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LWVMN Capitol Letter™Volume XXXV Issue 2, January 28, 2009The Capitol Letter™ is a report of the activities of the LWVMN volunteer lobbyists. It is published approximately every two weeks during the Legislative Session. Printable PDF Version
EducationLWVMN Position: All Minnesota children should have equal access to a good public education. State funding for education should be at a level that makes programs of comparable substance and quality available to all. A student’s access to a good education should not depend on the wealth of his or her school district. Kay Kessel, lobbyist, (612) 926-1387 Legislators have spent the first two weeks of the legislative session becoming more informed about the current status of education finance in Minnesota. Sen. LeRoy Stumpf (DFL-1-Plummer), chairman of the newly formed Senate E-12 Education Budget Division, always provides an education finance overview at the beginning of the session. Eric Nauman, fiscal analyst for the Senate, presented information on Jan. 13 showing an E-12 education budget shortfall accounting for over one-fourth of the state's total projected $4.8 billion deficit. On the House side, Rep. Mindy Greiling (DFL-54A-Roseville), chairwoman of the House K-12 Education Finance Division and Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL-65B-Saint Paul), chairman of the House K-12 Education Policy and Oversight Committee, held hearings and heard from a variety of advocacy groups about their legislative priorities.  LWVMN Action Committee members discuss the impacts of the budget on education. Commissioner of Education Alice Seagren testified about "Continuing the Transformation to a World-Class System of Education" on January 21 to the House K-12 Education Finance Division. The agency has four goals: 1) Improve student achievement for all students, 2) Enhance teacher quality 3) Expand education options for students and families, 4) Implement education finance reform and enhance accountability. The Minnesota Department of Education has to make employee cuts as designated by the governor. School districts leaders have expressed concern that they are not receiving needed services because of the Department of Education's priorities on testing. Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) stated in his State of the State speech by stating that he would increase funding for education. That was his introduction to the Teaching Transformation Act, which is the expansion of the Q-Comp requirement for all school districts. Q-Comp ties teacher pay to student progress. On February 3, a report on Q-Comp will be released by the Office of the Legislative Auditor (OLA) which will include an analysis of Q-Comp districts' student achievement. Rep. Greiling reported that the OLA was concerned about duplication by the Department of Education, which spent $187,000 on its own evaluation of Q-Comp. Commissioner Seagren replied that their report would complement the OLA report. In these dire financial times, there is bipartisan support for reforming education and sharing services, including SF10, authored by Sen. Terri Bonoff (DFL-43-Minnetonka), to provide for school district shared services. The purpose is to create savings that will go directly back into the classroom. It was suggested that the shared services initiative could collectively save Minnesota school districts nearly $100 million each biennium.1 All three committees are preparing to receive the governor's budget which will be released on Tuesday, January 27th. While both Rep. Greiling and Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-36B-Farmington), Republican lead on the K-12 Finance Division, favor reducing burdensome mandates and sharing services, Rep. Greiling believes there will be a tax increase this session to help fund the three top education priorities of the House, Senate and governor.2 They are:
1 Senate E-12 Education Budget and Policy Division Update, Jan 8, 2009 2 Session Weekly, Jan. 23, 2009, p. 11 State Government FinanceLWVMN Position: Support of a balanced and diversified revenue system that is equitable, progressive, and reliable. Support of long-term financial management projections and a budget reserve. (1995) LWVMN Position on State Government Spending: LWVMN believes that the highest priority areas for state spending are the following: (1) K-12 (regular) education; (2) Health Care; (3) Environmental protection.... Laura Fredrick Wang, LWV Minnesota Legislative Coordinator, (651) 224-5445 On Jan. 23, LWVMN's Action Committee heard from Sen. Geoff Michel (R-41-Edina), who stated that "the budget is the number one, two and three on the agenda." Sen. Michel also echoed a complaint heard from many other lawmakers - the crystal balls they have used in previous sessions to predict what a final solution would look like have grown cloudy and don't show signs of clearing anytime soon. Watchers of the budget process are looking to a couple of events in the upcoming weeks, however, that may yield a few clues. Gov. Tim Pawlenty (R) will release his budget on Tuesday, January 27. As of this writing, no details on his budget are available, but his previous statements point to a plan that will rely heavily on cuts and "no new taxes." Following the release of the governor's budget, will be the reaction from DFL leaders in the House and Senate. Many legislators from both sides of the aisle - but certainly not all - are saying that all solutions must be on the table. This includes revenue increases as well as budget cuts. But even if legislators agree to raise revenue, how this will be done will be a thorny debate.  