SESSION WEEKLY A NON-PARTISAN PUBLICATION OF THE MINNESOTA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES JAN. 26, 1996 VOLUME 13, NUMBER 2 WEEK IN REVIEW. . . JAN. 18 - 25, 1996 HIGHLIGHTS Dollars for roads and transit? Gasoline tax increase now under consideration In 1993, Gov. Arne Carlson said an increase in the state's gasoline tax could wait, that Minnesota's roads and bridges would survive. Three years later, some are wondering how much longer the state can afford to wait. Minnesota hasn't increased its gas tax since 1988 when it hit the current 20-cents-per-gallon mark. But at least four proposals to boost the tax are being considered in the House this year. Talk of raising Minnesota's gas tax by a nickel per gallon has been circulating at the State Capitol for years. Such proposals have failed in each of the last three sessions. This year, the House Transportation and Transit Committee is considering several proposals to boost the gas tax. One such measure -- calling for a 2- cent-per-gallon increase in the tax -- won approval from the committee Jan. 24. But the bill (HF599), sponsored by Rep. Peggy Leppik (R-Golden Valley), would counter the tax increase with a decrease in automobile license fees. The "revenue neutral" measure is intended to "return some reason" to the depreciation schedule used to assess license fees, according to Leppik. Currently, the annual license tab renewal fee is tied to the value of the vehicle. Her bill, which would "buy down" those costs, now goes to the Economic Development, Infrastructure and Regulation Finance Committee. The other current proposals are similar in that they each include a gas tax increase to raise revenue for road and bridge maintenance. They differ, however, when it comes to providing a new revenue source for public transit. Under the Minnesota Constitution, proceeds from the state gas tax are earmarked for the state's roads and bridges. In fiscal year 1995, the state generated $546 million from the gas tax. According to state estimates, each penny-per-gallon increase generates $25 million more revenue per year. Money for transit must come from other sources, such as the state's general fund. If lawmakers want money raised by the gas tax to go to transit programs, it appears they will have to get voter approval of a constitutional amendment allowing it. Right or wrong, the general perception is that money for transit is more beneficial to the metropolitan area and money for highways is better for rural Minnesota. The major proposals under consideration this year each include provisions to raise money for both transit and roads. HF2070, sponsored by Rep. Bernie Lieder (DFL- Crookston), would increase the gas tax by a nickel per gallon over the next two years and require the tax to be adjusted annually for inflation. The bill also proposes a constitutional amendment to dedicate to public transit an unspecified portion of the sales tax on motor vehicles. HF2502, sponsored by Rep. Jean Wagenius (DFL- Mpls), would result in a 3-cent-per-gallon hike by 1999 and would require the tax to be adjusted annually according to the change in Minnesota personal income during the previous year. The bill also proposes a constitutional amendment to allow some of the money currently designated for highways to be used for transit as well. Rep. Dee Long (DFL-Mpls) is sponsoring a bill (HF2671) that would increase the gas tax by 2 cents per gallon this year. But the increase would hinge on voter approval of a constitutional amendment mandating that proceeds from any future gas tax increases be used for both highways and transit. Those pushing for an increase say Minnesota needs more money to repair roads and bridges and construct new ones. More money is also needed to expand and upgrade mass transit systems such as metropolitan and regional public bus lines as well as launch light rail transit or high speed rail services. "We don't consider ourselves in a crisis, but we have needs and the needs will grow," said Bob McFarlin, director of public affairs for the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT). Since 1993, the department has been in a "maintenance mode" -- maintaining roads and bridges so they're passable but going without major repairs or new road-building projects. In a speech last fall, MnDOT Commissioner James Denn warned that the current situation will result in deferred rebuilding of roads in need, increased congestion on the highways, and growing concern about the condition of bridges across the state. ". . . And, possibly most importantly, we will be pushing forward to the next generation a growing bill for rebuilding an aging system," Denn said. The governor's position on a gas tax increase hasn't changed, according to his aides. "If the House and Senate pass one he will certainly consider it . . . but he will not be out front proposing one," said Tim Sullivan of the governor's office. Although Carlson's administration gave a gas tax increase "strong consideration" in 1993, Carlson eventually opposed it after President Bill Clinton proposed increasing the federal gas tax. The federal government passed a 4.3-cent increase at the pump that began in October 1993. The current proposals from Lieder, Wagenius, and Long remain in limbo. The committee took no action on any of the three bills. But the bills provide "pieces that could possibly be put together into something that's good for all of us," Wagenius said. Indeed, most believe any measure that emerges this year will be a hybrid of the current proposals. "Somehow we have got to find something that works for urban, for suburban, and for rural areas," Wagenius said. "We haven't come to that point yet." -- Nick Healy and K. Darcy Hanzlik BONDING Environmental bonding A new science museum for St. Paul and a freshwater aquarium for Duluth were among the governor's bonding requests reviewed last week by the House Environment and Natural Resources Finance Committee. The panel, which will continue hearing the governor's $155.8 million in recommended capital budget items Jan. 29, eventually will make a recommendation on funding levels for environmental bonding requests to be included in this year's bonding bill. Among the governor's capital requests reviewed by the committee: -- $41 million for the Department of Agriculture's Rural Finance Authority Loan Program; -- $36.5 million for the Department of Natural Resources; -- $33.8 million for the new Science Museum of Minnesota; -- $14 million for the Lake Superior Center freshwater aquarium and environmental center; -- $8.25 million for the Board of Water & Soil Resources' (BWSR) RIM reserve and Minnesota River Basin programs; -- $8 million for the Office of Environmental Assistance's solid waste processing programs; and -- $3.5 million for the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. The committee has not reviewed capital requests from the Department of Trade and Economic Development ($8 million), the Minnesota Zoological Gardens ($750,000) and several grants to local political subdivisions ($2 million). Officials of the Department of Agriculture told the committee they hoped to revive three farm loan programs that they discontinued in 1994. The Rural Finance Authority Loan Program was established in 1986 and helps farmers get reduced interest rates on loans, among other things. Jim Boerboom, director of the agriculture department's finance division, said it's vital to Minnesota's economy that farmers do well. "A 2.5-to 3-percent reduction does make the difference on a farmer's ability to repay a loan," Boerboom told the committee. St. Paul Mayor Norm Coleman spoke to the committee on behalf of the proposed science museum -- a key ingredient to his city's riverfront development plan, he said. The $96 million science museum project -- financed by $33.8 million in state bonds -- would replace the current museum which is too small for visitors and some exhibits, supporters said. The museum would be located south of the St. Paul Civic Center along the river bluff. Coleman said he needs the state's help because St. Paul taxpayers can't -- and shouldn't -- fund the entire project. "The city's interests and the state's interests are one and the same here," he said. The committee also heard from the mayor of Duluth and other supporters of the Lake Superior Center. The proposed environmental center and freshwater aquarium would be one of two such aquariums in the U.S. Supporters said their $14 million request is the last they will need from the state to finalize construction plans and finish the project by 1999. The Legislature allocated $4 million to the project in 1994 and $2 million in 1992. CHILDREN Designated parents A bill to allow parents to name another individual as a designated parent to care for their children in the case of an emergency is moving through the House. The bill, sponsored by Rep. Darlene Luther (DFL- Brooklyn Park) and Rep. Barb Sykora (R-Excelsior), hopes to help prevent children from ending up in foster care when a crisis, such as an illness or active military service, suddenly strikes a family. It allows for a designated parent, who does not need a foster care license, to care for children for up to one year. The House Judiciary Committee heard the bill Jan. 22 and referred it to its Subcommittee on Civil Law. Both Luther and Sykora said that many parents make informal arrangements with relatives and friends when they travel on vacation or on a business trip. The bill would allow parents to make their wishes known to authorities. It would also help comfort children by having their new caregiver be someone with a familiar face. HF2000 would allow parents to pay an as yet undetermined fee to file a designated parent agreement with the Department of Public Safety. The information would be released to law enforcement or health care workers if a parent is unable to communicate and the designated parent information is needed to contact someone to care for the child or children. Police and health care workers would know a parent has designated someone to care for their children by a symbol placed on a parent's driver's license or Minnesota identification card. A designated parent agreement would remain effective for four years unless canceled by either party. It must be signed by all parents who have legal custody of the children, the proposed designated parent, non-custodial parents with visitation rights if the designated parent lives in another state, and any child age 14 or older to show they are aware of the agreement. The bill also allows parents with more than one child to designate different parents for each child and to designate alternates in case their first choice is unable or unwilling to take on the responsibility. Some committee members, while supporting the intent of the bill, were concerned about potential abuses by natural parents to evade intervention from child protection or other social service agencies. "We have to think: what if," said Rep. Wes Skoglund (DFL-Mpls), chair of the Judiciary Committee. Under the bill, the state's social service agencies could contest a child's placement with a designated parent if, after investigating complaints, officials found it is not in the best interest of the child. The bill does call for an appropriation, but its price tag is not yet known. CRIME Aiding juvenile delinquents A bill to pair up college students with juvenile delinquents in an effort to keep teens on the right track won approval from the House Judiciary Committee Jan. 24. The bill (HF2360) would establish four separate two-year pilot programs across the state. College students would work with a juvenile's probation officer and serve as a "big brother" or a "big sister" to a teen who has committed, or is at risk for committing, delinquent acts or crimes. "Aftercare is not going on with kids who enter the (criminal and court) system," said bill sponsor Rep. Wes Skoglund (DFL-Mpls). The Department of Corrections would determine the particulars of the monitoring program. In addition, the department would work with colleges and universities to establish the criteria for which college students can participate in the program, what kind of training they should receive, and how they should be compensated. Skoglund, who is asking for $250,000 for the four pilots, said he envisioned paying college students $7 or $7.50 an hour. Their responsibilities could include checking on the juvenile in the morning, reminding them about homework, checking on them after school to ensure they're not hanging out with the wrong crowd, and helping them with homework several times a week. The college student would then report back to the probation officer so the officer could determine which juveniles need more help. It is also possible, he said, that some colleges would offer credit to students who participate in the program, which would be ideal for those majoring in criminal justice, education, psychology, social work, and other fields. Skoglund asked committee members to think back to their teens. "At 14, who wouldn't like a 21- year-old kid to pay attention to them." Chief Justice of the Minnesota Supreme Court Alexander "Sandy" Keith told the committee that juvenile crime is on the increase and he doesn't see its growth diminishing any time soon. Noting that juveniles need someone to watch over them when they get out of detention or jail, he said, "They need supervision." Jerry Haley, director of community corrections with Blue Earth County, said many juveniles lack good role models or an adult in their life who is interested. He added that in addition to helping relieve some case load issues for probation officers, it would help the community. The time to intervene with troubled juveniles is as soon as they are first arrested and released back into the community, he said. The bill is expected to be incorporated into an omnibus crime bill. Other bills approved by the Judiciary Committee Jan. 24 include: -- HF2506, also sponsored by Skoglund, would make it a felony to commit a second indecent exposure offense in the presence of a minor under age 16. Under current law, the penalty is a gross misdemeanor regardless of how many times the offense is repeated. The maximum penalty would increase from a one-year prison sentence and a $3,000 fine to a five-year sentence and a $10,000 fine. -- HF2029, also sponsored by Skoglund, would expand the state's sex offender registration law to include individuals who were convicted of or adjudicated guilty for a "kiddie porn" offense or another offense arising out of the same set of circumstances. Minnesota law requires certain sex offenders to register their address with a probation officer for at least 10 years following release from a Minnesota prison. Individuals convicted of sex offenses in other states who choose to move to Minnesota also are required to register. Assessing crime's impact In addition to considering public safety and the number of available prison beds, the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission should take into account the "adverse social and economic impacts" crime has on the community when adjusting prison sentence guidelines. That's the goal of Rep. Wes Skoglund (DFL-Mpls). His bill on the subject (HF2161), approved by the House Judiciary Committee Jan. 22, is expected to become the vehicle for an omnibus crime bill. Skoglund, chair of the committee, acknowledged that his bill is "not going to make a giant size difference," but said it was important for the commission to look at exactly what crime does to a community. Many crimes, such as drug dealing, affect whether children can play in the yard, a worker can safely wait for a bus on a street corner, a business can operate, and even the market value of neighborhood homes. Skoglund said he isn't necessarily looking for longer sentences. Instead, he'd like the sentences already on the books to be enforced. In addition, he said, he hopes the bill might help prevent the commission from watering down current sentence guidelines. In 1995, there was a move on the commission to reduce sentences for some drug offenses. It did not succeed. The commission recommends