Hello from the Capitol!
I had a hearing this week in the Environment and Natural Resources Committee on a bill I chief authored, House File 2212. This bill would help with the decommissioning and cleanup of the Freeway Landfill. The landfill is located south of the Minnesota River and west of Interstate 35W, next to the Kramer Quarry in Burnsville. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the committee’s omnibus bill.
There has been remedial investigation environmental studies and monitoring devices installed in the landfill. At this point, the landfill does not pose an immediate environmental risk, however, when the quarry is no longer mined (which could be 20 years), water levels will rise and jeopardize the integrity of the water for Burnsville which pulls from the Prairie Du Chien aquifer. This is a top environmental concern for all Minnesotans due to it being located next to the Minnesota River.
The location is prime for redevelopment and there has been interest from outside parties to buy the land. However, until the environmental issues can be addressed through the regulatory agencies, this land will be too costly and too difficult to redevelop. Currently, there is a garbage transfer station being operated on the property, and it is used by multiple trash companies that serve our community.
In a perfect world, the owner would like to be compensated for selling the land, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency (MPCA) would like to remediate the landfill, and the city would like to retain a portion of land for redevelopment and right-of-way for the proposed Cliff Road upgrade and I-35W bridge replacement.
Because the MPCA and the owner have not been able to come to an agreement over the past 17+ years, the EPA is going through the Superfund process. A part of that process requires all parties who contributed to the landfill between 1960 &1990 to help clean it up. Many businesses, cities, and school districts are included in litigation to clean up the landfill. Going forward, I believe that it is in the best interest of all Minnesotans for the state to take over the liability and utilize funds from the Closed Landfill Investment Fund for cleanup.
Earlier in the week, I testified to House File 1182 for a second time in HHS Finance. This bill would lower parental contribution amounts for services for children with disabilities. I appreciate the support I had again from these parents during the testimony!
Health Insurance Reform:
This week, the House passed House File 5: The Minnesota Premium Security Plan on a bipartisan vote of 78-53. The goal of working to implement this bill is to stabilize premiums by trying to minimalize the impact of high-risk individuals on the individual health insurance market. The program will be administered by the Minnesota Comprehensive Health Association, which ran a high risk pool that brought stability to the individual market and ensured the sickest Minnesotans had access to needed coverage for over 40 years.
Since the implementation of Obamacare, Minnesota’s individual insurance market has become a third as large and twice as sick. If this bill is signed into law, it could help in reducing health insurance premiums bought on the individual market by 17-18%, according to the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development.
This bill is not the finished product, there is more work left to be done in order to make health insurance affordable and workable for Minnesotans. I am hopeful that the federal government gives us favorable parameters to work within, so we can do all that we can to make Minnesota a leader in health care again.
Teacher Retention Reform:
The House also passed legislation that would repeal the “last in, first out” requirement when school districts are forced to make staff changes. By removing this default in state statute, school districts and local bargaining units are able to explore alternative options other than just seniority.
It is time for this requirement to end, Minnesota is just one of six states that mandates that seniority be used as the sole determining factor when making teacher staff changes. We want to retain teachers that are most likely going to help our children succeed academically, no matter their seniority.
If you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns regarding any issue related to state government, please feel free to contact me at either 651-296-5387 or rep.roz.peterson@house.mn.
Sincerely,