Sen. Geoff Michel discussing the Minnesota budget with members of the LWVMN Action Committee. State Economist Tom Stinson will release the February forecast on March 3. This will not be comforting. Stinson stated that the forecast was likely to get worse when the original $4.8 billion deficit projection was released in December. The prior forecast included pessimistic state revenue figures for November and December, but those numbers proved not to be pessimistic enough. The economy has continued to worsen at a steeper rate than anticipated, making this already difficult job even harder. Committees in the House and Senate also heard the report of the Budget Trends Study Commission, a bipartisan group that has been studying the Minnesota budget for the past year. It has now issued a report on how the state can improve its long-term fiscal health. Information in the report includes:
What many believe to be good news on the horizon is the possibility of money from the federal government through the economic stimulus plan of President Barack Obama (D). Although nobody knows with certainty how much money Minnesota will see, a January 23 article in the StarTribune stated that the National Conference of State Legislatures estimated that Minnesota could see as much as $3.2 billion dollars. Obviously, this would be a tremendous help to lawmakers trying to spare Minnesotans from the harshest cuts, but it is important to remember that this is one-time money. Sustainable programs cannot be built with one-time funds, nor will it do anything to address the problematic level of volatility in Minnesota's current taxing system. If this money is made available to Minnesota, lawmakers still must address the structural problems in our budget process that have left us vulnerable in this economy. If you cannot wait for the next Capitol Letter for reaction to Gov. Pawlenty's budget, we recommend Minnesota Budget Bites, the blog written by the Minnesota Budget Project. LWVMN will be working with the Minnesota Budget Project and a coalition of nonprofits, labor and faith organizations through the Invest in Minnesota campaign to draw attention to the need for long-term solutions to our budget crisis. If you would like more information about their grassroots strategy and how to get your local league involved, please contact Laura Wang by clicking on the byline above or calling the phone number. Election LawLWVMN Position: Support of improvements in election laws regulating election procedures, voting and school district elections. Patricia Davies, lobbyist, (612) 338-3309 The Office of the Secretary of State (OSS) is preparing a number of election bills for this session which will incorporate solutions to some of the problems identified in our state-wide recount for the U.S. Senate. These will include language to facilitate handling absentee ballots, to simplify the voting process for voters and for election administrators, and to train judges and challengers so that Election Day goes as smoothly as possible. LWVMN and several other members of the Voting Rights Coalition (VRC), such as Take Action Minnesota, Minnesota State University Student Association, League of Minnesota Cities, Citizens for Election Integrity MN, and Common Cause Minnesota, have all been asked to participate in the early drafting of the Secretary of State's bills. Along with the above groups, the municipal and county election officials are critiquing every word and every proposal, bringing to the table their immense knowledge and concern for improving the system. The OSS's concerns mirror many of the concerns of the VRC, detailed in the last Capitol Letter™. As their work proceeds, LWVMN looks forward to participating in the discussion of the new provisions.  