Sandra Masin's Blog

This has  been another busy week and we have been on the floor every day.

House File 2881, my bill that addresses the safety of railroad employees and  the public-at-large, as well as adding clarifications to existing law was heard on Tuesday and it passed.  The legislation upgrades requirements regarding the drivers and the vehicles used to transport railroad employees. Railroads use outside vendors for most train crew transportation services.  These  contract carriers transport operating crews to and from trains and between terminals, in all kinds of weather and road conditions.

On Friday , I presented SF 2614, a bill that gives MnDOT more flexibility in contracts that involve projects with bordering states and changes some advertising precedures. For example, it removes the requirement that MnDOT  mail advertisements for contracts mentioned in the legislation since  MnDOT now does all its bid advertising on the web. It passed 122-0.  My HF 3038 was the companion to this Senate file. This bill will go to the Governor now for signing.

On Thursday, the House passed Rep. Schoen’s bill, SF511/ HF 435, that made modifications to the Advanced Practice Registered Nurse statute.  This should be helpful in extending health care access.

On Friday, the House passed Rep. Melin’s Medical Cannabis Therapeutic Research Act.  This version of “medical marijuana act”  is important because it is not opposed by law enforcement or the medical community.  This is a more restrictive version than passed by the Senate, so it will probably go to a Conerence Committee,

The Minnesota House of Representatives passed the Conference Committee Report on The Women’s Economic Security Act, 104-24.

On Monday, Commerce Commisioner Mike Rothman, Jay Haapala of the AARP,  Gary Johnson of the Better Business Bureau,  along with  Senator Carlson and myself discussed some of the trends in fraud involving senior citizens and provided suggestions to  prevent the crimes.   The event took place at the Wescott Library in Eagan.

Seniors have a great portion of the nation’s wealth and , therefore, make good targets.

Some important tips:

Don’t do business over the phone with people you don’t know.

If someone that you don’t know calls or comes to your door and then asks for your checking account number or other personal information during the conversation,  it is a good idea to just say NO.  NEVER GIVE PERSONAL INFORMATION OVER THE PHONE.

Keep your social security number confidential.

Look out for callers that say they are doing medical updates, and proceed to ask for personal information.

Be wary of contractors who want their money upfront.

Remember to report a scam.  Unfortunately, too many people are uncomfortable reporting this activity and the wrongdoers move on to the next victim.

RESOURCES:

Minnesota Department of Commerce                  651-539-1500

Minnesota Attorney General’s Office                   800-657-3787

Better Business Bureau                                            800-646-6222 or www.bbb.org 

AARP                                                                                 aarp.org/fraudwatchnetwork

In a column in the Sunday Star Trib, Will Labovitch does an excellent job of describing how important it is to vote.  He compares the election results in Minnesota to Wisconsin.

The stats show that Minnesota is in much better shape than Wisconsin.  We know there were some really close races, so the outcomes could easily been different.  His comments show that every vote does matter.

Lori Sturdevant wrote a very interesting column in Sunday’s Star Tribune,  Progress, past and pending for women,  about the discussion of the Women’s Economic Security Act on the floor of the Minnesota House of Representatives.  She  concentrated on the response of Representative Shannon Savick to a question posed by Representative Sondra Erickson.  Representative Erickson was trying to make an argument that achievements in the work force were made strictly by the courage and efforts of women alone, that government had nothing to do with their success and expected Representative Savick to agree.  Representative Savick replied that government had a lot to do with her success, because legislation made it illegal to specify certain jobs were for men and other jobs for women.  There was a time when women could not apply for certain jobs and when girls were not allowed to take certain classes in school.  For some reason, Representative Erickson and others chose to forget that little detail, among others. A lot of progress has been made, but we are not there yet.

The debate has now started on the Minimum Wage bill.  The House has to decide whether to concur with the bill that was returned from the Senate.  The House had passed their bill last year and the legislation has been worked on in a Conference Committee since.

