Week of April 29th, 2007
On Monday, I had to deal with a leaking water heater at home, so I didn't reach the Capitol in until noon. I attended a caucus meeting and a House floor session. On Monday, we passed the conference committee report to the capital investment bill (the "bonding bill"), or HF886. Among the other bills were SF1085, a bill to restrict new sales of some mercury-containing products. My colleague, Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park), has taken on the issue of reducing mercury in our environment from sources like thermometers and blood pressure measurement devices. The debate got pretty long after Rep. Laura Brod (R-New Prague) tried to add on an amendment that dealt with mercury in vaccines. Some have suggested that there is a relationship between mercury in vaccines and autism in young children. Others, including a constituent who specializes in vaccination, have showed me peer-reviewed articles showing no connection. We decided to leave that debate for another day and vote against the amendments offered by Rep. Brod.
On Tuesday, I attended caucus and a House floor session. On the floor, we passed the conference committee report for the omnibus agriculture, rural economies, veterans, and military affairs bill. It passed easily and the Governor is expected to sign it. In the afternoon, I attended the public safety conference committee, where the conferees approved the conference committee report on HF829. This bill includes my provisions from HF457, the scrap metal bill. In the evening, I attended a special city council meeting in North Oaks related to groundwater pollution there from the Highway 96 landfill.
On Wednesday, I attended caucus and a House floor session. We accepted a minor change to the e-waste bill made by the Senate. By adopting that change to HF854, we re-passed our bill handily with 114 votes and it now goes to the Governor. Among an assortment of bills was the repeal of our ticket scalping law, which we passed on a bi-partisan basis. My reasoning for voting for this bill was that in the "secondary" market for tickets--e.g., the re-selling of tickets--we might see some more competition.
On Thursday, I attended a caucus meeting and a morning House floor session. On the floor, we approved the conference committee report for the omnibus public safety bill (HF829). This was pretty controversial because the bill contained the "good faith" provision that would require insurance companies to consider claims against policies "in good faith." The idea is that some policyholders have not been able to get their insurance companies to pay legitimate claims, or at least to pay them on time. Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL-Inver Grove Heights), the author of the provision, illustrated the problem using an example of a Nicollet couple who lost their 20-year old daughter in a car accident and then couldn't get the insurance company to pay the claim. Opponents of the provision argued that insurance premiums are likely to go up and mostly pay for trail attorneys' fees. My scrap metal provisions were in the bill--as well as other critical functions for public safety and corrections--so I voted for the bill.
We then recessed for several hours while the Finance Committee acted on a timely bill to provide flood relief for Brown's Valley in Traverse County. After that meeting and a caucus meeting, we came back and voted on the bill for Brown's Valley after amending the bill to include relief for Rogers and Warroad for tornado damage.
Based on negotiations between the Governor, House, and Senate, we also brought HF829 back to the House floor and sent it back to the public safety finance conference committee. The good faith provision was apparently going to trigger a veto of the whole bill, but after a strong vote for the bill earlier in the day in the House, the Governor, House and Senate agreed to give the good faith provision consideration as a separate bill. So the conference committee will yank out that part and then we will vote on HF829 again on Friday. Interesting process!
On Friday, I attended two caucus meetings and two floor sessions. We re-passed the public safety finance bill, the omnibus economic development finance bill, the state government finance bill, and the environment, natural resources, energy, and commerce finance bill. Funding for several programs that constituents have contacted me about included: MN Amateur Sports Commission; MN Humanities Commission; metro parks; state trails; Land Management Information Center; a searchable state database of organizations that receive grants from the state; and grants for regional arts organizations.
Visitors: education advocate from Lino Lakes and a White Bear Lake School Board member; lobbyist for oncology clinics; MCCL lobbyist on stem cell research; lobbyist for a foreign-owned wind energy company seeking to invest in rural MN; lobbyist for scrap metal recyclers; reporter from ECM newspapers who is doing a story on freshmen legislators
Constituent contacts: Shoreview resident against good faith provision; Shoreview resident supporting salary supplement for state employees; Lino Lakes resident against stem cell research; Lino Lakes resident against stem cell research; Shoreview resident against stem cell research; Lino Lakes resident supporting salary supplement for state employees; Shoreview resident against stem cell research; Shoreview resident against a tax increase; Lino Lakes resident supporting a tax increase; Lino Lakes resident expressing satisfaction with blog; Circle Pines resident supporting a bi-partisan approach to provide property tax relief for the middle class; Shoreview resident supporting a bi-partisan approach to provide property tax relief for the middle class; Shoreview resident supporting stem cell research; Shoreview resident seeking bi-partisan cooperation; two Lino Lakes residents expressing satisfaction with their representation; Lino Lakes resident supporting an increase in compensation for corrections department employees; Circle Pines resident supporting the smoking ban; Blaine resident supporting a salary supplement for state employees; Shoreview resident supporting a salary supplement for state employees; Lino Lakes resident upset with my vote on the tax bill on Friday; Shoreview resident inviting me to MN Athiests' Day of Reason; Lino Lakes resident supporting spending cuts and no tax increase; Blaine resident against the House property tax relief proposal; Shoreview resident supporting funding for the MN Humanities Commission; North Oaks resident against illegal immigration; North Oaks resident supporting Wine with Dinner proposal; Shoreview resident and MD thanking me for my vote for the smoking ban; Lino Lakes resident asking for "investment in Minnesota"; Shoreview resident (clinical nurse specialist, board certified in palliative care) supporting medical use of marijuana; Lino Lakes resident supporting statewide health insurance pool for educators; Shoreview resident asking about my vote for the bonding bill conference committee report; Circle Pines resident supporting statewide health insurance pool for educators; Shoreview resident supporting statewide health insurance pool for educators; Circle Pines resident supporting statewide health insurance pool for educators; Circle Pines resident supporting a broad progressive agenda; Circle Pines resident supporting statewide health insurance pool for educators; Lino Lakes resident supporting statewide health insurance pool for educators; Circle Pines resident supporting global warming mitigation bill; Circle Pines resident supporting global warming mitigation bill; Shoreview couple supporting global warming mitigation bill; Shoreview resident thanking me for votes on amendments related to mercury in vaccines; Lino Lakes resident supporting global warming mitigation bill; Lino Lakes resident supporting statewide health insurance pool for educators; Circle Pines resident supporting stem cell research; Lino Lakes resident supporting global warming mitigation bill; Shoreview resident asking me about my vote on public safety bill (HF829), specifically on the issue of the good faith provision; Shoreview resident supporting global warming mitigation bill; 22 district residents calling to ask me to "invest in Minnesota" in response to a TakeAction Minnesota campaign; Circle Pines resident supporting a salary supplement for state employees
