INSIDE: E-WASTE ANSWER, GAMING EXPANSION, BILL HEARING PROCESS, MORE This Week’s Bill Introductions HF2121-HF2268 ESSION S Weekly Session Weekly is a nonpartisan publication of the Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services offi ce. During the 2005-2006 Legis- lative Session, each issue reports daily House action between Thursdays of each week, lists bill introductions, and provides other information. No fee. ONTENT To subscribe, contact: C S Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services 175 State Offi ce Building HIGHLIGHTS 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. St. Paul, MN 55155-1298 Agriculture • 5 Employment • 9 Local Government • 11 (651) 296-2146 or Banking • 6 Family • 9 Military • 12 1-800-657-3550 Bonding • 6 Health • 9 Recreation • 12 TTY (651) 296-9896 http://www.house.mn/hinfo/subscribesw.asp Budget • 7 Higher Education • 10 Safety • 12 Crime • 7 Industry • 10 Taxes • 13 Education • 8 Insurance • 10 Transportation • 13 Director Barry LaGrave Elections • 8 Law • 11 Editor/Assistant Director Lee Ann Schutz BILL INTRODUCTIONS (HF2121-HF2268) • 20-23 Assistant Editor Mike Cook Art & Production Coordinator FEATURES Paul Battaglia Writers FIRST READING: Electronics recovery and recycling plan plugs along. • 3 Ruth Dunn, Patty Janovec, Brett Martin, Matt Wetzel, CAPITOL CENTENNIAL: The three domes. • 4 Nicole Wood Chief Photographer LATE ACTION: Constitutional amendment defi ning marriage. • 14 Tom Olmscheid Photographers AT ISSUE: A winning hand or bust? • 16 Andrew VonBank, Sarah Stacke Staff Assistants AT ISSUE: How does a bill get heard? • 18 Christy Novak, Laura Noe PEOPLE: Sending a cultural message • 19 Session Weekly (ISSN 1049-8176) is pub- lished weekly during the legislative session by Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Services offi ce, 175 State Offi ce DEPARTMENTS/RESOURCES Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155-1298. Periodicals postage paid at Minneapolis, Minn. Members list • 15 For more information • 24 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Session Weekly, Public Minnesota Index: Play ball! • 24 Information Services offi ce, Minnesota House of Representatives, 175 State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155-1298. Printed on recycled paper which is 50% recycled, 30% post-consumer content. On the cover: An early spring rain greets a visitor to the State Capitol March 30. —Photo by: Andrew VonBank 2 April 1, 2005 IRST READING F★ ★ ★ Spring cleaning is likely to turn up a number An answer to e-waste of televisions and electronic devices collecting dust in Minnesota basements. The Offi ce of Electronics recovery and recycling plan plugs along Environmental Assistance is a clearinghouse for information on recycling options for consumer electronics. For household collection events, lists of for-fee recyclers, retail and manufac- turing recycling programs, or even donation BY NICOLE WOOD According to the OEA, cathode ray tubes are opportunities, log on to innesotans tune in and log on at considered the single largest source of lead in http://www.moea.state.mn.us/plugin/recy- impressive rates. Minnesota’s municipal waste. Lead makes up clershousehold.cfm. M According to Offi ce of Environmen- approximately 20 percent of each tube, which tal Assistance (OEA) estimates, approximately equals about 5 pounds to 8 pounds of lead per ner, HF1391, sponsored by Rep. Ray Cox 600,000 televisions, 700,000 computers and unit. (R-Northfi eld), aims to get the e-waste stock- 265,000 laptops were sold in the state in 2003 Cathode ray tubes will be banned from the pile out of Minnesotans’ basements and garages alone. state’s solid waste facilities as of July 1, 2005. and safely into a statewide disposal system. All of this plugging in contributes to a grow- With the ban just around the cor- The House Environment and Natural ing electronic waste problem when the Resources Committee approved the urge to upgrade strikes. measure March 29. It now moves to A 1999 National Safety Council the House Governmental Operations (NSC) study determined 20.6 million and Veterans Affairs Committee. computer monitors became obsolete A companion bill (SF1298), spon- in 1998. Of those, only 11 percent were sored by Sen. Linda Higgins (DFL- recycled. Mpls), awaits action in the Senate “NSC believes the lifespan of a per- State and Local Government Opera- sonal computer has decreased from tions Committee. four to fi ve years down to just two years, with nearly 500 million comput- Product stewardship and the ers becoming obsolete between 1997 and 2006,” cites the OEA on its Web Producer Responsibility model site. “NSC anticipates that three-quar- HF1391 promotes a “product stew- ters of all computers ever bought in the ardship” approach to video display U.S. remain stockpiled in storerooms, device disposal, Cox said. attics, garages, and basements.” “Product stewardship means that ev- Advancing technologies, such as the eryone involved in designing, manufac- impending