End of session wrap up
May 22, 2010 News
With the help of Michael Howard here is my end of session wrap up video. I have to say I was sleep deprived but at least a day away from the marathon session. Please contact me if you have any questions.
Rep. Hansen’s end of the 2010 Session
May 18, 2010 News
We adjourned Sine Die before midnight (a day early). The Constitution requires that we cannot pass a bill on the last day of session therefore, we adjourned yesterday and the Governor called the legislature into session at 12:01 AM. There is an agreement on the budget, but not enough time to draft the bill. We will be going into recess immediately.
We adjourned and will reconvene at 7:30 AM
8:05 AM The bill has been completed. We are waiting to convene. The bill:
· Established Early Medical Assistance (MA) beginning on July 1st, 2010 in state law.
· For every dollar we send to Washington we receive $7 dollars in return, recapturing $1.4 billion of our tax dollars and putting it to work for all Minnesotans.
· Protects hospitals and nursing homes, preserves and creates 21,000 jobs, covers 100,000 Minnesotans, and bends the health care cost curve to make care more affordable for all Minnesotans.
*Attached is a letter from the Hospital Association describing the bill.
9:20 AM we convene. Rep. Mary Murphy does the invocation reading from “The Old Turtle”.
HF 1.. Budget balancing bill. Suspending the rules to take up the bill. Passed.There is an amendment that is technical. Approved. Sertich moves a call of the House. 129 members here. I voted aye. Passed 97 – 32.
Buesgens moves to adjourn. Failed.
HF 2 – Education bill.Greiling moves to declare an urgency to bring up the bill. I vote yes. Needs 90 votes. 85 – 43. Fails
Sertich moves a series of technical motions to close session.
Recess until the Senate passes the HF 1.
10:52 AM. Sertich extends thanks to the staff and workers who make things happen here.
Rep. Hamilton rises for point of personal privilege to express concern about the process and to express an apology. Sertich said we all need to communicate better and to get some rest and rejuvenate ourselves and to go back to our families.
Rep. Sertich moves to adjourn sine die at 10:57 AM.
A Page from Rep. Hansen’s journal
May 17, 2010 News
Rep. Rick Hansen of South St. Paul, occasionally sends out updates to constituents and members, this one gives a flavor of what our weekend has been like. I thought you might find it interesting to read, especially since I haven’t blogged much the past month. We are currently sitting at our desks waiting for reconvening of the special session, which started at 12:01am last night:
It is 2:25 PM. I stopped by the West St. Paul days Kiwanis pancake breakfast and silent auction a little this afternoon. Good pancakes and great silent auction. Evan had fun with the kids games. The West St. Paul Kiwanis will be having a free barbeque:
Tuesday, June 15th @ Marthaler Park in West St. Paul
11:00 to 2:00
For more information and RSVP call Steve Stremski at 651.457.6348
3:09 PM we have convened. Retiring Rep. Demmer announced that he brought cookies. The House applauds.
SF 2471 an elections bill relating to independent expenditures. Passes 127 – 0.
Report adopted after some debate.
5:07 PM I vote for the bill. Passes 77 – 53.
Rep. Hortman moves a recess until 7 PM.
About 8:30 PM we began retirement speeches while in recess. The surprise was Rep. Larry Haws of St. Cloud.
Here is an editorial today from the Star Tribune
10:46 PM We reconvene and take up SF 2908. Norton moves the Healthy kids bill (RA10-590) as an amendment. Thissen moves to delete everything in the original bill after what was just amended in (section 1) Passed 121 – 7.
HF 3329 Greiling moves House concur with Senate amendments. Metro deaf school. Concur. Passage. 130 – 0.
HF 3492 Hausman moves a bonding technical amendment bill. Small amendment approved. Passage 105 – 26.
HF 3162 Dill has a resolution. Rep. Emmer decides to debate a resolution at 11:06 PM. Resolution passes 104 – 1.
