A NONPARTISAN PUBLICATION APRIL 20, 2001 ESSION VOLUME 18, NUMBER 16 Weekly SMINNESOTA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES • PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE In this issue: ENERGY PLAN ON THE MOVE FOOT AND MOUTH DISEASE, .08 LIMIT, AND MORE HF2454-HF2478 ESSION S Weekly Session Weekly is a nonpartisan publication of the Minnesota House of Representatives Public Information Office. During the 2001-2002 Legislative Session, each issue reports daily House action between Thursdays of each week, lists bill introductions and upcoming committee meeting schedules, and provides other information. The publication is a service of the Minnesota House. No fee. CONTENTS To subscribe, contact: Minnesota House of Representatives HIGHLIGHTS Public Information Office 175 State Office Building Agriculture • 5 Environment • 8 Insurance • 10 St. Paul, MN 55155-1298 Crime • 5 Gambling • 9 Local Government • 10 (651) 296-2146 or 1-800-657-3550 Education • 7 Government • 9 Transportation • 11 TTY (651) 296-9896 Employment • 8 Industry • 9 Director LeClair G. Lambert Editor/Assistant Director FEATURES Michelle Kibiger At Issue: Crime — Legislators have been proposing lowering the blood Assistant Editor alcohol concentration to 0.08 percent since 1997, but they have a bit Mike Cook more incentive with the potential loss of federal highway dollars. • 12 Art & Production Coordinator Paul Battaglia At Issue: Health — Minnesota officials are preparing in case the highly contagious Foot and Mouth Disease should come to the United States Writers and as far as Minnesota. • 14 David Maeda, Theresa Stahl, Jonas M. Walker, Mary Kay Watson History — Late Gov. Rudy Perpich’s new portrait, including his wife Chief Photographer Lola, now hangs in the Capitol, after family and other proponents Tom Olmscheid persevered. • 15 Photographers Andrew Von Bank, Sara Kirk Office Manager Nicole Wood DEPARTMENTS/RESOURCES Staff Assistants Christy Novak, Michelle Sorvari It’s A Fact: Who’s the boss 4 Committee Schedule (April 23-27) 21 Session Weekly (ISSN 1049-8176) is published Governor’s Desk (CH1-30) 16 50 States: Fire-safe cigarettes 22 weekly during the legislative session by the Min- Resources: Minnesota State Government 18 Reflections: Just causes 23 nesota House of Representatives Public Bill Introductions (HF2454-HF2478) 20 Minnesota Index: Information Office, 100 Constitution Ave., St. What’s on the Web 20 Childcare in Minnesota 24 Paul, MN 55155-1298. Periodicals postage paid at St. Paul, MN, and at additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to Session Weekly, Public Information Office, Minnesota House of Representatives, 175 State Office Building, 100 Constitution Ave., St. Paul, MN 55155-1298. Printed on recycled paper which is 50% recycled, On the cover: The Capitol and street rod owner Jerry Hefferman of White Bear Lake are reflected in 30% post-consumer content. the chromed headlight of his 1933 Dodge. The Minnesota Street Rod Association displayed several collector cars April 17 to promote the hobby of street-rodding. —Photo by Tom Olmscheid 2 April 20, 2001 IRST READING F • Requiring a triennial audit, instead of pre- approval, for public utilities; Powering up • Extending CIP exemption eligibility to 10 After considering four major energy-restructuring bills, megawatt customers; and • Elimination of the need for the two now emerge as House plans for the session commissioner’s approval of utilities’ integrated resource plans. BY MARY KAY WATSON Utilities Commission (PUC) and the Legislative Finally, HF659 made some changes to bring fter watching California’s lights flicker Electric Energy Task Force. Originally this ad- the House bill closer to the Senate version, and dim, the Legislature is looking hard ministrator, dubbed the “energy czar,” would be involving the following: siting and routing of Aat state energy policy this year for the first responsible to oversee the state’s energy system. transmission lines; distributing power genera- time in a long while. “I’m a little concerned that we’re going to tion around the state; joint ventures involv- “Minnesota is six to 10 years from facing sail a bill out of here that has no crew on ing utility companies and organizations; and an energy shortage,” said Rep. Loren Geo board,” commented Rep. Margaret Anderson the overall state transportation plan. Jennings (DFL-Harris), sponsor of HF1323. Kelliher (DFL-Mpls). “There’s been a steady chipping away of our “There’s no disagreement on that fact.” Wolf said the change was necessary to elimi- provisions,” Grant said. “We’re almost back to Of the four major energy proposals before nate any fiscal impact. He assured Kelliher the status quo.” the House this session, two remain viable: there are people in the agencies that currently Wolf said the intent of the current version HF1323 and HF659. Both bills were consid- work on energy and would be working on the of the bill is “neither to exclude nor favor any ered April 18 by the House Environment and implementation of this act, should it