f{)r y{)uritlf()rnlati()n

as we look inon legislation

2

A BILL H)R AN ACTHistorically a hill il allY documellt tllm mils Firaction.

~~.....J> •

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A bill is an idea for a new law, or anidea to abolish or change an existinglaw.

Several thousand bills, ideas abou tmany things enter the legislativepnKess in Minnesota each time thelegislature meets.

Minnesota has a bicameral legislature.or two groups of elected !:iti/ens -­Senators in the Senate - Represen­tatives in the Iiouse of Representatives- who study, discuss, ~lI1d vote onbills; acting for the people of Min­nesota.

Hills begin their legislative journey ineither the House or the Senate, but tobecome a law, all hills must pass hoththe House and Senate and go to thegovernor for his approval andsignature.

'The IdeaAnyone can propose an idea for a hill-- an individual, a consumer group.corporation, profl:ssional association.a governmental L1llit, the governor ­hut most frequently ideas come frnmmembers of the legislature.

Retisor of StatutesThe revisor pUb the idea inlo theproper Icgallonll as a hill for introduc­tion into the House of Representativesor the Scnate, usual" hoth. ThereVIsor also updates' MII1I1CSOlaStatutes to llldude all ne\\ "ms.

Compuh'rj,t>d fllv..H.·",j",o's {,ffio:

Chief AuthorEach bill must have a legislator tosponsor it and introduce the hill in thelegislature. That legislator may be thechief author. or may find anothermember to author the bill and makethc introduction. The chief author'sname appears on the hill with the bill'sfile number to identify it as it movesthrough the legislative process.

Other AuthorsThe chief author of a bill, underlegislative rules, may select otherauthors, but 110 more than a total offivc ill the House and three in theSenate. Thesc authors' names also ap­pear on the bill.Introduction in the House ofRepresentatives and the SenateWhen the author introduces the bill inthe House of Representatives, it gets aHouse File numher (l1.F. 2642, for ex­ample). indicating the chronoiogical,)J'der of the bill's introduction in theHouse. The Senate gives it a SenateFile number (S.F. 224, for example),indicating the hill's chronological or·del' of introdm;tion in that hody.

ConllniUee ConsiderationNext the bill hal'! its first reading (theMinnesota Constitution requires threereadings for all hills - on threeseparate days), and the presiding of·ficer "I' the House or Senate refers it toan appropriate standing committee forcoml11illee action. All committeemeetings arc open 10 the public. Acommittee may -

recoml11end passage of a bill in itsllriginal 1'01'111.

recol11l11end passage after <Il11end­l11ent hy the cOl11mittee.make nil recollll11end.ttion, in"hich case a bill may die when thesession ends.

Arter aCling '.lIl a hill. the cOlllmillcesends a report to the House or Senate,staling its aclJons and l'ecommenda­tillns.

(;cneral Order'ii\ fter adoption of the cOI11l11ilteen:port IIIllle !louse and Scnall:,the hillhas ils sC':'lJIlI readll1g and goes ontoGcneral Orders of the ()a\. /n ('<Jm­millec or the Whole legIslators dISCUSShills on {jeneral Orders. n1l.~y lIIaydehatc \he issucs, adopl amcndl11ents.pn:scnt argul11cnts 011 bills, and theyl11ay \ Ille tll ..·-

re,:ollJl11end that a hill "do pass."recIlIl:1l11end poslponement.r,:':oll1trlend further ,:ol1lll1illee ac·tillll.

CalendarThe calendar is a list of bills the Com­mittee of the Whole recommends topass. At this point -

a bill has its third reading,amendments to the bill must havethe unanimous consent of the en­tire bodv,legislato~s vote on it for the finaltime,

By committee recommendation. non­controversial bills can by-pass GeneralOrders and go directly onto l\ "Con­sent Calendar." usually pllssingwithout deliJ}', Every bill requires amajority vote of the full membershipof the House and Senate to pass.

Conference CommitteeWhen the House and the Senate bothpass the same version 01' a bill, that billgoes to the governor for his approvalor disapproval. If the House andSenate do not agree, a conference con',­miltee of three to live senators, and .:r,equal number of representatives, meetsto reach ,In agreement.

If both bodies then pass the bill incompromise form, it goes to the gover­nor.

GovernorWhen a bill arrives at the governor'soffice. he rnay -

sign it. and the bill becomes law.veto it (return it. with a "vetomessage," stating his objections) tothe body where it originated,pocket veto the bill (after final ad­journment of the legIslature).

- exercise his right to line velo por-tions of appropriations bills.

If he docs not sign or veto a bill WIthinthree days after recei\ing it. while thelegislature is in session, the billbecomes 1<1\1.,

"What is the most effective way to contact mylegislator?" people ask.Darrel Peterson (lR-Fairmont) answers.

I. When you write. address your legislator as follows:lhl: UfHlur.hlr . , .\filuIt'ItIU. Uou.... of Rt'pr....nf.rhr. ("inlM'~f)f. !'IIf.lt St>nl'f'~I"t' <.ptlotSf. " ••1. "'0 SSISSUti., R"p't'"""nfllitt I~n.forJ ' ..

2. Keep your leiter to one pailI.'. Use pt:rsonal or buslOt:ss st,ltiont:ry, or aplain sheet of IMper. Write or type dearly. Sign your name wllh yourcomplt:te ;lddress ;1I1d lip code.

3. Onl' issue or one bill. Write about as many issues ;IS you want. but wnte'lseparate letter for each one.

·4. Include the House or Senate "'ill.' number of tht: bill you're writing about.Begin your letter as follows: I hope you will support (oppose) , .. Thishill. , . (Give your rt:,lsons I'm supponing or opposing the measure.)(iet rillht 10 the pclinl. State clearly why you think the bill- if it becomcsla\\ - will help or hurt you, your children. your buslncss, or your com·munity. Say what the bill means to you.81.' rea!iOnable. Law makers can't please evt:ryone. Tht:y may disagreewith you. Try to respect their views as thcy respect yours.81.' polite. Don'l losc your tcmper, cven on paper. Tell your legisJ.ltorwhal you think alld why. Lay It on the lint:. But be polite.rse your own word". Don't USt' form ICllt:rs or prt:part:d postcards.

5. To meet your lelCislalor. It's best to make an appointment. If you don'tkno\\ his/her phone number, call (612) 296·6013 and ask the Capitoloper.ttor to connect you.(,heek your loeal paper. Most legislators suhmit a regular weekly columnto their ared newspapers. It probably JI1c1udes the address and phonenumher ",here ~Ol/ can reach him/her.

6, tea~e your name and number if your legislator is not in when you call.Try til keep III mind how many meetings alld hearings your leglslalOrmust altend. Ile.·'she \I, ill call you hack as soon as possible.

7. In~il(' your legislalor to mcet with you and other people interested invarious problems. Let hlnL'her get to know you and hel.'ome informedon your c,'nccrns.

H, A..k for informalion, Government can IHovlde a wealth of resource mat­ler. Y,'ur Iquslator IS always hapry to help gel you this.

