June 2008 Wrap-Up

If you just got my end-of-session mailing and are visiting this site for the first time, welcome! If you're looking for my campaign website, click here.

I'm switching to a monthly summary for June since the legislative session was completed in May and I'm out campaigning on a daily basis. I'm a stay-at-home dad this summer until 3:00 p.m. or so when I head out doorknocking.

Schedule: On Monday, June 2nd, I had a fairly large meeting among some health care experts on the issue of my bill HF3810. This bill might take a different form in 2009 if I return to the House. On Thursday, June 5th, I attended a fundraiser for the DFL House Caucus. On Saturday, June 7th, I attended my first state DFL convention, which was in Rochester. I had the chance to sit next to Congresswoman McCollum and have a lengthy chat about issues and politics. I was only able to stay from about noon to four p.m. On Monday, June 9th, I spoke on legislative issues briefly to the Lino Lakes City Council. I prepared a one-page memo summarizing legislative actions that affect the city, which must have been pretty informative because the council didn't say a word and didn't any questions. This is pretty different from other city councils in 53A, which have quite a conversation with me!

On Thursday, June 12th, I was part of a panel discussion at the annual workshop of the Association of Recycling Managers (ARM). ARM is a group of metro area recycling coordinators from cities and counties. I talked about what the legislature accomplished and didn't accomplish during the session for recycling, composting, and product stewardship. Later in the day I stopped by Bethel University, where Girls State was meeting. This is an annual meeting for high school girls where they kind of act like a student legislature. I met with about 15 students as an observer on their "job, energy, and economic development committee," where they were vetting two "bills." One was on funding for renewable energy projects for schools and the other was on the minimum wage. They had good ideas and we had a great conversation.

On Monday, June 16th, I drove to St. Cloud to meet with about 15 county solid waste officers to talk about the legislative session. These are the folks--mostly in Greater MN--who operate landfills and recycling programs at the county level. On Wednesday, June 18th, I joined several other legislators and staff and commissioners from Anoka County about future management of the Elk River Refuse Derived Fuel (RDF) plant. On Tuesday, June 24th, two other legislators and I attended an announcement in Eagan by Coca-Cola that they are putting ten diesel hybrid trucks on the road in our area this year. The trucks are more expensive but at current fuel costs the payback period is three years. They use one-third less fuel and have one-third fewer emissions. In the evening, Senator Rummel and I met with the Circle Pines City Council. We had a lengthy and healthy discussion of issues.

During the month of June I also interviewed with several organizations about possible endorsements for the my campaign.

Constituent contacts: Shoreview resident with a drivers' license issue; Circle Pines resident about parking regulations; Lino Lakes resident insisting on more oil exploration in the outer continental shelf; Circle Pines resident distressed about increasing insurance co-pay for MS patients; Circle Pines resident upset about insurance company response to recent hail damage; Circle Pines resident about statute related to collector license plates; Shoreview resident proposing a bus system that uses 694 and 494 to serve the suburbs; Blaine resident promoting more domestic oil exploration and doubting climate change; Shoreview resident against light rail; district resident against taxes and light rail but supporting nuclear power; Shoreview resident for more domestic oil exploration; Shoreview resident asking about 35W bridge reports; Lino Lakes resident about the Lino Lakes Police Department

Week of April 27, 2008

Property Tax Refund Calculator: The House Tax Committee has unveiled a property tax bill that will allow for greater property tax refunds for many Minnesotans. It is revenue-neutral, which means that it will not require a tax increase. You can figure out your own property tax refund on-line at the House web site. Click on "Calculate property tax relief proposed in HF3149, omnibus tax bill."

Mall of America: The media has been reporting on a bill that would subsidize the cost of a parking ramp at the Mall of America II project as part of building the new mall. Part of the proposed subsidy would be funded from a pool of money called the "fiscal disparities" program which is 40% of the commercial and industrial property taxes collected in the metro area. My constituents in Anoka County have lower property taxes because of this program, so this mall bill is problematic or me and I find it unacceptable in its current form. I am also not supportive of subsidizing a private business in this way.

Bills pass: The conference committee report on HF3477 passed on the House floor on Monday afternoon. A discussion of this bill dealing with predatory lending protections for manufactured housing owners is in the previous blog entry. It passed 126-3.

One of my other bills, SF2996/HF2903, also passed on the floor on Monday. It would count wastewater effluent as a source of renewable energy in order to promote the use of research of algae for biofuels. Wastewater treatment effluent has a lot of phosphorus in it and that can be used to increase growth in algae that can be used to make biodiesel. Renewable energy status allows producers of this energy to qualify for grants and the like. This bill passed 130-0. Senator Rummel has the Senate version and they are now identical.

Blog article: Several daily newspapers in Greater MN published by Forum Communications carried an article about political blogs and blogs of elected officials this week, and I had a bit quote in it. You can read it on-line.

Burn barrel bill: My bill (HF2802) that would curb open burning of household garbage--the largest source of dioxin pollution in the United States--made some waves in Greater Minnesota this week. The weekly Agri News carried two articles on the bill and about ten farmers have called to share their views. (See "Proposed Ban on Barrel-Burning is Controversial," "Shoreview DFLer Wants Comments on Proposed Burning Ban".)

Health care attitudes: One of the things I really wanted to do in this job is get a better idea from constituents about what kind of change in our health care system that they want, with the end result being health coverage for all, lower costs per capita, and improved quality. It has been frustrating because health care policy is so complicated. MPR did a story on how consumers want change but people are conflicted about what that change should be.

Schedule: On Monday we had a lengthy floor session from about 1:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. The major bill was the E-12 education policy bill. We spent a few hours on an amendment on sex education. I've been on record supporting comprehensive sex education as long as there is an opt-out provision should parents and students want an alternative curriculum, and I supported the amendment. Before session I attended a rally by Minnesota film industry workers who were supporting the reinstatement of a rebate for their industry to help attract feature films to MN. A constituent from Blaine asked me to attend and I spoke to a few people at the rally.

On Tuesday, after taking my son to the doctor, I attended a caucus meeting at the Capitol. On Wednesday, we had a floor session from 10:30 a.m. to about 5:45 p.m. covering a lot of smaller bills, including some miscellaneous energy bills. On Thursday, we had a floor session and a caucus meeting. Major bills include the minimum wage bill (I voted in support) and a resolution to Congress supporting the Employee Free Choice Act (I voted in support). We also discussed a bill that would ban the use of decabromodiphenylether (DBPE), a flame retardant that is a persistent bio-accumulative toxin.

Visitors: three people from MN Catholic Conference asking for support of an increase in the minimum wage; grassroots organizers from AFL-CIO presenting letters of support from constituents in support of an increase in the minimum wage; Lino Lakes constituent, labor organizer, and lobbyist together to promote subsidy for Mall of America parking ramp

Constituent contacts: nine constituents sending form letters supporting the Taxpayers' League Tax Cut Petition; Shoreview constituent against "left-wing" agenda of advocates for combatting climate change; Lino Lakes resident against a bill in Congress on immigration; district resident reporting on graduated drivers license issue for Mounds View High School student newspaper; Lino Lakes resident supporting state subsidy for parking ramp at Mall of America II project; Shoreview resident with question about deductibility of federal stimulus checks from state taxes (they are exempt from taxation); Lino Lakes resident against No Child Left Behind; Lino Lakes resident supporting Judge Roy Moore of Alabama; Circle Pines resident against biofuel subsidies and subsidy for Mall of America II project; Shoreview resident supporting private school vouchers; Lino Lakes resident supporting HF4178 for comprehensive school funding; Shoreview resident and Lino Lakes resident against reduced payments to safety net hospitals; Shoreview resident supporting funding for Minnesota Principals' Academy; two Shoreview residents, Blaine resident, and North Oaks resident against subsidy for Mall of America II project; Lino Lakes resident supporting algae-to-biofuels research; Shoreview resident supporting funding for a Minneapolis veterans' home and a Lake Vermillion State Park; Shoreview resident against Central Corridor; Shoreview resident against property tax bill; Shoreview resident against Mall of America II project and supporting enforcing agreements that the state has with Northwest Airlines; Shoreview resident supporting of Staffing for Patient Safety bill for nurses; Shoreview resident supporting Employee Free Choice resolution; Shoreview resident supporting MN Taxpayers League platform; Shoreview resident supporting Rule of 90 pension proposal for teachers; North Oaks resident asking about property tax bill and its affect on seasonal recreation property; Shoreview resident supporting a photo ID to vote; three Lino Lakes residents, Circle Pines resident supporting a citizens council for proposed outdoor funding sales tax revenue allocation; Shoreview resident against current route of the Central Corridor; Shoreview business owner supporting Early Stage Capital Access bill (HF3538); Shoreview resident supporting minimum wage; Circle Pines resident supporting approval of medical marijuana; North Oaks resident, two Circle Pines residents, Lino Lakes resident, two Shoreview residents supporting comprehensive sex education; two Lino Lakes residents and Circle Pines resident against comprehensive sex education; five Lino Lakes residents and Shoreview resident on a teacher pension issue

Week of April 20, 2008

Lobbyist Spending Data Published: You can see how much lobbyists spent in 2007 at the State Capitol on the Campaign Finance & Public Disclosure Board website. Associations that hire lobbyists have to report how much they spent to the nearest increment of $20,000. You can also link to my 2006 and 2007 campaign finance reports (on the link on the right of the screen) to confirm what lobbyists and PACs contributed to my campaign--which was ZERO.

