Dan Dorman, State representative

Looking at the calendar, the 2004 Minnesota Legislative session doesn’t begin until Feb. 2, but there’s been noticeable legislative activity in St. Paul, both at the Governor’s office and in many House and Senate committees. More than ever, there seems to be a bloom on some legislative “perennials” – bills and actions that refuse to die but which seem to keep coming back every year. Here’s a look at some of the hardiest perennials of the group:

SESSION START DATE: Not a bill, but every year the Legislature starts business

when there’s little business to conduct. In 2004, the Governor is expected to release his budget a month into the legislative session to coincide with the release of the state revenue forecast. It makes sense. Why propose a budget until we know how much money we have (or don’t have)? We could save time and money if the session started a month later as well.

STADIUM: My predecessor, Rep. Ron Kraus, wrote this in his column early in 1997: “The issue of a new outdoor baseball stadium seems to be heating up. The stadium issue is definitely one of the dominant issues in the Legislature with just six weeks to go *” This year, the Governor has appointed a task force to review stadium proposals for the Twins, Vikings and Gophers. Shouldn’t the issue have been boiling over by now?

STATE SPENDING CAP: A bill introduced last session seeks a constitutional amendment (How would you vote?) that would cap state spending increases using a formula that combines the rate of inflation plus percentage changes in population growth. This bill has sprouted in many forms over the years, but it may get a hearing in 2004. Fixed costs? Don’t worry; we’ll make those illegal, too.

DEATH PENALTY: This perennial rarely got any sunlight, but in light of the Dru Sjodin tragedy and the subsequent arrest of suspect Alfonso Rodriguez Jr., a death penalty bill might actually get a hearing in 2004. The only recent tangible legislative action on the death penalty came in 1996 when a House floor amendment to impose the death penalty (by lethal injection) for persons who kill peace officers or children was defeated 100 to 34.

CASINO: This perennial always gets plenty of fertilizer, but with state revenues low, expect more attention and another round of proposals to: add slots to Canterbury Park, build a state-operated casino at the Mall of America, or negotiate a pact with the state’s tribes to build and operate (and split revenue) a casino somewhere in the heart of the Twin Cities. With the Minnesota Zoo facing budget problems, maybe slots at the porpoise exhibit wouldn’t be too far fetched.

.08 DWI: This perennial is about to bloom for the last time. Over the years, there have been repeated efforts to lower the drunken-driving threshold — Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) &045; from .10 to .08. It may happen in 2004 because the state could lose up to $57 million in federal transportation funding. Minnesota is one of only five states that have not complied with the federal .08 legislation enacted in 2000.

REPEAL THE PROFILE:

Like a rite of spring, the House has voted to repeal the notorious Profile of Learning K-12 standards every year since 1999. We should do it again despite the fact a repeal bill was signed into law last year. Killing the profile has been politically popular. I see no reason not to kill it again!

I hope you all have a very wonderful Christmas and Happy New Year!

Got a question or concern? Write me at 579 State Office Building, 100 Constitution Ave., St. Paul, MN 55155, or call me, toll-free, at 1 (877) 377-9441.

(E-mail address Rep. Dorman at rep.dan.dorman@house.mn.)