• i! '.. iO) ,1<''' k'i"'A :n,_If. " ..t- ,'r ,.~~Ll!-: , de 'H!mtl~·r.1I ,1 hill ~-,llllh.: H'lll"'~ fndn (}If,n: lh~~ COl hdp ~(~u rtw'-.I,,\r'l;f ,~'i;, _!"H,f.f>~f-,

3

cl lJillf<>r <:111 cl(~t

4

...revk:~v

background actionas it happened

lI ....on (Nelson, Notak, l.ehto, l.aidig, Katey),eltl/lng /0 JUI"llllt'.• , {'mlillmg 10' a heanllii /0

de/",mine dl'ln/l/I'II/al ,ela/w,1.Ihi{',1 illl'll/l'illg,h,ld",": pmndillg /0' a {'l.'lIal/1' lor tho\(' t'lIgag·m/: dll/drt'll ill (/1,,,,,,,,'11/,1/ rela/wII,I/II,," .

The UOUM' pa~"l'tJ lI ...on lin hbru~ry

11, 197M.

Bills supporting handicappedwin committee supportTwo bills relating to the handicapped wonapproval of the House GovernmentalOperations committee on Feb, I. Oneproposal would give the council for thehandicapped added authority in providin~legal assistance and would set guidelinesfor the u~ of the international symbol forthe handicapped.

Rep. John Brandl (DFl-Mpls.), author ofHFl522, said Minnesota recognizes theblue and whit~ loymbol displaying awheelchair, and that no building shoulddisplay it unless the building and groundsaccommodate the handicapped,

Rep, Ken Nelson, chid author: "Thebill is called "the detrimental relationsbill." It would provide juvenile courtswith a method for keeping pimps awayfrom juvenile girls through a court or­der.

Brandl said the handicapped have a lowaverage income and need the state's help inlegal matters, The bill would call forprotection of the rights of the handicappedto an accessible environment and to ser­vices that public and private agenciesprovide,

The second bill, HFI736 (Berkelman,DFL-Duluth), would require state owned,rented, and leased buildings. and stateagency meetings to meet accessibility stan­dards for the handicapped,

"It works this way: If a girl is beforethe juvenile court on charges, anyparent, te<lcher, friend, probation of­ficer. or police officer can state that thechild IS involved with another personin a relationship detrimental to herhealth and welfare.

"The court cun decide to require thatperson to come before the court for ahearing to determint: if the relationshipwith the child is detrimental. If itmakes that determination. the courtcan ask the person to cease and desistfrom communicating, associating, orin any way, socializing with her for anindefinite period of time. If the personcontinucs to see her, or is seen withher. the: police can pick the individualup for violation of a courl order on amisdcmcanor offcnse.

"Thc problcm has been that you haveto prove contrihuting to the del in­qucn,y of a minor. You have to firstprove the girl's delinquen,y before you(:ould allemptto prove his (the pimp's)offense.

"But the pro(;ess in this hill is reallysirnpk, and I'm really ex,ited aboutthe bill; because there's nothing on thelaw books now that provides a remedy.That's why I think it might truly beemployed by the courts."

Rep. John Kaley, co-author: ''J'm onthe Juvenile .Justice subcommittee. andwe dillcussed and worked on thisproblem of juvenile prostitution. So, Iwanted to be an author on KenNelson's detrimental relations bill;because I really believe in the bill.

"One major difficulty in dealing withthe problem is in finding a way to keepthe young girl away f!'Om the pimp.Once she's into that kind of lifestyle,chances are she has nowl .re to turn ifshe wants to leave.

Bill proposes constitutional amendmentto deal with parimutuel betting issueRep. Robert Jensen (OFL-Farmington) issponsor of HF1758. a bill which proposesthat voters clarify by con.stitutional amend·Illent whether or not the legislature shoulddecide the parimutuel belting issue forMinnesota.A subcommiltee of the House GeneralLegislation and Veterans Affairs Commit­tee recommended passage of the bill whichwould set this question before Minnesotavoters in November.The bill went to the full committee for con­sideration.

M.p. John R. KI'.) 111l·Rod1t".. )

"Quite often she has no friends outsidethe business (if you can call it that),and her family may not agree to havingher back. If she leaves and is just wan­dering the streets, the child hegins tothink the \)I1ly haven she has is hackwith that pimp.

"The bill offers a way til possibly getthe pimp out of cin.:ulation.

"" major problem in charging a pimpis that it is almost impossible to provehe has committed a crime. He doesn'tgo into the street himself to soli,it. It'shard to prove he gets any money fromthe operation, although we know hedocs. There arc certainly no cashn::ceipts.

"The pimp can just stand there andsay. 'What did I do?' We can't get athim legally. With this bill we havc a

House/Senate committee setssession deadlinesThe Joint Legislative Cuordinating Com·mittee, on January 25. set deadlines, aim­ing at adjournment of the 1978 legislativesession by March 18. The dates are:March 3: for committee action in theHouse on bills originati7lg in the Houseand in the Senate on bills originating in theSenate.March 10: for House bill to be out ofSenate committees, and Senate bills to beout of House committees.

U\Vith this bill we have achance to legally stop thepimp from association withchildren."

chance to legally stop the pimp fromassociation with childrcn. If hedoesn't. he can possibly face charges ofviolating a court order. be fined,and/11r be put in the vh)rkhousc for upto 90 days."

March 14: for conference commillees onmajor appropriations bills to report finalversions of bills to both Houses.March IS: the House and Senate can actonly on conference committee reports.rules committee reports, inter-housemessages. and messages from the governorafter this date.

5

cl l)illf()r <1[1 cl(~t

U.... S24 (L Carlson. Swanson. Oerglin.Samuebon. tangselh) reiatinK to health.prol'ldl1lg .f<1T ",vie".. Ill' certai" health care pian.fling, rf'quuing art/ficatl's ,,{need f{ir con.llro.',lion or modi/leat/olL< ot' c<'rwin health carelueIlH!t's anJ .l't',,'ices; 'umending AIinne,lolaSwtat..", /976 ' . ,

Rep. l.yndon Carlson. chief author:"Certificate of need is an attempt tohold the line on health care costs. It isimportant to know that the certificateof need law first passed in 1971. Whatwe are working on is a series of amend­ments to that 1971 law.

background actionas it happened

6

Author explains education billThe House Education Committee heardHF1449, the Demonstration EducationalGrant Act of 1977. Its author. Rep. JamesPehler (DFL·SI. Cloud). said the bill wouldset lip an experimental education grantsystem. giving parents ill six pilot schooldistricts monies to send their children tothe school of their choice,

The bill involves no slate funds, accordingto Pehler. Funding for the experimentalfive-year program would come fromfederal agencies or private foundations.Districts would participate on a voluntary

b<lsis on the vote of the local school boardor a districtwide referendum, The com·missioner of edu.:ation would select the sixparticipating districts.

Panicip<lting districts would continue toreceive the same state aid and local levies <ISthey otherwise would for pupils in theprogram. Parents of elementary schoolchildren in participilting districts would getgrilllt \.'ertificates to send their children tothe school of their choice. pUblic or private.

-"Thcrc arc really two parts 10 the bill.First. wc'rc working on coming intoIille with federal guidelines; second.there arc other amendments we'd liketo see in order to get a handle onheulth costs.

"Th~ 1971 law states that purchasesover $100,000 require certificates. Thisbill would raise that to purchases ofover $150.000. We'rc working on waysto provide for speeding up the processso requests can be reviewed anddecided on more quickly.

"Throughout the country, and in Min­nesota. we have an excess of hospitalbeds. Rather than continuing to buildmore. the local heulth planning agencyand the commissioner of health shouldlook at proposals bcforc authorizingexpenditures.