Property Tax Unveiled (with my bill in it): The Property Tax Division of the House Tax Committee unveiled its bill on Monday night. I haven't talked about some legislation in it that I authored yet because I didn't know if it would get put in the bigger bill. My bill (HF4188) is designed to increase the maximum property tax refund (PTR) you can get from the state, and it would take the worst "bite" out of property taxes for those on the bottom of the income scale like retirees, the disabled, and those on fixed incomes. It would also help most people with a refund on their property taxes. My suburban co-authors signed on to the bill with me since the Senate was only considering increasing local government aid (LGA) to cities as its property tax cut proposal this year. Since a lot of suburban cities don't receive LGA, I was looking for a way to help with property taxes in our district. The bigger bill (HF1222) includes some LGA and the property tax refund program. It is funded mostly by taking the market value homestead credit (MVC) and putting it into the PTR program. More later!

Kerry Lake Constituents Speak Out Against New DNR Rules: This month I've heard from quite a few Shoreview residents about Kerry Lake. This is actually a small stormwater runoff pond in a residential development that has evolved into a recreational lake of sorts. There are new DNR rules going into effect that would restrict what lakeshore homeowners would be able to do to the shoreline and the water directly adjacent to it. You can find the rule proposals at the DNR web site. The homeowners would like to continue treating the water for aquatic plants but the DNR rules would likely preclude this options.

On Tuesday morning the Environment & Natural Resources Committee in the House had an informational hearing on a bill that would legislatively change the new rules. I'm on the committee and did pose a question about how the proposed bill or the DNR rules would affect man-made bodies of water like Kerry Lake. (No one had an answer at the time.) Although I had to leave early to chair a conference committee, I did speak to the DNR's deputy commissioner later and he will see how the proposed DNR rules would affect Kerry Lake specifically.

The committee meeting was taped and is available on-line. At the moment it is at top of the page, but if you view this later look for April 22, House Environment & Natural Resources Committee, Informational Hearing on HF1457. An Arden Hills resident testified about the rules and how it would affect Lake Johanna. The meeting lasted 1 hour and 42 minutes.

Governor Outlines Differences on Budget Fix: A lot of tension seems to have lifted at the Capitol after leadership from both parties from the House and Senate met with the Governor last week. Everyone wants to find an acceptable fix to the $900+ million budget deficit by May 19th. Our leadership asked for, and received, a written list of concerns that the Governor has with both the House and Senate versions of our budget balancing bills. (The House version is HF1812.) These bills are now in conference committee. This is a good thing. Last year we proceeded in sending bills to the Governor that some said he would veto because the Governor was not specific about what he objected to in the bills. This time the Governor has given us a clear idea of issues he has with the bills, and they fill eight pages. It looks like he has a bigger problem with the Senate than the House at this point. I agree with a few of his points, including the forgiveness of $35 million in debt for RiverCentre that St. Paul owes the state. He also did not take issue with any of the legislation I have authored that is now in HF1812 on a conservation rate structure for public water suppliers and three solid waste and recycling reports.

Governor Signs Credit Freeze Report Bill: On Monday I received notification that the Governor signed my bill (HF1665). For more information on this bill see last week's entry.

Conference Committee on HF3477: My bill on predatory lending protections for owners of manufactured housing (aka mobile homes) went to conference committee on Tuesday. Senator Marty is the Senate author and there are three conferees from each body that met to work out the differences between the two bills. Since it is a House file, I wielded the gavel for the meeting. We got everything worked out just fine in about 30 minutes and we took testimony from All Parks Alliance for Change and the Manufactured Home Park Owners Association. Not that it is the most fascinating viewing, but you can watch it on-line at the Senate media's web page. Look for April 22nd, Conference Committee on HF3477, and the file will use Real Player.

Minnesota's incarceration rate more like Sweden than Texas: Right across the street from my district is the Lino Lakes Correctional Facility. I've had the chance to visit the facility last year, and quite a few employees live in my district. That's why I found interesting a recent New York Times article that shows how low our incarceration rate is. The United States incarcerates 751 people for every 100,000 people in the country; Minnesota is at about 300 while Texas is at about 1,000 and Sweden is at 80.

So it was a little bit more discouraging to see that we also have one of the highest levels of drunken driving in the U.S. We also have the highest number of teen driver crashes in the U.S.

"Burn Barrel" bill gets a hearing. One of my bills this year is HF2802 that would effectively ban the open burning of household garbage. This practice is the single biggest source of dioxin pollution in the United States. The MPCA has been working hard to educate counties, law enforcement, and rural residents about the public health hazards of burning household garbage outdoors. It was identified as a major priority by a group of stakeholders in the MPCA's 2007 Solid Waste Policy Report. I knew that the Agriculture, Rural Economies & Veterans Affairs Committee would not likely pass the bill, but the chair did commit to have an informational hearing on Wednesday of this week. The hearing was of great help, since this committee has members that represent rural communities around the state that would have to comply with any law on burning. Having an informational hearing is a great way to see where resistance and support might come from on a bill. What I heard was support for banning the burning of household garbage but resistance to banning the burning of true "farm waste" such as feed bags and twine because of concern over the cost of garbage collection in many rural areas. Later I did an interview with Agri News on the issue.

Schedule: On Monday morning, I met with Senator Marty and staff about the conference committee on HF3477. Afterwards I met with Senator Rummel on district issues. Then there was a caucus meeting and a floor session. On Tuesday morning, I attended part of an informational hearing on HF1457 mentioned above. Afterwards I convened the conference committee on HF3477, also mentioned above. In the afternoon I filmed a cable TV interview. On Wednesday morning, I presented my bill on garbage burning, mentioned above. From about 9:00 a.m. to about 5:00 p.m. we had a floor session with a focus on energy legislation including the cap-and-trade bill. Afterwards I was in a caucus meeting. On Thursday we had an all-day floor session with a focus on the agriculture and veterans' affairs policy bill and the 2008 transportation policy bill.

Visitors: two North Oaks residents visiting the Capitol; two Shoreview residents visiting the Capitol; lobbyist and staff from Best Buy about a recycling issue; lobbyist and staff from Eureka Recycling about a composting amendment; North Metro 15 camera crew interviewing me on legislative issues; Circle Pines resident for Parkinson's Disease day on the hill

Constituent contacts: Lino Lakes resident, Lexington resident, and three Shoreview resident s supporting clear car emissions bill; Shoreview resident supporting Green Solutions Act; Lino Lakes resident favoring lower business taxes; Shoreview resident supporting health care reform (but not single-payer) and against tax increases to balance the budget; Blaine resident promoting rebate for filmmakers to come to Minnesota; Shoreview resident supporting minimum wage increase; Lino Lakes pharmacist against continued cuts to pharmacy reimbursement rates; Shoreview resident against subsidies for biofuels; Shoreview resident supporting legalization of medical marijuana; Lino Lakes resident against comprehensive sex education; North Oaks resident against subsidy for Mall of America; Lino Lakes resident and Shoreview resident against the "left-wing" global warming agenda; Shoreview resident, Lexington resident, Lino Lakes resident supporting bill against animal fighting gear; Shoreview? resident against storage of newborn DNA samples; Lino Lakes resident against relaxing graduation testing standards for K-12 education; Shoreview resident supporting bonding for Central Corridor and Asian-Pacific Cultural Center; Shoreview resident supporting mercury-free option for vaccines; North Oaks resident and Lino Lakes resident against illegal immigration; Shoreview resident against clean cars bill

Week of March 30, 2008

Schedule: On Monday I attended a caucus meeting and a floor session, followed by a hearing in Rep. Sailer's Solid Waste, Recycling & Resource Conservation Working Group on a solid waste provision related to an ash landfill in Washington County. The floor debate included a lot of "calendar bills." These are bills on the Calendar for the Day, which is a compilation of bills that have gone through the committee process and gone to the House floor. Most calendar bills are pretty small in scope and have little controversy. The one bill that was controversial on Monday was related to enforcement of statutes for independent contractors in the parcel delivery business. The Legislative Auditor identified mis-classification of employees as independent contractors as a major problem last year. Some courier companies were upset about the change.

