 1959, respectively: "The balance in the treasury that day was 65 cents but a collection taken added $4.77 to that amount." "The treasury ended up (the year) with a healthy balance of $13.30." Currently, there are three organizations for spouses in state government: the Rotunda Club for spouses of House members; the Senate Club for spouses of Senate members, Minnesota Supreme Court justices, and constitutional officers; and the Dome Club made up of spouses from both the House and Senate, Supreme Court justices, and constitutional officers. While the Rotunda Club is mostly a social group, the Senate Club mixes both social and educational events and the Dome Club focuses on educational activities. The Dome Club, for instance, visits Minnesota prisons, schools, and other government institutions to learn about the state and how it spends money. Like the Rotunda Club, the Senate Club is struggling for participation. Although the Senate Club has about 50 or 60 dues-paying members, "maybe eight or 10 people show up to activities," said Loretta Larson, club vice president. "What we have is a lack of participation," Larson said. There has been some talk of merging the three clubs but it has never gone far. This winter as the new clubs gear up for the new legislative session, the talk may go further. Elizabeth Swanson, both a former president of the Rotunda Club and the Dome Club, said, "With the three things going on, it is really too much. It might be better to focus attention on one. It would become more visible." Violet Anderson, a Senate Club member and Dome Club officer, said "if they would merge into one as the Dome Club, maybe we would have better participation." "It is very difficult to put on a program with six people," Anderson said. --K. Darcy Hanzlik End of railroad perk led to Dome Club creation In the early days of Minnesota statehood it was customary for the wives of legislators to sit beside their husbands on the chamber floor during the lawmaking process. It was also customary for railroad companies to provide special train cars for legislators and their wives when making investigative trips to visit state institutions. But after 1905, the year the new Capitol building opened, those customs would change and become the impetus for the formation of the Dome Club, an educational and social group for spouses of legislators, Supreme Court justices, and constitutional officers. When the 34th Legislative Session convened in 1905, "the third house," as the wives were called, was banished to the visitors' galleries and railroad companies were prohibited from "conferring any favors" on legislative groups, eliminating the railroad car parties. The railroad trips had become important for wives in fostering their good friendships. In 1903, for example, history notes an unusually large number of legislative wives traveled to St. Paul with their lawmaking husbands and enjoyed the railroad car trips. After touring state institutions, ". . . a reception was always held and usually a big banquet followed in the evening." The railroad car ban "seriously affected the pleasure, interest and education of the third house; but not for long," according to a History of the Dome Club. A group of women met at the new Capitol building and decided to christen themselves the Dome Club, naming themselves after looking up to see the Capitol dome. A written historical account describes the 1905 season as the "most enjoyably spent in varied pleasures. Beautiful homes were opened for entertainment. Art Galleries were visited, followed with a luncheon. Historic places in and about Minneapolis and St. Paul were visited. Trips to the public institutions of interest, musicals and dinner parties, all of those functions were fully carried through . . . ." Today, the club welcomes both husbands and wives and meets about once a month during a legislative session. Do You Know Legislators today, under law, must turn down free skiing trips, chicken dinners, and even calendars offered by lobbyists. Lawmakers at the turn of the century, however, encouraged perks. Railroad company officials were notorious for giving gifts during the late 1800s and early 1900s but not always because they wanted to be generous. Everyone, it seemed, asked for freebies. There were free trips and special entertainment railroad cars for lawmakers and their wives as they traveled. "The railroad companies regularly provided free transportation for politicians and wined and dined them," said Dr. W. Thomas White, curator of the James J. Hill Library in St. Paul. Hill was Minnesota's most famous railroad baron and founder of what came to be called the Great Northern Railway. In his book, James J. Hill and the Opening of the Northwest, author Albro Martin writes: "Every stack of mail that was placed before Hill in his capacity as president of the Manitoba road contained requests for special favors of one kind of another. . . . Requests for free passes came in a flood, and each one posed special problems. It was a destructive system which made more enemies than friends for the railroads. Politicians, even those who had not been elected to any office, demanded passes as a matter of course. 