State Representative David Bly, MN District 25B

Tom Rukavina, Margaret Anderson Kelliher, and former House Speaker Bob Vanasek are scheduled to attend a reception and fundraiser for me at the lakeside home of Mike Thorsteinson on Thursday, September 16, from 5:00 to 8:00 PM. Please come and bring a friend. More details and directions are in the attached flyer.

State Senator Kevin Dahle and I will be hosting Rep. Mindy Greiling who will speak about creating sound funding for Minnesota’s public schools. Her speech, titled The “New Minnesota Miracle” will be held Tuesday, August 10, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM at the Kingsway Ratzkeller, Kingsway Retirement Living, The Lutheran Home Campus, 815 West Main Street in Belle Plaine.

Beginning Thursday, August 5th, and going through Sunday, August 8th, Northfield and neighboring communities will host the 2010 Vintage Band Music Festival featuring 25 bands from the upper Midwest, the Eastern United States, and as far away as Helsinki and Austria. Local Northfield venues include the Northfield Retirement Center, Way, Riverside and Oddfellows Parks, the Contented Cow and many other locations.

So put on some vintage clothes, bring a folding chair, enjoy vintage music and sample fabulous food available from nearby restaurants. Plan on attending the dance Saturday night at the Ballroom and/or a Vaudeville show at the Grand on Sunday. See the Festival website for more information including a complete schedule.

August is packed with events according the calendar at the Minnesota Historical Society’s website. Prairie camps, archeology events, walking tours and even a lego model display of the capitol are just a sampling of what’s available.

The Scott County Workforce Center is hosting a free workshop titled Change Your Stripes/Do What You Love for a Living on Wednesday, August 25, from 9:00 to 11:00 AM at the Scott County Law Enforcement Center in Shakopee. The program promises to help you identify your DREAM JOB, build a STRATEGY that works, STAND OUT from the herd, write a RESUME THAT WORKS, INTERVIEW to win, NETWORK for success and take control of your $$$. The workshop, which is sponsored by Thrivant Financial for Lutherans, will be held at the Scott County Law Enforcement Center in Shakopee and registration is required.

We had a great time in Montgomery, Minnesota, marching with supporters in the 76th Annual Kolacky Day Grande Day Parade.

A big thanks to my children and all my supporters who lined up with me for the march. We enjoyed our fill of the delicious Kolackies afterwards.

Directory scams banned

Out-of-state companies that pretend to be homegrown Minnesota businesses will be guilty of deceptive business practices under a new law.  Sponsored by Rep. Steve Simon (DFL-St. Louis Park) and Sen. Sandy Pappas (DFL-St. Paul), a new law makes it illegal for companies to misrepresent their location in phone directories, print ads and on the Internet.   The law is intended to address a kind of scam in which out-of-state companies take out ads pretending to be Minnesota-based companies. The companies overcharge customers who place orders, transfer the orders to actual Minnesota companies and then keep the difference as profit. This practice is  targeted to the floral and locksmith industries.    A business misrepresents its geographic location if: they represent themselves to be at a location where there is not at least one owner or employee regularly performing services, and they set up a local phone number that routinely routes calls to out-of-state call centers.

Kelsey Smith Act

The death of a Kansas teenager three years ago is the impetus behind a new law that will let law enforcement agencies track down missing persons by using their cell phone data.  Sponsored by Rep. Sheldon Johnson (DFL-St. Paul) and Sen. Yvonne Prettner Solon (DFL-Duluth), the law is named after Kelsey Smith, who was abducted and murdered in Kansas in 2007. Her body was found after her parents compelled her cell phone company to track down her phone’s location. Federal law allows — but does not require — that the companies provide that information.  The Kelsey Smith Act will require cell phone service providers to disclose their customers’ call location in emergency situations. Using cell site towers, a service provider can triangulate the location of a cell phone or other wireless device to within close proximity. The law will require cell companies to reveal call location data in cases where an individual is missing and at risk of “death or serious physical harm.”  The new statute will mandate that the companies provide the data, under certain conditions. The law enforcement agency seeking the data must submit a written request, and service providers must establish protocols that allow them to respond to such requests.