On Tuesday, two of my bills were debated on the House floor and they passed! These were the first of my free-standing bills to be voted on on the floor. (My other stuff last year ended up in bigger bills.) The first bill was on the conflict of interest issue for school boards (HF2785/SF2653). It passed 129-0 after about forty minutes of debate. Two Republicans offered three amendments about collective bargaining and the Speaker ruled that they were out of order because they were not "germane," or relevant to the bill. My father-in-law watched on the web later and said, "Is that all they do on these bills? Introduce amendments so they can catch people making certain votes and send out negative campaign mail at election time?" (Or words to that effect.) The answer is yes!

The second bill (HF3477) provides the same predatory lending protections to owners of manufactured housing (AKA mobile homes) as for other homes. It passed 127-2 but not before I got quizzed by several Republicans about some details for about a half-hour. (I think it was more hazing than anything else.) The bill was negotiated by advocates for manufactured housing and for the manufactured housing park owners. It was also endorsed by the MN Bankers Association and other financial institutions. Our legislative district includes about 600 of these homes in Lino Lakes, Lexington, and Blaine.

Later in the afternoon, my bill (HF3789) on retail signage for phosphorus fertilizer passed the Commerce & Labor Committee on a voice vote and went back to the floor. I also attended two caucus meetings.

On Wednesday, we passed the conference committee report for the capital investment bill (AKA the bonding bill). The bill has received a lot of press in that the Governor says he would not support a bonding bill that is higher than $825 million, and the conference committee report is $925. The reason for a limit is that it has been an accepted practice to have the debt service on the bonding bill not exceed 3% of unrestricted general fund revenues. If we issue all the bonds this year the limit would have to be $825 million but we are proposing to let the bonds over the course of three years which would keep us under the limit.

Items in the bonding bill that have a connection to our district or region include the following:

Transportation
* Funding to match federal funds for the Urban Partnership Agreement for park-and-rides along the 35W corridor--that means the park-and-ride in Lino Lakes at 35W and Lake Drive that takes traffic off of 35W through and near our district
* Funding for park-and-ride lots and park-and-pool lots along the Rush Line Corridor (35E/Highway 61) which helps take traffic off of 35E through and near our district
* Replacement of the Rice Street Bridge over Highway 36 in order to assist St. Jude Medical in expanding its operations on both sides of Highway 36

Parks, Trails, Water
* Funding for the completion of the Rice Creek North Regional Trail in Lino Lakes, which matches $1 million+ in federal funds* Groundwater monitoring and observation wells (my HF3005 bill) for aquifers under the Twin Cities metro area
* Funding for the Met Council to upgrade infrastructure of metro parks, including the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes park in Lino Lakes
* Beneficial reuse of wastewater pilot project (mostly to help make ethanol production more efficient in terms of water use)

Education
* Century College (White Bear Lake): classroom and student support space renovation
* Anoka-Ramsey Community College (Coon Rapids): initiatives for science, technology, engineering and math (STEM)

Other Local Stuff
* Asset preservation (fixing the roof) at the National Sports Center, which is a major local economic driver in Blaine
* Forensic crime lab in Anoka County to deal with a large backlog for processing evidence for criminal cases

On Thursday we took up HF1812, the budget balancing bill. We are cutting 3% from state agencies and using some of the budget reserve to balance the budget, which has a deficit of $935 million or so. We also cut more than the Governor in the next biennium (2010-2011). But we did re-prioritize some spending so that we can send $51 per pupil to our school districts through next year. Unfortunately this bill incorporated budget changes from all budget divisions/committees--everything from education to human services to environment--so there was a bunch of other stuff in the bill. A few committee chairs allowed items in the bill that were more policy than finance, which means that members could propose amendments on a wide variety of policy issues, from abortion to the smoking ban to firearms because they might be considered "germane" to the bill. So we were on the floor for about 16 hours dealing with various amendments and I got home at 3:15 a.m. on Friday morning. At the end of of the night there was an amendment that would have phased out ethanol subsidies in the state (about $15 million a year) and I voted for that. Unfortunately I found myself among only 35 or so legislators on the vote.

Legislative Auditor topics for 2008: The Legislative Auditor is a non-partisan office that evaluates government programs. This year they will be covering the following issues: MnSCU occupational programs; personal care attendant program; Q-Comp; ethanol subsidies; MINNCOR (corrections industries); E-Verify (immigration documentation program for employers); and capitol complex security. You can see some of the other reports they have done on their web site.

Visitors: Conservation Minnesota about paint product stewardship bill; lobbyist for Municipal Legislative Commission about property tax proposals; volunteer lobbyist for MN Senior Federation about property tax proposals; Anoka County lobbyist about bonding bill and tax bill; two teachers from the White Bear Lake School District; lobbyist for Manufactured Home Park Association; lobbyist for Legal Aid about manufactured housing bill; doctor from the district about a bill on Lyme Disease; two lobbyists in support of a tax break for the Mall of America

Constituent contacts: Shoreview resident supporting PE requirement for K-12 schools; Lino Lakes resident about Circle Pines/Lino Lakes library; Lino Lakes resident against bonding bill; Shoreview resident for private school vouchers and against the bonding bill; two North Oaks residents supporting comprehensive sex education; Shoreview resident supporting putting HF1812 back in the Finance Committee; Lino Lakes resident supporting HF0219-the Caregivers Sick Leave Bill; two Shoreview residents against collection of newborn DNA; Lino Lakes resident supporting funding for nursing homes and long-term care; North Oaks and Shoreview resident supporting HF2906 on dangerous dogs; Shoreview? resident supporting creation of oral health practitioner licensing; Shoreview? resident against government spending; Lino Lakes resident for animal chiropractic legislation; Lino Lakes resident against light rail funding; Lino Lakes resident against health care reform bill; Shoreview? resident against comprehensive sex education; Shoreview resident supporting "Power of You" program to help certain at-risk high school students get into college; Circle Pines resident against the bonding bill; Shoreview resident supporting HF893 on lake shoreline management; Shoreview? resident against transit

Week of March 23, 2008

There was a letter in the Shoreview and Quad Communities Press this week disagreeing with my vote for the transportation bill. There was one point raised about the difference between bonding/borrowing for roads vs. bonding in the capital investment bill (the "bonding bill"), so I want to clarify this issue.

Every two years, the legislature puts together a bonding bill that borrows money for things like colleges, universities, state buildings, regional projects, and so on. According to a thirty-year old custom (arbitrarily set by Gov. Perpich), the legislature has a guideline to not incur debt service greater than three percent of general fund revenues in a bonding bill. This is not a law but it has served us well so far so that we don't get in over our heads. The idea is that we have a plan for paying back the bonds.

Borrowing for roads is not a bad thing UNLESS the legislature has no plan for paying back the bonds, and this was exactly what the legislature did in 2003 and 2005. The amount of interest we are paying for road borrowing went up by more than 500% since 2003. However, in this year's transportation bill, the legislature is still borrowing quite a bit for roads, but we have a plan to pay off the bonds--a 3.5 cent per gallon surcharge that will not kick in completely for several years.

Schedule: We had Easter Break through Tuesday. On Monday, I visited a Fridley beer wholesaler owned and operated by a constituent (Capitol Beverage Sales Ltd.) to hear about legislative issues related to that industry. On Tuesday, we had a floor session and two caucus meetings. I also attended short meetings of the Environment & Natural Resources Committee and the Heritage Finance Committee. In the evening from about 6:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m. the Environmental Finance Committee met to mark up its omnibus finance bill (HF4201) and to pass out about ten bills to the floor.

My drinking water bill (HF3238) and solid waste bill (HF3540) were partially included in the omnibus bill. The parts of HF3238 included was the conservation rate structure for public water suppliers. (I made a few oral amendments to my language during the meeting and had a written amendment about consolidating reports on drinking water from state agencies.)

The included parts of HF3540 were three reports requested of the MPCA to tell the legislature how the state can reach 60% recycling and 15% composting goals by 2020; how to set up a comprehensive product stewardship for selected waste products; and how to reach a 40% recycling rate for construction and demolition debris in the seven-county metro by 2012. The reports will come back by the next legislative session.

On Wednesday, I attended a caucus meeting in the afternoon. Unfortunately I missed a few meetings because my drains were all backed up and I was waiting for a drain guy to show up! (Water was all over the kitchen floor and leaking in the basement.)

On Thursday we had a lengthy floor session dealing with "good faith legislation" which has been the focus of a lot of lobbying by the insurance industry.

On Friday, my bill on retail signage about phosphorus in fertilizer (HF3789) went to the Rules Committee. Another member felt that this bill should have gone to the Commerce Committee instead of right to the floor from the Agriculture Policy Committee. That was fine with me but since policy committee deadlines have passed the bill needed to go to Rules first.

