THIS is your Legislature Minnesota

SD45 has a list of details. This is just a small sample of the Nanny State Bills that are coming out of St. Paul. I've already talked about a couple of them but here are a few more notable bills.

Rep. Andy Welti (D-Plainview) wants to impose severe criminal penalties if you “carry, use, or possess” a glass container on a watercraft or along Minnesota’s public waters. You could get 270 days in jail if you have a picnic on the lake and bring glass bottles of ketchup, mustard, and relish. If you have a six-pack of Buddy’s Cola from New Ulm on your pontoon boat, you would face 540 days behind bars, because each bottle would be a separate offense under the precise language of the bill. If you bring a jar of cold cream when you go sunbathing, you could do 90 days for that misdemeanor. Rep. Welti later said he introduced the bill as an anti-littering proposal, but his bill outlaws mere “possession” of the deadly glass containers. (House File 522)

Rep. Bev Scalze (D-Little Canada) wants to authorize cities to provide their city employees with “staff, equipment, and facilities” for “preventive health and employee recognition services.” (House File 905)

Rep. Kim Norton (D-Rochester) wants to stick taxpayers with the bill when students take the SAT or ACT tests for college admission. (House File 984)

Rep. Scott Kranz (D-Blaine) wants to raise taxes on homeowners’ deeds by 66%. He would then take that money to subsidize the rents of non-homeowners and to build houses or rental units for other people. (House File 939)

Rep. Phyllis Kahn gave a noble effort for the best of the bunch. She has sponsored voting rights for 16 year olds, eliminating the cap for legislators expense, requiring schools to "shield" their stadium lights (a bill that is directed at DeLaSalle High School on Harriet Island whom Representative Kahn has been fueding with), taxing botox treatments or allowing lottery sales at the State Fair., Rep. Kahn has worked her hardest to spend your hard earned tax dollars as quickly as possible.

The big "winner" so far has to be Rep. Frank Hornstein who has proposed forcing large businesses to pay for employees child care, providing a credit for alternative fuel vehicles that lasts longer than the vehicle itself does, providing free GED's for homeless, mandating that the state will have to pay more for private bid DOT contracts, Rep. Hornstein makes certain to go that extra mile to waste state dollars.

There are 82 of these bills. You really should check them all out. Once you do, I hope you will take a few minutes to contact your representative and let them know how you feel about these bills.