Local legislators stress positives of session

Finstad mentions unusual bills that didn't pass

By FRITZ BUSCH

Journal Staff Writer

SLEEPY EYE -- Minnesota Republican legislators Dennis Frederickson and Brad Finstad, both of New Ulm, stressed the positive outcomes of the 2004 session Friday at the Bridging Brown County Congress of Elected and Appointed Officials at the Brown County REA auditorium.

Finstad lightened up the meeting by mentioning some legislative bills that were not passed. They included requiring the use of seat belts for dogs, studying the negative effects of goose droppings on small children, allowing marijuana use for extreme pain and repeal of the first-cousin marriage law.

Frederickson's list of positive things from the 2004 session included the .08 blood alcohol DWI threshold that will take effect Aug. 1, 2005 and the bonding bill that includes $1.25 billion for outdated, rural waste water systems.

Fred Juni of Essig complained that wastewater improvement applications have been turned down due to lack of funding.

Steve Wenzel of the Farmers Home Administration explained that all applications are individually judged and money is available to pay for nearly all costs. Wenzel said 40% of the money in the last Farm Bill was earmarked for rural development which includes waste water system replacement.

Finstad noted other positives.

"We have a lot to be happy about now with good farm prices and plenty of rainfall. I wish I had lots of beans in the bin," Finstad said.

He mentioned the farm nuisance law that keeps farmers out of court as long as they follow pollution regulations. He noted the trespass law geared to improve bio-security issues like food and infrastructure.

Greg Roiger of the Brown County Soil and Water Conservation District called for more funding to permanently retire more land from crop production. He complained that lots of valuable topsoil washed away during recent heavy rains.

An aid to Second District Congressman Gil Gutknecht said Gutknecht would prefer retiring sensitive acres for 40 years instead of permanent retirement and the necessity of state funding matches.

Frederickson said he supported perpetual Minnesota River Watershed easements.

"Water will still run downhill 50-100 years from now," Frederickson said.

Springfield School Supt. Dr. Luther Heller asked for true leadership instead of politics from the Minnesota Dept. of Education. He suggested appointing an education commissioner that doesn't leave with every governor.

Finstad admitted that issue was a "big breakdown."

Heller said he would like to see the school funding formula less dependant on pupil units, allowing boards more levy discretion.

Finstad said one of the biggest problems is that very few people understand how the school funding formula works.

Sleepy Eye School Board member Mark Beito complained that since the promised federal funding of special education and other mandated programs never came, districts have to use more of their own money for such programs.

"We can't stop those programs just because the funding goes away. It's very inefficient," Beito said.

Gutknecht's aid said he agreed that federal programs should be fully funded.

Frederickson said many legislators are afraid to buck the Minnesota Taxpayer's League and other special interest groups, which are not elected by anybody.

"It was an ugly, very partisan session," Frederickson said. "It seemed there was no middle ground."

He noted that a rare drafting error shorted small cities on Local Government Aid, but that the error should be corrected.