Visitors: lobbyist and staff from Rock-Tenn Company about my drinking water bill; several members of the Farm Bureau from Watonwan County about their legislative agenda as part of their "Adopt-a-Legislator" program; several parents from Anoka-Washington County Head Start promoting early childhood programs; several students and staff from Oak Grove High School in North Oaks; Xcel lobbyists regarding an ash landfill in Washington County

Constituent contacts: Lino Lakes resident against ethanol, transit; five Lino Lakes residents supporting additional K-12 funding; Lino Lakes resident supporting PE requirements for K-12 education; Shoreview resident against health care reform proposals; Shoreview resident against ethanol subsidies; two Blaine residents, Lino Lakes resident, Shoreview resident supporting bill for animal chiropractic professionals; Shoreview resident supporting comprehensive sex education; Circle Pines resident against Q-Comp; Lino Lakes resident against HF3296 on independent contractors in the courier business; Lino Lakes resident against taxes generally; Circle Pines resident supporting cuts to state patrol who are handing out too many tickets; Blaine? resident against transportation bill; Shoreview resident against good faith bill; Shoreview resident against taxes; two Shoreview residents supporting Clean Cars legislation; two Centennial High School students writing on the death penalty--one for, one against; 15 constituents sending postcards in favor of Sportsmen for Change agenda; Shoreview resident and Circle Pines resident against sanctuary cities; Shoreview resident against comprehensive sex education; Shoreview resident against taxes; Circle Pines resident supporting "car repair for poverty" program (HF3113); four Shoreview residents supporting comprehensive sex education; Shoreview senior couple concerned about property taxes; Shoreview vet against animal chiropractic legislation; Shoreview? resident against taxes; Shoreview resident supporting "pedalpub" legislation (HF3849); two Circle Pines residents against new school report card legislation; Lino Lakes and North Oaks resident supporting delay in health care payment reform legislation; North Oaks resident against Governor's proposal to raid the Health Care Access Fund; Lino Lakes resident against removing funding for ATVs from gas tax revenues; about 20 callers about the transportation bill--half for, half against; Shoreview resident supporting transportation bill; two Shoreview residents against "good faith" legislation; Shoreview resident supporting transportation bill; Shoreview resident supporting E85; Circle Pines resident, Lino Lakes resident against health care reform proposal; two North Oaks resident and Shoreview resident against raiding the Health Care Access Fund to balance the budget; Shoreview resident asking that a specific nonprofit be included in legislation on a proposed statewide crisis phone network

Week of March 16, 2008

Getting postcards in the mail? The DFL Party sent out a postcard this week to district mailboxes supporting me but I was not aware that it was coming out. This is what is called an "independent expenditure." Candidates are not permitted to coordinate with the party or other organizations on these kinds of expenditures, even though it has my name all over it.

The Republican Party also sent out a postcard this week that attacks me for supporting the transportation bill. It apparently tells people to contact me to express dissatisfaction with the taxes in the bill. What is interesting is that more people are contacting me to express support for my position!

Schedule: On Monday I attended two caucus meetings and a short floor session. In the afternoon, we heard a compelling presentation by someone from the Canadian Geological Survey on the issue of peak oil. After about an hour it was pretty clear that we might see a swift global drop-off in crude oil supply in the mid 20th century. Later I presented my solid waste bill HF3540 to the Environmental Finance Committee. The bill will be "laid over for possible inclusion" into the committee's omnibus finance bill. I had quite a spat with the Yellow Pages Association's lobbyist about language in the bill that would allow consumers to opt-out of getting a phone book if they don't want one. (They didn't like it.) The committee chair gave the lobbyist a hard time in the hearing because the recycling rate for phone books is so poor. In the evening in the Energy Policy & Finance Committee we voted on Rep. Knuth's bill on a cap-and-trade mechanism for addressing global warming.

My six year old son was pretty sick this week so I was at home with him on Tuesday until someone came over to watch him in the mid-afternoon. At four, the Environmental Finance Committee heard my drinking water bill, HF3238, and it was also laid over for possible inclusion in the committee's omnibus bill.

What does "laid over for possible inclusion" mean?" That's when a bill is held in a committee, and the committee chair and members can include that bill into a larger one. It tends to be applied for bills that have a fiscal impact and therefore can be wrapped into a larger finance bill. That helps make it easier to process the bills instead of having a ton of individual bills on the floor and trying to figure out how they fit into the entire state budget.

On Wednesday, I attended a caucus meeting and a short floor session dealing with several small bills. In the afternoon, my bill (HF3477) on reducing predatory lending for manufacturing housing received a hearing in the Commerce Committee and moved to the floor. Finally, the Energy Policy & Finance Committee met to hear four bills.

On Thursday, Friday, and next Monday we are off for the Easter Break.

Visitors: Centennial Legislative Action Committee about levy equalization in the K-12 funding formula; several lobbyists on solid waste issues

Constituent contacts: Shoreview resident against taxpayer funding of abortions; Circle Pines resident against "good faith" bill; Blaine resident supporting private college grant program; Shoreview resident supporting staggered terms for members of the Met Council; Circle Pines resident and Shoreview resident asking for support of efforts to protest Chinese repression in Tibet; Circle Pines resident against so-called sanctuary cities; Shoreview resident against cuts to pharmacy reimbursement rates in Governor's budget proposal; Shoreview resident reacting to recent Star Tribune article about the TIZA school; Lino Lakes resident with questions about bridge collapse claims and health care; Shoreview resident against "gestational carrier arrangements" bill; Lino Lakes resident with questions about transportation bill; about 15 district residents supporting a citizens' council that would decide on funding distribution if the dedicated sales tax passes for the outdoors; Lino Lakes resident against a consumer protection bill for wireless customers; Lino Lakes dentist against advanced hygienist practitioner proposal; Blaine resident supporting film industry incentives; Lino Lakes resident against comprehensive sex education; three Shoreview residents, two Circle Pines residents, and Lino Lakes resident supporting bonding proposal for U of M; six Shoreview residents, Lino Lakes resident, four North Oaks residents disagreeing with Republican Party postcard criticizing the transportation bill and expressing support for my vote; five Lino Lakes residents, three Circle Pines residents, Lexington resident, three Shoreview residents against my vote on the transportation bill; five Shoreview residents and Lino Lakes resident against health care reform bill; five North Oaks physicians, Shoreview physician against the Governor's proposal to raid the Health Care Access Fund to balance the budget

Week of March 9, 2008

Fertilizer bill: Some regional papers published by ECM carried this article this week about a bill I am carrying in the House. A Republican Senator asked me if I would carry this bill on the House side. Several years ago the legislature passed a law that banned the use of phosphorus in lawn fertilizer to improve water quality in our lakes, rivers, and streams. There were several reasonable exceptions to the law, so retailers can still sell the stuff. Senator Robling and I have a bill that would require wholesalers and retailers to post a sign (which the Department of Agriculture is making into a pdf file that stores can download and print) that simply lists the law along with the exceptions, so that conscientious consumers can be sure to purchase the non-phosphorus alternative if applicable. However, some legislators from both parties on the Agriculture Committee felt that the sign should just be posted in the metro area and not the rest of the state. This stance highlights the divisions that often occur on regional lines at the Capitol. Some legislators suspect that the bill could become a vehicle for amendments on the floor that would ban phosphorus on agricultural fertilizer. Another wanted to change the original law that made the ban statewide and just limit it to the metro area.

So just when you think that something is really simple--putting up a sign--it gets really complicated! The committee ended up amending the bill so that the sign applies only to the metro area. (Apparently people in Greater MN don't need to know what the law is?)

Drinking water bill: My drinking water bill, HF3238, has now passed three committees as of Thursday and is going to the floor. This bill would require public water suppliers to use a conservation rate structure for water prices if you are on city water. Residents of Blaine, Shoreview, and Lino Lakes currently have such a rate structure where the rate goes up if you are using an excessive amount of water at home. Cities would have the flexibility to use either an increasing rate structure OR a price structure that discourages "peak use" during certain times of day or times of the year. Senator Rummel is an author in the Senate she is awaiting a hearing before committee deadlines on the 19th.

Immigration: There is a very good article in Minnpost called "Minnesota's Foreign Born Population: Then and Now" that puts the immigration debate into a different context. As one of the two House members on the Ethnic Heritage & New Americans working group mentioned in the article, I found this presentation by the state demographer to be very compelling.

