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Dear
Friends,
Three
weeks
after
the
2015
Legislative
Session
adjourned,
and
shortly
after
the
one-day
special
session,
I
want
to
share
my
perspectives
on
the
session.
I
am
pleased
that
we
passed
the
strongest
ban
on
toxic
flame
retardant
chemicals
in
the
nation
and
that
we
adopted
a
significant
proposal
to
create
buffer
strips
along
our
state's
waterways,
but
deeply
disappointed
in
many
other
actions
of
the
legislature.
Both
the
legislative
process
and
the
outcome
left
much
to
be
desired.
Aided
by
a
lack
of
transparency
around
the
creation
and
negotiation
of
budget
bills,
the
legislature
caved
in
to
what
one
columnist
described
as
"environmental
vandalism."
This
is
not
the
way
our
government
should
operate,
nor
the
results
that
Minnesotans
deserve.
I
will
continue
pushing
to
reform
the
political
process
and
to
work
for
a
healthy
environment
and
economy
for
all
Minnesotans.
Rep.
Alice
Hausman
and
Rep.
John
Lesch
are
joining
me
in
hosting
a
town
meeting
on
July
1,
from
6
–
7:30
p.m.
at
the
Hamline-Midway
Library,
1558
W
Minnehaha
Ave
in
St
Paul.
We
hope
that
you
can
join
us
to
discuss
the
recent
legislative
session.
Thank
you
for
giving
me
the
honor
to
serve
as
your
senator.
Sincerely,
John
Marty
Senator
Marty
speaks
during
special
session
about
the
environment
bill.
July
1st
-
Town
Meeting
to
Discuss
Recent
Legislative
Session
You
are
invited
to
join
Senator
Marty
and
Representatives
John
Lesch
and
Alice
Hausman
at
a
town
meeting
on
July
1st,
from
6
–
7:30
p.m.
to
discuss
actions
of
the
2015
legislative
session.
This
is
an
opportunity
to
share
your
concerns
and
hear
the
perspectives
of
your
legislators
on
recent
legislative
action.
The
meeting
will
be
in
the
lower
level
of
the
Hamline-Midway
Public
Library
in
St.
Paul,
located
at
1558
W
Minnehaha
Ave,
a
half
block
east
of
Snelling
Ave,
just
south
of
the
Hamline
University
campus.
Please
join
us!
Education
Due
to
Governor
Dayton's
strong
push
for
education
funding,
the
legislature
eventually
provided
enough
money
for
the
per
pupil
funding
formula
to
help
school
districts
avoid
laying
off
teachers.
The
legislation
provided
some
additional
funds
for
early
childhood
education
and
school
readiness
programs,
such
as
eliminating
the
waiting
list
for
Head
Start,
but
did
not
provide
for
universal
pre-kindergarten
funding.
Government
Ethics
and
Reform
Minnesota's
legislative
process
has
not
improved
in
recent
years,
and
openness
and
transparency
are
fading.
The
number
of
major
legislative
decisions
made
behind
closed
doors
is
increasing.
Several
years
ago,
one
budget
negotiator
described
the
negotiations
as
occurring
under
a
"cone
of
silence,"
a
term
from
a
1960's
TV
comedy.
Capitol
news
reporters
and
politicians
alike
joke
about
the
"cone
of
silence"
as
if
it
is
an
inevitable
part
of
Minnesota
government.
It
doesn't
have
to
be,
nor
should
it
be.
I
introduced
a
government
ethics
bill
that
would
require
all
conference
committees
and
budget
negotiations
involving
legislative
leaders
and
the
governor
to
be
open
meetings.
Transparency
is
important
to
the
entire
process
–
including
final
negotiations.
A
recent
news
article
on
these
efforts
is
available
here.
My
government
ethics
bill, Senate
File
1401, would
require
those
negotiations
to
be
open
to
the
public,
and
the
legislation
would
also
require
more
disclosure
by
lobbyists
and
elected
officials.
SF
1401
would
also
bring
transparency
to
independent
expenditures,
which
often
fund
disgusting
attack
ads
with
money
from
anonymous
donors
trying
to
buy
elections.
It
is
time
for
Minnesota
to
restore
its
heritage
of
clean
government.
Transportation
Infrastructure
Despite
widespread
concern
about
the
need
for
addressing
Minnesota's
transportation
infrastructure,
the
legislature
failed
to
adopt
a
funding
proposal.