"The basic idea behind certificate ofneed is th:1l hospital. nursing home.and other health care providerfucilities' expenditures shouldn't occurunless there is a need and proof thatnew equipment and construction wlilb~ fully used hy the area it serves.

Grain weighers may get reinstatementA bill which would reinstate five formerstate grain weighers won committee recom­mendation. Rep. Willard Munger (DFL­Duluth) is the author.

Munger said the federal government tookover grain weighing duties for awhile. butthese duties have again become a statefunction. This bill would allow the state torehire former employees.

r~·1..._*10

"There was a provision. now amendedout of the bill. that would have re­quired physicians and clinics to applyfor certificate of need for equipmentpurchases (not construction) over$150.000. Although it is no longer apart of the bill, it is an issue that willcome up again as we discuss certificateof need."The bill has a long way to go yet, anda lot of people fcel there's a loophole inthe bill if doctors and clinics are not in­c1r ded.

"For example, Minnesota has 26 CTscanners. very sophisticated x-rayequipment, costing around $500,000 to$600,000. Most studies show we needabout 4-6 in the state. This indicatesthat the number we do have are not be­ing fully used. The cost of expensiveequipment has to be made upsomewhere."

Hearings on abortion issue beginThe HealLh and Welfare subcommittee onHealth Care heard testimony from bothsides of the abortion issue, Thursday morn­ing, Feb. 2, on a bill that would restrictpublic funds for abortion.

Discussion centered around whether or nota legislative decision denying public fundsfor abortion would reflect separalion ofchurch :.lnd statc since certain religiousgroups Ihal condemn abortion have beenthe bill's major proponents.

SOl11e claimed the bill is not a church andstate issue. but a question of denying an

"Certificate of need is anattempt to hold the lineon health care costs."

I.. C\RI.SO,.

Rep, Linda Berglin. co-author: "Thereis a need for a better planning processin the location of health care facilitieswhere large expenditures are con­cerned."We need bef.ler planning to help con­trol the cost of health care as well asbetter planning to appropriately dis­tribute and locate facilities.

"Providing for better methods whereresources, such as very expensivemachinery. would be shared for op­timum use is a concept involved in cer­tificate of need."

Rt'p. tind. RrrKlin ~ un.~\1pls.}

abortion to women. poor women in par­ticular.

Pro-free-choice groups and pro-life groupsshared Ihe podium in the hearing room andbrought up such questions as whether ornol abortion should be available to welfarerecipients who are rape and incest victims,who arc extremely young girls, and in caseswhere pregnancy threatens the mother'slife or health.

7

a billf()r arl act

reviewbackground action

as it happened

l8

HF1823 (L. Carlson. S~anson. BergHn. Zubay.l.angseth) relating to public h('{/Ith: requiring im­/I!,,,":atlOm for ",ludenl.l; amendmg MinnesotaSWIUIt',1 1976 '

Committee recommends bill thatwould change automobilc accidentclaims' processA bill attempting to improve the process ofsettling automobile accident claims got theapproval of the Commerce and EconomicDevelopment Committee on Feb. 2. ChiefAuthor Wayne Simoneau (OFl-Fridley)said legislation would help solve some ofthe problems auto owners have with theirown. or with olher insurance comoanies,when trying to settle accident c1ainls.

Accordinl! to Simoneau. the bill would: re­quire licensing of staff appraisers for in­surance companies: would prohibit in­surance companies from using lists ofpreferred repair shops or from requiring

Rep. Lyndon Carlson, chief author:"Those illnesses covered in thisamendment to current Minnesota laware diphtheria. tetanus, pertussis(whooping cough), polio. and mumps.The Minnesota State Health Depart­ment requested introduction of thislegislation and is supporting it."

motorists to use "drive-in" claim centers;would require prompt acknowledgement ofclaims; and would require the com­missioner of insurance to prepare and dis­tribute a motorists bill of rights bulletinand complaint form.Simoneau said studies have shown that oneperson in five has problems with his/her in­surance company. while one in two hasproblems when dealing '.vith another com­pany. The committee sent the bill to theFinancial Institution and Insurance Com­mittee for further study and debate.

ltep. Kenneth Zubay, co-author:"Whut initially brought the subject tomy utlention were the cases we've hadof polio in the state. A few weeks ago,the Rochester Post Bulletin had an arti­de concerning three cases of Germanmeasles reported in Mankato.

"Now, they're immunizing all the fifthand sixth graders to prevent awidespread outbreak. Coincidentally,the same issue of the paper had an arti­cle about this bill.

"It's possible, that if they had thisprogram, they wouldn't have theproblem they have now. It seems ironicthat we don't fully use capabilities wehave for preventive medicine.

"( certainly like preventive medicinebetter than trying to cure a problem af·tel' it occurs. For the person whohasn't been protected and gets polio,the damage is done. For them, havingthe ability to prevent it doesn't mean athing.

"If we can conceivably prevent suchtragedy, we ought to try our best to doso."or course, there will still be religiousand medical exemptions. But thosesituations involve a conscious decisionto not participate. That's not theproblem.

"The problem is the parent who simplydoesn't take advantage of readilyavailable preventive medicine. Healthcenters will give the shot~ without cost.So that's not a problem.

'" think it should be brought toparents' attention. Childen sho-uld beprotected and entrance into the schoolsystem is the obvious place to catchthem."

Inwming WATS line bill goes toAppropriations Committee . . .The Governmental Operations CommItteerecommended passage and re-referred tothe Appropriations Committee a bill whichwould establish a statewide incomingWATS line.Rep, David Cummiskey (DFL-Mankato),author, said the WATS line would enableevervone in the state to call one central tollfree -number,He said. half the people in the state live inthe metropolitan area and can call stateagencies free ofcharge. This bill would givethe other half of the state's citizens the

to government.

R.p. K..n..,h Zuh.l' (IR-Ruch..!.,)

Rep. Keith Langseth, co-author: "Thepercentage of kids coming into schoolrully immunized is dropping. Peoplejust don't think about polio anymore,Or about the number of other diseasesmentioned in this bill.

'" suppose it's human nature to thinkthings are okay as long as you don'thear <lbout the diseases.

"This bill would require compulsoryimmunization of children before theycome into the school system. It pre­vents the situation from deterioratingas it is now. It's just good preventivemedicine."

HF/823 would require prior to initial enrollmentill anv school in this state. e>'efl' child shall submitto th,' principal. or other pe;.wJIl having generalcO/lIml and supervi"ion of the school..Hatemell/Sthat the child has received immunizationJ againstcertain disea"es. which would include diptheria,tefanus. Pl'fltls.\'lS (whooping fOUg/rj. polio. andmumps.

House progres..ws bills to specific datesThe House began the 1978 session onJanuary 17, dedicating the opening to thememory of the late Hub<:rt H. Humphrey.On January 19, at a working session, theHouse progressed several bills on theGeneral Orders agenda to specific futuredates.The House set February 6 as the date toconsider HFI3, a bill which would requirebeverage containers to have certain refundvalues. Rep Ken Nelson (DFL-Mpls.) isthe author; February IS, to take up HF788(Arnold Kempe-DFL-West 51, Paul), a billthat would provide fire insurance premiumreductions to consumerS who install smoke

Rep. K.ith l..nK..'h (1)f'1..<;lyndCln) at 'iKhl.

