EDITORIAL: St. Paul to Hutchinson

Minnesota’s lawmakers are considering interesting ideas at the Capitol. In our quest to bring readers updates on some of our favorite and not-so-favorite bills, here is a round-up of bills and our thoughts about each.

Renewable energy standard
Gov. Tim Pawlenty signed this bill into law after it passed the House and Senate. He called on lawmakers to pass two more environment bills. It requires Minnesota’s utilities to derive 25 percent, by 2025, of all electricity from renewable sources such as wind, hydro power, solar and methane and garbage burners from landfills.
Sen. Steve Dille, R-Dassel, voted yes and says Minnesota is already getting about 13 percent of its power from these sources. Rep. Ron Shimanski, R-Silver Lake, was one of only 13 lawmakers out of 200 in both the House and Senate to vote no because he said it puts too much pressure on the industry to produce 25 percent renewable energy at any cost, which will be passed on to consumers.
• The Leader supports the new law. It passed this year because Republicans and Democrats, along with Minnesota’s utilities, were included in its drafting. It is supported by an association of Minnesota’s 126 city-owned electric utilities, the governor and environment groups.

Freedom to Breathe Act
A statewide smoking ban is being considered in the House and Senate. It is going through many committees, and debate is great on both sides. Gov. Tim Pawlenty said he would sign a ban, but prefers exceptions for American Legion and VFW clubs.
• The Leader supports a statewide ban, but not the current language of the Freedom to Breathe Act because it does not override local bans. We’ve said before, the advantage of a statewide ban is fairness. Currently, smoking is banned on one side of Main Street in Eden Valley because it is in Meeker County. The other side of the street is in Wright County and allows smoking. Business is hurt when lawmakers allow different bans.

All-day, everyday kindergarten
House leaders are calling for the state to pay for all-day, everyday kindergarten in Minnesota. The estimated cost to add another half day of kindergarten is $160 million per year. Senate leaders are calling for more money to pay for special education requirements at schools. The governor said all-day, everyday kindergarten is too expensive. But, he’d like to spend $29 for needy kids to earn scholarships to prepare for school.
• The Leader opposes. All-day kindergarten helps learning. Free college for every Minnesotan helps learning, too. But, what can we afford? Before adding new spending proposals and requirements for schools, lawmakers need to pay for the schools we have. As reported here last week, 90 percent of Minnesota school districts have asked local voters for extra money just to operate. Atwater-Cosmos-Grove City and Glencoe districts are in operating debt. McLeod West is considering closing one of its schools. Hutchinson buildings need money. No new programs should start until all Minnesota districts are out of operating debt.

Canoe designation for South Fork
Messrs. Dille and Shimanski have introduced companion bills in the Senate and House to include the South Fork of the Crow River in the state’s list of official canoe routes, and publicize it as such. The bill was considered and advanced by the Senate Environment Committee last week.
• The Leader supports this bill. The South Fork has better canoeing areas, landings, camping, and bathrooms than many others. It should be included and publicized as a state canoe route.

Editorials are written by Publisher Matt McMillan and Editor Doug Hanneman. They can be reached at mcmillan@hutchinsonleader.com, or hanneman@hutchinsonleader.com.