Pat Davies, LWVMN volunteer lobbyist reviewing election legislation. At the Capitol, LWVMN is keeping a watchful eye on legislation that will place unnecessary hurdles in the way of voters at the polling place. Among the first bills introduced was HF57 which would require voters to show a photo ID before being able to cast a ballot. Voters who do not have a driver's license or a state-issued identification card would be eligible for a free voter identification card, but in order to receive the card, a potential voter would need to show an "official document" with name, current residence and date of birth. There is no definition of what qualifies as an official document, nor are we able to identify a state or federally-issued document that meets these requirements. Rep. Tom Emmer (R-19B-Delano) is the author of HF57. The Senate companion is SF146, authored by Sen. Amy Koch (R-19-Buffalo). In a January 26 press conference, Rep. Emmer, Sen. Koch, co-author Rep. Mary Kiffmeyer (R-16B-Big Lake) and others outlined their case for the bill by stating that it is about "election integrity." LWVMN, Take Action Minnesota and other allied organizations responded that this is a solution without a problem; Minnesota's election system is looked upon as a national model as it already has safeguards in place that protect its integrity while not sacrificing voter access. Although we do not know exactly how many Minnesotans would not be able to meet these requirements, national statistics show that people over the age of 85, people with disabilities and young adults who move frequently are most likely not to have a photo ID at their current residence. For many of these individuals, it is not just the cost that makes it difficult to obtain current identification in a timely manner, but transportation and mobility issues, as well. Neither HF57 nor SF146 has yet been scheduled for a hearing. Judicial SelectionLWVMN Position: (a) Initial appointment to judgeship by the governor, who must choose from among a list of candidates forwarded by a nominating commission. (b) End-of-term evaluation of the judge's performance by an evaluation commission, results to be made public. (c) Retention election: voters choose to retain or not retain the judge. (2008) Helen Palmer, lobbyist, (612) 377-5972 A 2002 United States Supreme Court ruling (White v. the Republican Party) and Eighth Circuit Court decisions in 2005 determined, on the basis of freedom of speech, that it was unconstitutional for candidates in judicial elections to be (1) restricted from announcing their views on disputed legal and political issues, (2) seeking and using the endorsement of political parties, (3) directly asking for campaign funds, and (4) addressing political gatherings. All of these prohibitions were contained in Minnesota's Judicial Canons. After White, the deluge. In the years since these rulings there has been a flood of partisan and costly races across the country. Millions of dollars have been spent on judicial races, largely by special interest groups, usually for television ads. Last spring in Wisconsin there was a particularly nasty race for a seat on the Supreme Court that cost $6.6 million. Minnesota has so far kept fairly well to its tradition of nonpartisan and relatively inexpensive judicial races. However, as former Minnesota Chief Justice Russell A. Anderson testified in February of 2008, "I have no doubt that the expensive, partisan, and frequently negative races we see across the country will soon migrate here. But perhaps the most instructive lesson we can learn from these other states is that once special interests gain a foothold in judicial elections, the hopes for reform are bleak at best." In the aftermath of the White decision, LWVMN developed a new position on the selection of judges, as stated above. We believe that the merit selection/retention system is the best at keeping politics and money out of elections. (See LWVMN's complete report on judicial selection) Changing the way we select judges requires a constitutional amendment. In both the House and Senate, bills for a constitutional amendment have been introduced. SF70, authored by Sen. Ann Rest (DFL-45-New Hope)1 and HF224, authored by Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-44A-Saint Louis Park)2, propose a constitutional amendment establishing retention elections for judges and creating judicial performance evaluation commissions. SF70 has been referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee, chaired by Sen. Mee Moua (DFL-67-Saint Paul) (DFL-St. Paul), and HF224 to the House , chaired by Rep. Gene Pelowski (DFL-31A-Winona). We expect that there will be hearings in these committees soon. LWVMN's voice is crucial on this issue. If your senator or representative is listed below, please send an e-mail, make a call or personal visit to urge his or her support. Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee: Sen. Don Betzold (DFL-51-Fridley) Members of the : Rep. Paul Anderson (R-13A-Starbuck) 1 Co-authors: Minority Leader Sen. David Senjem (R-29-Rochester), Sen. Betzold, Sen. Moua, and Sen. Pariseau 2 Co-authors: Rep. Bob Gunther (R-24A-Fairmont), Rep. Winkler, Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL-47B-Brooklyn Park) and Rep. Gottwalt EnvironmentLWVUS Position: Natural resources should be managed as interrelated parts of life-supporting ecosystems. Resources should be conserved and protected to assure their future availability. Pollution of these resources should be controlled in order to preserve the physical, chemical and biological integrity of the ecosystem and to protect public health. Sulfide MiningGwen Myers, Action Committee Chair, (952) 545-8696 The Safe Mines to Protect our Water Coalition has been working on bill language to address sulfide mining in Minnesota. Language would not prohibit sulfide mining, but would protect Minnesota from a potential environmental disaster due to the kind of acid mine drainage that has destroyed so many sites in the U.S. and Canada. Please see the Jan. 15 Capital Letter™ for a description of the issue.  