"It seems ironic that wedon't fully use capabilitieswe have for preventivemedicine. "

or fire detectors in their home'i orbusinesses.The House also progressed a measl;re tocreate local government pooled investmentfunds and a bill relating to definitions andexemptions in the sale~ tax.

9

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111-1889 II·dlIfl.. PaIlOll. II. "'iieIIea. .-uic~.

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Rep. James Petller. dlier author: "1 hehill IS ~alled lhe "lini\'erslty SmallBusines'i De\dopment Center"leglsla­t:on. Its prnnar~ function IS to es­tablish a program to counsel and In­i-'mn small husiness. There IS a model~lf this progr~ml existing and \Hukm!!n~ht n\lW at 51. Cloud Uni\erslt\.V:irlous parts of the program also e'l~t.It the CoPt'!- ~ of St. Thomas. the Un­Iversity ~,vtinnesota Duluth. ,IUdSouthwest State.

"In the clllncept of econ\lmic de\.:!(lp­mellt there arc ab"lut 18 di.lerent lime­ti~ms that \'''()uld i,r w,'uld e\ist.

"One fun,'ti"n is a counseling stnice.Seniors and gratJuale students inbUSlIlcss \\0011.1 be used a\ inlotmau,)nre~"ur\."CS for small busmesse'i. TheS(lIIu\ers,~\ Ctlllsu!t.mts could (',..mine.md ..tn,:h Ie rhlblcm~. such a'l C"S~111\\\\" lI1\enl'_lr~ ~omml. aC\."(JUntinlt.\,\{;.I\lOll. e'I,.Ul~lon. or markelinl1. dndm.Ile reC,'IlunCnd,"I"'~"

"arialU.R .... calls f. .......... III'......wt...ltf 1807 (Md)onald. IR-\\'iiterto..n) 1$ •bill the\ifa",!turc: Commiuce is -stud)i,,!.It _ould e\pand th~ dUlles. 01 them.-rl.."u81 GlUMOn or the Mlnn~\ta.Ikpanmem dl'\p,ra"UI"\fC to ind_pMmonU""" aClivllies .\\K.. a$ ad\ert~11!i'1......Ik"\t or$".te il,ritultllriil ~fdIo1ndpr,,,,"OItOn ""\.'lalK, c\pIonnp ".)1> ur in­('tea""" pr\..lductlttn and ,..multllr.1

"Depending iOO the nature of thebusmes'S problem. the) mal rc:com­mend additlon,d training or instruc­tIon. tor enmplc. business maQ.:i~

ment In'turcs. aocounting "XlUrses.stmmars.

--Anotoo ampon..n! (unction "'\loldhe t,J ~l up .. ,,"'omputer databolse thatthe bllsmess "Xluld be tnto to obtaincunsumer research and econO"1lk:: datato help IRl m.....m!! bUSiness judgmtents.

"The rcse..m:h mf,um3tlon needs t<'l be'iel up till he useful to the ..mallbusnlCSS. The ~rson needs t(.l kno\\Ill<: U;',..'1ors that ..11«'t his·her par­aeul..t business.

"I\l( (',,ampk'... m a gl\en pnldu.::t lineor 'ief\k."'e. b"lW mu.::h d,lCS tbc ;:I\;-er.pcr"'L'''' .,;pend~ \\hat ~f\.-ent.11.\( theI",pul"ti(.\n In the O1rca arc potential,,"(}n...unICOi of ~\e bu'llloes'S"'s produd'!1I"w nld!l1l!, P'X'I'1e \\100 .tre potential,-",m"ulners 1I.1l\nlC m (rom ,,\utslck the..rca! Would It help tlll I«01~e In oil dar-

m,,"'etlA@.; ~.. ~ .....eamcIt'll..ia~ ..The WI _.1eI I'N'. s...__ tu diem.rletl" di\1~OIll of the MI"~DepatUillClllt \\f~1ft I,ll' llkl!c ~t~ 11we aIOOaillOlm _ouIcI CO'\ft ..1Ii,'NOh ..lilt" JUfIlt JO.. 19'i19.

-

Rep........ "riooi.. tIR·P1}......hl

tion? Somebody has to gather and dis­seminate this information to them.

"This development center would dofor small business what big businesseshave their own big planning depart­ments doing for them."

Rep. Lon Heinitz, co-author:"Evervbody always thinks about the3Ms ';nd Honev",;eIls, but the truth isthat 50 percent'of the people workingin this state, work in small businesses- that is businesses with 25 employeesor less. So, each separate business cando little to gather the type of informa­tion they should have for planning andbudgeting."Take demography, the statisticalstudy of population density, distribu­tion and population shifts. as an exam­ple. Some statistics say that southernMinnesota is losing population andnorthern Minnesota is gaining. Thisc<w have a dramatic effect on yoursmall business."If there are going to be 30 less homes,or 60 less cars, in your area, where youown your o\\n small business, vou bet­ter n"ot plan to expand to fiJi a needthat soon may not exist. You may notfind the people to hire, or the people tobuy your product."But who ever heard of a planningdepartment in a filling and repair sta-

ferent community. or to add a newproduct line?

"This kind of economic data is notavailable. But the majority of informa­ti("n to draw up that data is available invarious departments and agencies inMinnesota. The idea is to put that in­formation together.

"The data could be in a computerbank to be used, compiled, calculated,and accessed by various means of com­puter programing. A person in Duluthcould find out about southwesternMinnesota by tuning into this com­pJter base, without ever leavingDuluth.

"This is something thai can be bought,i but is net bought by small businessesI because of the expense. For thisI reaSOll, the program doesn't c0mpete

with other business counseling scr-I vices. Small businesses are not

r.. g_e_n_e_r_3_1l_}_'_c_u_s_t_o_n_l_e_rs__o_f_c_o_n_s_u_l_ti_ll_g ~----------_---------~ agend«:"

Go"~rftOr signs Senate seat ,aeaney billMinnesotans \\IiiI vote to fiU a U.S. Senatese"dt vacancy in November of the year thevacancy occurs now that Governor RudyPerpich has signed the bilt the House andSenate passed in January.The bill, as both bodies pa~sed it, providesthat the Senate vacancies Senators WendellAnd(;r~n and Muriel Humphrey presentlyfill will be before the voters this November.

Arson, fire-safety bill comesunder Criminal Justice Committee studyRep. Steven Novak (DFL-New Brighton)introduced HFI590, which awaits stud" bvthe Criminal Justice Committee in' theHouse. The bill would .tttempt to insurethat trained fire invcstig"tors explore allsuspected arsons; insure that trainedcriminal investigators explore all con­firmed cases of arson: increase theclearance rate of confirmed arsons; andmandate swift and sure prosecution of ar­sonists,

The bill would clarity the application ofand enforcement responsibilities under theMinnesota State Fire Code; establish a firetraining center that would provide localcommunities with code compliance in­vestigation, and would adjust the Tespon­sibilities and staff of the fire marshall.