Schedule: On Monday morning, I presented HF3755 to the Labor & Consumer Affairs Subcommittee of the Commerce Committee that would require bags claiming to be compostable, degradable, or biodegradable to meet a certain ASTM standard. (Some bags are sold saying they are biodegradable but they are not.) It passed unanimously on a voice vote. Later that morning I attended a caucus meeting and a short floor session. Well, it was supposed to be short but we had a few Republican amendments to some simple bills that took a long time. In the afternoon, my solid waste bill HF3540 was heard in the Energy Policy & Finance Committee because it would allow some new recycling activities to be financed by the conservation improvement program (CIP) by utilities. However, I chose to delete that section of the bill because the committee chair would like to review all of the CIP laws after session this year to see what is actually working to conserve energy and what is not. There was some opposition by one member on the construction waste recycling portion of the bill and the Yellow Pages Association testified against one section of the bill that would allow consumers to opt out of receiving a phone book if they choose. The bill now goes to Environmental Finance next week.

On Tuesday, the Environmental Finance committee heard how the DNR is proposing to balance their budget. They propose to cut maintenance for state walking and biking trails but increase funding for trails for ATVs. After that I attended a committee caucus meeting and the Environment & Natural Resources Committee later in the afternoon. We spent a lot of time--probably 90 minutes--hearing a bill where septic system designers were squaring off against professional engineers as to who was allowed to design septic systems up to 10,000 gallons in capacity. We end up having to figure out a lot of "market share" issues in the legislature and it gets kind of frustrating when opposing sides cannot settle these issues and then they ask us to sort it out. We had a short session at 5:30 p.m. and then returned to the Environment Committee for more bills.

On Wednesday, my bill HF3789 on fertilizer signage was before the Agriculture, Rural Economies, and Veterans Affairs Committee. See the blurb at the top of this entry for details. I attended a committee caucus meeting, a meeting of the Energy Policy & Finance Committee, and then a meeting of the House DFL Caucus.

Thursday brought a bill hearing on HF3238, my drinking water bill, in Government Operations. We had a snag because the committee did not have the latest draft (or engrossment) of the bill. So I ran up to the Revisor's Office (the people who draft and process all the bills) to get the right engrossment and make copies. When I presented the bill the page had not passed out the amendment and we couldn't find him so there was a lot of confusion! Finally everyone got the right version and it passed in about two minutes. Now it's off to the floor. Just after that I made it to the Environmental Finance Committee for several bill hearings. We had a short floor session in the morning. In the afternoon, the Environment Committee met to hear about 15 bills in time for policy committee deadlines. We went right up to 10:00 p.m. Bleah. We spent a lot of time debating the merits of the proposed Lake Vermillion State Park.

On Friday, I attended a committee caucus meeting and the Energy Policy & Finance Committee. Spent a lot of time making sure that my bills have been processed correctly and checked on their status in the Senate.

On Saturday, my son's cub scout den visited the Capitol. The MN Historical Society has a great tour. When asked of an example of a law by the guide, the first graders said, "No running a stop sign or red light" and "no shooting bald eagles." My son said, "No smoking in local bars." Can you tell he listens to me when I tell him what I do at the capitol?

Visitors: Senator Rummel on bill coordination; lobbyist for Yellow Pages Association on HF3540; lobbyist for MN Grocers Association on Rep. Lesch's plastic bag recycling bill; SEIU members from the district on their legislative agenda; New Prague high school student about rules for extracurricular activities for charter school students; IBEW members from the district on their legislative agenda; two constituent students from Hamline University about private college grant program; several constituents with developmental disabilities for disability day at the capitol; Olmsted County Commissioner and staff for Rochester Day at the Hill; three constituent members of the MN Beer Wholesalers; Shoreview resident for U of M Extension day at the capitol; Shoreview resident about the legislative process; Lino Lakes resident about stadium issue

Constituent contacts: About a dozen district dentists contacted me this week against a proposal to permit advanced hygienist practitioners to perform certain types of dental work; one dentist was in favor of the proposal; Blaine resident supporting state incentives to draw film companies to MN; Lino Lakes resident against removing state law prohibiting car sales on Sunday; Shoreview resident about "photo-cop" and cell phones while driving; Circle Pines resident and two North Oaks residents supporting legislation combatting puppy mills; Shoreview resident against state cuts to pharmacy reimbursement rates; Shoreview resident supporting bonding bill funds for Camp Ojiketa in Chisago County; Shoreview resident against proposal to collect DNA samples for newborns; Shoreview resident and two Circle Pines residents against consumer protection bill for wireless customers; Shoreview resident against HF3828 that would create a board of residential construction; Lino Lakes doctor and North Oaks doctor against Governor's proposal to use Health Care Access Fund dollars to balance the budget; North Oaks resident against Governor's proposal to cut the budget of the judiciary; Lino Lakes resident against HF3833 that would change regulations on household goods movers (aka moving companies); Shoreview resident against possible funding of an Asian-Pacific Heritage Center in St. Paul and for "kick[ing] you morons out of Legislature"; Circle Pines resident supporting free market approaches to health care; Shoreview resident against liberal private foundations supporting climate change research; Shoreview resident supporting compromise legislation on physical therapy access bill; Shoreview resident supporting creation of citizen oversight board on dedicated funding for the outdoors (SF3488); Shoreview resident supporting presidential primary; Lino Lakes resident and nurse supporting HF3042 requiring minimum staffing for nurses; Lino Lakes resident supporting emergency school funding in HF2978/SF2815

Week of March 2, 2008

Follow-up on Transportation Bill: The Pioneer Press ran a front-page article about how the transportation bill will channel more money to the suburbs. This will help keep the lid of property taxes because cities and counties will have to levy less for local roads and bridges.

Capital Investment/Bonding bill: This week we passed the House's bonding bill. Every two years the legislature puts together a bill for capital investment, or bonding. What goes in the bonding bill? Usually top priorities include infrastructure for the University of MN and the MnSCU campus system--leaky roofs, elevator replacement, bringing buildings up to code, etc. or what we call "asset preservation." There is usually funding for other university items like reconfiguring buildings to accommodate changes in technology or in the case of this year, a biomedical campus to attract the best talent for biomedical researchers to help build a stronger industry in the state. There is transportation stuff there too, like replacing the Rice Street bridge over Hwy 36 in Roseville in order to accommodate growth by St. Jude Medical on the other side of the highway, and money for the Central Corridor in St. Paul. This year there is funding for three items in our district. One is the Rice Creek Trail that would complete the final link in a larger north regional trail network. The second is money for Metro Parks that would upgrade some facilities in the Rice Creek Chain of Lakes Reserve in Lino Lakes. The third is money for a park and ride in Lino Lakes at Lake Drive and 35W. (I had mistakenly said that this money was in the transportation bill before but it is in the bonding bill.) Now a conference committee will meet to reconcile the House and Senate version.

You might ask about why bonding for roads was not OK but it's just fine to have a $900+ million bonding bill. There's a difference. First, our bonding/borrowing for roads took place even though there was a dedicated funding source for roads and bridges--the gas tax and license tab fees. In addition, the legislature and Governor did ALL bonding in 2003 and 2005 with no new cash to pay off the interest. This led to a 650% increase in interest payments for our state roads in less than five years.

The bonding bill has a guideline that we should not borrow more than 3% of the state's uncommitted general fund. That means we have a plan for paying off the bonds. The difference is a little like using a VISA card and not paying more than the minimum every month while interest builds up vs. an American Express card or a fixed rate house mortgage, where you have to have a plan to pay your bill every month.

Schedule: On Monday I attended a caucus meeting and a lengthy floor session on a tax conformity bill. We had to recess so that committees could meet and we came back at 9:30 p.m. and went until 1:00 a.m. on Tuesday. Argh. On Monday afternoon I attended the Energy Policy & Finance Committee and the MN Heritage Finance Committee. In Energy, the committee passed my bill HF2903 that would allow wastewater effluent to count as renewable energy (except if you incinerate wastewater sludge). On Tuesday morning at 8:00 a.m. (after I got home at 1:30 a.m.) the Environmental Finance Committee heard a presentation about the use of water for energy production and the LCCMR funding bill which takes proceeds from the lottery and spends it on environmental purposes. I also attended a caucus meeting. In the afternoon, I chaired a meeting of the Drinking Water Source Protection Subcommittee to hear from four cities about how they interacted with the state to deal with well contamination. The Mayor of North Oaks and a constituent testified and they did a good job talking about the stress of dealing with the Highway 96 landfill situation in that city. In the afternoon, we had a short floor session and then in the Environment & Natural Resources Committee I presented two of my bills, HF2777 and HF3540. The first deals with dedicating the Solid Waste Management Tax (SWMT) to the PCA's environmental fund. Thirty percent of it now goes to the general fund and never comes out. It doesn't have a chance of passage in a deficit year but I want to point out the problem. The second bill is my big solid waste bill that would promote more recycling and composting. It was well received and passed on a voice vote at about 7:30 p.m. to the energy committee on Monday. On Wednesday, I filmed a cable TV interview and attended two caucus meetings. We had a short floor session. In the afternoon, my drinking water bill HF3238 passed the Local Government & Metropolitan Affairs Committee in about two minutes. (The Realtors and the Health Department were huddling around me later about some suggested language changes on the well disclosure issue.) Finally, in the afternoon and then later in the early evening we had the Energy Policy & Finance Committee where we voted on several small bills. On Thursday morning, we passed the LCCMR funding bill out of Environmental Finance and considered a bill related to the governance of school trust fund lands in northern MN. We had a lengthy floor session on the bonding bill. (See info about the bonding bill above.) On Saturday I attended our senate district DFL convention where I was re-nominated for the House seat.