Gwen Myers, LWVMN Action Chair, lobbies on environmental issues. The goal of the coalition is to pass legislation to prohibit sulfide mines that would require ongoing treatment of wastewater after the mine is deemed closed. A key part of our bill will prohibit the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources commissioner from issuing a permit for sulfide mining unless the applicant can establish that mining activities will not require perpetual water treatment after the mine is closed and will not otherwise result in substantial, irreparable harm to the environment. In addition to protecting Minnesota's environment from acid mine drainage, the coalition wants to protect Minnesota's tax payers from the expense of reclaiming and restoring any mining area after the mine halts operations. Our bill will carefully detail how the amount of financial assurance will be determined, including such things as the cost of hiring a third party to perform reclamation activities. It will also prohibit the commissioner from accepting such things as corporate guarantees and self-guarantees; only cash, certificates of deposit or similar negotiable securities will be accepted. The bill will also provide for financial penalties if the mining company fails to comply with the law or any rules or permit conditions. This is a contentious issue with powerful forces arrayed against any increase in mining regulations. Finding authors under these circumstances is difficult, but we believe we will soon be ready to introduce our bill. Stay tuned. Trails and Off-Highway VehiclesGwen Myers, Action Committee Chair, (952) 545-8696 In our ongoing effort to protect Minnesota's lakes and streams, wetlands, forests and prairies from reckless OHV riders, and to restore tranquility to our natural areas, our Traditional Use Coalition has had four bills drafted. The first would require the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR) to set aside at least 50% of each state forest for non-motorized recreation, such as hunting, fishing, hiking, bird-watching, and berry picking. Minnesotans pursuing these activities greatly outnumber OHV riders and these activities are seriously disrupted by motorized recreation. The second is an enforcement bill that will provide increased penalties for repeat and egregious violations of OHV regulations. We have a number of excellent laws governing behavior on ATVs, off-road motorcycles (ORMs) and mudder trucks, but too many do not consider the penalties to be a deterrent from riding in our wetlands, lakes and streams. To begin with, wanton disregard of the law will be considered a gross misdemeanor under specified conditions. If convicted, an individual would be forbidden to operate an OHV for two years. Fines will be increased and ultimately, seizure and forfeiture of vehicles will be provided. More particulars will be available after the bill is introduced. The third bill would end the gas-tax funding of OHV recreation. Recall that a percentage of our gas tax money is diverted into DNR accounts for ATVs, ORMs and mudder trucks. This is the "unrefunded" tax on gas that OHVs use. OHV riders claim they should not be paying this tax because they supposedly do not use our roads. In fact, ATVs do use our road rights of way and do considerable damage to same. The total diverted from the Highway Trust Fund in 2007 for these three vehicles was $1,870,132. It must have been more in 2008; Sen. Tom Bakk (DFL-6-Cook) almost doubled the ATV diversion, from 0.15% to 0.27% of one percent, in the 2008 omnibus tax bill. Finally, our fourth bill would eliminate the "managed" state forest classification for purposes of OHV travel. Managed is a misnomer. It describes state forests where OHVs can go on any trail not marked "closed" by the DNR. In practice, it results in a go-anywhere policy for two reasons: (1) Closed signs rarely last more than a day or two – or they are ignored. (2) The first person who takes off cross country on an ATV is breaking the law. But then there is a "trail" and it is open until the DNR finds it and posts it closed. A series of parliamentary moves in the Legislature, detailed in the July 26, 2005 Capitol Letter™, allowed all our state forests north of Highway 2 (Duluth to Grand Forks) to remain managed forests. Over 74% of our state forests are north of Highway 2. Lead lobbyist John Curry of Audubon Minnesota has had successful meetings with key legislators, such as Environment and Natural Resources Chair Sen. Satveer Chaudhary (DFL-50-Fridley), and other coalition members will be meeting with key committee members. We hope to have authors secured and bills introduced in