Battery recycling fee increased

Sponsored by Rep. Paul Gardner (DFL-Shoreview) and Sen. Ken Kelash (DFL-Mpls), a new law modifies a 20-year-old statute requiring consumers who purchase new, lead acid batteries to either recycle their old batteries or pay a $5 fee.  The fee, which serves as an incentive for people to recycle their old batteries, is ultimately paid by the retailer to the battery manufacturer; however, since manufacturers often charge $10 or more to retailers, the retailers have essentially been getting shorted by $5.  The fee that retailers charge to consumers at the point-of-sale will increase to at least $10, so that retailers recover the full cost of the fee they’re charged by the manufacturers. As is the case with current law, consumers who bring in a battery for recycling within 30 days of purchasing a new battery will be able to have their fee refunded.

Keeping laws up with new tobacco

From strips that melt in your mouth to orbs that look like Tic Tacs, users can get a nicotine bump anytime, anywhere and undetected. Supporters of new regulations fear these products could lure in a whole new generation of tobacco users.  Rep. Jim Davnie (DFL-Mpls) and Sen. D. Scott Dibble (DFL-Mpls) sponsor the Tobacco Modernization and Compliance Act of 2010 to close the loophole on products that supporters say target younger generations. The law expands the definition of tobacco products to include these new products and would regulate them as cigarettes and cigars. It will also apply to electronic cigarettes and candy- or fruit-flavored “little cigars” that are similar in size to cigarettes, but because of their design are not as regulated. It will be a petty misdemeanor for those under the age of 18 to possess, purchase or attempt to purchase a product containing or delivering nicotine or lobelia intended for human consumption, or any part of such a product, that is not tobacco.

Ensuring consumer choice

Renters will be guaranteed the right to purchase cable or telephone services from a provider of their own choosing under a new law.   Sponsored by Rep. Al Juhnke (DFL-Willmar) and Sen. Kathy Sheran (DFL-Mankato), the law prevents landlords from forbidding or discriminating against tenants for choosing one telecommunications provider over another.   While mostly effective April 16, 2010, a provision effective Aug. 1, 2010, will make it easier for telephone companies to offer “triple-play” services — voice, video and Internet — by letting local governments grant cable franchises to companies that already provide phone services within a given area.

I’m pleased to report that I have recently received endorsements from the following Political Action Committees:

Clean Water Action

Minnesota Farmers Union

Minnesota Nurses Association

Planned Parenthood

Minnesota Association of Professional Employees

United Transportation Union

The Sierra Club

The BP oil spill in the gulf has created considerable angst about dependence on fossil fuels and along with that more interest in renewable energy and conservation. Although, some criticize linking electric energy production with transportation fuel with new battery technology more and more people are interested in electricity as a source transportation energy. Whether public transportation or electric cars it appears we should continue to look into it. One recent policy passed in Minnesota was PACE legislation.

Property Assessed Clean Energy PACE Bonds: Innovative Funding to Accelerate the Retrofitting of America’s Buildings for Energy Independence. A PACE bond is a bond where the proceeds are lent to commercial and residential property owners to finance energy retrofits (efficiency measures and small renewable energy systems) and who then repay their loans over 20 years via an annual assessment on their property tax bill. PACE bonds can be issued by municipal financing districts or finance companies and the proceeds can be typically used to retrofit both commercial and residential properties.

The PACE bond market has the potential to dramatically accelerate the energy retrofitting of America’s building stock due to the below advantages.

PACE Impact: Property tax lien oriented financing that dramatically improves the economics of energy retrofits (efficiency measures and micro renewable energy). Read more here.

I was exploring the “New Rules” site and found some more info on PACE.

Can you can also find a lessons learned pdf outlining which implementation practices have worked well in other states.

You can check out more about PACE at the New Rules site