Journal of the House - 99th Day - Friday, May 7, 2010 - Top of Page 11659


 

STATE OF MINNESOTA

 

Journal of the House

 

EIGHTY-SIXTH SESSION - 2010

 

_____________________

 

NINETY-NINTH DAY

 

Saint Paul, Minnesota, Friday, May 7, 2010

 

 

      The House of Representatives convened at 2:00 p.m. and was called to order by Paul Kohls, Speaker pro tempore.

 

      Prayer was offered by the Reverend Dennis J. Johnson, House Chaplain.

 

      The members of the House gave the pledge of allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

 

      The roll was called and the following members were present:

 


Abeler

Anderson, B.

Anderson, P.

Anderson, S.

Anzelc

Atkins

Beard

Benson

Bigham

Bly

Brod

Brown

Brynaert

Buesgens

Bunn

Carlson

Champion

Clark

Cornish

Davnie

Dean

Demmer

Dettmer

Dill

Dittrich

Doepke

Doty

Downey

Drazkowski

Eastlund

Eken

Falk

Faust

Fritz

Gardner

Garofalo

Gottwalt

Greiling

Gunther

Hackbarth

Hamilton

Hansen

Hausman

Haws

Hayden

Hilstrom

Hilty

Holberg

Hoppe

Hornstein

Hortman

Hosch

Howes

Huntley

Jackson

Johnson

Juhnke

Kahn

Kalin

Kath

Kelly

Kiffmeyer

Knuth

Koenen

Kohls

Laine

Lanning

Lenczewski

Lesch

Liebling

Lieder

Lillie

Loeffler

Loon

Mack

Magnus

Mahoney

Mariani

Marquart

Masin

McFarlane

McNamara

Morgan

Morrow

Mullery

Murdock

Murphy, E.

Murphy, M.

Nelson

Newton

Nornes

Norton

Obermueller

Olin

Otremba

Paymar

Pelowski

Peppin

Persell

Peterson

Poppe

Reinert

Rosenthal

Rukavina

Ruud

Sailer

Sanders

Scalze

Scott

Seifert

Sertich

Severson

Shimanski

Simon

Slawik

Slocum

Solberg

Sterner

Swails

Thao

Thissen

Tillberry

Torkelson

Urdahl

Wagenius

Ward

Welti

Westrom

Winkler

Zellers

Spk. Kelliher


 

      A quorum was present.

 

      Davids and Emmer were excused.

 

      Smith was excused until 3:15 p.m.

 

      The Chief Clerk proceeded to read the Journal of the preceding day.  Hosch moved that further reading of the Journal be dispensed with and that the Journal be approved as corrected by the Chief Clerk.  The motion prevailed.


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REPORTS OF CHIEF CLERK

 

      S. F. No. 2702 and H. F. No. 3046, which had been referred to the Chief Clerk for comparison, were examined and found to be identical with certain exceptions.

 

SUSPENSION OF RULES

 

      Ruud moved that the rules be so far suspended that S. F. No. 2702 be substituted for H. F. No. 3046 and that the House File be indefinitely postponed.  The motion prevailed.

 

 

      S. F. No. 2900 and H. F. No. 3124, which had been referred to the Chief Clerk for comparison, were examined and found to be identical with certain exceptions.

 

SUSPENSION OF RULES

 

      Dill moved that the rules be so far suspended that S. F. No. 2900 be substituted for H. F. No. 3124 and that the House File be indefinitely postponed.  The motion prevailed.

 

 

      S. F. No. 3019 and H. F. No. 3571, which had been referred to the Chief Clerk for comparison, were examined and found to be identical with certain exceptions.

 

SUSPENSION OF RULES

 

      Koenen moved that the rules be so far suspended that S. F. No. 3019 be substituted for H. F. No. 3571 and that the House File be indefinitely postponed.  The motion prevailed.