II

a tlillfor all act

HFl798 (M. Sielwn, Searles, McDonald, H.Sieben, E,,-ald) relalirlg /() ha:<Jrdolls \\'as/I's:placing cenain rl's/Tic/ions on si/I' selection fordisposal facili/ies in /h,' melropolitan area:amending ,\-linnl'sola Stall/If!.' 1976 ...

review• background action

as it happened

12

Rep. !\tkhlltl 5itbtn {I>" L~Jllie""'pofi \

Rep. Mike Sieben, chief author: "Thepurpose of the bill is to require theMinnesota Pollution Control Agency(MPCA) to complete its statewidehazardous waste management planbefore a site is selected or any buildingis oone. This is what we mandated thePCA to do back in 1974.

"Let's do thing~ in the right order, waituntil the ~letropolitan Council com­nletes its solid and hazardous waste~omr',hension plan, and the PCAad'Jots h~lZardf)us waste regulationsand' a statewide hazardous wastemanagement plan, before constructinga facility in the metropolit'n: awa.

"The project under consideration isfunded with federal money: $3.7 fromthe EPA and $1.2 million from theMetropolitan Waste Control Commis­sion. The purpose of the project is todemonstrate the technology of hazar­dous waste disposal, and to

Committee action supportsHumphrey-Hawkins resolutionHouse Labor-Management RelationsCommittee members voiced no oppositionas they recommended a resolutionmemorializing the President and Congressto pass the Humphrey-Hawkins full em­ployment bill.Chairman of the Committee. Rep. StanleyEnebo (DFL-Mpls.), said the Humphrey­Hawkins bill would provide a structure foremployment llf all adult Americans desir­ing work.The full House approved the resolution onMonday, Feb. 13.

demonstrate the organization andfinancing of such a facility.

·'It's the only such project in the na­tion. The facility is to take care of aport iun of the 100.000 tons of hazar­datls materials. such as caustics,cyanides. acids, heavy metal sludges,and paint sludges, produced annuallyin Minnesota.

"I believe the basic policy questionsarc: How many sites should we have?Are there better ways to recycle thewaste rather than use the ground as asewer'? What are the legal liabilities ofconstruction of such a site? Are therewavs to reduce the level of hazardouswa~tes that have not been fully ex­amined?

"Those policy questions should be ap­propriately dealt with before theyselect a specific site and build a dis­posal facility,"

Energy bill aims atproviding customer incentive"We. must prepare for the time whentraditional energy resources are no longereasily available. Minnesota _must pushtoward progressive legislation that touchesthe consumers where they'll feel it the most- the pocketbook," Rep. Mary Forsythe,(lR-Edina) said.Forsythe is the author of HF46, a bill thatwould - exempt _solar energy equipmentfrom property -taxes. Two other energy",-posals are Rep. Dave Fjoslien's (JR­Brandon) House Advisory bill, an idea forthe use ofgrain in the production of gas­oholas a SOllrce ofauto fuel; and Rep.Kenneth Md)onald's (lR-Watertown) HF1887, a bill that would create an energyconversion- board.

Rep. Douglas Ewald. co-author "MikeSiehen, 'is chief author, can explain thehill itself better. but I can certainly givemy reasons for going on it as anauthor.

"As I understand it, if the peA can getits act together and find the properlocation in the seven-county metroarea for a site, the feds have madesome funds available for a demonstra­tion project for hazardous waste dis­posal.

"We're told it won't handle all thewaste generated ~md that in ten years itwill be filled. The MPCA advisorycommittee has come up with a few site"sthey feel are ideal.

"Strangely enough. both these sites arelocated practically adjacent to majorrivers.

"The question. to me, is, "Do the peo­ple want sqmething that could he apotential hazard in the middle of theircity'?"

"What would become of what couldeventually he prime residential area?What will happen to such areas with ahazardous waste disposal plant in it?When the government dropssomething like that in your city, whowill pay the difference in taxation youwon't he receiving'?

"These are a few of my concerns andmy reason for being put on as anauthor on Mike's hill .... We have toremember that after all. the reasonthey call it hazardous waste is becauseit is hazardous to people.... A chanceat federal money comes second to theconsidemtion of something that couldaffect our very lives. or at least ourquality of life."

ComBlefft aDd Economic DewelopmentCommittee gets legislation 011ella.. attullldS; iDterest ratesRep. Howard Neisen (OFL-Mounds View)has introduced HFIOI3. relating to realign­ment of interest rates and policies on openand closed-end charge accounts which theCommerce and Economic Oc\'clopmentCommittee will be considering.Provisions in the bill include allowing theseller an additional finance charge of up to$15 per year; prohibiting placing interestcharges on a purchase before the customerhas had at least one billing; requiring ad­justment charges the day customers returnitems or pa)' their bills; setting an 18 per­cent annual limit on installment purchases.The Senate has passed a companion bill,Sf1216 (Luther. OFL-Brooklyn Center).

II I""'al.. [ ...Id (/R·'\li....lonkll

H )44 (Scheid. Abeln, Scarl~, Hokanson. Os-thoff) ,doling w tuxation; p'(I\'iding thai ;mprov/?mt'nts 10 ,,'al propert.r used!,,, a hilmt'Mead nol he"ddt'd /tJ itlcrt'asecf mluatio/l of properly;amending M ;lItlesOlu SW/ltleS J1;76 . , .

Rep, Linda Scheid, chief author: "Ihope this bill, involving improvementsin homes older than five years, willgive incentive to people to make homeimprovements. I think some homeowners avoid making some improve­ments because their tax would soon beraised as a result.

"For example, when a home ownerputs in insulation, or a new roof. or tri­ple pane windows - all in the name ofgood energy conservation - we let theassessors come out and raise theirproperty tax.

Bill calls for Chit Serviceprocedure changeRep. Bruce Nelsen (lR-Staples) has in­troduced HFI777. a bill.· that wouldprovide for changes in procedures withinthe Minnesota Stale Civil Service system.The bill, according to the author, would re­quire minimum qualifications for allclassified and unclassified employees in theext:cutive branch; appraisals of all un­classified positions in the executive branch;establishment of a code of ethics by theethical practices board with ·the coopera­tion of the commissioner of personnel thatwould provide for the investigation andprosecution of violators of this code; andprohibition of forced involvement inpolitical matters.

"These kinds of improvements shouldbe encouraged, not discouraged. Theincreased tax assessment would bepicked up eventually. because. ofcourse. people move. When the houseis sold. it would be taxed at the valueresulting from improvements.

"The idea. 1 think, is very popular withlegislators. It rna" take some time tow~rk on the bill, and perhaps. itshould include a study of property taxin general. Perhaps we can make someimprovement.

"We may want to really zero in on thekinds of home improvements I'm try­ing to <lSsist, We aren't interested inaiding fancy type or luxury apart­ments, but those that aid in general up­keep and energy conservation."

Commissioner of finance submitsestimated fund balanceGerald Christenson•• commissioner offinance, told the House Tax Committee~ ata January 26 meeting, that the projected es­timated fund balance for the 1978-79 bien­nium will he $162 million by the end ofthefiscal year, June 30 of 1979.Christenson stressed that the numberscould change and told the legislators that atwo ilnd one-halfto three percent reserve isexc:ellentand that a reserve is necessary.Rep. William Kelly (OFL-E. GrandForks), chairman of the committee, askedthat the commissioner report back to thecommittee around the third week inFebruary. He said the committee will needan updated forecast by then to make deci­sions on "w-eighty issues before a possiblemid-March adjournment."

a billfor al1 act

If.F. 1744 (Berkelman. Manean. Brandl, Novak.Byrne) relaling to handicapped and disabled pu·sons; requirmg Im-tallalion and use oj wheelchairsecurement de.'ices in vehicles used fortransporting wheelchair users; providing for in·spec/ion of wheelchair securemelll devices; requir.ing o/her safely mea.Hife{ in vehicles used fortransporting wheelchair users; aU/horizing Ihe ad·missibililY oj' ceriain evidence in tiUgalion;providing penallies.