I
continue
to
support
a
funding
proposal
that
will
address
the
needs
for
roads
and
transit,
as
well
as
improved
routes
for
people
who
bike
or
walk.
I
have
concerns
about
efforts
to
borrow
money
to
pay
for
transportation
expenses,
as
I
believe
it
is
more
responsible
to
pay
for
improvements
and
maintenance
up
front.
Health
Care
for
All
The
legislature
made
some
significant
improvements
in
community
mental
health
services
this
year,
recognizing
the
serious
gaps
in
Minnesota's
mental
health
system.
Much
more
needs
to
be
done,
but
this
was
a
big
step
forward.
There
was
disagreement
about
how
to
address
problems
facing
MNsure,
the
state
health
insurance
exchange,
so
the
governor
and
legislature
agreed
to
form
a
task
force
to
study
the
issue.
The
task
force
is
also
charged
with
taking
a
broader
look
at
health
care,
recommending
"strategies
that
will
increase
access
to
and
improve
the
quality
of
health
care
for
Minnesotans."
I
am
willing
to
assist
or
participate
in
the
new
task
force.
I
support
changes
to
fix
the
problems
in
the
MNsure
insurance
exchange
and
to
improve
interaction
between
Medical
Assistance,
Minnesota
Care,
and
other
health
insurance
programs.
However,
I
will
continue
to
push
for
the
proposed
Minnesota
Health
Plan,
which
would
deliver
comprehensive
health
care
to
all
Minnesotans,
including
dental
care,
prescription
drugs,
mental
health
services,
chemical
dependency
treatment,
and
long
term
care.
We
will
succeed
in
bringing
down
health
care
costs
and
covering
all
people
only
if
we
implement
a
rational
health
care
system
to
replace
the
dysfunctional
health
insurance
structure.
Child
Protection
Services
–
Addressing
Child
Abuse
After
a
tragic
death
of
a
young
child
in
a
case
where
suspected
child
abuse
had
been
reported
several
times,
Governor
Dayton
appointed
a
Child
Protection
Task
Force.
The
governor
said
that
a
picture
of
a
four-year-old
abuse
victim,
"smiling
at
the
camera
despite
a
visible
wound
on
his
face
will
haunt
me
for
a
long
time."
Stating
that
the
abuse
of
any
child
"is
one
child
too
many,"
he
directed
the
task
force
to
make
recommendations
for
immediate
changes
in
the
child
protection
system.
The
task
force
made
some
valuable
recommendations
to
prevent
child
abuse
cases
from
continuing
to
slip
through
the
cracks.
I
was
pleased
that
the
legislature
adopted
the
policy
recommendations
and
provided
much-needed
funding.
Most
counties
reported
that
their
child
protection
services
offices
were
so
short-staffed
that
they
were
unable
to
investigate
reports
of
child
abuse
on
a
timely
basis.
Over
$20
million
per
year
will
go
to
directly
to
county
child
protection
service
staffing
so
that
all
cases
can
be
promptly
investigated
and
children
can
be
protected
from
abuse.
Holding
the
Budget
Hostage
for
Anti-Environment
Policies
House
Republican
leaders
worked
with
certain
Senate
DFLers
to
put
a
number
of
harmful
anti-environment
policy
provisions
in
one
of
the
state
budget
bills,
hoping
to
force
other
legislators
and
the
governor
to
vote
for
those
provisions
if
they
wanted
to
pass
a
budget
and
avoid
a
government
shutdown.
Unfortunately,
they
succeeded.
I
was
pleased
that
Governor
Dayton
vetoed
the
Environment
Budget
and
the
Energy
Budget
Legislation,
both
of
which
contained
backward
steps
on
the
environment.
However,
the
revised
bills
still
contained
many
unacceptable
provisions,
so
I
led
the
fight
during
the
special
session
to
remove
those
items.
I
argued
that
Minnesota
should
not
allow
some
politicians
to
hold
the
budget
hostage
to
pass
harmful,
anti-environment
laws.
Below
are
a
couple
examples
of
policy
that
should
have
been
rejected.
Nonferrous
Mining,
Exemption
from
Rules
This
provision,
which
was
slipped
into
the
budget
bill
in
a
convoluted
manner,
exempts
nonferrous
(i.e.,
non-iron
metals
such
as
copper
and
nickel)
mining
waste
from
state
solid
waste
regulation.
No
Senate
or
House
policy
committee
ever
considered
the
matter.