'I shall try to render you some service in return,' one aspirant for public office told Hill during the campaign of 1884. Even the State of Minnesota took its pound of flesh: in 1880 the secretary of state sent Hill a list of twenty-one government officials, including the secretary of the historical society, blandly asking that they receive unlimited annual passes on the railroad. . . .'The tendency is to abuse the pass privilege,' Hill grumbled in 1886, '(eventually) the firemen and porters will be looking for the same favors, and are, for all I know, as much entitled to them.'" In the Hopper . . . Jan. 13 - 19, 1995 Bill Introductions Tuesday, January 17, 1995 HF71--Anderson, R. (DFL) Judiciary Child sex abuse offender pretrial detention release neighbor notification by custodial authorities required. HF72--Greiling (DFL) Housing Residential rental building and manufactured home park managers and caretakers required to undergo criminal background checks, and landlord requirements and notice specifications provided. HF73--Anderson, I. (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Bond issuance provided for development and construction of Rainy Lake watershed fish hatchery, and money appropriated. HF74--Johnson, A. (DFL) Judiciary Foster care facilities for delinquent children local government notification required prior to licensing. HF75--Hackbarth (IR) Environment & Natural Resources Motor vehicle emission inspection requirement waived for newer vehicles. HF76--Kahn (DFL) Governmental Operations Retirement; certain early retirees prohibited from public employment in comparable positions. HF77--Greiling (DFL) Rules & Legislative Administration Unicameral legislature provided, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF78--Onnen (IR) Rules & Legislative Administration Appropriations not to exceed consumer price index rate increases, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF79--Lourey (DFL) Health & Human Services Medical assistance reimbursement rate increases provided, and money appropriated. HF80--Simoneau (DFL) Health & Human Services Regulated all-payer option insurers allowed to contract with integrated service networks. HF81--Jacobs (DFL) Labor-Management Relations Emergency medical services personnel included in workers' compensation occupational disease presumption. HF82--Vickerman (IR) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Springfield authorized to establish a tax increment financing district for agricultural production facility expansion. HF83--Kinkel (DFL) Governmental Operations Compulsive gambling treatment provider eligibility provisions modified. HF84--Finseth (IR) Rules & Legislative Administration Firearms; right to keep and bear arms not abridged and constitutional amendment proposed. HF85--Bertram (DFL) Labor-Management Relations Workers' compensation insurance regulation and benefits modified, and money appropriated. HF86--Lynch (IR) Judiciary Child abuse reporting record retention requirements modified, and data classification provided. HF87--Greiling (DFL) Governmental Operations State treasurer office eliminated and constitutional amendment proposed. HF88--Greiling (DFL) Rules & Legislative Administration Legislators not to receive mileage or per diem payments, and salary and reimbursement provisions modified. HF89--Hackbarth (IR) Rules & Legislative Administration Firearms; right to keep and bear arms not abridged and constitutional amendment proposed. HF90--Ness (IR) Education Education department appropriated money to fund 1994-1995 biennium deficiencies. HF91--Johnson, V. (IR) Agriculture Conservation credit pilot program established in Houston County, property tax credits provided, and money appropriated. HF92--Seagren (IR) Labor-Management Relations Workers' compensation benefits and procedures modified, and penalties provided. HF93--Van Engen (IR) Rules & Legislative Administration Motor vehicle excise tax proceeds dedicated to highway user tax distribution fund and transit assistance fund, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF94--Seagren (IR) Health & Human Services Human services public assistance eligibility provisions modified, work first program detailed and established, and money appropriated. Thursday, January 19, 1995 HF95--Lieder (DFL) Transportation & Transit Driveway headwalls in highway rights-of-way prohibited, and penalty provided. HF96--Bishop (IR) Financial Institutions & Insurance Health carrier subrogation rights restricted. HF97--Jacobs (DFL) Rules & Legislative Administration Legislature reduced in size to 56 senators and 112 representatives. HF98--Kahn (DFL) Governmental Operations Gambling Advisory Council provided alternate member. HF99--Brown (DFL) Governmental Operations Public employees prior service credit purchase authorized. HF100--Brown (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Morris authorized to enlarge an existing tax increment financing district. HF101--Jaros (DFL) Health & Human Services Health Care Commission membership increased for representation of consumers with physical disabilities. HF102--McGuire (DFL) Regulated Industries & Energy Malt liquor container size sale and possession restrictions provided. HF103--Osthoff (DFL) General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections School board membership plans reviewed by secretary of state, election expense allocation changed, election materials retained, terms and election frequency clarified, and certain election districts dissolved. HF104--McGuire (DFL) Regulated Industries & Energy Dram shop liability expanded to include the provision of alcoholic beverages to persons under age 21 by persons age 21 or older. HF105--Ostrom (DFL) General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections School district election precinct combination procedures revised. HF106--Dempsey (IR) Rules & Legislative Administration Term limits imposed on legislative and constitutional offices, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF107--Farrell (DFL) Judiciary School locker statewide inspection policy established. HF108--Simoneau (DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Tobacco retailer inspections, training, and reports required. HF109--Solberg (DFL) Health & Human Services Human services public assistance provisions modified, human services commissioner required to