Rrp. Thomas BerbJman (' UFL-Oululh) at podium and Jan" Barton. SI. Paul Ittornt'~'.

review

background 'actionas.ithappened

14

Proposal for (ouncil on the affairsof Spanish-speaking people movesout of committeeThe Governmental Operations Committeespent most of their Jan. 25 time slot work-

, ing on Rep. Arnold Kempe's (DFL-WestSt. Paul) proposal to create a council onthe affairs of SpanistHpeaking people inthe state. The committee voted to changethe name of the entity from a board to acouncil and recommended the measure forpassage.Kempe said there are 50,000 Spanish­speaking people in Minnesota, makingthem the state's largest minority. The50,000 figure docs not include seasonalmigrant workers. he said.

House pas.~ (OOPrate regulation exemption billMonday, Jan. 30, the House voted 95-28 infavor of a bill which would exclude electriccooperatives from public service commis­sion rate regulation, allowing them to setrates for their customers in the sarne man­ner municipal utilities do.

Author of the bill. Rep. Gene Wenstrom(DFL-Elbow Lake), said public servicecommission regulation is not necessary,because most cooperatives are small. in­dependent, customer-owned, non-profitorganizations. Any profit they make goesback to the customers, Wenstrom said.

Wenstrom told legislators that, when acooperative goes to the public service com­mission to request a rate increase, the costof legal assistance absorbs most of any ad­ditional revenue they gel.

Rep. Thomas Berkclman, chief author:"What the bill does is mandate certainsafety standards for individuals con­fined to wheelchairs in transportation.It indicates positioning of a wheelchairwithin a transporting vehicle. It dealswith lock down devices for securementof the wheelchair <Illd it prescribes ad­ditional safety requirements as per­tains to the individual within thewheelchair. Finally. it sets up an in­spection operation for these vehides.Those arc the basic areas.

"There have been problems in thestate. Some transporting operatorsmove handicapped and disabled peo­ple very well and others don't do sucha good job of it. Some dOl a good job ofkeeping the wheelchair secure anddown in place while others let the peo­ple roll around the inside of the vanslike pin balls.

"We will have a person who doeswheelchair repair testify before theTransportation Comll1ittel~ on thecost, the frequency of repair, and thattype of information. And the need forrepair is frequent enough to warrantthis type of legislation.

,,' think the chances of the bill'spassage arc extremely good. I cam't im­agine anyone voting against the con­cept that is involved. The concept ofre4uiring safety standards rortransporting individuals is spelled outvery explicitly throughout the statutesin terms of individual passengers incars. It is spellcd Ollt for tl'ansportimgchildren in buses. It's almost in everysegment. This jusl seems 10 be a verylarge and noticeahle gap wherenothing has ever heen done."

Bill proposes new quartersfor state departmentsRep. Orville Birnstihl (DFl-Faribault) in­troduced a bill whi'ch suggests new quartersfor the Minnesota Departments orAgriculture, Natural Resources, and theMinnesota Pollulion Control agency.The bill would direct the department of ad­ministration to seek possible sites for sucha facility.Birnstihl said the new building wouldeliminate much of the 2.5 million dollarsthe state spends 1e<lsing space for the agen­cies. Following a hearing by theAgriculture Committee, the bill went 10 aGovernmental Operations subcommItteefor siudy.

Hep. U.,id Cumml,ket \ l"'I~M••kot.,

HI'In7 (Cummiskey) relating 10 highway ,raJJieregulatioll.\'; providing .f{1r the e.!tabli.l'hmc'llt o{metric stalldard.\' .Ii)r tra/lie cO/l/ml del'i"e.\';atnt'llding Millllewta Statutes lIJ76 .

Rep. David Cummiskey, chief author:"M\ concern on metrification is that ithas "bcen over-l'Oll1plicated to the pointwhere it won't get donc. The federalgovernment proposed a changeoverprogram a whilc ago. They withdrew itbecause a 101 of people reacted vcrynegatively.

"A II this bill docs is ask that, whennew signs arc put up, or signs arereplaced in the normal course of main­tenance, we simply do thcm in themetric system, in kilometers instead ofmiles p~r hour. for example.

"Speedometers need not be changed.You'd still drive 55 mph, but some newsigns, and, then, gradually more signs,would say 88kph.

"Road distance signs would be a bitmore complicated, so you wouldn't do

Recreational establishment ownerstestify on road signs billResort, campground, and motel ownerstestified before the Transportation Com­mittee, on Feb. I, in favor of a bill whichwould allow certain signs along federalprimary aid highways.Owners testifying said the federal highwaybeautification act h<IS been a hardship ontheir businesses, because lhey had to takedown signs directing travelers to their es·tablishments which arc !)ften several milesoff main highways.This proposal would permit uniform signsof a certain size and shape, giving the nameor the establishment. with an arrowpOlllting the direction and the disliUlce inmiles. In addition, O\H1CrS could place upto ftlUr display symbols on the sign.

as many of those at first. But it wouldshow the federal government transpor­tation people, and the public, that thcmetric systcm need not be complicated- that conversion doesn't have to bean expensive or complicated process.

"It's a simple system, if you just startusing it. There would be really no dif·ferent cost than there is now in replac­ing old signs with new."

The Minnesota Department ofTransporta­tion would administer the progmm. Own­ers would pay an application fee and an an­nual fcc to cover costs.Rep. Douglas St. Onge (DFL-Bemidji) issponsor of the bill in the House. TheSenate' passed the measure last spring.

For final adion on legislation see up­coming issues of SESSION newsletteror for· more information, call (612)196--1146.

15

Int~111l)t~rs C,()lllmf~rlt ()f1 legislati\;'(~ I]ric)riti(~s

Rep. Bruce Nelsen (tR·Staples)"My concern is dealingwith the state civil servicelaws. GovernmentalOperations is hearing theissue with various puhlicemployee unions, tbepersonnel board and thelegislative auditcommission testifying.Many of the changes theyproposed are in a bill IIntroduced."Even if that bill as it isdoesn't pass, I'm hopefulthat some of the suggestedchanges will be adoptedand its purposesaccomplished.

"One of the bill's purposesis to require hettercirculiltion of job notices tomake jobs more availableto the general public.especially unclassifiedpositions - thoseappointed by departmentheads and the governor."

Rep. Gilbert n, Esau (I R­Mountain take)"We have environmentalimpact statements. We needimpact statements on howlegislation affects the home.

"I've introduced a billproposing an advisorycouncil on the home andfamily to provide thecoordination and effort tostudy, to represent, and tostrengthen the family."Both President Carter, inhiS inaugural speech, andthe governor in his speechsaid the state of Americanfamilies is of the highestimportance."We h,lVe informed andinterested resources to drawon from business, religiousgroups, the judicial system,and the public sector. Wemust adopt a creative andconstructive approach thatwelcomes input from allinterested groups:-

Rep. teo Adams (nFt·NewHope)"Three main issues C\)TlI:ernme. One is workers'compensation. I don't thinkwe should act too quicklyon such a very c\lfnplexproblem. We're stilllearning about il. Weshould walt to act until theappoll1ted ,tudycommission reports ItSfindings."Second is dealing with thetax surplus. If the surplus isas large as indicmed, weshouid return it to thecitilens. I'd like to see anincrease in dependentcredits."Third, I'm interested inc1anfyll1g the retail creditsituation, and I'veintroduced a bill thataddresses that problem."