It
violated
every
process
the
legislature
has,
shut
out
all
public
input,
and
violated
legislative
rules
on
provisions
that
can
be
inserted
in
conference
committee
reports.
There
are
significant
differences
in
the
health
and
environmental
risks
from
existing
taconite
(iron)
mining
facilities,
and
nonferrous
mining
operations.
Proponents
of
nonferrous
mining
routinely
mention
that
the
mines
will
be
environmentally
clean
because
of
Minnesota's
strong
environmental
rules.
This
secretive
process
for
exempting
the
waste
from
environmental
rules
shows
how
false
those
claims
are.
I
argued
that
there
was
no
urgency
for
exempting
this
type
of
mining
waste
from
those
environmental
regulations,
and
no
need
to
avoid
public
input
and
legislative
discussion
over
the
provision
since
there
is
no
nonferrous
mining
in
the
state,
and
consequently
no
nonferrous
mine
tailings
that
need
to
be
dealt
with
at
this
time.
Abolition
of
Pollution
Control
Agency
(PCA)
Citizens
Board
Since
the
Pollution
Control
Agency
was
established
almost
fifty
years
ago,
there
has
been
a
citizens'
board
to
represent
the
public
interest
in
protecting
the
environment,
and
providing
an
opportunity
for
citizen
involvement.
A
provision
added
to
the
budget
bill
totally
eliminates
this
board.
The
PCA
Citizens'
Board
is
not
for
bureaucrats,
it
is
for
citizens
who
don't
think
the
bureaucrats
hear
them.
This
major
policy
provision
did
not
pass
either
the
House
or
Senate
before
being
added
to
the
budget
bill
in
conference
committee.
I attempted
to
remove
both
the
mine
waste
exemption
and
the
PCA
Citizens'
Board
repeal
from
the
budget
bill
during
the
special
session,
but
ultimately
lost
by
a
handful
of
votes.
A
handful
of
other
legislators,
environmental
allies,
and
I
succeeded
in
pressuring
the
authors
to
modify
a
provision
in
the
budget
in
which
the
state
was
raiding
the
Metropolitan
Landfill
Cleanup
Fund.
This
fund,
which
is
generated
by
fees
paid
by
on
solid
waste
in
metro
area
landfills,
is
collected
for
the
sole
purpose
of
funding
clean-up
of
the
landfills
when
they
are
closed.
It
is
a
local
account,
paid
locally,
to
be
used
locally.
This
money
does
not
belong
to
the
state,
and
should
not
be
used
to
fund
state
programs.
Taking
these
funds,
with
no
plan
or
intent
to
repay
them,
was
wrong,
and
it
is
a
victory
that
the
legislation
now
requires
that
money
to
be
repaid
to
the
fund.
Senator
Marty
speaks
at
a
press
conference
outside
of
the
last
meeting
of
the
Citizens'
Board
Dishonest
Labeling
of
"Pollinator
Friendly"
In
what
may
be
the
most
cynical
legislation
that
passed
during
the
2015
session,
last
year's
popular
"pollinator
friendly"
labeling
law
was
amended
in
a
manner
that
makes
the
label
meaningless
and
potentially
harmful.
Neonicotinoid
insecticides,
which
are
used
on
a
wide
variety
of
plants,
have
a
toxic
effect
on
pollinators
and
have
been
linked
to
collapse
of
honey
bee
colonies.
Under
the
new
law,
nurseries
and
landscapers
can
label
plants
they
sell
as
pollinator
friendly,
even
if
they
have
been
treated
with
neonicotinoid
insecticides,
as
long
as
there
is
no
observable
impact
on
the
pollinator
on
their
first
contact
with
the
plant.
This
is
dishonest.
It
is
wrong
to
tell
people
that
a
plant
that
will
kill
pollinators
is
"pollinator
friendly"
because
it
does
not
kill
them
on
the
first
contact.
Toxic
Flame
Retardant
Chemicals
In
a
significant
health
victory,
my
legislation
to
ban
certain
toxic
flame
retardant
chemicals
was
signed
into
law
at
the
end
of
May.
When
flame
retardant
chemicals
were
first
introduced
several
decades
ago,
they
were
marketed
as
a
safety
measure.
However,
in
recent
years,
there
have
been
numerous
scientific
studies
of
the
health
risks
caused
by
them,
as
well
as
studies
showing
that
the
use
of
those
chemicals
in
household
furnishings
do
not
make
it
easier
for
people
to
escape
fires.
