I had a delightful time walking through the Charlotte Partridge Ordway Japanese Garden on Saturday morning.
The weather was comfortable so that we could take in the sights outside as well as inside. There is a new gallery that houses the Bonsai collection.
These plants are impressive and this collection is considered to be one of the best in the nation, This new wing was entirely funded with private donations.
I attended Wellness Night at Pilot Knob School yesterday. They had a a variety of healthy snacks like: vegetables with hummus or peanut butter dips, cheese and crackers, and fruit smoothies. There were a variety of games to play, presentations, and table activities. In addition, some the students that had won a contest were going to have an overnight at the school with the principal. Looks like a pretty special place to me!
We worked on a series of bills this afternoon that covered a variety of topics. The first bill of the day was Senate File 76, it designates a portion of Trunk Highway 23 as OFFICER TOM DECKER MEMORIAL HIGHWAY. Officer Decker’s family was in the Chamber for the vote.
H.F. 748 modified prompt payment of wages requirements. This was the result of a court ruling that specified the legislation on the books should be more specific. It passed with overwhelming support.
Representative Linda Slocum sponsored a bill requiring that people conducting estate sales post a bond to protect owners of the property to be sold. This was the result of someone complaining about a salesperson that took off with the proceeds of a sale and the consumer had little recourse other than spending money on a major lawsuit, This bill passed 90-40.
Representative Deb Hilstrom presented a bill modifying power of attorney transactions. This was brought by the Vulnerable Adult Justice Project and has the support of many organizations. H.F. 232 passed 130-0.
This is the final session for this week.
We had a short session today.
We passed two bills regarding Worker’s Compensation.
H.F. 1378 has to do with modifying the Worker’s Compensation Court of Appeals personnel provisions. It passed on a vote of 129-2.
H.F. 504 eliminated the workers’ compensation reinsurance association prefunded limit. The vote on that was 124-7.
We passed six bills this afternoon that were passed by very large margins. Two had to do with wiring money. H.F. 194 is particularly relevant because there are so many scams going on. It requires the money transmitter to notify the sender when someone tries to receive wired funds at a location other than the location specified by the sender. AARP sent a letter of support saying these scams often target the elderly.
Too often, the sender believes the money is going to help a grandchild or a friend in a particular state or country, but the money is actually being transferred to a fraud “hotspot” in a different location.
On April 2, the House and Senate Energy Committees heard an interesting presentation on the global solar market by Ethan Zindler, Head of Policy Analysis for Bloomberg New Energy Finance. He said the cost of solar installation has been decreasing because so much has been going on. It doesn’t necessarily mean the reductions will continue. You can hear the recording of the meeting if you go to the House Energy Committee’s site,
http://ww2.house.leg.state.mn.us/audio/mp3ls88/engy040213.mp3
I attended the Annual Meeting of the Dakota Electric Association on Thursday, April 4. The reports of the DEA officials showed that Dakota Electric is in a good position and doing well overall. Margaret Schreiner, DEA Board Member is now chair of Great River Energy’s Transmission Committee. Great River Energy provides generation and transmission services to the DEA. Larry Schmid, Vice-President and Chief Financial Officer for Great River Energy gave an interesting presentation on that organization and it also seems to be doing quite well. This iis good news for Dakota Electric members.
Along with many others, I attended the rally for the Postal Service this afternoon at the Minneapolis Post Office. The main theme was to keep the 6-Day delivery service. A couple of speakers said the service was mandated early in our country’s history. Governor Mark Dayton and House Majority Leader Erin Murphy were among the speakers at the event.
A Congressional mandate has the the Postal Service paying into an account so that employee’s benefits are covered seventy-five years out. Is there any other organization that has that challenge? Consider the difference in their financial situation if they were able to have regulations like corporations and other organizations.
Check out deliveringforamerica.com for more information.
I attended the performance of “Courting Harry” last night at the History Theatre. It did an excellent job of get of illustrating the relationship between Warren Burger and Harry Blackmun from kindergarten through their tenure on the United States Supreme Court. It was sad to listen to the problems they confronted as members of that body and the way they chose paths that ultimately led to the dissolution of their friendship. They were remarkable men with incredible achievements!
Hi,
House File 1616, a bill requested by the City of Eagan, was heard yesterday in the Tax Committee. It will provide Eagan with authority for Tax Increment Financing on the Lockheed property at the intersection of Pilot Knob and Yankee Doodle. The new owner is looking at redevelopment on the parcel and the City wants to ensure it is in a position to finance any improvements that might be above and beyond that of the developer. A delegation from Eagan, including Mayor Maguire, were there to testify on behalf of the city.
On Tuesday evening at the Wescott Library, there was a delightful presentation on Harriet Bishop, St. Paul’s first public school teacher. It was entertaining and very informative. I recommend it if comes to a location near you. Visit www.mnhs.org/historyplayers for more information.
Sandy
Here’s a quick video I made to update you on my work on the Energy Committee.