Visitors: Lobbyists from MN Realtors about the seller's disclosure component of HF3238; lobbyist for Manufactured Housing Association (owners of mobile home parks) about HF3477; lobbyist from MetroCities about HF3238; constituent who was a high school page this week; two constituent physical therapists for their day on the hill; pro-choice constituent for pro-choice day on the hill; lobbyists in favor of medical use of marijuana; lobbyist of MN Inter-County Association concerned about a provision in HF3540; constituent owner of liquor store against Wine with Dinner bill; Lino Lakes resident for MN Chamber of Commerce day on hill with interest in insurance issues; Shoreview resident for AARP day on the ill; lobbyist for SKB Environmental on my solid waste bill HF3540; lobbyist for Yellow Pages Association on HF3540; Blaine college student constituent for MN Private Colleges day on the hill; constituent for American Cancer Society and American Heart Association; staff from Department of Administration about HF3540; Senator Olseen about HF3540; lobbyist and staff from a construction waste recycling company about a solid waste bill; lobbyist for Rock-Tenn Company on HF3238

Constituent contacts: Not enough time this week to complete this part!

Week of February 17, 2007

You Tube Video on Transportation: This week I released a three-minute You Tube video that outlines the case in support of the legislature's comprehensive transportation package.

Transportation summary: Obviously most of the political buzz this week was on the transportation bill. The video above sums it up in about three minutes, but here are the facts if the bill becomes law:

* During the next ten years, new revenue will invest about $7.7 into our roads and bridges, including $650 million for bridges--including the 13 "fracture-critical" bridges like the Hastings bridge that are in danger of collapsing if there is just one fracture.
* The revenue comes from a five-cent per gallon increase in the gas tax, an increase in license tab fees ONLY on new vehicles, and a 1/4 percent increase in the sales tax dedicated to transit in the seven-county metro area (down from a 1/2 percent increase).
* Minnesotans in the lowest income bracket will qualify for a tax credit to help defray the increased gas tax.
* The new gas tax revenue will be distributed in a way that will benefit the metro area more than Greater MN, which is a change from the existing allocation formula (the so-called "CSAH formula" or County State Aid Highway--pronounced ka-SAH).
* The new investment is estimated to create 33,000 jobs, most of them within the next few months, in the construction industry which has been particularly hard hit.
* Cities in our district will receive funding for local roads from the bill due to the constitution's allocation of revenues from the gas tax and license tab fees. For example, Lino Lakes would see $2.275 million in additional funding for roads over the next ten years; Shoreview would see $2.493 million; and Circle Pines would see $438,000. That's money that won't have to come from property taxes to fix your city streets.

The politics of the bill:
* Early on Thursday, the MN Chamber of Commerce announced its public support for the plan. This was a major step, since the Chamber has been concerned that its members are losing a lot of money each year from congestion and unsafe roads around the states. The Chamber and Speaker Kelliher had been negotiating a deal so that we get something done this year. This was also interesting, because the Chamber seemed to abandon negotiations with their usual allies--the Governor and the House Republicans--in order to get the deal done. I commend the Speaker and the Chamber for taking this gutsy move.
* As I have stated publicly and as I did last year on the previous bill, I supported an amendment for a referendum on the metro sales tax increase. I did not want my desire for the referendum to break the deal and so I supported the final bill despite the lack of a referendum.
* There is a lot of e-mail and phone calling going on to my office and my colleagues. The conservative callers and e-mails say that we should sit down with the Governor and negotiate. Unfortunately, that is what our leadership did for several months in 2007 without any results. It became clear that the Governor would never sign a bill that had a gas tax increase in it. The House Republicans also suggested an idea for alternative funding at the last minute but it would result in a $1.5 billion cut to other programs and there was no plan for what would be cut. Our plan will be in effect separate from the rest of the state budget because the gas tax and license tab revenue is dedicated by Article XIV of the state constitution to roads and bridges.
* There is no other viable bill on the table.

The Governor vetoed the bill on Friday morning and we will likely vote to override on Monday.

Schedule: On Monday at 8:00 a.m., I outlined three solid waste bills I'm working on to the Solid Waste, Recycling & Resource Conservation Working Group in the House. I'm still waiting for some feedback from stakeholders on some details before I put the bill in the "hopper" to get a bill number and a formal hearing in a committee. There were about 30 people in the room--the other members were surprised that there were that many people interested in the subject! In the afternoon, I attended a caucus meeting and attended our short floor session. Afterwards, I attended the Energy Policy & Finance Committee where we voted on our bonding recommendations to send to the Capital Investment Committee. We also heard an update on recent activities from the Deputy Commissioner of Commerce who is heading up the Energy Security Office at the Department. I left a little early to meet a den of Cub Scouts from Shoreview visiting on the holiday. We took a short tour of the Capitol. At 4:00 p.m., I attended the Heritage Finance Committee where we heard bonding proposals from about 20 different bill authors. I'm the Vice Chair and so when the Chair was out of the room for about 30 minutes I chaired the meeting. At 6:00 p.m. I joined the Environmental Finance Committee to hear all the trail bonding requests. I testified with Anoka County Parks staff on our proposal for the completion of the Rice Creek North Regional Trail in Lino Lakes. Got home at 9:00 p.m. or so.

On Tuesday, we started with Environmental Finance for more bonding proposals at 8:00 a.m. In the middle of that I visited the E-12 Education Committee to present HF2785, a bill to resolve the conflict of interest issue related to the Mounds View School District. I asked for a revision to the original bill to reflect comments from the Mounds View attorney, the MN School Boards Association, and the League of Minnesota Cities. The changes are not yet on the legislative web site as of Wednesday night. The bill passed unanimously and now goes to the floor. Later I visited the office of a Senator about HF1665 that I carried last week, hoping to get Senate action. I then attended a short floor session. By 1:30 I filmed an interview for cable TV on the latest legislative developments. At 2:15, I chaired my Subcommittee on Drinking Water Source Protection, where we heard three bills related to bonding requests and two bonding proposals by the MN Pollution Control Agency. They included cleanup of the Washington County Landfill in Lake Elmo, cleanup of the Albert Lea landfill, the construction of a combustor at a waste-to-energy facility in Alexandria, drilling of drinking water monitoring wells, and bonding for industrial re-use of wastewater. At 4:00 p.m. it was off to the Environment & Natural Resource Committee, where Rep. Lanning had a bill on creating a basin-oriented water management structure. For example, Rep. Lanning is from Moorhead, and the cities and counties in the Red River Valley have banded together to organize their river-related issues, and he wants to see this duplicated statewide based on river basins. At 6:00 p.m. I reported the actions of the Drinking Water subcommittee to the full Environmental Finance Committee and dashed to my kids' school to pick up my son and daughter in time for my daughter's science fair!

On Wednesday, I attended three caucus meetings, a short floor session, the Energy Policy & Finance Committee, and the Environmental Finance Committee. We heard from other Commerce Department staff in the energy committee about banking regulation. (This committee also has jurisdiction over some regulated industries.) Department staff told us that there are 300 state banks in Minnesota, and 10% of them are facing severe financial difficulties due to the sub-prime mortgage loan crisis. They told us that several banks are likely to fail in the coming year as a result. Yikes! Depositors who have more than $100,000 in those banks will not have their deposits over that amount insured by the FDIC. In the Environmental Finance Committee our bonding recommendations were laid out, including funding for the Rice Creek trail!

On Thursday morning we passed our bonding recommendations in the Environmental Finance Committee. We said no to a lot of spending and focused on a couple of key areas, including trails like the Rice Creek trail in Lino Lakes and Circle Pines! The recommendations now go to the Capital Investment Committee. In the Heritage Finance Committee, we also passed our bonding bill and sent it to Capitol Investment Committee. The committee did not pare down the list, however, like in Environmental Finance. Afterwards, I attended our pre-session caucus meeting and then a floor session, where we passed our comprehensive transportation bill. After session (about 7 p.m. or so) I met with several other suburban DFL legislators working on homeowner protection bills.

