Pubdate: Sun, 18 May 2014
Source: Albert Lea Tribune (MN)
Copyright: 2014 Albert Lea Tribune Inc.
Contact: http://www.albertleatribune.com/submitletter/
Website: http://www.albertleatribune.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/3521
Author: Jason Schoonover, and Trey Mewes
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mmj.htm (Marijuana - Medicinal)

LAWMAKERS FINISH; MEDICAL MARIJUANA, TAX BILLS PASS ON FINAL DAY

ST. PAUL -- Though originally touted as an "unsession" to focus on
striking outdated laws from the books, the 2014 legislative session
was anything but uneventful.

Shortly before lawmakers completed their work Friday, state Sen. Dan
Sparks, DFL-Austin, described 2014 as one of the most intense sessions
he's been a part of, with action on several bills.

"It was a short session but I think we're going to come home and have
a lot of good things to talk about," he said.

Rep. Jeanne Poppe, DFL-Austin, was also pleased.

"We were able to meet the needs of the people as time went on," she
said. "It was just a very fast-paced but full agenda."

In Friday's finale, lawmakers approved several major items: a tax-cut
bill, a budget bill, medical marijuana legislation, lottery
restrictions and construction financing for more than $1.1 billion
worth of projects. They faced a Sunday deadline for passing them.

The $103 million tax-cut bill was approved by both chambers with only
one dissenter, Sen. Branden Peterson, R-Andover. Some homeowners and
renters will see bigger refund checks in October, just a month before
the election.

Sparks was pleased with the tax bill, as he said it should bring
property tax relief to farmers too. With the bonding bill and tax
plans, Sparks described it as a session to be proud of, noting
legislators made investments to housing around the state

"For a short session and for a non-budget year, I think we did a
really good job," he said.

Medical Marijuana

Lawmakers made Minnesota the 22nd state to legalize marijuana for
medical purposes. The bill passed 46 to 16 in the Senate and 89-40 in
the House. Gov. Mark Dayton said he'll sign the measure to establish a
program by next year.

Sparks described the medical marijuana measure as a sleeper bill that
didn't look likely to pass. Sparks admitted he was reluctant at first
as law enforcement officials voiced concern, but decided to vote for
the bill after some changes were made to it. He also said he was
sympathetic to people the treatments would help.

Poppe voiced similar sentiments, approving of the compromise to make
treatments available while limitations.

"We need to have a very tight bill that allowed the people that needed
it to have access to it," she said.

Minnesota's legislation explicitly bans smoking the drug. It also
prohibits patient access to plant material. Instead, the drug would be
available in oil, pill and vapor form.

Medical conditions including cancer, glaucoma and AIDS qualify for
treatment. A physician assistant or advanced-practice registered nurse
would certify a patient suffered from a qualifying illness.

The lawmakers who voted against it either feared illicit use or argued
the bill was too restrictive.

A Look Back

Earlier in the session, Poppe voted for the bill to increase the
minimum wage from $6.15 per hour now to $9.50 by 2016 and then tie it
to inflation. Sparks voted against a similar bill in the Senate,
stating he supported raising the wage but thought $9.50 was too high
for outstate Minnesota.

Poppe strongly supported the Women's Economic Security Act, a bill
designed to help women in the workplace that included steps to level
pay, longer parental leave and assurances they have private rooms for
nursing when they return. Sparks also supported the Senate's altered
version of the bill, noting it struck a good balance for women and
employers.

Minnesota also enacted the nation's first law Wednesday requiring
smartphones and tablets sold in the state to have a remote shut-off
feature as a way to deter theft.

Poppe described the issue as one that's happening to a greater extent,
especially for students.

"The kill-switch on the cell phones is a big deal," Poppe said. "They
were talking about one out of every four robberies or assaults,
incidents are now related to cell phones."

Looking Ahead

The campaign messaging has begun well ahead of a fall election when
voters will pick a governor and decide the House makeup.

House Speaker Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, said voters should view
the last two years as among the most productive in memory.

"At the end of the day, it was focusing on delivering on some pretty
big things for middle-class Minnesota families," he said, citing the
minimum wage bump to $9.50 by 2016, statewide availability of all-day
kindergarten, added workplace protections for women and more.

House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, offered a different take,
also reaching back to the 2013 budget fix that included targeted tax
hikes.

"What we want to make sure people don't forget is that as a result of
this session we have one of the highest tax increases in state
history," he said. "We have the highest spending increase in state
history."

The construction plan headed to Gov. Mark Dayton after smooth rides
through the House and Senate. When few people jumped up to debate the
package, Senate Capital Investment Committee Chairman LeRoy Stumpf,
DFL-Plummer, sounded surprised.

"Maybe everyone's asleep," he joked. Given the long hours lawmakers
logged this week, it was possible.

The largest single item is $126 million to complete the Capitol
renovation. The smallest is $78,000 for work on a historic bridge in
Hanover.

The most intense negotiations surrounded $22 million devoted to the
Lewis & Clark Region Water System pipeline project in southwestern
Minnesota. With federal money bottled up, state lawmakers were
delivering money for Minnesota's end of a project that also affects
Iowa and South Dakota. It is meant to draw water to 300,000 people in
the region, feeding drinking water supplies and fostering business
growth.

The tax bill allows counties and cities in the region to raise local
taxes toward a local share and unlock about $2.2 million more annually
from the state. All told, the pipeline could take more than $60
million to put in.

The last bill to pass was a $283 million spending proposal that puts
the state on the hook for even more into the future. The 577-page bill
contains raises to long-term care attendants, provides pothole repair
funds, distributes grants for high-speed broadband development and
boosts payments to schools and scholarships for early childhood education.

Senate Minority Leader David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, said he was worried
the additional spending would leave Minnesota's budget in a precarious
state. "We're going to be right back into deficit because of all the
spending we did," he said.

Democrats said the spending addressed key priorities without
overextending the state treasury.

"The economy is not faltering," said Senate Finance Committee Chairman
Dick Cohen, DFL-St. Paul. Besides, he noted, lawmakers committed even
more of a $1.2 billion surplus to tax cuts this year with scant
opposition. "They were the ones who said we should give it all back
and not have any money on the bottom line, so you can't have it both
ways."  
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MAP posted-by: Jo-D