 

 

PETITIONS AND COMMUNICATIONS

 

 

      The following communications were received:

 

 

STATE OF MINNESOTA

OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR

SAINT PAUL 55155

 

April 30, 2010

 

The Honorable Margaret Anderson Kelliher

Speaker of the House of Representatives

The State of Minnesota

 

Dear Speaker Kelliher:

 

      Please be advised that I have received, approved, signed, and deposited in the Office of the Secretary of State the following House Files: 

 

      H. F. No. 2855, relating to labor and industry; modifying boiler provisions; amending and imposing civil and criminal penalties.


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                H. F. No. 1182, relating to eminent domain; clarifying use of eminent domain authority by public service corporations; regulating the granting of route permits for high-voltage transmission lines; requiring a report.

 

      H. F. No. 1320, relating to health; requiring the Board of Pharmacy to adopt rules regarding the substitution of drugs to treat epilepsy or seizures if the United States Food and Drug Administration determines that substitution may cause a health risk to patients.

 

 

                                                                                                                                Sincerely,

 

                                                                                                                                Tim Pawlenty

                                                                                                                                Governor

 

 

STATE OF MINNESOTA

OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY OF STATE

ST. PAUL 55155

 

 

The Honorable Margaret Anderson Kelliher

Speaker of the House of Representatives

 

The Honorable James P. Metzen

President of the Senate

 

      I have the honor to inform you that the following enrolled Acts of the 2010 Session of the State Legislature have been received from the Office of the Governor and are deposited in the Office of the Secretary of State for preservation, pursuant to the State Constitution, Article IV, Section 23:

 

 

S. F.

No.

 

H. F.

No.

 

Session Laws

Chapter No.

Time and

Date Approved

2010

 

Date Filed

2010

 

      2844                                               282                                     2:17 p.m. April 30                                     April 30

      2758                                               283                                     2:25 p.m. April 30                                     April 30

      2996                                               285                                     2:26 p.m. April 30                                     April 30

      1323                                               286                                     2:28 p.m. April 30                                     April 30

                                2855                     287                                     2:30 p.m. April 30                                     April 30

                                1182                     288                                     2:35 p.m. April 30                                     April 30

                                1320                     289                                     2:38 p.m. April 30                                     April 30

      2873                                               290                                     2:41 p.m. April 30                                     April 30

 

 

                                                                                                                                Sincerely,

 

                                                                                                                                Mark Ritchie

                                                                                                                                Secretary of State


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REPORTS OF STANDING COMMITTEES AND DIVISIONS

 

 

Carlson from the Committee on Finance to which was referred:

 

H. F. No. 2072, A bill for an act relating to education finance; updating a reference; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 126C.05, subdivision 2.

 

Reported the same back with the recommendation that the bill pass.

 

      The report was adopted.

 

 

Carlson from the Committee on Finance to which was referred:

 

H. F. No. 3699, A bill for an act relating to education finance; authorizing a discretionary levy for school districts; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 126C.

 

Reported the same back with the following amendments:

 

Delete everything after the enacting clause and insert:

 

"Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 126C.10, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 2.  Basic revenue.  The basic revenue for each district equals the formula allowance times the adjusted marginal cost pupil units for the school year.  The formula allowance for fiscal year 2007 is $4,974.  The formula allowance for fiscal year 2008 is $5,074 and the formula allowance for fiscal year 2009 and subsequent years is $5,124."

 

Delete the title and insert:

 

"A bill for an act relating to education finance; removing obsolete language; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 126C.10, subdivision 2."

 

 

With the recommendation that when so amended the bill pass.

 

      The report was adopted.

 

 

      Speaker pro tempore Kohls called Hortman to the Chair.