the next week or two. Air Quality and Global WarmingLWVUS Position: Support… mandatory energy conservation measures and policies to reduce energy demand…. LWVMN Position: Support measures to reduce air pollution from vehicular and stationary sources. Allene Moesler, lobbyist, (507) 263-0726 It is estimated that about 25% of Minnesota's contribution to global warming comes from petroleum-based transportation fuels. Without regulatory action, these fuels are much more likely to come from high pollution sources such as the Canadian tar-sands as traditional petroleum sources are diminished. Tar sand processing is severely damaging to the ecosystem and consumes large amounts of energy. Creating fuel from it releases an estimated two or three times as much carbon as does making it from light sweet crude oil. Minnesota is a leader in biomass fuel production and has the potential to significantly reduce dependence on high polluting fuels. According to the Minnesota Environmental Partnership Briefing Book 2009, "A low carbon fuel standard is a climate protection strategy that is acceptable to state policy makers eager to reduce global warming pollution while boosting the state's economy. The Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group, the Next Generation Energy Board, and the Midwest Governor's Association have all recommended a low carbon fuel standard as a useful and important climate protection strategy." Legislation has been introduced to set pollution reduction benchmarks for transportation fuels and to let the marketplace decide best how to meet those standards. HF86, authored by Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL-47B-Brooklyn Park), was referred to the Environment Policy and Oversight Committee. Its companion, SF13, authored by Sen. Kathy Sheran (DFL-23-Mankato) was referred to the Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications committee. The low carbon fuel standard looks at energy use and pollution emissions in all phases of production for all transportation fuels. This so called "life cycle" accounting is based on the fact that the source, processing and final consumption vary for each type of fuel. The production of low carbon fuels will be used to offset the production of high carbon fuels. How these standards are met will vary. This effort is supported by at least 15 organizations, including LWVMN. Land Use and TransportationLWVUS supports comprehensive long-range planning; wise decision-making requires consideration of environmental, public health, social and economic impacts of proposed plans... LWVUS - Transportation: LWVUS believes that energy-efficient and environmentally sound transportation systems should afford better access to housing and jobs… LWVMN supports an overall land use plan with maximum cooperation and implementation at the regional and local level, with state help in developing and exercising land use management, with opportunity for maximum local decision-making, and with regional planning and regulation for matters of more than local concern. CMAL recognizes that increased pressures for development in the entire Twin Cities area indicate the need for a strong public voice in land-use… Sally Sawyer, lobbyist, (612) 379-7199 As you will recall, the 2008 Legislature enacted an increase in the gas tax to address a backlog of needed repairs to roads and bridges throughout Minnesota, as well as a Twin Cities Metro sales tax to support extension of light rail transit between Minneapolis and St. Paul and funding for other transit options. It appears that, given the economic downturn and record projected budget deficits, some projects will be on hold indefinitely. While we await a final assessment, LWVMN is following a proposal, Building Sensible Communities1, which addresses land use and development patterns and the reduction of global warming pollution. This proposal is one of four legislative priorities of the Minnesota Environmental Partnership (MEP), a coalition of over 80 organizations in Minnesota. The central issue is that our current, far-flung development patterns in the Twin Cities metropolitan area and beyond, combined with a lack of transportation options, have meant that Minnesota drivers are driving longer distances than ever before. This contributes to congestion, rising personal and governmental costs, and pollution. Minnesota is expected to add 1.2 million people by 2030; without change in our development patterns and transportation choices, driving will increase, the attendant infrastructure costs will increase, and pollution contributing to global warming will most certainly increase. Reports from several eminent organizations underline the urgency of the situation. The Center for Transportation Studies, University of Minnesota, states that without changes in our land use policies, Minnesota will be unable to meet its global warming pollution reduction goals. The Minnesota Climate Change Advisory Group’s recent report estimates that fully implementing such strategies could reduce Minnesota’s global warming emissions by 14.9 million metric tons by 2025. The Minnesota Statewide Conservation and Preservation Plan2 states that “we must change how we develop and use land. . . to ensure that we protect our natural resources and quality of life.” The report recommends that policies should be aimed at reducing per capita vehicle miles driven. The components of the proposal are:
Among anticipated benefits are lower household transportation costs; lower public infrastructure costs; increased economic development opportunities; enhanced protection of farmland, open space and natural resources; expanded health benefits; expanded housing options for all incomes and stages of life; and a reduction in global warming pollution. For more information and an excellent discussion go to the MEP website. We expect this proposal to be rolled out at the Legislature in the near future. 1 Lead organizations on Building Sensible Communities are 1000 Friends of Minnesota, Fresh Energy, Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy, Transit for Livable Communities and the Alliance for Metropolitan Stability. 2 From the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources and the Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota Health CareLWVUS Position: A basic level of quality health care at an affordable cost should be available to all US residents…. LWVUS favors a national health insurance plan financed through general taxes in place of individual insurance premium... [and] is opposed to a strictly private market based model of financing the health care system…. (1993) Glenda Larson, lobbyist, (612) 377-3985 In spite of past efforts, there are still approximately 300,000 adults and 77,000 children in Minnesota without health insurance. Three bills have been introduced this session to increase and to improve health insurance coverage for individuals. Minnesota Health PlanThe Minnesota Health Act, SF118 sponsored by Sen. John Marty (DFL-54-Roseville)1, will have been heard in the Senate Health, Housing and Family Security Committee by the time you read this. The bill is expected to pass this committee and be sent to the Senate Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee. The Minnesota Health Act will create an administratively simple and publicly accountable system of health care for all Minnesotans called "The Minnesota Health Plan." It will guarantee all state residents equal access to comprehensive quality care delivered by providers of their choice. Health care coverage will be completely independent of employment status, and premiums will be based on individual ability to pay. "We're very excited to see growing support amongst legislators, the public and even among medical providers and the business community," said Sen. Marty. "The economic crisis and skyrocketing costs of health care reflects the need for this legislation." The House version of the Minnesota Health Act, HF135, was introduced by Rep. David Bly (DFL-25B-Northfield) and 26 co-sponsors. The bill will be heard in the Health and Human Services Committee, but no date has been set. Minnesota Health Security ActSF9, authored by Sen. Tony Lourey (DFL-8-Kerrick) and its House companion, HF174, authored by Rep. Paul Thissen (DFL-63A-Minneapolis) have been introduced. Known as the Minnesota Health Security Act, it has been referred to the House Health Care and Human Services Policy and Oversight Committee on January 28. The bill would cover Minnesota's 77,000 uninsured children by 2010 and in 2012 allow uninsured adults to enroll for coverage for which they would pay no more than 5% of their family income. MinnesotaCare Expansion for the UnemployedHF42 sponsored by Rep. Thissen was heard in the House Health Care and Human Services Policy and Oversight Committee, which he chairs, on January 13. This bill would allow unemployed workers and their families up to six months of MinnesotaCare coverage while exempting them from premiums and eligibility requirements if they cannot afford COBRA or private individual insurance. It was laid over for future committee action because the author wants to continue working on the bill. 1 Co-sponsors: Sen. Linda Berglin (DFL-61-Minneapolis), Sen. John Doll (DFL-40-Burnsville), Sen. Sharon Erickson Ropes (DFL-31-Winona), and Sen. Steve Murphy (DFL-28-Red Wing) ImmigrationLWVMN Position: Support incorporating immigrants into our communities by providing access to education, by endorsing the development of secure identification documents, and by respecting the right of law enforcement personnel to perform their duties without the burden of interpreting federal immigration policies. Support recognition. . . of the matricula consular as an acceptable document to prove identity for obtaining a driver's license. Oppose residents with legal immigrant status running for local office. Judy Stuthman, LWV Minnesota Co President, (651) 644-8588 "For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness," said President Barack Obama in his inaugural address on January 20th. Minnesota