New members ... Biernat unites legal know-how, teaching, lawmaking Rep. Len Biernat (DFL-Mpls) may be a with the right-to-privacy matters." Indeed. for a first-termlegislator, Biernat, legislator, but he's also a teacher. The first­ Privacy, he said, is something that has who also sits on the Education Committee term District 59A representative is on the been in the forefront of much of the Judi­ and its K-12 Education Finance Division, faculty at Hamline University Law School, ciary Committee's work this session. The has been exceptionally busy. He has spon­ where he teaches prop­ issues surrounding privacy tend to call into sored, or co-sponsored, more than 60 pieces ertylaw, family law, and question the relationship between citizens of legislation - including one that drew legal ethics. In fact, he and their government, he explained, draw­ national attention. said, his experience in ing on another academic experience to illus­ "It's interesting," Biernat said of HF446, the Capitolmakes hima trate the point. his bill that linked students' grades to their more effective instruc­ "I used to bring groups ofstudents over to eligibilityfor a driver's license. "I was getting tor. Norway," Biernatsaid, "andtheyhave some­ calls on that from all over the place. It's just Take, for example, thing there called the Data Inspectorate, an example ofwhat one legislator can do ... Rep. Len Biernat the revamped anti­ which is a government agency that makes in terms ofgetting a good policy discussion stalking legislation that sure all the citizens' records collected by going." emergedfrom the House Judiciary Commit­ business are complete." Biernathopes to getmanymoresuchpolicy tee at the beginning ofthe session. Lawmak­ Itis, he said, the Norwegian government's discussions going, particularlyon education, ers were forced to revisit the issue after the job to examine information on its citizenry. althoughhislegislativeprioritieshave shifted Supreme Court all but erased the "It's just the opposite here," he said. "We since he received his committee assignments. version passed by the 1993 Legislature for don't trust the government at all." The committee is where the real work is being overly broad. Yet, Biernat is more than just another done. "I see that as a marvelous opportunity to lawyer turned lawmaker. It could be said "It's real intense," he said. "But, I'm en­ show [students] the relationship between that politics runs in the family, and that his joying it a lot." the courts andthe Legislature - to illustrate role as a legislator is nothing less than a the separation ofpowers," Biernat said, add­ family legacy. - P.I. Gallagher ing that the recent effort to recodify His father served in the House for eight Minnesota's set oflandlord/tenant laws also years, from 1948 through 1956, andtheyoung District 59A provided a measure ofpractical insight that Biernat grew up working on campaigns. His he shared with his students. brother, Joe, currentlyserves on the Minne­ 1996 popula . Of course, the legislatorllawyer nexus apolis City Council, and Biernat himselfsat Largest city: Counties: Hen works two ways. At virtually every turn, on the School Board for seven Location: nort Biernat said, he draws on his legal back­ years before throwing his hat into the legis­ Top concern: education ground in some manner, particularly in his lative ring. dollars spent w o t e most good ... improving stud rformance." capacity as a member ofthe Judiciary Com­ That background, Biernat said, gave him -Rep. Len Biernat mittee. the opportunity to get right to work, rather "It helps me enormously," he said, "espe­ than having to spend his first term learning cially in the family law aspect, for example, the ins and outs ofthe legislative process.

Minnesota's Representation in Washington, D.C. U.S. Representatives Second District P.O. Box 367 E-mail: [email protected] First District (DFL) 938 Fourth Avenue Windom, MN 56101 (R) 1415 Longworth House Fourth District (507) 831-0115 425 Cannon House Office Building Bruce F. Vento (DFL) Fax: (507) 831-0118 Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 2304 Rayburn House Washington, D.C. 20515 (202) 225-2331 E-mail: [email protected] Office Building (202) 225-2472 Fax: (202) 226-0836 Washington, D.C. 20515-2304 Fax: (202) 225-3246 Third District (202) 225-6631 542 First Street South (R) Fax: (202) 225-1968 Montevideo, MN 56265 Suite 108 103 Cannon House (320) 269-9311 Room 727 1530 Greenview Dr. S.W. Office Building 1-800-453-9392 Galtier Plaza, Box 100 Rochester, MN 55902 Washington, D.C. 20515 Fax: (320) 269-8651 175 East Fifth Street (507) 252-9841 (202) 225-2871 St. Paul, MN 55101-2901 1-800-862-8632 Fax: (202) 225-6351 Fax: (507) 252-9915 205 East Fourth Street (612) 224-4503 Chaska, MN 55318 Fax: (612) 224-0575 8120 Penn Avenue South E-mail: [email protected] (612) 448-6567 Suite 152 E-mail: [email protected] Website: http://www.house.gov/ Fax: (612) 448-6930 gutknechtl Bloomington, MN 55431 Website: http://www.house.gov/ (612) 881-4600 vento! Fax: (612) 881-1943

16 SESSION WEEKLY / April 11, 1997