to the Legislature sentencing guidelines for trial court judges. The guidelines are advisory to the judges, who can (and do) depart upward and downward from the recommendations depending on individual circumstances. Debra Dailey, director of the Sentencing Guidelines Commission, said commission members have not met on Skoglund's bill but added she thought they probably would support it. Chris Manos, owner of the Southside Grille on Franklin and Chicago in Minneapolis, said the crack pushers are desperately hurting his business and driving customers away. "We call 911 probably two times a day" to clear them out, he told the committee. But they are back the next day. Manos said he's had to contend with crack being sold in his restaurant, cooks being beaten up for kicking out the pushers, and threats. "It is affecting my business. Put these guys away a little bit longer." He wondered out loud how the drug dealers could continually get away with breaking probation. Vi DeMars told lawmakers that she's had guns pointed at her just outside her Phillips neighborhood home. The crime has gotten so bad that her family won't allow her grandchildren to come and stay with her any more. Melanie Sanco told lawmakers that neighborhood watch groups can only do so much. "Why should I have to patrol the streets. . . . That's not my job. I don't have a bulletproof vest." She said that punishment has to be harsh and judges must enforce it. One way around prison overcrowding is to start enforcing hefty fines, a perfect fit for drug dealers who have lots of cash on them, she said. "Fine 'em. They're making good money," Sanco said. Guns on buses To combat continued crime on public buses, the House Judiciary Committee approved a bill Jan. 22 to increase the penalty for firing a gun "in" a public transit vehicle or facility. The bill (HF2034) expands current law, which makes it a crime to recklessly discharge a firearm "at" a public transit vehicle or facility. Penalties would range from up to a three-year felony and a $6,000 fine to up to a five-year felony and a $10,000 fine, depending on whether the vehicle or facility was occupied by individuals other than the offender. The bill stems from recent incidents of gunfire inside buses and transit stations. In November 1995, an armed man fired two shots on a bus traveling down Interstate 35W, striking two people. And earlier this year, a man attempted to fire a gun at Mall of America security and other officials while in a transit station there. The gun, although loaded, did not go off, said Tom Sather, general manager of the Metropolitan Council Transit Operations (MCTO). In addition, the bill, sponsored by Rep. Darlene Luther (DFL-Brooklyn Park), would increase the maximum felony penalty for intentionally discharging a firearm under "dangerous circumstances" to five years imprisonment, up from the current two-year penalty. (Dangerous circumstances are defined by the jury in any given case.) The bill would add to current law which already makes it a felony, punishable by a maximum of five years imprisonment and a $10,000 fine, to intentionally discharge a firearm in a school zone, park zone, or public housing project. Sather said gunfire on MCTO property is "happening with an alarming degree of frequency." In answer to some lawmakers' questions as to why shooting inside buses and transit stations should be specifically mentioned in law, Sather said that shooting inside a bus represents a great potential for harm. If a shooter strikes the driver, you're not only endangering the passengers but the other vehicles and pedestrians on the road, he said, adding that the bill would "send a message that crimes against transit are not going to be tolerated." HF2034 is expected to be incorporated into the committee's omnibus crime bill. EMPLOYMENT Minimum wage hike A bill to raise the state's minimum wage by $1.75 an hour in July 1996 and another $1 an hour in July 1997 won approval from the House Labor- Management Relations Committee Jan. 22. The bill, on its way to the House floor, faces opposition from Gov. Arne Carlson and business owners who argue that the bill will cause employers to cut jobs and end Minnesota's job growth. But House sponsor Rep. Tom Rukavina (DFL- Virginia) said it was time to require business owners to pay a more livable wage. The state's current minimum wage is $4.25 an hour for large businesses and $4 an hour for small businesses. For businesses with gross annual sales exceeding $500,000, the bill would raise the hourly wage to $6 on July 1, 1996, and to $7 on July 1, 1997. For employers with gross annual sales less than $500,000, the hourly wage would be $5.75 in July 1996 and $6.75 in July 1997. Beginning in 1998, the minimum wage would be adjusted annually based on any change in the per capita personal income of Minnesotans. Rukavina pointed out that the state has a growing population of "working poor" -- people who work fulltime, sometimes two or three jobs, but still need public assistance, such as food stamps, child care subsidies, or other aid. It is estimated that more than 100,000 workers in Minnesota are earning minimum wage. Some members argued that raising the minimum wage would mean fewer people on the state's welfare rolls. Others argued that the wage hike would cost the state jobs and exacerbate the problem. The bill (SF302) also contains a provision that would reward employers who provide their workers with benefits such as health insurance, dental insurance, a pension plan, or assistance with child care. Under the bill, beginning in July 1996 an employer would get up to a $1-per-hour credit for each dollar's worth of hourly benefits provided. The credit jumps to $1.50 per hour in July 1997. "During the 1960s and 1970s, a full-time minimum wage worker earned enough to lift a family of three out of poverty. In 1995, full-time minimum wage earnings fell 27 percent below the poverty line for a family of three," said Kristine Jacobs, executive director of the JOBS NOW Coalition. Brian Rusche of the Joint Religious Legislative Coalition said the wage increase represented human dignity. He said the typical minimum wage worker is female, lives in greater Minnesota, and is an adult. Her wages are not just "extra income" or "frivolous"; they are needed to support the family, he said. Tom Hesse of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce opposed the bill and told the committee: "The marketplace is working." Most workers earn more than $4.25 an hour because the market dictates that. He estimated that Minnesota would lose 6,000 jobs over the next few years if the Rukavina bill is enacted into law. Jack Uldrich of the Minnesota Grocers Association said the wage increase would put Minnesota employers at a competitive disadvantage with businesses in bordering states because their minimum wage is lower. Rep. Hilda Bettermann (R-Brandon) opposed the increase not only because she said it would cost employers too much and cause them to cut jobs, but because she thought higher wages could tempt students to quit school to work. Rep. Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook), however, said the wage increase was overdue, especially in rural Minnesota. Responding to some suburban lawmakers who said their communities already offered jobs starting at $6 or $7 an hour -- including the fast food industry -- Bakk said: "Prosperity hasn't touched all regions of the state." In 1995, Rukavina also sponsored a wage increase bill. That version would have boosted the hourly minimum wage by a dollar over a two-year period. It won approval from the House Labor- Management Relations Committee but never came up for a vote on the House floor. ENVIRONMENT No waste in the water A bill that aims to enforce "zero tolerance" for discharging human wastes into surface waters won approval from the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee Jan. 24. The bill (HF2260), sponsored by Rep. Dennis Ozment (R-Rosemount), restates current law which makes it a misdemeanor to discharge untreated waste into surface waters. The crime is punishable by up to 90 days in jail and a $700 fine. "I'm not really breaking any new ground here," said Ozment. "I'm simply highlighting an area we've got to focus on. We've got to send the message that we have zero tolerance for this kind of thing." Ozment said he decided to sponsor the bill after he failed to get the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) to stop violators of the human waste law. He said there are over 200 communities statewide where human wastes are being discharged illegally. This problem is not a priority with the MPCA, according to Ozment, who added that the agency is "overwhelmed with responsibilities." Patricia Burke, manager of the Water Quality Division for the MPCA, said the problem lies not in the lack of an appropriate law but rather in the lack of resources in communities and in her department to give human waste issues a higher priority. Burke spoke in favor of the intent of the bill, but acknowledged it doesn't change anything. "We appreciate Rep. Ozment's effort," said Burke, but "this won't change anything as to how we allocate our resources or run our program because it repeats the current law." Most critics of the bill said it was repetitious. "I agree with everything you say about prioritizing -- I want to prioritize, too. But this bill doesn't say anything," said Rep. John Tuma (R- Northfield). "We're wasting people's time and money." Rep. Bill Haas (R-Champlin) suggested working with the MPCA to draft a bill that mandates prioritizing the human waste issue. Ozment, who has consulted the MPCA about the bill, said passing a law to give legislative direction to the agency is his main intent. Rep. Betty McCollum (DFL-North St. Paul) was among three members who spoke strongly in support of the bill. "I'm a little bit ashamed that we're here discussing this bill in 1996 . . . we're not a Third World country," McCollum said, urging members to support the bill and stop debating it. "There are things we should be focusing on in 1996 other than human waste." Rep. Jean Wagenius (DFL-Mpls) successfully amended the bill to allow the MPCA to permit human waste discharges in emergency situations. Current statute allows the MPCA to make such exceptions to avoid environmental damage in some instances. While HF2260 largely repeats current law governing human waste disposal, some language in the bill could change the scope of the current law. HF2260 states a person cannot discharge "untreated waste" into waterways, while the current law also encompasses treated waste, which includes waste from a malfunctioning septic tank, for instance. The proposal, approved on a 12-8 vote, was referred to the Environment and Natural Resources Finance Committee. Improving RIM program A bill that supporters say will allow the state to better target wetlands and other lands for the Reinvest in Minnesota (RIM) program won approval Jan. 19 from the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee. Under the RIM program, landowners are paid to retire certain lands from agricultural production or place wetlands into conservation. Not unlike other bills the committee will hear this year, HF2282, sponsored by Rep. Ted Winter (DFL-Fulda), seeks to increase the "flexibility" of current laws governing water and soil resources. The major provisions of Winter's bill would: -- eliminate minimum acreage requirements on lands included in RIM reserve; -- eliminate maximum acreage caps on land enrolled by individual landowners; -- allow the state to obtain "flowage easements" on lands adjacent to wetlands in the RIM program (which would allow a landowner who does not want to commit land to conservation every year to commit just once every few years. Current law allows only perpetual -- or year-to-year -- easements); and -- allow the state to exceed current monetary limits on payments to landowners for some land. "These are issues that have posed some constraints over the last six years in the program," testified Ron Harnack, executive director of the state Board of Water and Soil Resources. "If we are going to continue to take the most critical [lands] within the RIM reserve program, we need to address these particular issues." Winter said the program needs to treat wetlands on a more individual basis. The recommendation for a case-by-case approach echoed suggestions made to the committee by other state agencies and several outstate residents Jan. 17 when the panel discussed potential changes to the Wetland Conservation Act. Current law keeps land parcels out of the RIM program if they are less than 5 acres or more than 20 percent of the county's average farm size. Because some farms with priority wetlands or lands near waterways are very large, the 20 percent cap is easily exceeded, Harnack said. And the minimum acreage requirement has kept both valuable wetlands from being restored and lands near waterways out of the conservation program, he said. Current law also limits the amount the state can pay a landowner to $300 per acre. That's an obstacle when dealing with complex wetland projects. The bill would allow the state to exceed the $300 limit for a single landowner if more than one wetland project was involved and total payments to landowners involved did not exceed the amount payable for the acres involved. In an Environment and Natural Resources Finance Committee meeting Jan. 24, the focus of the RIM program was questioned by Rep. Tom Osthoff (DFL-St. Paul). In response to the governor's biennial request for $7.5 million in RIM funding, Osthoff said he's concerned that targeted lands sometimes hurt area communities because of their decreased tax value. "Are we getting anything for our money?" he asked Harnack. Harnack said the RIM program is the state's best shot at fighting harmful soil erosion. He said about 50 percent of RIM lands are assessed at different tax values but some actually increase in value after conservation efforts. HF2282 now moves to the House Agriculture Committee. GAMBLING Gambling on welfare Minnesota welfare recipients would be penalized for cashing their benefit checks in casinos and bingo parlors under a bill approved Jan. 25 by the House Governmental Operations Committee. Under the bill (HF2036), general assistance and Aid to Families with Dependent Children benefits would be reduced by the amount obtained by a recipient who either cashes a benefit check or uses an automatic teller machine (ATM) card to obtain such funds at any Minnesota casino, racetrack, or bingo parlor that earns more than 50 percent of its gross revenues from gambling. "This is not an enormous problem, but it's a visible and increasing problem," Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL-Mpls), the bill's sponsor, told the committee's Gambling Division at a Jan. 19 hearing. "We're not trying to solve the problem of compulsive gambling; we're taking a very small step to put a barrier in the way of people who are using public assistance funds for gambling." Kahn said she and other members of the state's Advisory Council on Gambling learned last summer that some Minnesotans suffer financially because family members gamble away welfare benefits. More ammunition came from a series of Minneapolis Star Tribune articles in December, which reported that $39,000 a month in welfare benefits from Hennepin and Ramsey counties is being withdrawn from ATMs in casinos. Hennepin and Ramsey are the only two counties in the state where welfare recipients receive their benefits by withdrawing them from special accounts via ATMs. Kahn decried the "absence of reality" in gambling casinos, many of which eschew clocks and windows. "The fact that there is an outside world is not allowed to be introduced," she said. Her bill would not prevent welfare recipients from spending their benefits on games of chance, Kahn said: "We're just insisting there be a small intervention of reality." Rep. Steve Dehler (R-St. Joseph) asked Kahn if she had considered placing the same kind of restrictions on using welfare benefit checks to purchase alcohol. Such a plan might be feasible, Kahn acknowledged, but "we kind of prefer