has a diverse and growing patchwork - our immigrant population is currently at approximately 6.3% of the state's population. They are becoming vital members of communities across the state. In this legislative session we are already seeing bills introduced that LWVMN will oppose based on our position on immigration. HF89, authored by Rep. Paul Kohls (R-34A-Victoria), and companion SF144, authored by Sen. Joe Gimse (R-13-Willmar), seek to prohibit city ordinances that prevent law enforcement officials from inquiring about immigration status and reporting this information to federal officials unless a crime has been committed. Minneapolis and St. Paul have such laws which are frequently and incorrectly referred to as "sanctuary laws." Law enforcement officials have testified that they will lose the trust of the immigrant community if they are perceived as enforcing immigration laws, thus making law enforcement more difficult and putting all Minnesotans at risk. Immigrants would be unwilling to report crimes or cooperate with the police to help solve or prevent crimes.  Kathy Tomsich and Judy Stuthman, discuss pending immigration legislation. On another front, the Alliance for Fair Federal Immigration Reform of Minnesota (AFFIRM) and other organizations that work with immigrants are concerned about Minnesota Commissioner of Labor and Industry Steve Sviggum's recommendation to enact legislation that would deny workman's compensation to undocumented employees who are injured on the job. There could be unintended consequences. At the federal level, legal immigrant children and pregnant women must wait five years before they become eligible for federally funded Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Immigrant advocacy groups are currently lobbying Congress to address this inequity by including the Legal Immigrant Children's Health Improvement Act (ICHIA) in the 2009 SCHIP reauthorization bill. ICHIA would eliminate this waiting period and provide fiscal relief to families as well as states and would be a key component of a strong health reform program. Immigration represents a federal policy that needs to be reformed. President Obama will be under pressure from all sides to review or drop several policies of the previous administration. E-Verify, a problematic program which is supposed to allow companies to check whether their workers can be legally employed, is up for reauthorization in March. The accuracy of the database used by the program is in question and any expansion of the program is opposed by the Chamber of Commerce. In Minnesota, the E-Verify program has become an issue for both labor and business. As a Senator, Barack Obama supported the program, but in a statement on the U.S. Senate floor on May 23, 2007, he said, "The time to fix our broken immigration system is now. . .We need stronger enforcement on the border and at the workplace. . .but for reform to work, we also must respond to what pulls people to America. . .Where we can reunite families, we should. Where we can bring in more foreign-born workers with the skills our economy needs, we should." This implies support for a much-needed overhaul of U.S. immigration policy. Domestic ViolenceLWVMN Position: Support for improved procedures for agencies dealing with family violence. Support for improved services for the victims. This includes more advocates to protect the interests of victims of family violence, more shelters for battered women, and provision for immediate legal remedies for victims of family violence, among other things. LWVUS Position: Support for violence prevention programs in our communities. Evon Spangler, lobbyist, (651) 776-2900 Domestic violence is pervasive causing life-long impact and harm to victims and families. In tough economic times, such as what our state faces today, domestic violence and child abuse incidents increase. With the state facing an unprecedented deficit, now is the time for an unprecedented response. Cutting services that would assist victims of domestic violence runs afoul of human decency and kindness, and causes further harm to society. During the 2003 budget crisis, funding for battered women's shelters and services for them and their families were cut. This had a significant negative impact on victims of domestic violence. Although some of those cuts have since been restored, the level of funding prior to 2003 was inadequate. In the current legislative session, the cause of our most vulnerable citizens, the victims of domestic violence and child abuse, is again on the cutting board. The legislature and the governor must ensure that funding for battered women shelters and services, and other services the affect the lives of victims are adequately funded. The fact that the state is facing an unprecedented budget deficit requires courage on the part of the Legislature and the governor to fund these programs. Urge your legislator to support bills that protect victims and children and prevent violence. |
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