Currently,
over
half
of
all
firefighter
line-of-duty
deaths
are
not
from
burns,
smoke
inhalation,
or
heart
attacks,
but
from
job-related
cancers.
The
research
into
high
cancer
rates
in
firefighters
and
its
likely
link
to
their
exposure
to
toxic
flame
retardant
chemicals,
prompted
me
to
work
with
firefighters
and
children's
health
advocates
to
author
legislation
ending
use
of
toxic
flame
retardant
chemicals
found
in
upholstered
furniture,
household
textiles,
and
children's
products.
Although
the
bill
was
significantly
weakened
in
the
House,
it
still
becomes
the
strongest
legislation
in
the
country
to
limit
these
toxic
chemicals.
Riparian
Buffer
Requirements
In
southwestern
Minnesota,
almost
no
lakes,
rivers,
and
streams
are
clean
enough
to
swim
in.
To
address
this
serious
water
quality
problem,
which
exists
to
varying
degrees
around
the
state,
Governor
Dayton
offered
a
bold
proposal
to
require
50
foot
grass
buffer
strips
along
waterways,
to
block
erosion
and
prevent
runoff
of
agricultural
fertilizers
and
pesticides.
As
chair
of
the
Senate
Environment
and
Energy
Committee,
I
authored
the
governor's
proposal
and
worked
with
state
agencies
to
help
get
the
legislation
passed.
Although
the
proposal
was
significantly
weakened
by
the
time
it
passed,
it
is
still
a
significant
step
forward
in
protecting
Minnesota
waters.
This
is
one
of
the
few
environmental
victories
in
the
2015
session.
Economic
Justice
Too
many
people
are
unable
to
pay
for
basic
necessities
despite
working
sometimes
at
two
or
three
jobs.
Others
are
unable
to
find
jobs
at
all.
Still
others
are
unable
to
work
because
of
age,
disability,
or
a
lack
of
access
to
affordable
child
care.
Minnesota's
tax
system
is
regressive,
with
middle
and
low
income
households
paying
a
larger
percentage
of
their
income
in
state
and
local
taxes
than
those
with
higher
incomes.
This
tax
system
aggravates
the
problem
for
many
families.
I
am
disappointed
that
this
year's
legislative
session
did
little
to
address
the
economic
challenges
for
middle
and
lower
income
Minnesotans,
and
will
continue
to
push
for
policies
such
as
the
Worker
Dignity
legislation,
Senate
File
890,
and
the
Minnesota
Health
Plan,
Senate
File
2060,
as
well
as
working
for
a
fairer,
more
progressive
tax
system.
Drivers
Licenses
for
All
Several
years
ago,
Minnesota
banned
immigrants
without
current
legal
status
from
being
able
to
obtain
a
driver's
license.
Because
those
immigrants
need
transportation
for
their
work,
their
shopping,
transporting
their
children
to
school,
and
medical
and
other
needs,
they
continue
to
drive.
However,
without
the
ability
to
get
a
license
they
no
longer
get
drivers
education
and
training
and
they
can
no
longer
get
auto
insurance.
Additionally,
if
they
are
in
an
accident
or
stopped
by
law
enforcement,
there
is
no
way
for
an
officer
to
identify
them.
This
situation
makes
our
roads
less
safe.
To
improve
highway
and
traffic
safety,
a
coalition
of
legislators
and
advocates
have
been
working
to
allow
all
people
to
get
licenses
regardless
of
immigration
status.
However,
despite
the
bipartisan
support,
this
legislation
failed
to
get
action
in
the
House.
All
Minnesotans
benefit
when
every
driver
has
received
appropriate
training,
and
when
all
drivers
have
auto
insurance.
I
am
committed
to
continuing
to
push
for
this
important
health
and
safety
legislation.
Contact
Information
for
Senator
Marty
Due
to
the
capitol
restoration
project,
my
staff
office
is
temporarily
moved
to
downtown
St.
Paul.
However,
mail
sent
to
the
capitol
address
below
will
be
forwarded
to
the
temporary
office.
You
can
contact
me
at
jmarty@senate.mn
or
651/296-5645.
I
serve
as
the
chair
of
the
Senate
Environment
and
Energy
Committee.
Barbara
Jacobs
is
my
Committee
Administrator
and
can
be
reached
at barbara.jacobs@senate.mn
and
651/296-2962.
Hannah
Pallmeyer
is
my
Legislative
Assistant
and
can
be
reached
at
hannah.pallmeyer@senate.mn
and
651/296-5645.
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