to take one small step at a time." Barb Anderson, systems director for the Minnesota Department of Human Services, told committee members that there would be few problems involved in policing the use of ATM cards to withdraw welfare benefits in casinos. However, identifying welfare checks cashed in casinos for the purpose of penalizing recipients would be much more difficult and "administratively burdensome," Anderson said. There are 17 casinos, about 20 bingo parlors, and one racetrack in Minnesota that would be affected by such legislation. Rep. Mark Olson (R-Big Lake) asked whether Kahn had investigated the possibility of preventing AFDC or general assistance recipients from gambling at all. Kahn, who portrayed herself during the hearing as a staunch supporter of the rights of Minnesota welfare recipients, said she would balk at such a constraint as a "large restriction of personal liberty." She told committee members Jan. 25 that the bill had been mentioned in the Washington Post following the earlier division meeting, and she was contacted by a U.S. representative from New Jersey who offered to help clear obstacles in federal law that might prevent the law from being enforced in Minnesota. Kahn also stressed to the full committee that the intention of the bill is to stop the practice of cashing welfare checks and withdrawing benefits in casinos, rather than police it. "We're trying to stop it, not to catch it or to punish it," she said. HF2036 now moves to the House Health and Human Services Committee. GOVERNMENT Is this office necessary? Minnesotans would decide whether to abolish the office of Minnesota state treasurer under a bill narrowly approved by the House Governmental Operations Committee. The bill (HF87) was approved 12-7 during an occasionally heated hearing Jan. 25. Sponsored by Rep. Mindy Greiling (DFL- Roseville), the proposal was one of four similar bills introduced on the subject. All four bills essentially had the same intent: to abolish the treasurer's office and transfer the treasurer's responsibilities to the commissioner of finance. "In no way is the idea of abolishing the office a commentary on the performance of the current treasurer," Greiling told the committee, referring to Treasurer Michael McGrath, who attended the hearing and spoke against eliminating the office, calling the post "the sentinel of the taxpayers of Minnesota." Greiling said legislators first discussed whether to eliminate the office in 1948, and the idea has been introduced numerous times since then. In 1985, lawmakers actually voted to transfer many of the responsibilities of the treasurer to the finance department; although the bill was signed into law by then-Gov. Rudy Perpich, it was declared unconstitutional by the Minnesota Supreme Court, which ruled that the degree of change required by the statute could be accomplished only by a constitutional amendment, which must be voted on by the citizens. The latest bill would put the question of abolishing the treasurer's job on a statewide ballot in the November 1996 general election, and voters would decide whether to amend the state constitution. Greiling and her supporters said the move would save the state between $150,000 and $2.5 million a year, would improve coordination and efficiency, and would eliminate the possibility of unqualified candidates being elected to the post. Rep. Jim Knoblach (R-St. Cloud), who offered one of the four treasurer bills and spoke in favor of the plan, reminded committee members that in 1990, more than 30,000 Minnesotans voted for state treasurer candidate and prison inmate Leonard J. Richards, who was convicted in 1987 in the shooting and stabbing death of his tax attorney. Rep. Dan McElroy (R-Burnsville), sponsor of another bill to abolish the office, said it is long past time to eliminate the office. "We have a responsibility to keep the base document of our state current with the practices of today, not those of 137 years ago," he said. "We must be willing to be a contemporary state and not one that embraces outdated thinking." An amendment that would delay eliminating the office until January 2007, rather than January 1999, was proposed by Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL- Mpls). Kahn said the delay is a good idea because of anticipated problems in moving from the 20th to the 21st century, which she said is likely to cost governments nationwide billions of dollars. Kahn's amendment was approved, but another amendment offered by Rep. Mark Olson (R-Big Lake), which would have reversed the intent of the bill by transferring the responsibilities of the finance commissioner to the treasurer, was defeated 11-9. The bill now goes to the Rules and Legislative Administration Committee. Recall of elected officials A bill approved by a House panel would let Minnesota voters decide if they should be able to recall errant lawmakers. The bill (HF343), sponsored by Rep. Betty McCollum (DFL-North St. Paul), would place on the 1996 ballot a proposed constitutional amendment to allow voter-initiated recall of state officials. If the constitutional amendment passed, a legislator, governor, other constitutional officer, or judge who demonstrates "malfeasance or nonfeasance" in office could be subject to a recall election. Voting on a matter despite a conflict of interest or some similar transgression could serve as cause for a recall, according to McCollum. "It could deal with some of the bizarre incidents both in the House and the Senate during the past year," she said. To prompt a recall election, a petition would have to be filed with the secretary of state no sooner than six months into the term of the targeted official. That petition would have to specifically state the conduct that warrants a recall and must be signed by a number of eligible voters equal to 25 percent of the total who voted in the most recent election for the affected office. If the Minnesota Supreme Court finds sufficient evidence that the official is guilty of misconduct, a recall election would be scheduled. Such an election would not be allowed within the final six months of the official's term. A successful bid to amend the state constitution would allow Minnesota to join North Dakota, Wisconsin, and the 15 other states that already have recall for state officials. Currently, Minnesota law allows only for the recall of county officials. Since that law took effect in 1987, only one recall effort has been mounted -- targeting a county attorney. That campaign failed because the recall petition lacked the required number of signatures. McCollum's bill has the support of legislative and state leaders from both political parties. "Our party is enthusiastically in support of this bill," said Chris Georgacas, state chair of the Republican Party. Steve Anderson of the Citizens' Lobby (an offshoot of United We Stand America) said that current lawmakers are left to police themselves, and voters are simply left out. "We're literally helpless in this process," Anderson said. The bill was approved Jan. 25 by the Elections Division of the House General Legislation, Veterans Affairs and Elections Committee. The measure now goes to the full committee. HOUSING Deterring illicit activity Vacant houses in the inner city could lose their allure to criminals under a bill approved by the Housing Committee Jan. 23. HF2039 would require that vacant buildings be secured by external lighting, "no trespassing" signs, and a resident caretaker or an alarm system. The cost of securing the building would become a lien against the property if an owner couldn't be found. One community activist who testified in support of the bill said there are about 400 abandoned houses alone in the Phillips neighborhood of Minneapolis, which is bounded by Lake Street and Interstate 94 and Hiawatha Avenue and Interstate 35W. "We have hundreds of different buildings in South Minneapolis," said bill sponsor Rep. Karen Clark (DFL-Mpls), whose district includes the Phillips area. "And when we have a vacant building in our city, it becomes a magnet for illegal activity." Besides inviting the danger of drug dealing and prostitution, vacant buildings cost tax dollars in frequent police calls, lost homeowners, and increased refurbishing costs due to wire-stripping and plumbing removal, proponents said. Sgt. Robin Cole of the Minneapolis Police Department said one vacant property alone has required 50 squad car visits in the last 14 months. At $60 an hour, such visits aren't cheap, he said. Phillips resident Carol Pass said the bill will help stem neighborhood flight. "The key thing for me is to not lose existing homeowners to fear," she said. "And that's what's happening right now." Current city regulations require building owners to secure and sometimes board up property left vacant because it is condemned or foreclosed. But Cole said owners are often hard to find and unwilling to pay -- a reality that costs his department. The Minneapolis Police Department spent about $30,000 last year to board up vacant buildings. Cole said that price is much cheaper than the legal costs of pursuing property owners. HF2039 now moves to the House Judiciary Committee. The committee also heard testimony on Clark's HF2040, which aims to empower tenants and landlords to crack down on drug dealers and other criminals. The bill attempts to: -- make it easier for neighborhood groups to get motor vehicle registration information on suspicious drivers in their area. It would waive the $1.50 fee required for such information; -- make it easier to evict drug dealers; and -- increase the involvement of the county attorney in drug-related eviction cases. But the committee is planning to make some changes to the bill before voting on it Jan. 29. Rep. Andy Dawkins (DFL-St. Paul), who sponsored legislation passed in 1989 that sought to clean up crime-ridden dwellings, pointed out several areas in the bill that repeat current statutes. Dawkins, an attorney, also said some language in the bill was too broad, noting specifically that the evictions Clark's bill authorizes might be illegal. Clark said repeating some language from statutes is appropriate given the misunderstandings her constituents have had over the issue. After hearing comments from Dawkins and several others, she said she planned to make some changes to the bill but leave the heart of it intact. "We're trying to tighten up the law because we're hearing in our communities that there is a general failure in these areas," Clark said. IT'S A FACT Luther Youngdahl was not a gambling man. In fact, Minnesota's 27th governor reviled gambling so much that, during his first term in office, he dispatched sledgehammer-wielding squads to areas of the state where gambling flourished to smash more than 8,000 illegal slot machines. In doing so, Youngdahl made good on a campaign promise born one summer evening when he and his sons passed a notorious Brainerd nightclub. "Drunken drivers were tearing up and down the road in their automobiles," he told the Saturday Evening Post in 1947, recalling the events that launched his assault on gambling. "The night was made hideous by the shouts of drunken men and the intoxicated screams of women. . . Hundreds were in line to get at the slot machines." During the first of his three terms in office, Youngdahl convinced the Legislature to pass tough anti-gambling legislation that made it possible for him to send his Carry Nation-style sledgehammer platoon into taverns, gas stations, and resorts around the state. "Slot machines cannot exist without corruption of public officials or neglect of duty on the part of the officials," declared the man who, in 1955, would title his memoirs "A Christian in Politics." It was enough to earn Youngdahl, who later became a federal judge in Washington, D.C., the nickname "the governor who's against sin." (Youngdahl, who died in 1978 at the age of 82, is probably turning over in his grave these days: Slot machines in Minnesota Indian casinos are bigger business now than the illicit ones were when he launched his crusade in 1947.) Youngdahl's campaign to rid Minnesota of gambling wasn't his only high-profile activity. In 1951, Youngdahl created a flap by resigning the governorship to accept President Harry S Truman's appointment as a federal judge for the District of Columbia. Youngdahl found himself in the national spotlight the next year when he dismissed the government's case against Owen J. Lattimore, the Johns Hopkins University professor who was once described by Sen. Joseph McCarthy as "the top Soviet espionage agent in the United States." In a nation jittery over the prospect of a Communist behind every tree, the decision brought Youngdahl hate mail and death threats. But the judge was undismayed. "I'm prouder of that case than anything I ever did legally," he told the Washington Post in 1977. "Even to mention the word 'Communist' was a terrible thing. It was the toughest case I ever had." INSURANCE Hospital stays after birth As more and more mothers and newborn babies are being discharged from hospitals just 24 hours after birth, a bill headed to the House floor would ensure that both patients have the option to stay a little longer. A move toward 24-hour hospital stays for mothers and newborns after uncomplicated births has picked up steam in recent years. And that has some lawmakers and medical professionals concerned about the health of both mothers and babies. "Let's slow down this trend a little bit or at least give physicians a little more control," said Rep. Joe Opatz (DFL-St. Cloud), who is sponsoring the maternity stay bill (HF2008). In 1985, only 6.2 percent of women were released one day after an uncomplicated vaginal delivery in a Twin Cities hospital. During the first quarter of 1995, that number had jumped to 42.5 percent, according to a study by the Minnesota Hospital and Healthcare Partnership. Opatz's bill would require insurance companies to cover a minimum of 48 hours of inpatient care following a routine vaginal delivery and a minimum of 96 hours of inpatient care following an uncomplicated cesarean section. Coverage for the extended time in the hospital for both mother and child would be required if the doctor, after consultation with the mother, deems it necessary. Should a mother leave the hospital before the 48 hours have elapsed, the bill would require her insurance company to cover one optional home visit by a registered nurse. The nurse could conduct any necessary clinical tests and provide services such as parent education and breast and bottle feeding training. The bill easily won approval from the House Financial Institutions and Insurance Committee Jan. 24. What little controversy that did arise in the committee centered on the role of the Legislature in determining appropriate medical treatment. Rep. Lee Greenfield (DFL-Mpls) said medical issues -- always subject to change -- should be resolved before they get to the Legislature. "I don't think the statutes are the best place to dictate medical practice," Greenfield said. ". . . It's not the best way to go in the long run -- to proceed on a path like this." Opatz acknowledged the need to find an alternative method to deal with issues such as maternity stays. But, he added, "This issue came to us because of the problems it has created." Hospital stays for mothers and babies in other states Currently, five states have either enacted legislation or adopted agency rules in 1995 to regulate the length of hospital stays for mothers and newborns. Maryland Maryland's law, the first in the country, does not specifically mention 48/96-hour hospital stays for mothers and newborns after delivery, but says health maintenance organizations or HMOs must abide by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines, which do call for those time amounts. However, if the HMO pays for home visits it doesn't have to abide by and cover the 48/96-hour stays in the guidelines. Maryland is expected to fix the loophole with legislation in 1996. New Mexico Instead of waiting for a new law, the insurance commissioner of New Mexico instituted new regulations requiring insurance companies to cover the same 