 

 

SECOND READING OF HOUSE BILLS

 

 

      H. F. Nos. 2072 and 3699 were read for the second time.

 

 

SECOND READING OF SENATE BILLS

 

 

      S. F. Nos. 2702, 2900 and 3019 were read for the second time.


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INTRODUCTION AND FIRST READING OF HOUSE BILLS

 

 

      The following House Files were introduced:

 

 

      Carlson, Solberg and Huntley introduced:

 

      H. F. No. 3832, A bill for an act relating to human services; making contingent appropriations; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, sections 254B.03, by adding a subdivision; 256B.0625, subdivision 22; 256B.19, subdivision 1c; 256L.15, subdivision 1; Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 256B.0911, subdivision 1a; Laws 2005, First Special Session chapter 4, article 8, section 66, as amended; Laws 2009, chapter 79, article 5, sections 17; 18; 22; article 8, section 2; Laws 2009, chapter 173, article 1, section 17.

 

      The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.

 

 

      Greiling introduced:

 

      H. F. No. 3833, A bill for an act relating to education; providing for policy and funding for early childhood through grade 12 education including general education, education excellence, special programs, facilities and technology, accounting, state agencies, pupil transportation, education finance reform, forecast adjustments, early childhood education, prevention, self-sufficiency, and lifelong learning; authorizing rulemaking; requiring reports; appropriating money; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, sections 3.303, by adding a subdivision; 11A.16, subdivision 5; 16A.125, subdivision 5; 120A.41; 120B.021, subdivision 1; 120B.07; 120B.15; 121A.16; 121A.17, subdivision 5; 122A.16; 122A.18, subdivisions 1, 2; 122A.23, subdivision 2; 123B.12; 123B.147, subdivision 3; 123B.53, subdivision 5; 123B.57, as amended; 123B.63, subdivision 3; 123B.75, subdivision 5, by adding a subdivision; 123B.88, subdivision 13; 123B.90, subdivision 3; 123B.92, subdivision 5; 124D.09, subdivision 20; 124D.141, subdivisions 1, 2; 124D.15, subdivision 12, by adding a subdivision; 124D.20, subdivision 8; 124D.4531, as amended; 124D.59, subdivision 2; 124D.65, subdivision 5; 125A.03; 125A.21, subdivisions 2, 3, 5, 7; 125A.515, by adding a subdivision; 125A.69, subdivision 1; 125A.76, subdivision 5; 125A.79, subdivisions 1, 7; 126C.01, by adding subdivisions; 126C.05, subdivisions 1, 3, 5, 6, 8, 16, 17; 126C.10, subdivisions 1, 2, 2a, 3, 4, 6, 13, 13a, 14, 18, by adding subdivisions; 126C.126; 126C.13, subdivisions 4, 5; 126C.17, subdivisions 1, 5, 6, by adding a subdivision; 126C.20; 126C.40, subdivision 1; 126C.54; 127A.30, subdivision 2; 127A.42, subdivision 2; 127A.43; 127A.441; 127A.45, subdivisions 2, 3, 13, by adding subdivisions; 127A.51; 169.447, subdivision 2a; 169.4503, by adding a subdivision; 171.321, subdivision 2; Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, sections 16A.152, subdivision 2, as amended; 120B.023, subdivision 2; 120B.30, subdivisions 1, 1a, 3, 4, by adding a subdivision; 120B.35, subdivision 3; 120B.36, subdivision 1; 122A.09, subdivision 4; 122A.40, subdivision 8; 122A.41, subdivision 5; 123B.143, subdivision 1; 123B.54; 123B.92, subdivision 1; 124D.10, subdivisions 3, 4, 4a, 6a, 8, 11, 23; 124D.15, subdivision 3; 125A.02, subdivision 1; 125A.091, subdivision 7; 125A.63, subdivisions 2, 4, 5; 126C.41, subdivision 2; 126C.44; 171.02, subdivision 2b; 256B.0625, subdivision 26; Laws 2009, chapter 79, article 5, section 60; Laws 2009, chapter 96, article 2, sections 64; 67, subdivisions 14, 17; article 4, section 12, subdivision 3; article 5, section 13, subdivision 4; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapters 120B; 121A; 122A; 123A; 123B; 124D; 125A; 126C; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2008, sections 122A.24; 123B.57, subdivisions 3, 4, 5; 123B.591; 125A.54; 125A.76, subdivision 4; 125A.79, subdivision 6; 126C.10, subdivisions 2b, 13a, 13b, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 31a, 31b, 32, 33, 35, 36; 126C.12; 126C.126; 126C.17, subdivision 9a; 127A.46; 127A.50; Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, sections 123B.54; 126C.10, subdivisions 24, 34.

