Session starts with ceremony and strife

Published 12:00 am Thursday, January 4, 2001

It may seem like a day full of formality to some, but for Rep.

Thursday, January 04, 2001

It may seem like a day full of formality to some, but for Rep. Dan Dorman and Sen. Grace Schwab, the first day of the legislative session holds great significance.

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&uot;I felt a mixture of pride and humility. It’s just an awesome experience,&uot; said Dorman, who was sworn in for his second term as the District 27A representative. &uot;I treat it with great respect. That oath is very meaningful to me.&uot;

Dorman was accompanied by family, close friends and a number of constituents Wednesday as the five-month session began. Albert Lea Mayor Bob Haukoos was also in attendance as Dorman and his colleagues reelected Steve Sviggum as Speaker of the House in a straight party-line vote. The short day ended for Dorman with a reception.

Schwab, meanwhile, felt a similar sense of awe as she took the oath for her first term as senator for District 27. But it didn’t take long for partisan challenges to surface. Senator Dan Stevens (R-Mora), Schwab’s new deskmate on the Senate floor, used the term &uot;political payoffs&uot; when describing DFL leadership’s committee assignments.

&uot;I probably went in to the chambers pretty naive,&uot; said Schwab, who expected an amicable first day. &uot;My eyes were wide open the whole time.&uot;

Schwab was joined for the beginning of her first term by her husband and children, along with her parents, who flew in from Florida. She was one of four new Republican senators, all of whom are women.

More ceremony is in on the agenda for Thursday. After a meeting at the Minnesota Science Museum in the morning, the entire legislature will listen as Gov. Jesse Ventura delivers the State of the State Address.

For Dorman, the speech will set the tone for the first month of the session as both parties decide what to do with a looming budget surplus and the Governor’s property tax proposals.

&uot;The Tax Committee will again be the center of attention. The surplus should keep our attention during the month of January,&uot; Dorman said. &uot;Taxes and revenues will be big issues for us.&uot;

Locally, Dorman is hoping to explore some value-added agriculture projects such as a soy-based fuel additive for diesel fuel.

&uot;I’ll be keeping a close eye on any soy mandates to come through,&uot; said Dorman. &uot;There could be an opportunity to get a processing plant in my district. That’s a good goal.&uot;

Dorman is in a good position to track developments in value-added agriculture from his seat on the House Agriculture and Rural Development Policy Committee. Dorman will also serve on the full House Tax Committee.

&uot;My committee assignments are good matches for the district,&uot; said Dorman.

Schwab signed on to her first bill Wednesday. Sponsored by Claire Robling (R-Prior Lake), the bill would place tighter restrictions on who can drive school buses.

Schwab said she also plans to support measures that would help Greater Minnesota such as transportation funding, education funding and redrawing of political districts.

&uot;There are a lot of disparities between the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota,&uot; Schwab said. &uot;Some of the funding formulas are biased toward Minneapolis and St. Paul.&uot;

Taxation issues are also very important to Albert Lea and Austin, Schwab said.

&uot;We have a situation in the district where people can go a few miles across the border and save money because of our high taxes,&uot; Schwab said. &uot;Some tax reform could help that situation. We’ve had eight consecutive years of surpluses, and we need to address that trend of overtaxation.&uot;