48/96-hour stay after delivery. New Mexico's regulations also call on insurance companies to provide truth in advertising, which means that at the time of policy enrollment or renewal, the insurance company must in writing indicate specifically what their policy covers in terms of length of hospital stay after delivery. Massachusetts The state requires health plans to cover hospital stays of 48 or 96 hours after birth for uncomplicated vaginal or cesarean delivery, respectively. Also, mothers have the right to appeal any denial of coverage, and clinicians and hospitals cannot be penalized for providing medically appropriate after-delivery care, even if that means extra days in the hospital. Specifically, the law states that health plans may not terminate clinicians' contracts, delete doctors from medical provider networks, or reduce payments. The new law also addresses another dilemma facing many states: self-insured businesses. Such plans are regulated by the federal government, and state laws do not apply to them. Recognizing that, the Massachusetts law calls on the state's Department of Public Health to come up with new rules to prohibit all licensed hospitals in the state from discharging a mother and newborn before the 48/96-hour standard. Early discharges can happen if the mother requests it and certain other criteria are met. In the case of those with self-insurance coverage, however, the law does not obligate the self-insurance plan to pay for the entire 48/96- hour after-delivery stay. It makes the mother, doctor, or hospital financially liable. In Massachusetts, many hospitals have agreed to pick up the tab for the additional day if the mother's self-insurance plan refuses. Additionally, regardless of the type of insurer, all mothers and newborns in Massachusetts are guaranteed access -- not to be confused with insurance coverage -- to at least one postpartum home visit. New Jersey New Jersey's law is similar to what HF2008 proposes. It gives women the option of staying 48/96 hours after delivery depending on the method of delivery and requires insurance companies to pay for it. If a mother opts to leave earlier, her insurer is required to cover home follow-up care for both her and the newborn. However, like Minnesota's bill, the New Jersey law does not deal with women who work for businesses that are self-insured. North Carolina The law in North Carolina applies to all health plans except self-insurance plans. It too requires insurance companies to cover a minimum of 48/96 hours after delivery. It does not address home visits. LAW Dropping old laws Stopping to pick the official state flower would no longer be a crime under a bill that won approval from a House panel Jan. 19. The bill (HF2377) would repeal a diverse mix of obsolete, and in some cases arcane, laws ranging from outdated directives to state agencies to provisions regarding long-unfunded programs. Gone would be a prohibition on the gathering of certain wildflowers, including Minnesota's state flower, the showy lady slipper. Current law makes it a misdemeanor to dig, cut, or pull the wildflowers from public land and, except under specific circumstances, from private land. The law, however well-intentioned, has gone unenforced for years. Rep. Howard Orenstein (DFL-St. Paul), who chairs the House Ways and Means Committee's Government Efficiency and Oversight Division, said the bill was crafted to get rid of "some dead weight" cluttering state law. Under the bill, more than 250 provisions -- largely technical and inconsequential ones -- would be deleted from the books. Also nixed would be a 1937 provision giving the University of Minnesota permission to establish a law enforcement school. The university has yet to set up such a school and wouldn't need statutory permission to do so, anyway. Eliminated would be a chapter of law regulating the state's ferry boat industry, which apparently disappeared some decades ago. And dashed would be measures, enacted in 1969, that set requirements for contracts for social skills instruction and contracts for patrons of dance halls or studios. Bill sponsor Rep. Mike Delmont (DFL-Lexington) and co-sponsor Rep. Ron Abrams (R-Minnetonka) made it clear the bill was drafted to avoid controversy and that they would guard against any change that could be divisive. "I think we ought to be able to go forward without this becoming a political issue or Christmas tree," Abrams said. He added that the bill is a "part of a long-range process" to tidy up state laws and rules. The bill now goes to the Ways and Means Committee. Regulating veterinarians The board that oversees Minnesota's veterinarians would be given powers and protections similar to the bodies that oversee other medical practitioners under a bill approved by a House committee. HF2059, sponsored by Rep. Steve Kelley (DFL- Hopkins), would alter provisions governing the State Board of Veterinary Medicine. The board issues licenses for veterinarians and can take disciplinary action against license holders who run afoul of proper conduct. The bill would grant board members and employees immunity from civil or criminal sanctions for actions performed in the course of their jobs. Immunity also would be extended to people who make reports to the board or otherwise help out an investigation. Roland Olson, executive director of the board, said the immunity provisions are necessary to ensure that investigations of misconduct remain unsullied. "The threats of countersuits and so on that come up could have a chilling effect on some of our deliberations or attempts to discipline a licensee," Olson said. Other provisions in the bill: -- Disciplinary options available to the board would be expanded. In addition to existing authority to suspend or revoke licenses, the board would have the new option of placing limits on a veterinarian's license. Additionally, the board would be able to temporarily suspend a person's license without a hearing. The temporary suspension would remain in force for no more than 10 days, during which time a hearing would have to be held. -- The grounds for disciplinary action would be clarified. Existing law allows action against veterinarians for "conviction of a crime involving moral turpitude or conviction of a felony" and for, among other things, "chronic inebriety." The bill would replace those provisions with measures allowing disciplinary action for conviction of a felony or gross misdemeanor or for being unable to properly practice because of illness, use of alcohol or drugs, or as a result of any mental or physical condition. -- The board would be allowed -- with probable cause -- to order a license holder to submit to a mental or physical examination or a chemical dependency evaluation. Failure to obey such an order would be grounds for disciplinary action. Olson said the bill would put his board on equal footing with organizations overseeing medical practitioners such as dentists, chiropractors, and marriage and family counselors. The bill was approved Jan. 22 by the House General Legislation, Veterans Affairs and Elections Committee. It now goes to the House Governmental Operations Committee. LOCAL GOVERNMENT Special housing districts Cities and townships could decide for themselves whether or not to create a special service housing district under a bill approved by the House Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs Committee Jan. 25. Currently, if town officials want to create a housing improvement -- or special service -- district, subject to special tax levies, they must get approval from a majority of the affected homeowners and the Legislature. The purpose of the special districts is to raise funds to improve deteriorating housing stock in a given area. "Having established this set of hoops which really requires there be a high level of agreement at the town level, we then make the cities come to us to get approval," said bill sponsor Rep. Steve Kelley (DFL-Hopkins). "This bill is a change in philosophy. We at the Legislature ought not to exert the same level of control over local decision-making as we have in the past. . . . we end up micromanaging this stuff to an incredible degree." Kelley said he developed the bill from his experience creating a housing improvement district for his city of Hopkins in 1994. Some committee members expressed concern that the bill was an attempt to levy a special tax on local governments. "Isn't this another tax we're going to be imposing on cities in Minnesota?" asked Rep. Jim Rostberg (R-Isanti). Kelley said the bill didn't levy a tax on anyone and urged members to view the legislation as "a tool." "We're giving the cities a tool they can use with the consent of a large number of taxpayers in a specific area to deliver a special service to that area," he said. "It decentralizes power." Rep. Gary Worke (R-Waseca), who supported the bill, asked why current law requires legislative involvement in creating special services districts at the city level. Kelley speculated that the Legislature has historically wanted to exercise control over property tax increases. Under the bill, a residential area can become a housing improvement district if: -- a city ordinance is established and a public hearing is held; -- notices of the special district are mailed to each housing unit within the proposed area at least 10 days prior to the public hearing; and -- a list of proposed improvements to the area are provided at the public hearing. A property owner in the area can object in writing to the city to being included in the district. He or she can also appeal to the district court. The bill now moves to the Taxes Committee. No change in terms Minneapolis City Council members can breathe easy. A proposal to reduce the duration of their terms from the current four years to just two years was nixed Jan. 25 by a House panel. Rep. Phyllis Kahn (DFL-Mpls) sponsored the bill (HF311) to shorten the city council terms. Complaints about a lack of responsiveness from city hall prompted Kahn to push for the shorter terms, which she argued might make councillors a bit more attentive to their voters. Minneapolis council members began serving four-year terms (instead of two-year terms) after voters approved a 1983 ballot proposal to alter the city charter. That meant the mayor and the entire council would be up for election at the same time every four years. A 1993 vote altered the city charter again to put council members on staggered terms. Kahn's bill drew opposition from some council members. "Our voters have already dealt with this issue," said City Council President Jackie Cherryhomes. "By a two-to-one margin [in 1983] they decided that we should have four-year terms." Rep. Betty McCollum (DFL-North St. Paul) questioned the need for the Legislature to intervene in Minneapolis politics. "Why should I have a say?" McCollum said. Other members of the Elections Division of the House General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Committee apparently agreed. Kahn's bill failed on a voice vote. Pay or no permit Local governments could refuse to issue permits to home and business owners who have outstanding taxes, penalties, or interest on their property, under a bill approved Jan. 25 by a House panel. HF2355, sponsored by Rep. Dee Long (DFL-Mpls), allows but does not require town boards and counties to require applicants for amendments or permits required under planning and zoning regulations to certify that all property and/or special assessment district taxes, penalties, and interest due are paid. Under the proposal approved by the Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs Committee, property owners who are appealing a tax levy or penalty would be exempted from the proposal. "My concern might be for someone who is protesting either the taxes or a penalty," said Long, who drafted the bill in response to the concerns of several local governments. "Say they hadn't paid [the tax or penalty], they had a leaking roof, and because they are protesting the penalty, they have to let their furniture get ruined." Amendments were added to include special assessment levies among the items that should be paid in order to obtain a permit, and to allow county boards -- which often make planning and zoning decisions at the township level -- to exercise the requirement along with town boards. The bill now moves to the House floor. METRO AFFAIRS No more free parking? A House panel is looking into whether some prominent Minnesotans should continue to get free valet parking privileges at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The House Ways and Means Committee's Government Efficiency and Oversight Division met Jan. 25 with several members of the Metropolitan Airports Commission (MAC), questioning them on a longstanding policy of allowing about 100 people, including a handful of prominent state politicians, to park free in a heated airport garage whenever they have business that takes them to the airport. Rep. Howard Orenstein (DFL-St. Paul) has introduced legislation (HF2321) that would prohibit MAC from granting the parking privilege to anyone but MAC employees and members and others who are at the airport specifically to attend MAC meetings. The panel did not act on the proposal. MAC member Thomas Merickel told division members that he asked the commission to re- examine its policy of providing "parking cards" to a select list of people who are allowed to park in the heated garage even when posted signs indicate that the facility is full. "I felt it was politically sensitive," Merickel said. "I wondered if it was good public policy." Merickel said he believed the issue was worth raising because parking is the airport's biggest money maker, generating 30 percent of its revenues, compared to 24 percent in landing fees, the second largest revenue generator. Merickel said that when he joined the commission in 1992, the list of parking card holders numbered between 300 and 400. The list has since been pared down to just over 100, but when questioned by Orenstein, Merickel said any member of the Legislature can park free in the garage by making prior arrangements with an airport official. "It's clear that MAC spends tens of thousands of dollars on lobbying the Legislature each year, and when they're giving free parking to any legislator who asks for it, there's cause for concern," Orenstein said. Orenstein and other division members saved their most pointed questions for Jeffrey Hamiel, MAC's executive director. "I have not looked on this as being a problem area," Hamiel said. Hamiel said parking card use is closely monitored, but admitted that no records are kept on how often the cards are used, or who uses them. He and Orenstein disagreed as to whether or not the garage parking should be considered a "privilege"; Hamiel said he didn't believe it should be defined that way, even though he specifically referred to the practice as a privilege several times in a local opinion piece last year, and dismissed Orenstein's questions as "semantics." Rep. Ron Abrams (R-Minnetonka) advised Hamiel and Merickel to go through the list of parking card holders and "examine the reason why each person is on the list." "The problem is there's a perception there," Abrams said. "You have to bring your policies forward so hearings like this aren't necessary." Hamiel said MAC plans to examine the policy at a meeting in either February or March and discuss adopting new guidelines. TAXES Fixing waste tax disparities The House Taxes Committee is scheduled to vote Jan. 30 on a bill that aims to equalize county waste collection and disposal taxes, or SCORE taxes. SCORE stands for the Select Committee on Recycling and the Environment, a bipartisan committee appointed by the governor in 1989. But the proposal is likely to change based on concerns raised at the committee's Jan. 23 meeting. The bill (HF2552) seeks to end wide disparities in SCORE taxes, which counties pay on public and private mixed municipal solid waste management programs. A Department of Revenue study found that some counties have reported overpaying or underpaying SCORE taxes by thousands of dollars since 1992. Bill