After many hours of comments, Representative Ryan Winkler, the bill’s author,  made an outstanding closing speech on behalf of the bill before the vote. Definitely worth a listen!

The bill passed 71-60.

There was a press conference on the Capitol steps this morning to talk about the bill.

HF 2536 is now being heard in the House Chamber.

HF 2536 passed 106-24.

We are discussing HF 826 and Representative Jim Davnie is the lead author.  The main provision of the bill is that school districts and charter schools adopt locally-created or a state model policy to prevent school bullying, cyber-bullying and intimidation, and promote remedial responses.

The House had passed this bill last year.  The Senate amended the bill with a new version and a few amendments and passed the bill to the House with a 36-31 vote.  The action today is whether to concur.   So far, the discussion has gone on for about six hours.

It is now 9:55 P.M. and we have been on this for nine hours.

The vote was taken at 12:19 A.M. and the bill was repassed 69-63.

The Minnesota State Capitol is one of Minnesota’s important assets.  In spite of that,  we have let this outstanding building deteriorate for years.  Anyone who has been in this building in the last few decades is probably aware of some of the crumbling walls and other details that need to be addressed.  At what point do we take action to prevent this very special building from deteriorating, to take action to preserve it for the next generation?  We now have a Governor and legislators who are willing to take on this task and it is important that they receive your support.

In fact, the same thing could be said for the deterioration of our roads, bridges and other  infrastructure.  It is time for us to step up and be responsible stewards.  It is time for us to consider the legacy we inheirited  and the legacy we will leave.  The editorial in today’s Star Tribune, http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/253831931.html ,
does a good job of sorting through the importance of the bonding bill and the importance of taking care of Minnesota’s assets

Last week, the House Jobs and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee approved a bill authored by State Representative Sandra Masin (DFL – Eagan). The bill, included in the Women’s Economic Security Act, was approved on a voice vote and re-referred to the House Ways and Means Committee.

According to a new report by the University of Minnesota Humphrey School’s Center on Women & Public Policy, families headed by women are four times more likely to be living in poverty and that women earn a median pay of 80 percent of what men earn.

“These bills are designed to make sure all workers have equal rights and opportunities in the work place,” said Rep. Masin. “More and more households are depending on women to support them financially, and now is the time to address the barriers that are still in place for those women.”

Rep. Masin’s bill would bar any discrimination or retaliation against an employee who talks about salaries and wages with fellow employees.

During the committee hearing, Leah Olm shared the story of a friend who found out she was earning less at her job than a male in the same position. Olm said her friend’s boss threatened to fire her for asking male coworkers how much money they earned, which is how she found out about the pay gap in the first place. “This package would clear the way for a more equal playing field,” said Olm.

The Women’s Economic Security Act builds on Minnesota’s positive economic momentum by ensuring equal opportunities for women to succeed in the workplace and provide for their families. Members of the public, small business owners, and religious organizations testified in support of the bill at today’s hearing.

Kathryn Mollen, Policy and Outreach Coordinator for the Minnesota Catholic Conference (MCC) said her organization wants to ensure that women have access to a workplace that supports family economic security and motherhood.

“This act is an important step towards those goals,” said Mollen.

The other components of the legislation heard during last week’s committee hearing were:

• Rep. Yvonne Selcer: Author of HF 2243 (Women entrepreneurs business development grant program created, and money appropriated).

• Rep. Barb Yarusso: Author of HF 2259 (Nursing mothers; unfair employment practices clarified).

• Rep. Will Morgan: Author of HF 2291 (Women’s economic self-sufficiency promoted; gender segregation in the workforce reduced; gender pay gap reduced through the participation of women in high-wage, high-demand, nontraditional occupations; women and nontraditional jobs grant program established; and money appropriated).

• Rep. Paul Rosenthal: Author of HF 2366 (Unemployment benefits eligibility modified when applicant is a victim of sexual assault or stalking).

• Rep. Phyllis Kahn: Author of HF 2371 (Pregnancy and parenting leave provided, and pregnancy accommodations required).