On Friday morning about seven or eight of us from the burbs held a press conference on homeowners protection bills. I am carrying the bill (HF3091) that would allow people who cannot live in their homes while they are being repaired under warranty to recover short-term housing costs. Just after that the group of us presented our bills to the Labor & Consumer Protection Division of the Commerce & Labor Committee. I made an amendment and then some oral amendments (where we change the bill without having a written amendment), and then the committee passed it unanimously on a voice vote. Next stop is the Commerce & Labor Committee. Later in the morning, the Solid Waste, Recycling, and Resource Conservation Working Group (I'm Vice-Chair) heard several recycling bills, including Rep. Lesch's bill on plastic bag recycling and Rep. Hortman's compact fluorescent bulb recycling proposal. MPCA staff gave recommendations on how the House can reduce energy, paper usage, and SAVE MONEY for taxpayers at the same time. Several of us had requested this work. I attended a caucus meeting in the afternoon.

Visitors: Shoreview resident about nonprofit organization issues; staff from Department of Administration about my solid waste bill; operator of a construction and demolition waste landfill and recycling center about my solid waste bill; committee chair and staff about the drinking water subcommittee agenda; Lino Lakes resident and high school page from Centennial High School; staff and volunteer from Northwest YMCA about the Y's legislative platform; staff from Clean Water Action about their legislative platform; Lino Lakes residents about health care; directors of both the Minneapolis and St. Paul water utilities about proposed interconnection between the two cities' water supply and its potential effect on water table levels in North Oaks; two Circle Pines residents and Shoreview resident presenting legislative platform of consulting engineers; Lino Lakes resident visiting on U of M day at the Capitol; two Shoreview residents and a Lino Lakes resident visiting on credit union day at the Capitol; Circle Pines resident presenting legislative platform of National Federation of the Blind; reporter from Shoreview Bulletin about HF2785; lobbyist for Xcel Energy about my solid waste bill; lobbyist for Anoka County on Rice Creek trail bill; lobbyist for Ramsey County about buckthorn bill; lobbyist for Met Council on HF2903 on wastewater; two chiropractors from the district with the legislative platform for MN's chiropractors; Sierra Club lobbyist updating on staff changes

Constituent contacts: WAY too many automated e-mails and phone calls this week due to the transportation vote--will be a few days before I can update this.

Week of February 10, 2008

Schedule: On Monday, I attended the Environmental Finance Committee where the topic was about chemical contamination that is showing up in umbilical cord blood of newborn babies. The same group that presented, the Environmental Working Group, also has an on-database of people who receive farm subsidies. Another presenter from the Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy presented on green chemistry. In the afternoon, I attended a House DFL Caucus fundraiser at Pipefitters local 455. (I have a lot of pipefitters in my district!) In the evening, Senator Rummel, Rep. McFarlane, and I attended a meeting sponsored by ARC Twin Cities at someone's home with parents of children with disabilities.

On Tuesday, I attended two committee caucus meetings; and had a conference call with telephone directory publishers about my solid waste bill; attended a House DFL Caucus meeting; and attended the floor session that was mostly procedural in nature.

On Wednesday, I met with representatives of the MPCA and the Environmental Finance Chair about upcoming MPCA bonding requests before my drinking water subcommittee. In the afternoon, I attended the Energy Policy & Finance Committee where we considered bonding requests for three energy-related projects and attended a House DFL Caucus meeting.

On Thursday morning, I heard DNR bonding requests in the Environmental Finance Committee. Later in the morning on the floor, we passed the bill to put a question on the ballot about raising the sales tax by 3/8 of a percent for the outdoors, clean water, and the arts. In the afternoon I met with the Sergeant at Arms about a security matter and attended the Environment & Natural Resources Committee. We passed Rep. Hortman's Clean Cars bill. I also presented my bill (HF1665) to the Commerce Committee that would allow consumers to use any method of payment to pay for their $5 credit freeze report. A constituent brought this issue to my attention when he tried to pay for his mother's report and one of the credit bureaus would only accept a credit card. If you are trying to freeze your credit report on a credit card because maybe your card was compromised or stolen, it's kind of hard to use it to pay for the credit report! The bill passed quickly and will go to the floor. Now I need the Senate author to proceed with the companion bill.

On Friday, I worked with DFL media staff on a video project outside (more next week on this). It was cold! Later I attended the first meeting of the Ethnic Heritage & New Americans Working Group. I was one of two House members appointed to the working group by the Speaker. (The other is Rep. Rod Hamilton, R-Mountain Lake.) The group has ten total members, with several appointments made by the Governor. According to statute, the working group "must undertake activities it determines are necessary to assist state government to foster an understanding and appreciation of ethnic and cultural diversity in Minnesota, identify underutilized resources within the immigrant community, and to facilitate the full participation of immigrants in social, cultural, and political life in this state." It looks like I will be on a subcommittee on the ethnic heritage part of the group's responsibility. I have already received an e-mail deriding the goals of the working group and suggesting we make sure we celebrate Irish, German, and Norwegian heritage. (In case anyone is interested, my ethnic heritage is English, Scottish, and Scots-Irish.) Around noon, I attended a press conference outlining several of our proposals for meeting climate change objectives for the 2008 session. After that, I was in the Environmental Finance Committee for the rest of the afternoon hearing bonding requests, mostly for local park projects around the state as well as wastewater treatment requests.

State of the state address: Because I couldn't make the bus in time to go (I get the kids off to school in the morning), I was unable to attend the Governor's State of the State address in St. Cloud, but I listened in on the radio. Obviously there will be conflicts with the Governor this year in the Legislature, but I think there will be some things where we will be in general agreement or at least not gridlocked. Transportation will be the major impediment, but we will likely agree on some major health care reform, environmental initiatives, and energy legislation. There were other ideas he mentioned that most people would agree on--address property taxes, attract good people to be new teachers, create a business-friendly environment, and so on. But how he would address them and the way that I might address them would be different. One thing that I wish the Governor and newer legislators like me could do is sit down for more "out-of-the-box" ideas on the future of the state. The Governor has been pretty good at talking about the use of technology and thinking globally, and I would love to get going on those ideas. He talked about downloadable curriculum for Minnesota students, for example. Great! Let's go! But I was also surprised that he did not talk about education reform in the areas that legislators are working on, like testing, accountability measures, and high schools. There was also no discussion about how to tackle the deficit.

Biomonitoring: The Health Department is working on an initiative that might apply to residents of North Oaks concerned about the health effects of vinyl chloride from the leaking Highway 96 landfill.

My colleagues in the east metro who are dealing with perfluorochemicals (PFCs) in drinking water passed legislation last year for biomonitoring of residents in those areas. The purpose of the resulting biomonitoring pilot program was to see what the long-term health effects were of these chemicals. The Health Department is carrying out the program along with an advisory panel. The program is to look at the effects of four chemicals in different parts of the state--PFCs, arsenic, mercury, and a chemical yet to be named.

They have not decided on the fourth chemical, so I have asked the Health Department if they have considered vinyl chloride. The staff member heading up the effort will pass on this idea to the 13 member advisory panel in March. If there is interest, they will make a decision at a future meeting.

The fourth project would have to be at a smaller scale than with PFCs because of budget constraints, so I thought we might have a chance with North Oaks. The PFC project includes taking blood serum from selected residents and testing it for contaminants.

Visitors: Senator on solid waste issues; lobbyist for the MN Builders Association about construction and demolition debris recycling components of my draft bill; lobbyist for MN Sheriffs Association and the County Sheriffs of Wright, Sherburne, and Anoka Counties supporting the proposed regional forensic lab in Anoka County that would handle evidence collected in those counties (there is a proposal for the bonding bill for this lab since the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has a lab that has a huge backlog); four county solid waste officers giving comments on solid waste legislation; lobbyist and staff for Hennepin County with comments on my solid waste bill regarding composting promotion; lobbyist for the Department of Administration on my solid waste bill; lobbyist for the Met Council about my bill to allow wastewater effluent to be a renewable energy source; lobbyist for a wind and solar energy company about pending legislation; lobbyists for Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board on my solid waste bill; Circle Pines resident and U of M-Morris student who lobbied in favor of that campus's bonding requests

Constituent contacts: Shoreview resident supporting Clean Car emission standards bill; two Shoreview residents supporting early childhood education; Shoreview resident supporting an increase in the minimum wage (she was accompanying the Archbishop of the Twin Cities--who testified in support of the bill) at the Commerce Committee hearing I attended on Thursday; two Circle Pines residents thanking me for vote on the dedicated funding bill; Circle Pines resident about recycling; Circle Pines resident, Shoreview resident against Rep. Kahn's stem cell research bill; Shoreview resident with suggestions for administering elections; three Circle Pines residents, five Lino Lakes residents, four Shoreview residents supporting "rule of 90" retirement benefit for teachers; Lino Lakes resident promoting single-payer health care; Shoreview resident promoting taxes on gas and alcohol; two Shoreview residents supporting Castle Doctrine ("stand your ground") bill; North Oaks resident against excessive health care premium increases; North Oaks resident about proposed payment reform in health care; Shoreview resident against ethanol subsidies; Shoreview resident supporting a citizen stakeholder council for the proposed dedicated outdoor funding bill; North Oaks resident commenting on biomonitoring ideas for Highway 96 landfill contamination issue; Shoreview resident against transportation, outdoor, and arts taxes; Lino Lakes resident supporting early passage of a public employee contract; Circle Pines resident against transportation taxes; North Oaks business owner against minimum wage increase; Shoreview resident against taxes; Shoreview resident supporting legislation banning use of cell phones while driving; Shoreview resident supporting more competition for cable service; Blaine resident against taxes; Shoreview resident supporting legislation on homeowner warranty enforcement; Shoreview resident about animal viruses in hog feedlots; Shoreview resident about employment issue

Week of February 3, 2008

Toxic plastics and children: Senator Rummel is the chief author of a bill to ban the use of several toxic ingredients in children's plastic toys and containers. These plasticizers, bisphenol A and phthalates, would be banned for children under three years old. Recent test show that many baby bottles, when heated, will leach bisphenol A into the bottle's contents. For more information, check out the Healthy Legacy web site.