sponsor Rep. Jean Wagenius (DFL-Mpls) said the wide variety of waste collection programs has, in part, led to the disparities. Some counties charge fees, while others use property taxes and none is mandated to use a uniform method. "This bill recognizes that there has been underpayment [of SCORE taxes] by some, some have overpaid, and some are right on," Wagenius said. The bill would both allow overpayers to get credit against future SCORE tax liabilities and allow underpayers to remit back taxes over a five-year period. Members spent much of the meeting discussing the different ways counties finance -- and thus tax -- their solid waste programs. Several members noted the testimony of Brian Asleson, a Wright County assistant county attorney to support their concern over the wide variety of county programs. After questioning by Rep. Steve Kelley (DFL- Hopkins), Asleson, who supports the bill, acknowledged his county might not have reported a substantial amount of waste tax revenue because officials didn't consult the state to learn the law. While at least one member accused Wright County of deliberately hiding tax revenue, others said the testimony showed the need to strengthen rules at the county level before enacting them at the state level. "It seems to me unreasonable for us to distribute the money we collected from counties without imposing a much greater burden on those who are collecting it," said Bob Milbert (DFL-South St. Paul). Rep. Ron Abrams (R-Minnetonka) said the problems being discussed were created when the SCORE tax was passed in a special session in 1989. "We have created an absolute administrative nightmare and made lawbreakers out of people who do not intend to be lawbreakers and made others overpay," said Abrams. "We're the ones [who] made it complex." Abrams also said "the debate in 1989 was about what's Hennepin County trying to gain here? And at the end of the day, Hennepin County is an overpayer." Hennepin County Commissioner Mike Opat, who spoke in support of the bill, said his county has overpaid $1.2 million since 1992. He said the overpayment occurred despite his county's adherence to instructions it got from the state on how much money it owed in SCORE taxes. Rep. Dee Long (DFL-Mpls) objected to the bill's allowance for interest-free repayment of back taxes. "It's interesting that we throw the book at citizens, but if counties haven't paid taxes, whether deliberate or not, there is no underpayment," she said, suggesting penalties if counties haven't paid "egregious" amounts. Wagenius plans to bring the bill before the committee after consulting with the Department of Revenue. TRANSPORTATION Free trade corridor Free trade has created a major international trucking route cutting right through Minnesota, and that, some claim, requires new strategies to bolster commerce. The trade route, Interstate Highway 35, is the scene of "huge congestion" as a result of the North American Free Trade Agreement, according to a Dallas-based consultant hired by the I-35 Corridor Coalition. The coalition, a joint effort of business and government officials from Texas, Oklahoma, and Kansas, is hoping to get other I-35 states to back proposals aimed to make international trucking more efficient. Coalition officials pitched their plan to the House Transportation and Transit Committee Jan. 24. The group aims to improve commercial traffic flow on I-35, which runs from Duluth, Minn., to Laredo, Texas, and to ease congestion at border crossings, especially between the U.S. and Mexico. Supporters envision inland customs stations to allow agents to check trucks long before they arrive at the border. Once checked, the trucks would be sealed and electronically tracked as they travel to Mexico or Canada. All of this would greatly reduce time spent waiting for approval to cross the border -- often as much as a 20-hour delay. "Our objective is to drastically reduce the cost of transportation between the countries," said consultant Francisco Conde. The committee took no action on the matter. Feedback The House of Representatives Public Information Office has established an e-mail address to welcome comments or ideas on the Session Weekly and its contents. Send messages to: session@house.leg.state.mn.us We thank you for your input. The editors Speed limits and highway safety Speed limits on some Minnesota highways should be increased, but only if measures to better promote compliance and safety are approved, according to a state task force report on the issue. Supporters of a speed limit change argue it would have little real effect on the flow of traffic and the safety on the roads. "I'm not convinced we're increasing the speeds," said Fred Corrigan, a member of the Joint Agency Task Force on Speed Limits and Highway Safety. "People are driving those speeds already." Indeed, most Minnesota motorists drive at speeds well in excess of the posted limits. Law enforcement officials consider the 85th percentile speed -- roughly the point at which 85 percent of vehicles travel -- as a good indicator of the comfort level of most drivers and as a guide for setting appropriate speed limits. Currently, the 85th percentile speed is 73 mph on rural interstates in Minnesota, where the posted limit is 65 mph. On rural divided highways and urban freeways (posted at 55 mph), the 85th percentile speeds are in the ballpark of 68 mph, according to the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Task force members, in Jan. 22 testimony before the House Transportation and Transit Committee, said speed limits on some highways should be increased to better reflect current driving habits. The committee took no action to raise limits on Minnesota roads. The task force, formed by the state transportation and public safety departments, is calling for for the speed limit on rural interstates to be increased to 70 mph, and for the limit to be 65 mph on urban interstates and on all four-lane divided highways. But the limit should remain 55 mph on all rural, two-lane highways, according to task force recommendations. "We couldn't find anyone to tell us those roads are designed for more than 55 mph," Corrigan said. "Significant portions of those roads have design limits of less than 55 mph." To better ensure compliance with limits, the task force suggests getting rid of the Dimler Amendment, a provision in state law that prevents speeding tickets for violations of less than 10 mph over the highway limit from being being placed on a driver's record (and thus affecting insurance rates). And to enhance highway safety, task force recommendations include a call for Minnesota's mandatory seat belt law be changed to a primary offense. The switch would mean law enforcement officers could stop a motorist for failure to wear a seat belt. Currently, motorists can be tagged for a seat belt violation only when pulled over for a separate offense. Bills in past years addressing the issue of making failure to buckle up a primary offense have met with little success before the full House. It remains unclear if any or all of the task force recommendations will make it into state law. Minnesota is one of many states considering speed limit increases in the wake of the 1995 lifting of federal speed limit stipulations. Three bills offering varied speed limit changes are expected to be considered by the House transportation panel during a Jan. 26 meeting. The bills are HF2349, sponsored by Rep. Jim Tunheim (DFL-Kennedy), HF2178, sponsored by Rep. Dave Bishop (R-Rochester), and HF2088, sponsored by Rep. Ted Winter (DFL-Fulda). A top state law enforcement official warned committee members that any increase in speed limits could make the highways more dangerous. "We are concerned that motorists will exceed the new posted speed as they exceed the speed limits posted today," said Chief Mike Chabries of the Minnesota State Patrol. NOTES Metro-area job growth for the next quarter century will be only half what it was over the past 25 years, the Metropolitan Council told members of the Local Government and Metropolitan Affairs Committee Jan. 18. Between 1970 and 1995, approximately 640,000 jobs were created in the metro area. From 1995 to 2020, approximately 380,000 jobs will be created in the region, according to the Metropolitan Council. That decreased job growth will occur while the population in the Twin Cities is growing faster than it has in the past. The Metro-area population increased about 575,000 from 1970 to 1995. The projected increase is 650,000 between now and 2020, according to new figures obtained by the Metropolitan Council. "It presents some very challenging things to the region," said Craig Rapp of the Metropolitan Council. Joking about Rep. Willard Munger's record tenure could cost you a bite of lemon-filled cake. While discussing the definition of "perpetual easements" Jan 19 as contained in a bill (HF2282) sponsored by Rep. Ted Winter (DFL-Fulda), Winter quipped, "Mr. Chair, is perpetual easement longer than the time you've served in the house?" After hearty laughs rippled through the Environment and Natural Resources Committee, Munger (DFL-Duluth), who celebrated his 85th birthday in the House chamber last week, retorted, "Members, remember after the meeting there's lots of cake and cookies upstairs -- except for Winter." Woe to the lawmaker who fails to follow one House panel's unofficial "cookie rule." Rep. Peggy Leppik (R-Golden Valley) took Rep. Walter Perlt (DFL-Woodbury) to task during the House Environment and Natural Resources Committee's Jan. 24 hearing. She advised her colleague that he was required to bring cookies for all present, since he was making his debut at seeking the panel's approval for a bill. Perlt's response? "Mr. Chairman and Rep. Leppik, that's an oversight on my part and I will certainly see to it that it gets taken care of -- after I get a favorable vote on my bill." Leppik quickly corrected her colleague: "Rep. Perlt, I think it's the cookies that you bring to get the favorable vote." Join the Minnesota Legislature in cyberspace It's now easier than ever for the public to access the Legislature through the Internet. Since 1994, anyone with a computer and a modem has had access to a host of legislative information on the Internet. But now the Legislature has hit the World Wide Web, which provides a user-friendly format that anyone without computer training can navigate. The World Wide Web uses a simple "point and click" system, where users select a word or phrase such as "House committee schedules." Once selected, the computer automatically shows the user the requested information. It can then be viewed or saved to the user's own computer and printed. To connect to the legislative "home page," simply point your web browser at: http://www.leg.state.mn.us Here, Minnesotans can easily access information about members of the Legislature, Senate and House bills, Minnesota Statutes, daily and weekly schedules of committee activity, staff directories, House and Senate journals, and much more. There are also links to other important state and federal government sites on the Internet. The Legislature's World Wide Web page is a joint effort by the Minnesota House of Representatives, the Minnesota Senate, the Legislative Reference Library, and the Office of the Revisor of Statutes. The goal of the service is to provide as much legislative information as possible in an easy-to-use format to increase citizen participation in the legislative process. And the public is responding. During the peak of the 1995 Legislative Session, the Legislature's Internet server was accessed 50,000 times per week. During the first week of the 1996 Legislative Session, that number already stood at 47,000. Anyone with e-mail can also receive daily and weekly committee schedules from both the House and the Senate without having to connect to the Internet to download them. To receive the House schedule, send a message to: listserv@hsched.house.leg.state.mn.us Leave the subject line blank and in the body of the message type: subscribe h-schedules To receive the Senate schedule, send a message to: listserv@senate.leg.state.mn.us Leave the subject line blank and in the body of the message type: subscribe sen-schedules A closer look . . . Uncertainty surrounds program cuts for disabled Beginning July 1, 1996, some 2,100 disabled Minnesotans are expected to be cut from two programs that help them live at home instead of in a state institution. Some of those individuals were among the 150 who came to the Capitol Jan. 23 to ask lawmakers to and reinstate cuts made by the 1995 Legislature. Last year, at the urging of Gov. Arne Carlson, lawmakers cut a program that provides in-home personal care attendants (PCA) for the disabled and another program -- known as TEFRA -- that allows the families of children with disabilities to buy into the joint state and federal Medical Assistance plan. State officials agree that generally, home care does cost less than placing people with disabilities in an institution. But they add that over the years the TEFRA and PCA programs have expanded too much and now include cases such as mild attention deficit disorder and other disabilities not considered serious enough to warrant institutionalization or participation in the programs. Elaine Timmer, an assistant commissioner with the Department of Human Services, has said those who are most vulnerable will continue to be covered by the TEFRA program and some form of in-home care. About 20 of the 42 people scheduled to testify before the House Health and Human Services Finance Division Jan. 23 were heard before the committee had to adjourn. Many were distressed, not knowing if their case would be among those cutback or eliminated come July 1996. Rep. Lee Greenfield (DFL-Mpls), chair of the finance division, promised those testifying that the committee would try to find answers to all their questions before the cuts take effect. "July is not very far away and I'm just starting my life," said Cali Carpenteur, who suffers from major depression and relies on a personal care attendant to remind her to eat and take her medication. "The thoughts of meds and food do not occur to me," she said, adding that she has no family so only her attendant is there daily to check up on her and make sure she's fine. Carpenteur started college at 32 and is attending the University of Minnesota. She is concerned that without her attendant she'll fall back into a major depression, be in bed for weeks; and risk losing all she's worked for in college. "Five years ago my prognosis was going nowhere." Before making cuts, she said, "think of me." Mary Schwebach of Minnetonka told the committee if it hadn't been for the government providing her family with a personal care attendant eight hours each day to help out, her son Matthew, who has severe cerebral palsy, would have been institutionalized. He also is legally blind and mentally retarded. Schwebach said Matthew, who can't walk, talk, or sit, would be more manageable if it weren't for his behavior -- he cries much of the time. "He cries unless he has constant human interaction. . . .I can't even go to the bathroom or answer the phone without him crying like a colicky child. "I am convinced that if the PCA services are eliminated, we will once again be faced with the decision to place Matthew out of home." The cuts passed by the 1995 Legislature total about $10.3 million for both programs. The law tightens eligibility requirements and limits some services. One provision reduces by 12.5 percent the maximum number of personal care service hours a recipient may receive. Another section requires that those receiving the help of a personal care attendant be capable of directing their own care. More specifically, the statute states that recipients must be able to "identify their needs, direct and evaluate task accomplishment, and assure their health and safety." That provision, however, has run into trouble with federal health officials who say it may discriminate against children, according to officials of the state Department of Human Services. Many children cannot direct their own care simply because they are children and need help