The weekly legislative update from Senator Dave Thompson discusses several bills and issues:
- Senate DFL leaders proposed $2 billion in tax increases on top of $1 billion in additional revenue, which would result in an 8.5% increase in government spending.
- The governor signed a bill establishing the state's health insurance exchange called "MnSure." A bill on nurse staffing ratios in hospitals was also discussed.
- Bills on liability waivers, arson penalties, murder of prosecutors, and subcontractor protections were discussed in the Judiciary Committee.
- The Environment Committee discussed bonding recommendations and an omnibus energy bill with solar energy mandates.
- The Transportation Committee passed bills allowing undocumented immigrants to get
The weekly legislative update from Senator Dave Thompson discusses several bills and issues:
- Senate DFL leaders proposed $2 billion in tax increases on top of $1 billion in additional revenue, which would result in an 8.5% increase in government spending.
- The governor signed a bill establishing the state's health insurance exchange called "MnSure." A bill on nurse staffing ratios in hospitals was also discussed.
- Bills on liability waivers, arson penalties, murder of prosecutors, and subcontractor protections were discussed in the Judiciary Committee.
- The Environment Committee discussed bonding recommendations and an omnibus energy bill with solar energy mandates.
- The Transportation Committee passed bills allowing undocumented immigrants to get
Original Description:
Budget & Taxes, Judiciary Committee, Transportation, & Health & Human Services
The weekly legislative update from Senator Dave Thompson discusses several bills and issues:
- Senate DFL leaders proposed $2 billion in tax increases on top of $1 billion in additional revenue, which would result in an 8.5% increase in government spending.
- The governor signed a bill establishing the state's health insurance exchange called "MnSure." A bill on nurse staffing ratios in hospitals was also discussed.
- Bills on liability waivers, arson penalties, murder of prosecutors, and subcontractor protections were discussed in the Judiciary Committee.
- The Environment Committee discussed bonding recommendations and an omnibus energy bill with solar energy mandates.
- The Transportation Committee passed bills allowing undocumented immigrants to get
The weekly legislative update from Senator Dave Thompson discusses several bills and issues:
- Senate DFL leaders proposed $2 billion in tax increases on top of $1 billion in additional revenue, which would result in an 8.5% increase in government spending.
- The governor signed a bill establishing the state's health insurance exchange called "MnSure." A bill on nurse staffing ratios in hospitals was also discussed.
- Bills on liability waivers, arson penalties, murder of prosecutors, and subcontractor protections were discussed in the Judiciary Committee.
- The Environment Committee discussed bonding recommendations and an omnibus energy bill with solar energy mandates.
- The Transportation Committee passed bills allowing undocumented immigrants to get
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WEEKLY LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
FROM THE
OFFICE
OF SENATOR
DAVE THOMPSON
PROUDLY SERVING SENATE DISTRICT 58
FOR BUDGET & TAXES Senate DFL leaders have proposed approximately $2 billion in tax increases! This would be on top of the $1 billion additional revenue coming in as a result of higher than expected tax receipts. $3 billion worth of bigger government. This would result in an 8.5% increase in government spending! How many Minnesotans received an 8.5% standard of living increase in the last year? Not many. We all want to provide enough tax revenue for government to effectively perform its core functions, but growing government irresponsibly is not that way to attain that goal.
THE WEEK ENDING:
FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2013
HEALTH & HUMAN SERVICES
The Governor signed H.F. 5/S.F. 1, the Health Insurance Exchange Bill, into law on Wednesday. The new exchange has been named "MnSure." S.F. 471 (nurse staffing ratio) passed out of the HHS policy committee this week. The bill in its current form would require hospitals to develop an extensive "core-staffing plan" that would include the projected number of full-time equivalent, non-managerial staff that will be assigned in a 24 hour period to an inpatient care unit. This plan will be publically available, be included on the MN Hospital Association website, and updated regularly. A study is also required on the correlation between nurse staffing levels and patient outcomes. There was no testimony for or against the bill, and the bill author made a point to say that there was a lot of hard work on the issue, but not necessarily an agreement. I oppose staffing ratios. I believe these decisions are best left in the hands of medical professionals. The available data do not show improved care or patient outcomes in those states that require such ratios.
JUDICIARY COMMITTEE This week a bill that would ban the use of liability waivers by recreational activity providers failed to advance in committee. The bill faced strong opposition from resort owners, ski operators, fitness clubs, and even the YMCA. For example, mom and pop resort owners in Minnesota feared that getting rid of these negligence waivers would force them to give up things like boat rentals and tennis courts on their properties, which would have put them at a competitive disadvantage with resort owners in surrounding states. Other issues dealt with this week include increasing criminal penalties for arsonists who put people's lives and property in danger (S.F. 614 is in response to the 2009 Carlos Avery fire), increasing the penalty for people who intentionally murder prosecutors (my bill S.F. 712 requires a life sentence for intentionally killing a prosecutor who is engaged in the course of his or her duties), and protecting subcontractors (S.F. 561 prohibits contractors from forcing subcontractors to pay for insurance on the contractor's own negligence).
ENVIRONMENT The Environment Finance Committee heard bonding recommendations this week. Among the proposals were recommendations for $10 million in new funding for the Minnesota TV and Film Board, $35 million in bonding for flood hazard mitigation grants, $16 million per year in new funding for Explore Minnesota Tourism and almost $95 million in biennial spending for the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency. The Environment Policy Committee considered a number of bills that were eventually rolled into an omnibus energy bill introduced on Tuesday and scheduled for action on Thursday. The highlight of the energy bill is a proposed 2% by 2025 solar energy mandate for cooperative utilities and a 4% by 2025 mandate for public utilities. Every utility would be required to set aside 1% of their annual revenue to subsidize solar energy to help reach this goal. The 1% would in effect be a $70 million tax on Minnesota ratepayers. Solar producers would then be compensated for their excess energy at a 'value of solar' rate determined by the Department of Commerce that would be no less than the average retail electric rate. These provisions taken in total would create a significant burden on ratepayers while also straining grid reliability. Depending on the shape of the bill as it leaves committee, the costs could very well exceed $100 million per year. The Environment Committee also assembled and passed the annual Lands Bill and a Game and Fish Bill. The typically non-controversial Game & Fish Bill contains a moratorium on the DNR issuing any new water appropriation permits and extraordinary zoning setback applicable only to the industrial sand mining industry. CONNECT WITH SENATOR THOMPSON: www.senate.mn/SenatorThompson www.twitter.com/ThompsonSenate Sen.Dave.Thompson@senate.mn
TRANSPORTATION On Monday, the Transportation Committee passed S.F. 271, a bill that would allow undocumented illegal U.S. residents to get a drivers license. Under current law, only documented citizens can get a driver's license, and short-term residents (documented immigrants) receive a drivers license that expressly states their legal status expiration. The bill now goes to the Finance Committee. On Wednesday, the committee passed S.F. 607, a bill that would allow cities to charge street utility fees to help finance road rehabilitations. Unlike the one-time special assessments used by many cities today, the fee would be collected monthly in a designated area of the city.
ON
PERSONAL NOTE
You may recall in an earlier update I explained the judicial retention election bill. I signed on as a co-author with the hope I would be able to create a two tier system that would preserve our current system of judicial elections with a back up retention election for those judges that dont get challenged. Unfortunately, I was not able to get this amendment on the bill during Thursdays Judiciary hearing. Therefore, I have removed myself as an author as promised.
Judge's Decision Overturning The Results of An NLRB Election For 43,000 Workers at Kaiser Permanente Hospitals in California Due To Election Violations Committed by SEIU. Dated July 14, 2011