Rep. Ann Wynia (OFt·St.Paul)"One of the most difficultissues with a lot of longterm implications is thecurrent powerlinecontroversy."At this pOll1t, I'm notpersonally sure what is thewiscst thing to do. I'mhoping the hearings willprovide additionallI1formation on theconstitutionality and legalimplications of amoratorium."The issue IS a critical one,because it pinpoints thedilemma between demandsfor energv, environmentalcost, and'cost to II1dividualswhose land is affected. Thisis the kind of issue we willbe faclflg more and more inthe energy area."

UI)(Jate

I.AWS Of' MINNESOTA 1978Bills the House and Sellate haH' po.ned alit! ,h"go\'ernor has .\ign.!d.

U.S. Senate seal taeandes Chapter 456HI"I5OO (Rice, DFL-Mpls.) provides forelections to fill U.S. Senate vacancies.

Destruction of animals Chapter 457810'686. HF'764 (Kelly, R. DFl-SI. Paul;authorizes destruction rather than researchuse of certain unclaimed animals.

16

Other legislation the House passed inJan/Feb."'ull-employment resolutionH'" 1791 (Enebo, DFL- Mpls) a resolutionwhich would menwrialllc the Presidentand Congress to pass the Humphrey·Hawkins full employment bill.

Raccoon huntingHF1297 (Reding. DFL-Austinl - wouldIllcrease the fees for non-residents to takeraccoons to S50 In addition to the smallgame license fee; would allow tht: com­missioner of the department of naturalresources to set a limit on the numher ofraccoons a non-resident can !<Ike: wouldprovide for a tagglllg ,ystem for I\klllitica­tion of rat:CGon carcasses.

County goternment optionsHFI795 (Mcblchern, DFL·SI. Michael)would eliminate the provision in theCounty Option law requiring counties tohold a referendum in lJrder to hire a countyadministrator or executive secretary.

Waste"'ater tr.'atment1...-1661 (Battaglia, DFL-Two Harbors)wlluld prOVide for publlc;l!lon in the stateregi;.ter. hehind·schedule and substandard\1 <lstel\ ah:r Ircatmelll projects.

Whel'lchair se{'uremenl detices1H'1744 (BerkelJ11<1n, DFL-Duluth) wouldcstahllsh safet} standards in Ir,lIIsportationIll' mdiv iduals 111 wheclchairs.

Rep. John Rose (IR­ROllfville)"How we address the issueof the tax surplus money ismost important. Mostlegislators I've talked to arecommitted to refunding theexcess surplus. But Ithinkthe Issue is how we decide itwill be done,

"If it is just a matter ofdollars turned back, It willbe insignificant. Only if thestructure is adjusted willwhat we do havesignificance."With innation, peoplemake more, and spendmore, resulting in moreincome: and sales taxmoney. The continuinginnlllionary spiral couldmake this situation occuragain. We are really gpingto have: to itdJust thestructure to solve thispnlblem of inflationbringing in more moneythan anticipated."

Rep. Thomas Mangan(J>I'I.-Anoka)"I have two majorconcerns. One related 10mental health, one tojuveniles. I have introdlJl~ed

a bill that would requirecounties and the state todevelop a coordinated planto deal wilh the problem ofmcntal illness. "'" havefound there i~ IIV "uch pilin."Another bill I introduccdwould allow a policc oftke.rto take into protectivcdetcntion any juvcnile hereasonably suspects is indanger, or in ;\ situationthat would lead tndelinquem;y."Rather than chargingdelinqucncy, the ofticer canchoosc what we callprotectlvc detention for ,j

dependent child who needshelp. Under thesccircumstanccs the childwould be taken to shelterhomes not to a Juvt:nile~'el:ure f".:illty'"

Rep. Mary Murphy (J>t'L·Hermantown)''I'm sure the tax surplusissue will be of majorimportance, but right now,we need more informationto talk abut."There lire a number ofbills going through mycomlllillecs that interestmc. Wc're in the process ofgathering information andholdifll! hearings on smallbusiness legislation in theCommerce Commillee andlifting thc mandatoryretirement in the commit((:eon labor·managementrelations.'" think t\\lO bIlls in th~

Commerl.:c Cornmllll:r willbe recommcnded. aftersome refinemcnt. Thcyconcern renaming andreordering the departmentof economic developmentand setting up a businessl.'l)llsortium:'

Rep. Jim White (010'1,­Farmington)"The billl'vc got toreorganize the departmentof economic development ismost important to me. It's agood bill; good forbusiness."First. it would rename thedepartment. Hs purpose isto nHl:,:' the departmentmore responsible, morereceptive. and moreresponsive to smallbusinesses III the state."The department needs tobe receptive to ideas thataid the retention andpromotion of smallbusiness and tourism. It's asimple bill that says a lot."

Rep. Ellsworth Smogard(On·Madison)"In all this talk ofa laxreduction, I'd first like tosee the sales tax on heatingfuel removed, We don't ta",groceries, but in thisclimate, heat is asimportant as food. It wouldhelp those on a fixedincome, senior citizens,Next, I'd like to see somerelief for people at thelower income ranges ­perhaps raise exemptioncredits,

"I'm also interested inlegislation to help smallbusi nesses, There are anumber of bills in theCommerce and EconomicDevelopment Committee Iserve on that Ithink will bea help to them."

Reports of liability insuranceHFIOOt (Berke!man. DFL-Duluth) wouldiequire the driver of any vehicle in an acci­dent to provide thc name lind address ofhis/her Iiabihty Insurance coverage com­pany and local insurance agent al the timeof the accident or within 72 hours 10 anyother party in the alxident.

Statutory corrections - trunk highwa}'sHt'I879 (Lemke. DFL-Lake On) \hluldmake deletions and correctIOns' In thestatutes reillting tl) the trunk highwa)Systl~lll.

St. Cloud - detached facilitiesHF'I812 (Pehler. DFL·St. CI(lud) wouldallow a Ii'cal St. Cloud blink to c\empt

their drIVe-in banking facility from con­sllkration as a detached facilitv under thedetached facility law. •

"eota - detached banking facilities... FI8D (Andcrson. B.. DFL-Slater) wouldailtl\\' the town of Leota to be included un­der the Detached Banking Facilities Law.Countv law lihrariesIUI665 (Kaley, IR-Rochester) would in­..-reuse contributions from district court tolaw hbr'iries.C(H)perati~e electric associationsHFSJO (\VcnSlrom. DFL-Elbow Lake) ­\\ ould exempt cooperative electric associa­tion~ from the rate-setting oversight of thePublic SenlCe Commission (PSC).

Tour boat on-sale liquor licensesHFl424 (Jaros, DFL.Duluth) would allow

a seasonal on·sale liquor license to dockedtour boats that regularly sell meals.