from adults. The provision also discriminates against adults with mental illness because they are not mentally competent enough to direct their own care, said Anne Henry, an attorney with the Minnesota Disability Law Center. She said the state of Washington tried to cutback its in-home programs for the disabled using similar criteria and lost in court. If federal officials prohibit that provision's enforcement, many people who would have been cut from PCA services may keep them. That would mean savings from the 1995 law would drop from $10.3 million to $2.8 million, according to some estimates. Henry said regardless of how deep the cuts go, they will devastate many Minnesota families because many chronically ill and disabled children and adults will be left to fend for themselves. The state, she said, will return to the era when families were faced with either the choice of institutionalizing their loved ones or spending everything they had on the medical care for that individual and impoverishing the family. In all, state Department of Human Services officials estimate that of the 5,684 families with a personal care attendant, 454 will be cut completely from the program. Another 733 also will be cut but will be picked up by county mental health services. Those services, however, may or may not meet all their needs, Timmer said. About 1,725 will stay with the program and the remaining 2,771 are expected to receive federal waivers for personal care attendants or a similar service. If the federal government fails to come through with the waivers, those individuals will continue on the state's PCA program. In terms of the TEFRA program, of the 4,188 participants in June 1995, about 2,000 are expected to remain. Of the more than 2,000 children gone from the program, about 800 constitute closed cases, deaths, or children who never reapplied for the program; 670 suffer from physical disabilities; 575 suffer from developmental disabilities; and 400 from mental illness. Those with a mental illness are expected to find other county services. The state has appropriated $3 million to counties to help with the additional caseload. Those with physical or developmental disabilities cut from the TEFRA program must use their own private insurance as well as other community resources such as their school district's special education classes and county social services. -- K. Darcy Hanzlik New members . . . Newcomer Carlson makes policy by the numbers For an accountant who admits that many in his profession are "shy" and "not risk takers," Rep. Skip Carlson is entering a world where such attributes are fairly uncommon. Carlson, a Republican from Fridley, is one of the newest members of the Minnesota House of Representatives. He was elected July 11, 1995, in a special election to fill the District 52A seat which includes parts of Fridley and New Brighton and all of Columbia Heights and Hilltop, all suburbs of Minneapolis. The 51-year-old accountant and insurance salesman replaces former Rep. Wayne Simoneau, a 21-year legislative veteran who resigned to become acting commissioner of the state Department of Employee Relations. Carlson's victory over his DFL opponent, Bruce Nawrocki, marks the first time in generations that the district has been represented by a Republican. In fact, when Carlson graduated from Columbia Heights High School in 1962, Nawrocki already was the mayor of Columbia Heights. Carlson's win marks his first run at elective office. Prior to this, the closest he'd ever come was serving as treasurer in another political campaign. When Carlson was approached to run for the seat, he said thanks but no thanks. "I think I was going through a mid-life crisis," the 51-year-old said jokingly. But after much thought, I decided that "I can't complain . . . if I sit on the sidelines," he said. Last spring, Carlson became a first-time grandfather and he thinks his grandson, Nathan, may have had something to do with his running for office. "I turned 51 . . . you see your own mortality. . . . Sometimes I hold my grandson and consider he's already in debt and he doesn't know it. If there is a way to turn the state over to [him] in better shape, I want to do it." Carlson, an active community member, is a member of the Anoka Rotary, the National Sports Center Foundation, and the Anoka County Internal Audit Commission. He has been president of both the Anoka Area Chamber of Commerce and the Anoka County Chamber of Commerce. After growing up in northeast Minneapolis and Columbia Heights, he served in the Army, attended the University of Minnesota, and later graduated from St. Cloud State University. He has been married 28 years. Carlson said he really doesn't have a personal agenda but is interested in reforming the state's tax system and working on education funding issues. That should work out well for him: He has been selected as one of the few freshmen members of the minority party to sit on the powerful House Taxes Committee, where he expects his accounting background will come in handy. Carlson said he is looking forward to the busy pace of the session. With his children grown and his wife, Shirley, owning her own business, he feels he has the time to devote to the job. "I can't imagine having a young family. . . . I don't think I would apply for the job," he said. The new lawmaker's hobbies include baby- sitting his new grandson and reading--especially about the Civil War. "Not so much the battles," he said, "but the human side and personal conflicts." Remembering the human side of the lawmaking process is something Carlson hopes will serve his constituents well. -- K. Darcy Hanzlik District 52A Population: 32,890 Distribution: 100 percent urban County: Anoka, Ramsey Largest city: Columbia Heights Location: north central Metro Unemployment rate: 5.98 percent Residents living below poverty level: 7.98 percent 1994 gubernatorial election results: Carlson/Benson 62.32 percent Marty/Larson 30.44 percent Other: 7.24 percent In the Hopper . . . January 19 - 25, 1996 Bill Introductions Monday, January 22 HF2430--Carlson, L. (DFL) Financial Institutions & Insurance Self-insurance pool commerce department regulation provisions modified. HF2431--Girard (R) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Marshall appropriated money for flood control project, and bonds issued. HF2432--Mulder (R) Health & Human Services Abortion informed consent required. HF2433--Macklin (R) Taxes Moving property lease or rental income apportionment provided, property tax refund provided for small manufacturing businesses, sales tax exemption provided for replacement capital equipment, and money appropriated. HF2434--Dorn (DFL) Judiciary Juvenile court and peace officer record release provided for research purposes. HF2435--Kraus (R) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Rendezvous trail established in Freeborn and Mower counties. HF2436--Skoglund (DFL) Judiciary Pawn shop law enforcement data provisions modified. HF2437--Kelley (DFL) Judiciary Criminal alert network member data classified. HF2438--Harder (R) Education Independent School District No. 173, Mountain Lake, state aid and local property tax levy proceeds restored, and money appropriated. HF2439--Tuma (R) Transportation & Transit Trunk highway No. 13 between New Prague and Montgomery designated as Czech Heritage Highway. HF2440--Jaros (DFL) International Trade & Economic Development Migration and economic development task force established. HF2441--Erhardt (R) Taxes Senior citizens' property tax deferral program established, and money appropriated. HF2442--Finseth (R) Education Secondary vocational education aid guarantee provisions modified. HF2443--Cooper (DFL) Health & Human Services Medical assistance for needy persons demonstration provider definition to include certain nursing facilities. HF2444--Cooper (DFL) Health & Human Services Medical test nondiscriminate health plan coverage required regardless of type of provider ordering tests. HF2445--Orfield (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Metropolitan Council regional parks land acquisition and improvements provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2446--McCollum (DFL) Health & Human Services Public apology provided to all persons with developmental disabilities who have been involuntarily committed to state institutions. HF2447--Bishop (R) Environment & Natural Resources Rochester public utilities provided grant for repair of the Lake Zumbro hydroelectric dam, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2448--McElroy (R) Housing Municipal building code application restrictions provided related to unoccupied housing. HF2449--Kinkel (DFL) Transportation & Transit Shingobee Township provided grant for road improvements, and money appropriated. HF2450--Kinkel (DFL) Judiciary Child support arrearage interest accrual provisions modified. HF2451--Onnen (R) Health & Human Services Outreach crisis service provider rate adjustment provided. HF2452--Pugh (DFL) Judiciary Solicitation of minor participation in criminal gangs provided felony penalty. HF2453--Pugh (DFL) Judiciary Blood product infusion civil action damage statute of limitations provisions modified. HF2454--Tunheim (DFL) Agriculture Commodity Council referenda requirements modified. HF2455--Dempsey (R) Capital Investment Omnibus bonding bill providing public improvements of a capital nature, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2456--Lourey (DFL) Health & Human Services Mental retardation and related developmental disability advisory council established, and direct care staff advisory committee established. HF2457--Kraus (R) Governmental Operations Legislative service credit limit established. HF2458--Kelley (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Municipal self-executing special service district procedures established. HF2459--Kelley (DFL) Regulated Industries & Energy Telecommunication statewide comprehensive infrastructure strategy established, fee imposed, and money appropriated. HF2460--Long (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Metropolitan local government planning, assistance, grant, and loan program established, and money appropriated. HF2461--Pugh (DFL) Judiciary Domestic assault crime committed in the presence of a child provided gross misdemeanor penalty. HF2462--Pugh (DFL) Judiciary Fleeing the scene of an accident where death occurred while driving under the influence of alcohol deemed criminal vehicular operation, and penalties prescribed. HF2463--Pugh (DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs West St. Paul authorized to issue an on-sale intoxicating liquor license. HF2464--Bakk (DFL) Labor-Management Relations Occupational safety and health definitions, procedures, and requirements modified, and penalties provided. HF2465--Bakk (DFL) Labor-Management Relations Occupational safety and health employee definition modified. HF2466--Wejcman (DFL) Health & Human Services Disabled child in-home services statewide study authorized, and money appropriated. HF2467--Daggett (R) Education Independent School District No. 553, New York Mills, teacher retirement association filing deadline extended. HF2468--Swenson, H. (R) Education Special education base and tuition revenue provisions modified. HF2469--Hausman (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Metropolitan Council regional parks land acquisition and improvements provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2470--Ness (R) Education Hutchinson technical college remodeling authorized, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2471--Winter (DFL) Labor-Management Relations Minimum wage increased. HF2472--Molnau (R) Transportation & Transit Driver's license possession conditions imposed for minors. HF2473--Tomassoni (DFL) Education Hibbing Community College improvements authorized, technical and community college integration provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2474--Tomassoni (DFL) Governmental Operations Technical college employee benefits protected. HF2475--Sviggum (R) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Sports facilities commission membership modified. HF2476--Pawlenty (R) Judiciary Child custody best interest factors and modification standards clarified. HF2477--Entenza (DFL) Judiciary Hennepin and Ramsey counties authorized to establish a juvenile violence prevention task force, and money appropriated. HF2478--Mariani (DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Notary public advertisement in languages other than English regulated. HF2479--Kalis (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Faribault County tax-forfeited land conveyance authorized. HF2480--Abrams (R) Financial Institutions & Insurance Health maintenance organization regulatory authority transferred to commerce commissioner; and health commissioner duties specified. HF2481--Brown (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Airport construction restricted, noise mitigation plan inclusion and soundproofing provided, transitway construction required, met center purchase authorized, and money appropriated. HF2482--Entenza (DFL) Judiciary Local mental health authorities allowed to consent to voluntary treatment for certain incompetent persons, neuroleptic medication administration procedures modified, record access provided, and provisional discharge procedures modified. HF2483--Carruthers (DFL) Judiciary Writ of certiorari application process clarified. HF2484--Pugh (DFL) Governmental Operations University of Minnesota and Fairview hospitals employee rights protected related to facility transfer and combination. HF2485--Wejcman (DFL) Health & Human Services Health care utilization review organizations required to notify patients of determinations. HF2486--Greenfield (DFL) Health & Human Services Medical Assistance program personal care assistant services modified. HF2487--Garcia (DFL) Governmental Operations Richfield firefighters relief association benefit increases provided. HF2488--McGuire (DFL) Judiciary Domestic abuse offender electronic monitoring device use authorized in certain cases. HF2489--Van Engen (R) Transportation & Transit Speeding violations provided maximum fine. HF2490--Koppendrayer (R) Education School site decision-making options provided. HF2491--Sviggum (R) Labor-Management Relations Employer civil liability immunity provided for information disclosure regarding former employees. HF2492--Kraus (R) Governmental Operations Compensation Council salary recommendation voting requirements provided. HF2493--Kahn (DFL) Governmental Operations Public employee retirement account technical modifications provided. HF2494--Dawkins (DFL) Judiciary Unfair employment discrimination claim filing provisions clarified. HF2495--Dawkins (DFL) Judiciary GREAT; gang resistance education and training program developed by the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, school district crime-related cost levy increased, and money appropriated. HF2496--Carruthers (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Metropolitan Council transit operations subject to special assessments. HF2497--Swenson, D. (R) Judiciary Juvenile petty offense definition, and application of the juvenile petty offender law modified. HF2498--Haas (R) Judiciary Fleeing a peace officer offense penalty expanded to include motor vehicle forfeiture. HF2499--Bishop (R) Judiciary Finance Rochester state hospital site regional residential treatment center remodeling authorized, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2500--Kelley (DFL) Education Minnesota technology improvement program established, and money appropriated. HF2501--Van Dellen (R) Ways & Means State appropriations limited, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF2502--Wagenius (DFL) Transportation & Transit Metropolitan transit assistance fund established, gasoline tax increase provided, constitutional amendment proposed, and money appropriated. HF2503--Long (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Municipal local zoning conformity provided in certain cases. HF2504--Wagenius (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Solid