As next Friday’s first legislative deadline approaches, Senate committees are busy hearing a variety of bills. Several area residents joined me at the Capitol this week to support some of the bills I am working on this year.

The first bill was heard in the Business, Industry and Jobs Committee on Wednesday. It deals with worker’s compensation issues that were brought to light in a Legislative Auditor’s Report on Worker’s Compensation Oversight that was released in February. In that report, the non-partisan auditor found that the worker’s compensation system works well for many injured workers but for some, it fails to meet its goal of timely medical recovery and return to work. Specifically, the report suggested an ombudsperson would help injured workers who are overwhelmed with the application process.

The bill I am carrying addresses that suggestion by creating an ombudsperson position to help claimants work through the application process and answer questions. That way, the onus does not fall solely on the injured worker. DiDi Morrison, an Austin area resident and employee injured on the job, joined me at the Capitol to tell other lawmakers how important creating such a position would be. She said current staff at the Department of Labor and Industry are instructed to act impartially and cannot always address specific questions employees may have. A position that is solely geared toward helping injured workers, she said, would relieve one of the many stresses that employees face when they’ve been injured on the job.

That bill was recommended to pass to the budget division that will next review the legislation.

Also on Wednesday, I presented a bill asking for a $1.1 million investment in the BioBusiness Alliance of Minnesota for 2010-2011. Of course, the state is facing a major budget deficit this year and the main goal of this legislative session, so far, has been to cut budgets and find ways to save money. The underlying goal of every action, however, has been to create jobs — lawmakers realize the only way out of this recession is to create jobs and support a business climate that will attract new investments to our state in the near future. The BioBusiness Alliance is supporting measures that can help make this happen. Minnesota is positioned to become a national leader in the bioscience industry if we play our cards right — making this critical investment in such organizations this year can help us achieve that standing.

Dale Wahlstrom, the CEO of the BBAM, Gail Dennison from the Hormel Institute in Austin, and Dave Melin from Eisai all joined me at the Capitol to talk about BBAM’s objectives. The group recently completed a 20-year visioning process that is being used by communities across Minnesota to grow the regional bioscience industries. In our district, they have partnered with leadership at the Hormel Institute to advance their technologies. Since its inception in 2005, BBAM has supported more than 45 companies, and the group hopes to expand its reach even further in the coming years by working to create, retain and recruit more companies to Minnesota.

This bill was laid over for possible inclusion in the division’s final omnibus bill.

Finally, several area residents visited me at the Capitol on Wednesday as part of the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce’s day at the Legislature. I always appreciate seeing people from our district when they’re supporting a certain issue; I encourage anyone planning a group or individual trip to St. Paul to contact me and schedule an appointment.

As always, please don’t hesitate to contact me at 651-296-9248; sen.dan.sparks@senate.mn; or Room 317 State Capitol, St. Paul, MN 55155.

Dan Sparks, DFL-Austin, is the state senator for District 27.