Conf Committee report HF 2227 creating a Commission on Service Innovation and Minnovation Council and a Task Force on Policy Innovation. I voted no on the first version and will again. Passes 84 – 46.
Thissen moved to reconsider SF 2908. We did and Koenen moves RA10-603. Amendment approved. Third reading. Passage 102 – 29.
SF 2471 by Rep. Winkler on elections conference committee. Passage 131 – 0.
11:55 PM Adjourn Sine Die
The Governor will call us back into Special Session at 12:01 AM.
Governor signs eminent domain law to protect landowners
ST. PAUL – Governor Pawlenty has signed legislation I authored to increase fairness for Minnesota landowners involved in an eminent domain process with utility companies. The law repeals the special exemptions for eminent domain given to utility companies involving high-voltage transmission lines and natural gas and petroleum pipelines.
This new law is a victory for individual property rights and for all Minnesotans. Fairness and respect for property owners put in extremely difficult situations has prevailed.
Previously, “public service corporations” (PSC) were exempted from Minnesota regulations and restrictions designed to protect landowners in eminent domain disputes. This exemption has created a paradox in state law that is unfair to Minnesota property owners.
If a non-profit entity like the state government wants to use your land for a public park, you have far more protections than if a for-profit utility company wants to run a high-voltage power line through your property. In the interest of fairness to Minnesota’s property owners, we are simply holding these specific utility companies to the same standard we hold our own government.
The new law ensures that utility companies involving high-voltage transmission lines and natural gas and petroleum pipelines must pay for the attorney fees of prevailing landowners if the final award for damages in an eminent domain proceeding exceeds the last offer made by the acquiring authority by 40 percent or more.
Several other new protections include:
- Appraisal and negotiation requirements: Acquiring authority must obtain one or more appraisals before commencing an eminent domain proceeding and furnish copies to the property owner when an offer is made. Inform the property owner of the property owner’s right to obtain an appraisal, paid for by the acquiring authority, up to a maximum amount. Make a good faith attempt to negotiate personally with the property owner to acquire the property through direct purchase. Give advance notice to the property owner of its intent to use an appraisal or documentation related to loss of going concern at a condemnation commissioners’ hearing.
- Contents of notice of petition for taking: Specifies that an eminent domain notice given by an acquiring authority to a property owner must state that the taking may be challenged in person at the court hearing or by appeal within 60 days and that a court order is final unless appealed within 60 days of service of the order.
- Compensation for loss of going concern: Requires an owner of a business or trade destroyed by a taking to be compensated for loss and allows a party to appeal the amount awarded.
- Minimum compensation: Specifies that an owner forced to relocate must receive minimum damages that allow the owner to purchase a comparable property in the community.
- Limitations on condemning authority’s actions: Prohibits the acquiring authority from requiring the owner to accept as part of the compensation any substitute or replacement property, or to accept the return of any portion of the acquired property.
- Limit on relocation benefits: Provides that relocation benefits to a displaced business shall be in accord with federal regulations, but establishes a maximum of $50,000 that those regulations do not contain.
- Relocation assistance determined by administrative law judge: Allows a person rejecting the acquiring authority’s offer of relocation benefits to initiate a contested case hearing before an administrative law judge, whose decision is final.
This legislation is a direct response to the proposed CapX 2020 line that is moving forward that will affect many regions of the state. The CapX 2020 line will go from Brookings to Hampton affecting Minnesotans in Lincoln County in the west through, Scott, Rice, Dakota and Goodhue counties and points south toward the Wisconsin border.
The CapX 2020 power lines are moving forward as we speak and it’s critical we ensure that the rights of Minnesota property owners are protected.
Thanks to my constituents and all Minnesotans who spoke up about their concerns about this issue.
We never would have built the bipartisan coalition needed to pass this new law had it not been the citizens across the state who spoke up and contacted their legislators. This is a great example of our democracy in action.