waste generator assessment provisions clarified. HF2505--Pugh (DFL) Judiciary Medical records in personnel files access limitation modified. HF2506--Skoglund (DFL) Judiciary Indecent exposure in the presence of a minor repeated offense penalty increased. HF2507--Osthoff (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure, & Regulation Finance Port development grants provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2508--Lieder (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Transit appropriation carryover authorized. HF2509--Wagenius (DFL) Judiciary Public nuisance definitions clarified. HF2510--Wejcman (DFL) Health & Human Services Home telemedicine demonstration project established. HF2511--Dorn (DFL) Taxes Mankato sales tax revenue use authority provided. HF2512--Johnson, V. (R) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Wild animal crop destruction emergency deterrent materials assistance application provisions modified. HF2513--Huntley (DFL) International Trade & Economic Development Port authorities authorized to use certain provisions of the uniform municipal contracting law. HF2514--Otremba (DFL) Transportation & Transit Rustic road liability exemption provided. HF2515--Rest (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Local government joint planning authorized, and aid provided for certain joint planning annexations. HF2516--Van Engen (R) Transportation & Transit Motor vehicle sales tax revenue allocation provided to the state general fund, highway user tax distribution fund, and the transit assistance fund. HF2517--Milbert (DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Motor home sale and operation regulated, and rulemaking authority provided. HF2518--Osthoff (DFL) Governmental Operations Minneapolis and St. Paul teacher retirement funds supplemental contributions provided, and school district levy authority reallocation provided. HF2519--Pelowski (DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Petroleum release cleanup reimbursement provisions modified. HF2520--Rostberg (R) Governmental Operations Deceased volunteer firefighter survivor benefits provided to dependent children. HF2521--Hausman (DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Environmental marketing claim deceptive trade practices regulated. HF2522--Solberg (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Itasca County Medical Center sale proceeds provided for certain pension plan payments. HF2523--Entenza (DFL) Education Early Childhood Family Education (ECFE) parent educator license availability continued. HF2524--Rhodes (R) Judiciary Fourth judicial district chief judge third consecutive term authorized. HF2525--Rukavina (DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Motor vehicle dealership relocation provided under certain specified conditions. HF2526--Brown (DFL) Regulated Industries & Energy Cellular telephone service acquisition through cellular counterfeiting provided criminal penalty, and forfeiture of cellular phone cloning paraphernalia provided. HF2527--Weaver (R) Labor-Management Relations Employment dispute settlement data access provided, and employment settlement notice and approval required. HF2528--Knoblach (R) Financial Institutions & Insurance Banks and financial institutions authorized the use of letters of credit as collateral to secure deposits of public funds. HF2529--Wejcman (DFL) Health & Human Services Child care center and family home day care providers qualifications advisory task force established. HF2530--Knoblach (R) Governmental Operations Administration department state purchasing preference provisions modified. HF2531--Lourey (DFL) Health & Human Services Early childhood education and child care worker loan forgiveness, apprenticeship, and mentoring programs provided, and money appropriated. HF2532--Long (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Minneapolis park and recreation board employee appointment provided. HF2533--Dawkins (DFL) Judiciary Police reports provided as evidence in forcible entry and unlawful detention actions to recover possession of premises. Thursday, January 25 HF2534--Entenza (DFL) General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Impounded and seized animal transfer prohibited to institutions engaged in research. HF2535--Greiling (DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Legislative review of administrative rules provided. HF2536--Tunheim (DFL) Health & Human Services Nursing facility reimbursement provisions modified. HF2537--Johnson, V. (R) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Local government cooperative planning and zoning authorized. HF2538--Macklin (R) Judiciary Criminal sexual conduct in the fifth degree definition expanded. HF2539--Rostberg (R) Health & Human Services AFDC recipients required to pick up their checks. HF2540--Orfield (DFL) Health & Human Services Basic sliding fee child care assistance program funded, employers required to offer dependent care pre-tax accounts, dependent care credit expanded, and money appropriated. HF2541--Macklin (R) Judiciary Search warrant statewide jurisdiction provided, peace officer search warrant execution provisions modified, and local police or sheriff notification required when out-of-jurisdiction search warrants are executed. HF2542--Milbert (DFL) Taxes Materials used in providing taxable services exempted from sales tax. HF2543--Marko (DFL) Transportation & Transit Cultural resource survey defined, and transportation department cooperation provided. HF2544--Ness (R) Education School attendance options provided and student expulsion grounds provided. HF2545--Ness (R) Education Basic skills summer school pupil units established. HF2546--Daggett (R) Taxes Volunteer services income tax credit established. HF2547--Cooper (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Minnesota river basin joint powers board established, and money appropriated. HF2548--Van Dellen (R) Taxes Tax increase legislation voting requirements established, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF2549--Ostrom (DFL) General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections Public employee leaves of absence related to candidacy for public office provisions modified. HF2550--Tompkins (R) Judiciary Child neglect or endangerment felony penalty provided for permitting the physical or sexual abuse of a child. HF2551--Sykora (R) Education Charter school authorized number increased, and charter school teacher requirements modified. HF2552--Wagenius (DFL) Taxes Solid waste collection and disposal sales and use tax retroactive payment provided. HF2553--Skoglund (DFL) Judiciary Peace and probation officers authorized to detain probationers based on corrections officer's orders. HF2554--Broecker (R) Transportation & Transit Speeding violations committed in parks surcharge provided. HF2555--Wenzel (DFL) Agriculture Used farm machinery sales tax exemption extended. HF2556--Mahon (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Metropolitan Council wastewater services cost allocation system modified. HF2557--Bakk (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Snowmobile operator fleeing a law enforcement officer crime penalty modified. HF2558--Cooper (DFL) Health & Human Services Nursing registration violation penalty fee provided, and out-of-state practice provisions modified. HF2559--Knoblach (R) Education St. Cloud State University library construction provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2560--Dehler (R) Environment & Natural Resources Disabled hunter permit term provisions modified. HF2561--Pugh (DFL) Health & Human Services Dakota County long-term care demonstration project authorized. HF2562--Clark (DFL) International Trade & Economic Development Businesses receiving state financial assistance required to pay at least a poverty level wage and increase jobs. HF2563--McCollum (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs City and county record and account examination by certified public accountants authorized. HF2564--McCollum (DFL) Health & Human Services Mercury amalgam use in dental procedures informed consent required, and professional sanctions prohibited. HF2565--Tuma (R) Education Trade and correspondence school licensing standards modified, and public policy established. HF2566--Entenza (DFL) Judiciary Civil commitment act reorganization and clarification provided. HF2567--Entenza (DFL) Judiciary Sex offender probation term extension permitted if offender fails to complete court-ordered sex offender treatment before probation expires. HF2568--Orfield (DFL) Education Minnesota state college and university tuition rates reduced, and money appropriated. HF2569--Rest (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Pollution Control Agency commissioner removed from Pollution Control Agency Board. HF2570--Cooper (DFL) Health & Human Services Mental health practitioner and professional definitions modified, and pharmocologic management services payment rates established. HF2571--Jennings (DFL) Education Independent School District No. 138, North Branch, lease levy authorized for administrative purposes. HF2572--Johnson, V. (R) Governmental Operations Statewide universal public access to telecommunication and information services principles enumerated, and money appropriated. HF2573--Johnson, V. (R) Governmental Operations Government Information Access Council name changed, and money appropriated. HF2574--Jennings (DFL) Health & Human Services Intermediate care facility rate clarification and suspension provided. HF2575--Jennings (DFL) Health & Human Services Intermediate care facility rate penalties removed. HF2576--Huntley (DFL) Financial Institutions & Insurance Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association eligibility requirements modified, and money appropriated. HF2577--Tunheim (DFL) Transportation & Transit Motor vehicle registration fee rebate provided. HF2578--Skoglund (DFL) Judiciary Crime of violence definition expanded to include felony thefts, and mandatory minimum sentences lengthened for violent crimes committed with firearms. HF2579--Huntley (DFL) Health & Human Services Nursing home contractual alternative payment demonstration project provisions modified. HF2580--Wenzel (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Non-resident fish house restrictions modified. HF2581--Macklin (R) Judiciary Motor vehicle use without consent crime provisions modified. HF2582--Wejcman (DFL) Education Hearing and hearing review officer racial diversity training established. HF2583--Wejcman (DFL) Judiciary Judicial system disability bias study task force established, and money appropriated. HF2584--Kinkel (DFL) Education Independent School District No. 308, Nevis, fund transfer provided. HF2585--Girard (R) Environment & Natural Resources Natural watercourse obstruction removal required by natural resources department. HF2586--Carruthers (DFL) Education Education appropriation caps eliminated for the 1998-1999 biennium. HF2587--Schumacher (DFL) Transportation & Transit Motor carriers of property deregulation provided. HF2588--Wagenius (DFL) Financial Institutions & Insurance Landfill cleanup cost and damage claim resolution process established, state recovery from insurers provided, and money appropriated. HF2589--Carruthers (DFL) Transportation & Transit Traffic and parking violation delinquent fine collection system established, truancy citation issuance authorized, statewide juvenile information system to include aliases of offenders, and fees imposed. HF2590--Bertram (DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Liquor manufacturer and wholesaler licensure eligibility provisions modified, and certain wine tastings exempted from testing. HF2591--Van Engen (R) Education Independent School District No. 347, Willmar, land transfer provided from the state colleges and universities board. HF2592--Jennings (DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Mississippi and St. Croix river tour boats issued on- sale intoxicating liquor licenses. HF2593--Jennings (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Sanitary district powers modified related to road repairs. HF2594--Munger (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Frog tissues studied as biological indicators by natural resources department, wetlands water quality index developed using invertebrates and amphibians, and money appropriated. HF2595--Pugh (DFL) Financial Institutions & Insurance Liability insurance coverage to include coverage for punitive and exemplary damages. HF2596--Skoglund (DFL) Judiciary State court cause of action provided for relief for damages caused by a federal court action that affects public participation by the plaintiff. HF2597--Hasskamp (DFL) Health & Human Services Medical assistance personal needs allowance increase provided in certain circumstances. HF2598--Bakk (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Deer quartering allowed prior to registration. HF2599--Abrams (R) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Airport construction restricted, noise mitigation plan inclusion and soundproofing provided, transitway construction required, met center purchase authorized, and money appropriated. HF2600--Carruthers (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastrucure & Regulation Finance- Transportation Finance Division Hennepin County multi-jurisdictional reinvestment program capital improvements provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2601--Pugh (DFL) Financial Institutions & Insurance Diabetes self-management training and education services health insurance coverage required. HF2602--Orenstein (DFL) Education Higher education mandates removed and increased accountability and performance required for funding. HF2603--Entenza (DFL) Education Adult basic education full funding provided, and money appropriated. HF2604--Pugh (DFL) Judiciary Recalled judge service authorized for judges who have resigned in good standing, and law practice admission examination fee set by Minnesota Supreme Court. HF2605--Dauner (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Watershed district revenue collection authorized. HF2606--Tomassoni (DFL) Education Independent School District No. 701, Hibbing, health and safety revenue provided for new facility construction. HF2607--Kahn (DFL) Governmental Operations Higher education retirement board established, and powers specified. HF2608--Koppendrayer (R) Education School district employee performance-based compensation provided, performance-based compensation aid established, and money appropriated. HF2609--Anderson, R. (DFL) Health & Human Services MNJOBS program established providing an intensive employment program for public assistance recipients. HF2610--Osthoff (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance St. Paul science museum design and construction provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2611--Lourey (DFL) Financial Institutions & Insurance Disabled Medicare enrolee eligibility provided without underwriting. HF2612--Bettermann (R) Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Brandon education, heritage, and cultural preservation center development provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2613--Van Dellen (R) Judiciary Minor unlawful possession of pistols crime provided minimum penalty, public assistance benefits limited for persons convicted of felonies, criminal gang statutory definition repealed, gang resistance education funded, money appropriated. HF2614--Van Dellen (R) Judiciary Peace officer misconduct false allegations provided criminal penalties. HF2615--Jennings (DFL) Regulated Industries & Energy Telephone service providers provision of intrastate inter-LATA long distance service ensured. HF2616--Kelley (DFL) Education Library telecommunication aid match requirements eliminated, local telephone companies to provide low- or no-cost services to schools and libraries, and telecommunication grant fund use provisions modified. HF2617--Lourey (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Sawyer Township in Carlton County recreation levy