 

      The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Ways and Means.


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                Carlson and Solberg introduced:

 

      H. F. No. 3834, A bill for an act relating to state government; requiring the commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget to provide a cash flow forecast to the governor and legislature; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 16A.

 

      The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Finance.

 

 

      Knuth introduced:

 

      H. F. No. 3835, A bill for an act relating to transportation; authorizing local regulation of trucks on certain trunk highways; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, sections 169.011, by adding a subdivision; 169.04.

 

      The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Transportation and Transit Policy and Oversight Division.

 

 

      Dill introduced:

 

      H. F. No. 3836, A bill for an act relating to natural resources; establishing a Minnesota-Wisconsin Boundary Area Invasive Species Commission; appropriating money; proposing coding for new law in Minnesota Statutes, chapter 84D.

 

      The bill was read for the first time and referred to the Committee on Environment Policy and Oversight.

 

 

MESSAGES FROM THE SENATE

 

 

      The following messages were received from the Senate:

 

 

Madam Speaker:

 

      I hereby announce that the Senate has concurred in and adopted the report of the Conference Committee on:

 

      S. F. No. 80.

 

      The Senate has repassed said bill in accordance with the recommendation and report of the Conference Committee.  Said Senate File is herewith transmitted to the House.

 

Colleen J. Pacheco, First Assistant Secretary of the Senate

 

 

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT ON S. F. NO. 80

 

A bill for an act relating to elections; campaign finance; removing certain unconstitutional provisions governing independent expenditures in political campaigns; changing certain campaign expenditure and contribution limits and certain reporting requirements; authorizing electronic filing of certain items with the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board; providing contribution limits for judicial candidates; increasing contribution limits for candidates for secretary of state, state auditor and the legislature; making certain reports filed with the Campaign Finance and


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Public Disclosure Board nonpublic data until certain conditions have been met; requiring the public subsidy for an eligible candidate be withheld until a required report has been filed; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, sections 10A.01, subdivisions 9, 11, 18, 26; 10A.04, subdivision 5; 10A.071, subdivision 3; 10A.08; 10A.09, subdivision 7; 10A.14, subdivisions 2, 4, by adding a subdivision; 10A.20, subdivisions 1, 12, 13, by adding subdivisions; 10A.27, subdivision 1; 10A.31, subdivision 6, by adding a subdivision; 10A.322, subdivision 1; 10A.323; 10A.35; 13.607, by adding a subdivision; 211A.02, subdivision 2; 211A.05, subdivision 2; 211B.12; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.20, subdivision 6b.

 

May 4, 2010

 

The Honorable James P. Metzen

President of the Senate

 

The Honorable Margaret Anderson Kelliher

Speaker of the House of Representatives

 

We, the undersigned conferees for S. F. No. 80 report that we have agreed upon the items in dispute and recommend as follows:

 

That the House recede from its amendments and that S. F. No. 80 be further amended as follows:

 

Delete everything after the enacting clause and insert:

 

"Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.01, subdivision 9, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 9.  Campaign expenditure.  "Campaign expenditure" or "expenditure" means a purchase or payment of money or anything of value, or an advance of credit, made or incurred for the purpose of influencing the nomination or election of a candidate or for the purpose of promoting or defeating a ballot question.

 

An expenditure is considered to be made in the year in which the candidate made the purchase of goods or services or incurred an obligation to pay for goods or services.

