Monday, April 1, 2013
Each week, Patch takes a closer look at the activities of Dakota and Rice Counties' legislators as part of our Capitol Review.
Privacy protection for students using social media and other online accounts could get a whole lot stronger, if a new bill makes it through the Minnesota Legislature. Under a proposal supported by District 57 B Rep. Anna Wills (R), educational institutions in Minnesota could not compel a student to grant the school access to the student's personal Internet accounts—nor could the school allow observation of those accounts. The bill, called the Education Internet Privacy Act, would also make it unlawful for school officials to expel or discipline a student for refusing to grant access to a personal Internet account. The bill was authored by District 8B Rep. Mary Franson (R). In other political news around the county: District 20B Rep. David …
Monday, March 11, 2013
Keep track of local politics with Patch's weekly southeast metro legislative review.
Rep. Tara Mack (R) wants to prohibit school districts from building new schools within a quarter-mile of a current or former landfill site. The Apple Valley and Rosemount legislator signed a bill, authored by District 39A Rep. Bob Dettmer (R), that states schools already located within a quarter-mile of a landfill must mail a notice to the parents of all students enrolled at the school at the beginning of the school year. In other political news from around the southeast metro: Rep. Sandra Masin (DFL) isn't a big fan of Minnesota's wolf hunting season. The Eagan legislator signed on as the co-author to a bill that would reinstate a five-year moratorium on wolf hunting in the state. After the five-year ban, the state could only open hunting…
Monday, March 4, 2013
Keep track of local politics with Patch's weekly southeast metro legislative review.
A proposal to appropriate $15,000,000 for improvements to the Minnesota Zoo has the support of Rep. Sandra Masin (51A, DFL). Masin is listed as a co-author on HF 928, authored by District 56B Rep. Will Morgan (DFL). Under the bill's provisions, the money would be used to improve the infrastructure and exhibits at the zoo. In other political news from around the southeast metro: Rep. David Bly (20B, DFL) believes the food and agricultural systems in Minnesota are in need of improvement, which is why Bly authored HF 874, which would establish a 20-member Minnesota Food Council responsible for communication, research and reporting of policy recommendations to improve the food system in Minnesota, with a special eye toward sustainability. …
Monday, January 21, 2013
Burnsville Sen. Dan Hall called recent bills to expand the sales tax to clothing and digital purchases "disappointing."
The battle over the budget got an early start this past week when DFLer Sen. Ann Rest introduced bills that would lift the sale tax exemption on clothing and expand it into online retailing—specifically media downloads like music, movies and TV shows. With DFL majorities in both houses of the legislature and the governor's mansion, the bills are likely to pass, though that hasn't precluded some grumbling from the greatly diminished Republican contingent. "With the current state of the economy, it's disappointing to see tax increases proposed and anticipated," Burnsville Sen. Dan Hall wrote in his weekly legislative update. "This is not the right direction to take our state. The truth is: the state does not have a revenue problem, it has a…
Monday, April 18, 2011
The bill would allow "deadly force" to protect one's property from someone committing a felony.
While the Legislature has been going full speed working to draft and pass finance omnibus bills, legislators continue to introduce new bills about issues important to constituents. Reps. Kurt Bills (R-District 37B), Rosemount, and Tara Mack (R-District 37A), Apple Valley, are authors of a bill that looks at people's rights to protect themselves on their private property, HF1467, introduced on Thursday. It would allow people to use "deadly force" against someone who is committing a felony in their home. The bill also includes a provision to make transfer permits valid for five years instead of one year. Mack said she's heard from a lot of constituents on the issue. "It'll be interesting," Mack said of any pending discussion. Like bills have…
Monday, April 11, 2011
The bill's intent was to allow paramedics to get certification to do more with patients in their homes.
On Thursday, Gov. Mark Dayton signed into law a bill chief authored by Rep. Tara Mack (R-District 37A), Apple Valley, which will let paramedics get further training to do more with patients during pre-arranged appointments in their homes. "I was thrilled that the governor signed it," Mack said. "It’s very exciting. It’s important for the whole state and particularly for the rural areas where you have underserved populations.” Mack said especially in rural areas where people aren't close to a primary-care doctor, they'll call 9-1-1, which is more expensive. She said the bill became better over the course of 15 or 16 drafts, but that the Minnesota Nurses Association still did not support the final version. But, she said, the bill's intent …
Monday, March 14, 2011
Rep. Tara Mack (R-District 37A), Apple Valley, said the targets represent a fiscally responsible plan.
This week, Republicans in the Minnesota Legislature released their budget targets, which will become more detailed in the next couple weeks. Rep. Tara Mack, (R-District 37A), Apple Valley, said the general targets point toward ending the trend of continuous deficits in the state, and "of spending more than what we're taking in." "I think that these targets reveal a fiscally responsible plan," Mack said. Mack said the targets set overall priorities for tax relief and structural reform. The Legislature will begin putting together specific bills in the next couple weeks that will reveal more details in the budget targets. Week's highlights Here’s what happened last week with some bills authored or co-authored by Apple Valley's legislators: …
Monday, March 7, 2011
The bill would create electronic systems for counties in Minnesota to organize eligibility data for programs like state food assistance and health care.
The systems Minnesota counties use to determine eligibility for state programs such as food assistance, health care, child care and cash assistance are "archaic," said Rep. Tara Mack, (R-District 37A), Apple Valley. "It's a very labor-intensive process right now," she said, as much of it is done without electronic systems. A bill Mack chief authored, introduced last week, is the first step in trying to create an automated, statewide system for counties to use to determine who is eligible for certain state programs, and to allow people to access more information online, she said. "It's not a flashy topic, per se, but I think in terms of good government ... this is something [Minnesota county officials have] been asking for for awhile," Mack…
Monday, February 21, 2011
Bills, Gerlach and Mack each found issues within Gov. Mark Dayton's budget proposal.
Last week, Gov. Mark Dayton released a budget proposal that includes $4 billion in new taxes, mostly from high earners, as well as some cuts to the state workforce and the public university and college system. Here are a few thoughts on the proposal from Apple Valley's legislators: Sen. Chris Gerlach (R-District 37), Apple Valley, said 99 percent of the proposal "held a lot of problems." "We’ve talked and talked and talked about econ growth and job creation," Gerlach said. "The budget is the exact opposite. It enshrines the status quo of high taxes, high spending and does little or nothing to foster the economic growth we need to get us out of this recession.” It lacks “any kind of bold courage in changing the direction" of the state's …
Monday, February 14, 2011
While bonding bills typically are created in even years, Mack said it's good to get requests in the queue early.
A Minnesota House of Representatives bill introduced last week would provide $9 million in bonding money for the Cedar Avenue Bus Rapid Transit project. Chief author Rep. Tara Mack, (R-District 37A), Apple Valley, said the money would go to the Metropolitan Council to fund the "last funding gap" to finish the work along the corridor, including engineering, design and construction of bus shoulders and transit buildings. "Cedar Avenue is obviously a huge ... part of the Apple Valley community," Mack said. "This is just one small step over the past several years" to "give it a little more progress." Bonding bills typically are put forward during even years, Mack said, while the budget is the focus during odd years, but she decided to put …
Nancy E Gertner
5:25 pm on Sunday, April 10, 2011
Have Bills, Gerlach, and Mack authored any bills that will stimulate job growth in Minnesota? more ›