provided. HF2618--Macklin (R) Judiciary Data practices provisions modified related to governmental entity personnel data, welfare data, state and local economic development, and health data. HF2619--Osthoff (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure, & Regulation Finance St. Paul economic development and employment program coordination provided. HF2620--Osskopp (R) Transportation & Transit Local government highway sign regulatory authority expanded. HF2621--Kinkel (DFL) Judiciary Finance Ah Gwah Ching Correctional Facility establishment authorized, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2622--Kinkel (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Battle Point historic site construction authorized, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2623--Jefferson (DFL) Governmental Operations Legislator death and disability benefit provisions modified, and teacher annuity accrual provisions modified. HF2624--Cooper (DFL) Health & Human Services Health insurance risk adjustment system exclusive relationship repealer extended. HF2625--Wenzel (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Baxter Public Utilities Commission expansion allowed. HF2626--Ozment (R) Taxes Green Acres program land classification provisions modified. HF2627--Murphy (DFL) Governmental Operations Teachers and public employees retirement association pension plan members special repayment of previous contribution refunds authorized. HF2628--Murphy (DFL) Education Fond du Lac Community College student housing acquisition and betterment provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2629--Cooper (DFL) Taxes Cooperative-owned retail supply facilities provided a reduced property tax class rate. HF2630--Cooper (DFL) Health & Human Services Nursing home director allowed to serve as a licensed nursing home administrator under certain circumstances. HF2631--Jaros (DFL) Labor-Management Relations Temporary employment agencies studied by labor and industry department. HF2632--Entenza (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance St. Paul science museum design and construction provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2633--Greenfield (DFL) Health & Human Services Health profession sexual misconduct provisions modified. HF2634--Long (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Hennepin County additional chief deputy sheriff appointment provided. HF2635--Dawkins (DFL) Governmental Operations St. Paul teachers retirement association articles of incorporation and bylaw revision authorized. HF2636--Jennings (DFL) Health & Human Services Human services facility operating cost limitation provisions modified. HF2637--McGuire (DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Sign installer license reciprocity between local units of government mandated. HF2638--Cooper (DFL) Agriculture Foreign cooperative filing regulated, and finance charges imposed by agricultural cooperatives on goods and services regulated. HF2639--Long (DFL) Health & Human Services Group residential housing rate exception clarified. HF2640--McGuire (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Laurentian environmental learning center improvements provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2641--Bakk (DFL) International Trade & Economic Development Voyageur recreation area established and board created. HF2642--Mahon (DFL) Regulated Industries & Energy Public utility mergers regulated and utility asset sale notification required. HF2643--McGuire (DFL) Judiciary Pistol possession rights limited for persons convicted of protection order violations, stalking, or harassment crimes, and money appropriated. HF2644--Osskopp (R) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Airport construction restricted, noise mitigation plan inclusion and soundproofing provided, transitway construction required, met center purchase authorized, and money appropriated. HF2645--Knight (R) Governmental Operations Legislator retirement service credit forfeiture provided upon misdemeanor or felony conviction. HF2646--Cooper (DFL) Financial Institutions & Insurance Mandated health benefit proposal assessment report required. HF2647--Ozment (R) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Metropolitan Council regional park acquisition and betterment provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2648--Dehler (R) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Road improvement assessments prohibited for improvements funded by the county state-aid highway fund, municipal state-aid highway fund, or the trunk highway fund. HF2649--Dehler (R) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Town board fund transfer vote requirements clarified. HF2650--Dehler (R) Judiciary Child abuse reporting act record retention allowed. HF2651--Koppendrayer (R) Ways & Means Omnibus education and state departments appropriations bill. HF2652--Jefferson (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Minneapolis authorized to negotiate certain trade and craft contracts for stagehands. HF2653--Winter (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Red Rock rural water system improvements provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2654--Winter (DFL) Taxes Wind energy conversion system sales tax exemption extended permanently. HF2655--Jennings (DFL) Health & Human Services Medical assistance and general assistance medical care prospective reimbursement rates modified. HF2656--Jennings (DFL) Health & Human Services Medical assistance and general assistance medical care prospective reimbursement rates modified. HF2657--Mulder (R) Health & Human Services Medical assistance and general assistance medical care prospective reimbursement rates modified. HF2658--Milbert (DFL) Taxes South St. Paul tax increment expenditure authorized for debt service payment. HF2659--Winter (DFL) Taxes State government finance reform provided for education finance, property tax classification, local government aid, sales tax, and business activity tax, constitutional amendment proposed, and money appropriated. HF2660--Van Dellen (R) Taxes Hospital and health care provider gross revenue tax rate reduced. HF2661--Bettermann (R) Health & Human Services Medicaid recipient long-term care voucher system implementation study authorized. HF2662--Bettermann (R) Education School compulsory attendance age increase barred. HF2663--Luther (DFL) Housing Brooklyn Park Economic Development Authority authorized to establish a distressed housing district. HF2664--Ness (R) Environment & Natural Resources Meeker County tax-forfeited land sale authorized. HF2665--Koppendrayer (R) Taxes County boards authorized to grant tax abatements for economic development purposes. HF2666--Mares (R) Education Independent School District No. 624, White Bear Lake, fund transfer authorized. HF2667--Kinkel (DFL) Education Community education director license established for persons serving in small school districts. HF2668--Anderson, I. (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Cold weather research needs study required by trade and economic development department, and money appropriated. HF2669--Anderson, I. (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance Voyageur interpretive and conference center development provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2670--Schumacher (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Minnesota municipal board authority and procedures clarified. HF2671--Long (DFL) Transportation & Transit Motor fuel tax revenue dedicated to public transit, highways, or other transportation purposes, and constitutional amendment proposed. HF2672--Jennings (DFL) Housing Rental security deposit interest rate modified. HF2673--Mariani (DFL) Governmental Operations State agency communication services law modified. HF2674--Worke (R) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Legislative approval of proposed administrative rules required. HF2675--Entenza (DFL) Judiciary Special registration license plate authorized for certain persons subject to an impoundment order, prior license revocation definition clarified, and money appropriated. HF2676--McElroy (R) Transportation & Transit Municipalities authorized to levy for transit services. HF2677--Peterson (DFL) Agriculture Agricultural crop damage caused by deer compensation provided, and money appropriated. HF2678--Johnson, R. (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Bemidji Headwaters science center construction provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2679--Lourey (DFL) Health & Human Services Basic sliding fee child care program appropriated money. HF2680--Wenzel (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance- Transportation Finance Division Municipal water and wastewater treatment system loans financed or guaranteed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture provided 40-year term. HF2681--Huntley (DFL) Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Seaway port authority lease and management contract rights and responsibilities clarified. HF2682--Greiling (DFL) Labor-Management Relations Parental leave provisions modified related to school conferences and activities. HF2683--Sviggum (R) Governmental Operations Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board composition and appointment provisions modified. HF2684--Knoblach (R) Health & Human Services Human services eligibility and residency requirements provided. HF2685--Holsten (R) Governmental Operations Local government lawful gambling regulation provisions modified. HF2686--Orfield (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Metropolitan Council regional park acquisition and betterment provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated. HF2687--Wagenius (DFL) Regulated Industries & Energy Electricity generation-related mercury emission reports and reduction required. HF2688--Mariani (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Mississippi River project permit issuance restrictions provided in the metropolitan critical area. HF2689--Schumacher (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Closed landfill reimbursement provided from the solid waste fund. HF2690--Clark (DFL) Housing Federal emergency shelter grant program state supplement program established, and money appropriated. HF2691--Entenza (DFL) Judiciary DWI penalties enhanced for drivers lacking motor vehicle insurance. HF2692--Bakk (DFL) Transportation & Transit Farm and forest product weight restriction provisions modified, safety cable use on trailers and semitrailers allowed, and gross weight violation penalty provisions modified. HF2693--Jefferson (DFL) Governmental Operations Public pension benefit accrual rate increase provided, defined contribution early retirement option authorized, and money appropriated. HF2694--Olson, E. (DFL) Taxes Residential non-homestead property tax class rate reduced in certain small cities. HF2695--Lourey (DFL) Health & Human Services Acupuncturists exempted from dietitian and nutritionist licensing requirements. HF2696--Lourey (DFL) Agriculture Rural finance authority general obligation bond authority increased. HF2697--Farrell (DFL) Economic Development, Infrastructure & Regulation Finance- Transportation Finance Division St. Paul Phalen corridor appropriated money for economic development purposes. HF2698--Entenza (DFL) Education Education tance led general assistance medical care prospective reimbursement rates modified. HF2657--Mulder (R) Health & Human Services Medical assistance and general assistance medical care prospective reimbursement rates modified. HF2658--Milbert (DFL) Taxes South St. Paul tax increment expenditure authorized for deministration department. HF2701--Brown (DFL) Transportation & Transit Watershed permit applicability provided related to the Department of Transportation. HF2702--Huntley (DFL) Health & Human Services Medical Assistance prepayment program expansion prohibited. HF2703--Wejcman (DFL) Health & Human Services Outdoor home chore assistance for seniors program continued, county store establishement allowed, and money appropriated. HF2704--Mariani (DFL) Transportation & Transit Transportation regulation board abolished. HF2705--McElroy (R) Judiciary Reserved library book release to third parties authorized. HF2706--Cooper (DFL) Environment & Natural Resources Finance Passing on the farm center appropriated money. HF2707--Kelley (DFL) Education School site councils established and authority provided to make managerial decisions, school district performance-based funding mechanism established, and money appropriated. HF2708--Jennings (DFL) General Legislation, Veterans Affairs & Elections National Guard re-enlistment bonus program modified. HF2709--Jennings (DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Mississippi and St. Croix river tour boats issued on- sale intoxicating liquor licenses. HF2710--Bishop (R) Taxes General education levy decreased, and non-school property tax increase provisions modified. HF2711--Van Dellen (R) Taxes Property tax classification rates modified, education homestead credit created, tax refunds provided, and money appropriated. HF2712--Erhardt (R) Transportation & Transit Trunk Highway No. 100 noise barrier erection provided. HF2713--Rice (DFL) Governmental Operations Cambridge State Bank judgment bond issuance authority repealed. HF2714--Bettermann (R) Health & Human Services Public assistance recipients prohibited from cashing public assistance payments at tribal gaming establishments, and sanctions imposed. HF2715--Carruthers (DFL) Commerce, Tourism & Consumer Affairs Elevator installation, repair, and maintenance workers regulated. HF2716--Pugh (DFL) Judiciary Animal mistreatment penalties increased. HF2717--Clark (DFL) Judiciary Funerals at expense of county decedent disposition provisions modified. HF2718--Jefferson (DFL) Judiciary Delinquent real estate tax provisions modified. HF2719--Macklin (R) Judiciary Real estate document standards provided, and fees imposed. HF2720--Dorn (DFL) Governmental Operations Higher education system employee classification provisions modified. MINNESOTA INDEX Minnesota taxes Number of states without an income tax, Jan. 1996 6 States, besides Minnesota, without a state sales tax on food or clothing 8 States that tax both food and clothing 18 Estimated revenue Minnesota would collect if the sales tax were extended to food and clothing, in millions, FY 1997 $687.6 Year that Minnesota's income tax was established 1933 Top individual income tax rate, in percent, 1977 18 in 1996 8.5 Number of income tax rates, 1985 12 Income tax rates since 1988 3 Number of states with income tax burdens greater than Minnesota, 1991 4 Percent of Minnesota net tax revenue generated by individual income tax, FY1994 41 Amount of net individual income tax collected, FY 1994, in billions $3.54 Washington state cigarette tax, per pack, in cents, 1996 81.5 in North Carolina, cents per pack 5 Minnesota state cigarette tax, per pack, in cents, 1996 48 Dollars generated, FY 1994, in millions $175.6 Number of times the cigarette tax has been increased since its inception in 1947 10 General Minnesota state sales tax rate, in percent 6.5 States without a general state sales tax 5 Minnesota cities with a local sales tax 6 Oklahoma cities with a local sales tax 489 States that do not allow local sales taxes 14 States, including Minnesota, that do not tax utilities (electricity and natural gas) 25 States with a more complicated property tax system than Minnesota's, according to the Minnesota Department of Revenue 0 Minnesota tax returns claiming a child care credit, 1993 37,100 Dollars expected to be returned under the credit, in millions, FY 1996 $13.7 Gas tax, when adopted in 1925, in cents per gallon 2 State tax on gasoline, per gallon, 1996 20 States with a higher gas tax (as of July 1995) 16 Dollars collected by the state in highway fuels taxes, in millions, FY 1994 $484.4 Sources: Minnesota Tax Handbook, the Minnesota Tax Incidence Study, March 1995, and Tax Expenditure Budget, 1995, Minnesota Department of Revenue, Tax Research Division; House Research Department.