Scrap metal thefts down and arrests up: Cities around the state have been using the new law that I worked on in 2007 to combat the theft of copper and other metals. The Minneapolis police just contacted me with some statistics that show that since the law went into effect, the number of reported thefts has declined significantly. Several people are being prosecuted under the new law as well.

Schedule: On Monday afternoon, I attended a joint House-Senate energy hearing on peak oil. Peak oil is the concept that our global petroleum output has peaked at roughly 80 million barrels a day and is going to decline. The speaker was Matthew R. Simmons of Simmons & Company International in Houston. There is a blog on peak oil at The Oil Drum. At best, we would see tight supply worldwide leading to oil prices that creep higher. At worst, we could see a rapid production drop-off that would lead to significant economic, social, and political chaos. This presentation certainly could get you worked up into a frenzy so I tried to ask questions that would focus on what the real risk is.

Late Tuesday afternoon, I stopped briefly at an event for the St. Paul Area Chamber of Commerce. The event was at Tria in North Oaks. Nice place. I noticed artwork by Jerome Hill, grandson of James J. Hill, and by another Hill descendant, Mari Hill Harpur. Jerome Hill was the brother of Louis W. Hill, Jr., who ran the North Oaks Company for many years. Louis W. Hill, Jr. was a St. Paul legislator for our area from 1937 to 1952.

Then it was off to the precinct caucuses. Holy cow! Our precinct caucuses were at Chippewa Middle School and Centennial High School. Altogether there were 1,900 people who came. There are several legislative proposals moving forward that would address the issue of whether we have caucuses or a presidential primary or both. It was a long night!

On Wednesday morning, I attended a meeting of local government officials and legislators about the Rush Line transit corridor that would run up Highway 61 and 35W from St. Paul to roughly Hinckley. There is a request for operating dollars for a bus line to run down this corridor in the next year or two, as well as some bonding money for facilities. In reviewing this line during the last few months, I don't know that a huge number of constituents will take the line--we are more likely to use park-and-rides in Lino Lakes and Blaine--but it would take people off of 35E and 35W so that we have fewer cars on the road, which therefore benefits our district. In the afternoon, I attended a meeting of legislators working on climate change issues. (I have some recycling and composting legislation moving forward that will help to reduce carbon emissions.)

On Thursday, I attended a meeting of the Solid Waste Association of North America, and heard a presentation on the metropolitan wastewater treatment plant. We then took a tour of the plant. All cities in district 53A send their wastewater (other than those homes on septic systems) to this plant. You can take an on-line tour here. The average person creates 48 gallons per day of wastewater in their home. (At my house we were down to 54 gallons for four people last quarter.) In the evening, I attended a Blaine City Council meeting with Senator Betzold to update the council on the upcoming legislative session.

On Friday, I attended the Senate committee responsible for hearing environmental bonding projects for the capital investment bill. One of the bills is the $2.3 million bonding bill for completing the Rice Creek North regional trail in Lino Lakes. I had to leave early but they did hear the bill after 3 and a half hours of other bills! In the afternoon, I attended a meeting of Rep. Bunn's working group on Health Department initiatives related to east metro pollution by 3M chemicals like PFCs. (There is some relevance of this group's work to the contaminated well situation in North Oaks.)

In between all of these meetings, I and other legislators were scrambling to get our bills ready for the first day of session. Committee chairs have requested that we introduce our bills as early as possible and complete a request for a hearing in their committees so that they can schedule bills. There will only be about five weeks available to hear bills before our committee deadlines hit on March 14. I've got about 15 bills in the works.

Visitors: House researcher about my drinking water bill; lobbyist from Minnesota Association of Auto Dealers against proposed "clean car" legislation that would require new cars in MN comply with California's emission standards; staff and lobbyists for SKB Environmental, a company that owns construction debris and industrial waste landfills about my solid waste bill; lobbyists for the League of Greater Minnesota Cities about annexation issues; lobbyist for Waste Management and the MN Chamber of Commerce on my solid waste bill (I am also getting e-mail comments from government and nonprofit organizations about the bill too); committee administrator for the drinking water subcommittee; lobbyist for Qwest about statewide cable franchising bill; lobbyists for MN Beverage Association and Midwest Coca-Cola Corp. about my solid waste bill

(One of my bills deals with solid waste, recycling, and composting. In an experiment to avoid time-consuming hang-ups in committee later, I sent out a draft of my bill to stakeholders in the field to get their comments about technical aspects and interpretations of the intent of the bill so I can make corrections ahead of time. So that's why a bunch of them are visiting with me.)

Constituent contacts: Circle Pines resident supporting dedicated funding for the outdoors; Shoreview resident supporting a gas tax increase and better striping on the highways; Shoreview resident supporting ban on using cell phones while driving; two Shoreview residents, four Lino Lakes residents supporting Rule of 90; Shoreview resident supporting Rep. Winkler's bill for a compensation fund for survivors of the 35W bridge collapse; Shoreview resident about a local land issue in Pine County; Shoreview resident about large hog feedlots and a virus that is being spread from these operations to humans; Lino Lakes resident against banning the hunting of mourning doves; Circle Pines resident supporting greater enforcement of immigration laws; North Oaks resident about health care issues; Shoreview resident about bike trail funding; Lino Lakes resident supporting a bill about athletic trainer qualifications; also a lot of opposition at precinct caucuses by Circle Pines residents about the possible closure of the Circle Pines library

Week of December 2, 2007

Schedule: On Monday, December 3rd, I attended a meeting of the Solid Waste Administrators Association (SWAA) where they discussed how recent e-waste legislation is working out. (It is working out quite well, actually.) I also took the bus from the Capitol to downtown Minneapolis for that meeting using my Go To card. It was cheaper than parking! On Tuesday, December 4th, I attended a legislative listening session by the Anoka County Affordable Housing Coalition. About twenty organizations and about six or seven legislators from both parties were in attendance, as well as several people who are living in a local shelter. It became clear that some of these homeless Minnesotans have multiple issues to deal with, including mental health, criminal background (sometimes by a parent or relative), substance abuse, and a lack of skills to be able to deal with all the forms, agencies, and so on that you have to deal with to get housing and benefits. And some homeless people have also had a run of bad luck, including a recent divorce, health problems, escape from domestic violence, etc. It seems very overwhelming, and I compliment the staff of these advocacy organizations for their commitment and skills.

Here are some freaky statistics: In Anoka County, the workforce ratio (the number of retired workers compared to the number of employed workers) was 1 to 9 in 2005. In 2030, it is expected to be 1 to 3.7! This is another indication that our population is aging quickly, and this has radical consequences for housing.

On Wednesday, December 5th, I attended a meeting with some of my colleagues on health care.

On Thursday, December 6th through Saturday, December 8th, I attended a conference in Chicago of the National Caucus of Environmental Legislators (NCEL) for the Great Lakes region. This trip was not taken at taxpayer expense, and I received a scholarship from NCEL in order to go. The funding for the scholarship came from the Joyce Foundation. Topics included chemicals found in umbilical cord blood, renewable energy, Great Lakes ballast water legislation to combat invasive species, e-waste, green building, climate change, clean cars, and smart growth. We also toured the Chicago Center for Green Technology and a Mercy Housing low-income housing project that incorporates green building techniques, including a battery-free and low-profile wind turbine design that I had not seen before.

Visitors: House researcher about solid waste legislation; a committee administrator about the drinking water subcommittee; lobbyist for Clean Water Action about future environmental proposals

Constituent contacts: North Oaks resident concerned about decreasing health care coverage and increasing cost; Shoreview resident supporting universal health coverage, concerned about overcapacity in K-12 education, better funding for transportation, and lower property taxes; Shoreview resident about bike trail funding; Shoreview resident about MN Board of Medical Practice