seek certain federal waivers, and money appropriated. HF110--Dorn (DFL) Judiciary Assault in the fifth degree probable cause arrests allowed in school zones. HF111--Commers (IR) Governmental Operations Eagan Volunteer Firefighter Relief Association lump sum pension payments authorized. HF112--Hasskamp (DFL) Education Pledge of Allegiance recitation encouraged in grades kindergarten through 12. HF113--Milbert (DFL) Rules & Legislative Administration Revisor's bill correcting oversights, inconsistencies, ambiguities, and technical errors. HF114--Jennings (DFL) Rules & Legislative Administration Legislature to meet only in odd-numbered years, staggered elections required, legislators salaries reduced, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF115--Weaver (IR) Judiciary Jail credit sentence reduction awards regulated for certain offenders. HF116--Rukavina (DFL) Governmental Operations Eveleth police and fire trust fund benefit payment increase authorized. HF117--Smith (IR) Judiciary Visitation interference or denial provided as grounds for custody order modification. HF118--Smith (IR) Judiciary Child support fund use accounting required by support recipients. HF119--Greiling (DFL) Governmental Operations Part-time teacher retirement contribution payment by employer provisions modified. HF120--Tunheim (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Great horned owl trapping by turkey farmers authorized. HF121--Johnson, V. (IR) Environment & Natural Resources Blufflands trail system in Winona County extension authorized. HF122--Delmont (DFL) Health & Human Services Anoka County; home care services reimbursement rate provisions modified. HF123--Opatz (DFL) Governmental Operations Public contract oversight provided for certain state and metropolitan government contracts. HF124--Delmont (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Anoka County authorized to award contracts to resident bidders. HF125--Bishop (IR) Judiciary Inmates prohibited from applying for name changes more than once a year. HF126--Bishop (IR) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs County service districts established, county service delivery cooperation required, and board and advisory committee creation authorized. HF127--Kalis (DFL) Taxes Apartment class property tax rate reduction provided in certain municipalities. HF128--McCollum (DFL) Governmental Operations North St. Paul city manager allowed to retain membership in public employees police and fire fund. HF129--Bishop (IR) Judiciary Medical examiner data sharing with certain investigative agencies authorized. HF130--Kahn (DFL) Governmental Operations County consolidation feasibility study required, and money appropriated. HF131--Peterson (DFL) Taxes Ethanol project increment increase provided. HF132--Kahn (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Omnibus environment and natural resources appropriations bill. HF133--Tompkins (IR) Health & Human Services Human services public assistance eligibility provisions modified, work first program detailed and established, and money appropriated. HF134--Bertram (DFL) Governmental Operations Firefighter state aid funding increase provided. About those Blue Books Last week we wrote in our question and answer column about how to get a copy of the "Blue Book," otherwise known as the Legislative Manual. Although we said copies can be obtained from the Office of the Secretary of State, the office isn't taking orders for the book until May. So please hold off on your requests until then. Thanks. --The Editors Minnesota Index Public assistance in Minnesota Number of major public assistance programs using state and federal funds to help Minnesotans in poverty 9 Number of those funded solely by the state 4 Amount of all state budget dollars that are spent on public assistance 1 in 5 State public assistance dollars that are spent on medical care 4 in 5 Public assistance expenditures, excluding medical assistance, as a percentage of the state budget, (FY1993- FY1994) 3 State spending on Medical Assistance, as a percentage of state expenditures, (FY1993-FY1994) 17 Minnesota families receiving Aid to Families with Dependent Children (AFDC) in an average month, FY1994 63,754 increase since 1991, in percent 7.2 Total dollars spent on AFDC (including Emergency Assistance) for Minnesotans, FY1994, in millions $331.2 Amount that were state funds, in millions $150.5 State funds for Medical Assistance, FY1994, in millions $953.7 increase since FY1991, in percent 31 Additional federal dollars spent for Medical Assistance, FY1994, in billions $1.16 Number of Minnesotans receiving Medical Assistance, monthly average 387,763 Percent of all Medical Assistance funds spent on long-term institutional care 49.2 Percent of Medical Assistance dollars spent on inpatient hospital care 12.2 Households receiving food stamps in an average month, FY1994 133,006 State dollars spent on the Food Stamp Program 0 AFDC recipients per month, on average, FY1994 190,027 As a percentage of all Minnesotans 4 Percent of recipients living in the metro area 73 Families on AFDC with one or two children 3 in 4 Average monthly AFDC benefit, per family $416.94 Percent of AFDC mothers who are teenagers 7 Percent of AFDC mothers who are minors 1.1 Average length of stay for a Minnesota recipient on AFDC, in years 3.4 Years since AFDC grants were last increased 7 Monthly benefit for a one-adult, one-child family, 1994 $437 Amount it would be had the benefit amount kept pace with inflation $806 STRIDE program participants, FY1993 20,957 Number of those women attending a postsecondary education program 8,926 Source: Public Assistance in Minnesota: Facts About Programs and Recipients, Legislative Commission on the Economic Status of Women, January 1995.