Sen. Claire Robling Email Update 5/7/07

On the final stretch
Work continues to move at a rapid pace at the Capitol as we head into the final two-week stretch. However, even as some bills move forward, others are being held up because of the lack of targets for all areas of the budget.

E-12 Education Finance
Members of the E-12 Education Finance Conference Committee have compared House and Senate bills and reached some agreements, but they are withholding action until a spending target is established. The majority party’s leadership has been holding off on providing a budget target for this bill, which is proving to be extremely frustrating for the rest of us. In general, all budget targets should be set at the same time so that we have a better picture of the entire biennial budget.

Instead, each week the DFL House and Senate leadership team have been setting a few targets and some bills have passed. The ones that have been within Gov. Tim Pawlenty’s budget targets have been passed and signed into law, but many of the other major budget bills will be vetoed largely because the Governor needs to know the total amount of spending before he signs them. His vetoes may actually protect funding for E-12 education because he does not plan to support a tax increase this year.

If the Democrats use up all the current resources on other programs before they complete the E-12 bill, then they will argue that they must raise taxes to fund E-12 because they have nothing left. I agree with the Governor that we should not get caught in that box. He has repeatedly said that the current state surplus of about 10 percent over the last biennium should provide adequate resources for our programs.
While we wait for that final funding bill target, three work groups continue to meet on the issues of accountability, literacy and academic standards. The conference committee also adopted a definition of what qualifications are needed to be considered a highly qualified teacher and approved language that clarifies summer programs as extended school year services. The change reflects that some schools are in regular attendance during the summer.

Economic Development
The Economic Development Conference Committee completed the conference agreement this week, sending to the House and Senate a wide-ranging jobs and economic development plan. The combined bill is slightly more expensive that both houses’ original plan and about $52 million higher than the Governor’s propos al for these areas. (However, a significant amount of that is one-time money that will come out of the $1 billion one-time surplus.) Many Senators outside the committee thought the bill could use further revisions that address excessive spending and heavy emphasis on policy issues, although the Senate ultimately approved the measure on Friday.

Public Safety
A $2 billion public safety funding bill was delayed briefly in both houses of the Legislature last week due to a controversial provision that allowed insurance companies to be penalized for denying some claims, or not acting in "good faith." Gov. Pawlenty told lawmakers that the bill, which also increases overtime for cops on the street and tightens penalties for domestic violence, was in danger of a veto if the insurance provision was not removed. Those who opposed that provision as written, myself included, are very concerned that its implementation could result in more lawsuits and significantly higher insurance premiums. However, when the conference report was sent back to the conference committee, that provision was removed, allowing me (and the Governor) to support the Public Safety bill, which also funds prisons and the judiciary, tightens penalties for Internet predators, and helps crime victims.

Medical Marijuana
On a close vote, the Senate last week passed a proposal to allow the medical use of smoked marijuana, despite federal prohibitions and a wide variety of unknowns. The bill requires a doctor’s approval but would allow approved users to register with the state to obtain 2.5 ounces of the drug from registered organizations, which may grow up to 12 plants for each patient. Violators could still be prosecuted even if state law exempts them from penalties because federal law supersedes states when the two conflict.

Opponents of the plan, myself included, fear that this proposal would make growing and dispensing marijuana a legal business in Minnesota without answering fundamental questions about how regulation would work.

The bill is adamantly opposed by all the major law enforcement groups.

Additionally, little is known about the many other chemicals in marijuana or what their side-effects might be. Smoking marijuana has been shown to be highly addictive, and can cause a variety of other health-related problems.

Domestic partner benefits for state employees
Following a veto promise from Gov. Pawlenty, House and Senate DFLers dropped language that would have allowed domestic partners, including same-sex partners, of state employees to be eligible for health care benefits. The measure was part of the state government finance bill, which funds such state operations as the Legislature, the attorney general's office, and the governor's office. The conference committee approved spending $552 million over the next two years. However, the bill still contains other issues that are opposed by some legislators and the Governor and is likely to be vetoed.

Claire Robling
State Senator
District 35
100 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
143 State Office Building
Saint Paul, MN 55155
651.296.4123