pass. type of energy product.” Natural Resources Finance Committee. “What you’re saying is there’s no fiscal cost, Jennings’ bill would have a fiscal impact; Jennings’ bill and HF659, sponsored by Rep. but the cost to taxpayers could be dramatic however, its magnitude has not yet been de- Ken Wolf (R-Burnsville), are the financial and because we’re not taking the conservation termined. HF1323 would provide for “electric policy portions, respectively, of the energy pro- route,” said Rep. Jean Wagenius (DFL-Mpls). generation parks” and establish a funding posal for this session. Structured to promote the “Is this a fantasy ship or a sinking ship?” source to provide incentives for the construc- goals of energy reliability and security, the two The goal of eliminating fiscal impacts from tion of new energy generation facilities. bills are meant to complement one another. HF659 also prompted the following changes: Energy parks are a new approach for Wolf ’s bill, called the Minnesota Energy Se- • Elimination of the original provision Minnesota’s power generation infrastructure. curity and Reliability Act, has been through extending Environmental Quality Board This bill would provide for the establishment of several incarnations since it was first intro- (EQB) jurisdiction over the routing of designated sites for the construction of multiple duced in February. 100 to 200 kilovolt transmission lines; facilities for the generation of electrical power. “It’s fair to say we like this bill a little less each • Repeal of the current Conservation An existing power facility could also be desig- time we see it, and today is no exception,” said Investment Program (CIP) and placing all nated as an electric generation park. Bill Grant of the Izaak Walton League and utilities into a new conservation program; “People want to know where electric gen- spokesperson for “People erators are going to be Organized for Workers, built,” Jennings said. the Environment and The bill would give the Ratepayers,” a group that Environmental Quality formulated one of the Board the authority to original four bills. approve the siting of elec- Wolf, chair of the tric generation parks and House Regulated Indus- the Public Utilities Com- tries Committee, came mission the authority to close to agreeing: “It’s grant certificates of need changed so much I can for these parks. hardly keep up with it.” HF1323 would provide The newest version of for the Minnesota Energy HF659 scales back the Reliability Trust Fund to powers of the indepen- be established by the dent reliability adminis- commissioner of com- trator to provide merce, the chair of the technical assistance to the PUC, and the director of Department of Com- state planning. The fund FILE PHOTO BY TOM OLMSCHEID merce, the Public Black Dog Power Plant in Burnsville. would be managed by the Session Weekly 3 independent reliability administrator. The trust fund would be fed by an energy sur- charge that would cost Minnesota consumers $0.00017 per kilowatt-hour of electricity and $0.003 per thousand cubic feet of natural gas, or about $1.50 per year for a typical residence. If the surcharge raised $10 million in a fiscal Who’s the Boss? year, the surcharge would be discontinued until Order of gubernatorial succession was set in 1961 law the fund fell below $4 million, when the PUC In a nation of laws, executive succession chief of staff, his or her personal physician, would begin collecting the fee again in the next assumes the importance of royal lineage in and a cabinet member to declare the gov- fiscal year. There is also a provision that would monarchies. The very specter of ambigu- ernor unable to discharge constitutional allow an increase in the surcharge if needed to ity or illegitimacy in the ascension and powers and duties. provide an incentive for electrical generation maintenance of rightful authority can Ventura’s Chief of Staff Steven Bosacker plants. The fund limit would be $50 million. frighten citizens and worry allies. declined in a telephone interview to detail Money in the trust fund would be Here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, the the Ventura administration’s procedures for designated for several uses. governor’s constitutional responsibilities are ensuring the continuity of government. But First, it would provide “generation con- broad and often require action within a short Bosacker did say, “Not too many officials struction credits” to companies for using re- time period. Dispatch and decisiveness are travel on one plane.” He added that his office newable energy or emerging technologies, essential. For example, the governor has only keeps close track of when and where state such as wind generators. It could also go to 72 hours to sign a bill after it is passed by the officials travel. utility companies for increasing the efficiency Legislature in odd-numbered years. In case Under state law, were Schunk unable to of, and reducing emissions from, existing of insurrection or invasion, the governor is assume the powers of office, the erstwhile power plants.