conversion from analog turing, selling and using products takes to digital television signals and the responsibility for the environmental shortened useful lives of personal impacts at every stage of a product’s computers, are driving what some life,” according to the OEA. “When describe as an e-waste explosion. manufacturers share in the costs and This e-waste stockpile could be haz- responsibility for collecting and recy- ardous to the environment and human cling products, they have an incentive health when it hits the waste stream. to design products differently, to reduce Televisions, computer monitors and toxic constituents and increase the use video display devices contain cathode of recycled materials.” ray tubes that convert electronic sig- This is the third try for Cox on a state- nals into visual images. From a waste wide electronics recycling initiative. management perspective, cathode ray Wait for a national program, tube disposal is problematic in part opponents said in past years. because the phosphorescent coating However, a National Electronics Prod- around the tube contains lead that uct Stewardship Initiative has so far can be released into the environment PHOTO ILLUSTRATION BY TOM OLMSCHEID failed to reach a consensus on establish- when the components are crushed. The National Safety Council estimates nearly 500 million comput- ing a nationwide program. Minnesota ers will become obsolete between 1997 and 2006. A statewide was among the states participating in Among the known health hazards of electronics recycling proposal sponsored by Rep. Ray Cox aims to lead are brain, kidney and reproduc- establish a safe, convenient way for Minnesota consumers to keep tive problems. used televisions and computers out of the waste stream. First Reading continued on page 4 April 1, 2005 Session Weekly 3 First Reading continued from page 3 the stakeholder group that also included manu- intermediate consolidation points and “In looking at the manufacturer responsi- facturers, recyclers and environmental groups. arrange for their recycling or reuse. bility approach, we have concerns about be- The group agreed on many of the underlying Retailers would be required to certify ing an intermediate consolidation point and principles but failed to agree on a funding to the OEA that the devices they sell are whether we will get paid. If there are 1,100 mechanism, it states in a 2004 resolution. clearly labeled with the name or brand of the brands or several hundred manufacturers and After a similar proposal stalled in 2004, manufacturer. I’m a consolidation point and I’m a private lawmakers asked the OEA to meet with the Civil and administrative penalties could industry do I get 1,100 checks from 1,100 interested parties during the interim and report be levied against manufacturers and retailers different entities or several hundred different back with a plan for e-waste. Participants dis- who fail to participate. checks from the manufacturers?” cussed three models: a Producer Responsibility The bill also contains a procurement provi- Rep. Paul Thissen (DFL-Mpls) is sponsoring model, an Advance Recycling Fee and a hybrid sion that would require state vendors to be in full HF1996 that proposes an Advance Recycling Fee of the two. compliance with the registration program. of $10 for every video display device sold in the The Minnesota model would automatically state. The committee did not hear the bill. Register, reuse, recycle end if a national program for effectively tak- Cox said he would not sponsor an Advance HF1391 takes the Producer Responsibility ing care of e-waste were to be established and Recycling Fee proposal, a key reason being the approach. implemented in the state. way in which manufacturers engineer envi- Under the bill, manufacturers would be ronmentally sound products into the future. required to register with the OEA in order Pay up front “What is going to be the biggest incentive to sell video display devices in Minnesota. A “No one wants to pay to get rid of a dead to keep them really involved in what products video display device is defi ned as a computer fi sh,” said IBM Manager of External Programs they are putting out and what elements they monitor or television with a screen size greater and Public Affairs Valerie Halverson Pace, are putting in these products that they are than 8 inches measured diagonally. in opposition to the Producer Responsibility selling to you?” he said. “Having them be The offi ce would be allowed to collect a fee model. responsible for end-of-life is the biggest one, of up to $3,000 per year from each registrant Instead, she touted the Advance Recycling I think. to cover administrative costs. Fee approach. Putting the fee at the point “If all they have to do is count on you to put With OEA approval, local governments or of sale creates an incentive for everybody to $12 on the table or $18 on the table or whatever private companies could voluntarily set up participate in the system, Pace said.