Fish refugeHF't394 (Schulz. OFl-Goodhue) woulddirect the governor and the cOlllmissionelof natural resources to continue efforts toenter into certain agreement with the Stateof Wisconsin to ma.\imile the fisherypotential of certain boundary waters.

Owatonna-acquisition of landHFI761 (Biersdorf, DFL-Owatonna)would authorize the sale of certain statelands to the city of Owatonna.

17

WRITE A 131tJLESSAY CONTEST FOR ALLJUNIOR HIGH STUDENTS(7,8 & 9)Tell us why you think "Thereought to be a law"To l~nter, write your idea for a bill, In tOOwords or less, explain your idea, and tellwhy you thin ... it ought to be a law.

To get a complete copy of the rules, fillout the form on the back page of thisissue of SESSION and send it to us,

There will be 134 winners, one from eachdistrict who will attend the special awardsceremony in May at the State Capitol.Speaker of the House Martin Olav Sabowill preside and present the awards.

The 134 winners will be junior lawmakersin a mock session of the MinnesotaHouse of Represc.:ntatives. They will sitwith their state representatives in theHouse Chamber, debate and vote on thetop six winning 'bills' - an opportunityto see how a bill becomes a law.

The contest ends April 15. so enter now.Write for your copy of the rules today.

Uflclate

Ram!ll!Y County Board ­selling per diem expenses.....935 (Tomlinson, DFl-St. Paul)­would allow Ramscy County to pay pCI'diem for thc expenses of members of <:itilenadvisory boards.

St. Louis County -tax search certificate feesHFI065 (Fugina, DFL-Virginia) - wouldincn:asc the fees 51. Louis Count\' collet'tsfor tax search certificates from S"I to $2.

CartwllYs in unorganized territoriesHIo'1604 (Fugina, DFL-Virglflia) -. wouldauthorile the count\' bourd of com­missioners to act as the township board IIIestablish cartways in unorganlledterritories.

f'unds for !\-~il"aukl.'\' RoadHI'J9JO (Osthoff, m·L·S\. Paul) - aresolution urging the President, Congress,and the secretary of transportation toprovide necessary grants and loans to theMilwaukee koad.

18

f:lectronic funds transferHFIlSO (Hanson, DFt·S\. Paul) - newlegislation allowing the usc of electron,,;;fund transfer svstems (EFTS). The hillwould allow any person to est;lblish andmaintain the EFTS. either manned, point­of-sale terminals or unmanned automated·teller machines at retail locatjplls. Underthe bill. t'ustomcr> would '-'e able towithdraw cash, make deposits and transferfunds, dishurse loans against a pre­estahlished credit line, make loan pay­ments, bUI could nol open u('counts or lUKe<IUt !OUlJS using the terminals.

Review of stllie contractsHFl103 (Reding, DFL·t\USIHl) - adepartment of admin;stration hill, dealingwith the department c, contract manage­ment and review process.

l.icensing and honding plumhersHI'1329 (Casserly, DFl-Mpls.) - wouldallow plumbers and steam fillers to obtain asingle bond, license of liability insurancepolicy to operate anywhere within the sWleinstead of haVing ill become bonded ineach municipality in which they operate,

Mechanil:s liens-nolkesUFl578 (Simoneau, DFL-Fridle1f)rdates to the mechanics lien law; would ell­tel!d the notice requirement for lien [lightsfrom 20 10 45 days; would make contrac­tors who fail to furnish the name of theproperty owner to subcontractor" ormaterial suppliers within 10 days after re­quest li'lble for any actual damages and er.­penses, plus reasonable allorney's fees andC()SlS; and, \\()uld lower the square footagefor the Mike requirement from 10,OOO!o5,000 square feel.

SaVings and loan associations­lIddit:ilRal powersttFl520 (George, DFL·Mahtomedi)wuuld give slate chartered savings and lo.massol:iations the sume powers as state Ch,H­tered cOOllller<:ial banks have in rnuintai.n­ing I RA and Keogh accounts.

Professional corporalionsfor architects, engineers and suneyorsHFl442 (Adams, DFL.-New Hope)would grant archilects, professionalengineers. and land surveyors the authorityto establish professional corporations.

Almanac'Minnesota

a bit ofhistory

In 1876, a fight over a Senate seat removed an influentialmember from the United States Senate and sent a younggovernor back to his Imv practice. It was during theadministration of Governor Cushman K. Davis. AlexanderRamsey, who had been second governor ofMinnesota, l'vasserving as United States senator.Upon election to his second term in the senate, Ramseyhad said he would not run a third time. BUl, with strongsupport of public sentiment, he changed his mind. Hebecame an active candidate to succeed himself:Basing his action on Ramsey's earlier decision not to run,Governor Cushman boldly stepped forward as a senatorialcandidate, fanning the flames of an already grOlvingbitterness in the Republican party. Minnesota was aRepublican state, but 1875 was an independent year inelecting United States senators in other states. Theminority was hopeful.Sixty-four members of the legislature were not mernbers ofthe Republican party, nor were they Democratic partyfaithful, but followers of grangerism*, independentDemocrats, and Greenbackers**. In this political climate,the legislature met on January 19 to elect a United Statessenator.Balloting began with three leading candidates, well-knownin A1innesota history - Ramsey, Washburn, and Davis.Through January, a total ofeight candidates moved in andout of the race. Democrats couldn't draw any Republicanvotes. Other anti-Republican forces became convinced theycouldn't elect a nominee. Supporters of Ramsey, Davis,and Washburn withdrew their candidates.Amid rumors ofdeals and bribery, but with no evidence tosupport them, forces united behind San'wel James RenwickMcMillan, chiefjustice of the Minnesota Supreme Court,a Republican. On February 18, McAt/illan became dulyelected senator from the State of Minnesota, closing thernost memorable election for a Senate seat in the history ofthe state.Alexander Ramsey returned to private life; CushmanDavis to his Imv practice. But twelve years later, Davisbecarne United States .'lena/or from Minnesota servingfrom March 4,1887 to November 27,1900.

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SESSIONPublication of House InformatiOn OfficeRoom 8. State CapitolSt. Paul, Minnesota 55155(612) 296-2146 ..... '

Editor: Jean SteinerStaff: Susan Shepard, Jean Mehle.laura Klopp. Marcia BalckenPhotography: Tom Olmscheid

Public Information Overview Committ..Rep. linda BergUn, Chairwoman, (DFl·Mpls.)Reps. Bruce (Buu) Anderson (DFL·Slayton).John Blersdorf (IR·Owatonna). William Dean(tR·Mpls.). Dwayne King (DFL·GoldenValley), C. Thomas Osthoff (DFL.St. Paul),and James Pehler (DFL·St. ClOUd)

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plus a bit of history

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'\lail \our requesl to;Public Informalion OfficeHouse of Represeillali\'esHm. 8, Stale CapitolSl. Paul, '\11'11 55155

"I have one chief priority - areduction in the state's incometax , . • We expect a substantialsurplus at the end of this biennium. Ibelieve any excess funds, beyond aprudent reserve, should be used toreduce taxes," Governor Perpichtold a joint session of the legislatureon January 24.

He reviewed his open door policy.efforts to eliminate waste andmismanagement in stategovernment; steps state agencies,the legislature, the courts, and hehas taken to resolt"e the powerlineissue.

His future proposals and prioritiesincluded encouragement of fullemployment and presenation andstrengthening of Minnesota'sfamilies.