 

An expenditure made for the purpose of defeating a candidate is considered made for the purpose of influencing the nomination or election of that candidate or any opponent of that candidate.

 

Except as provided in clause (1), "expenditure" includes the dollar value of a donation in kind.

 

"Expenditure" does not include:

 

(1) noncampaign disbursements as defined in subdivision 26;

 

(2) services provided without compensation by an individual volunteering personal time on behalf of a candidate, ballot question, political committee, political fund, principal campaign committee, or party unit; or

 

(3) the publishing or broadcasting of news items or editorial comments by the news media; or

 

(4) an individual's unreimbursed personal use of an automobile owned by the individual and used by the individual while volunteering personal time.

 

Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.01, subdivision 11, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 11.  Contribution.  (a) "Contribution" means money, a negotiable instrument, or a donation in kind that is given to a political committee, political fund, principal campaign committee, or party unit.


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(b) "Contribution" includes a loan or advance of credit to a political committee, political fund, principal campaign committee, or party unit, if the loan or advance of credit is:  (1) forgiven; or (2) repaid by an individual or an association other than the political committee, political fund, principal campaign committee, or party unit to which the loan or advance of credit was made.  If an advance of credit or a loan is forgiven or repaid as provided in this paragraph, it is a contribution in the year in which the loan or advance of credit was made.

 

(c) "Contribution" does not include services provided without compensation by an individual volunteering personal time on behalf of a candidate, ballot question, political committee, political fund, principal campaign committee, or party unit, or; the publishing or broadcasting of news items or editorial comments by the news media; or an individual's unreimbursed personal use of an automobile owned by the individual while volunteering personal time.

 

Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.01, subdivision 18, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 18.  Independent expenditure.  "Independent expenditure" means an expenditure expressly advocating the election or defeat of a clearly identified candidate, if the expenditure is made without the express or implied consent, authorization, or cooperation of, and not in concert with or at the request or suggestion of, any candidate or any candidate's principal campaign committee or agent.  An independent expenditure is not a contribution to that candidate.  An expenditure by a political party or political party unit in a race where the political party has a candidate on the ballot is not an independent expenditure.

 

Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.01, subdivision 26, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 26.  Noncampaign disbursement.  "Noncampaign disbursement" means a purchase or payment of money or anything of value made, or an advance of credit incurred, or a donation in kind received, by a principal campaign committee for any of the following purposes: 

 

(1) payment for accounting and legal services;

 

(2) return of a contribution to the source;

 

(3) repayment of a loan made to the principal campaign committee by that committee;

 

(4) return of a public subsidy;

 

(5) payment for food, beverages, and necessary utensils and supplies, entertainment, and facility rental for a fund-raising event;

 

(6) services for a constituent by a member of the legislature or a constitutional officer in the executive branch, including the costs of preparing and distributing a suggestion or idea solicitation to constituents, performed from the beginning of the term of office to adjournment sine die of the legislature in the election year for the office held, and half the cost of services for a constituent by a member of the legislature or a constitutional officer in the executive branch performed from adjournment sine die to 60 days after adjournment sine die;

 

(7) payment for food and beverages consumed by a candidate or volunteers while they are engaged in campaign activities;

 

(8) payment for food or a beverage consumed while attending a reception or meeting directly related to legislative duties;

 

(9) payment of expenses incurred by elected or appointed leaders of a legislative caucus in carrying out their leadership responsibilities;


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(10) payment by a principal campaign committee of the candidate's expenses for serving in public office, other than for personal uses;

 

(11) costs of child care for the candidate's children when campaigning;

 

(12) fees paid to attend a campaign school;

 

(13) costs of a postelection party during the election year when a candidate's name will no longer appear on a ballot or the general election is concluded, whichever occurs first;

 

(14) interest on loans paid by a principal campaign committee on outstanding loans;

 

(15) filing fees;

 

(16) post-general election thank-you notes or advertisements in the news media;

 

(17) the cost of campaign material purchased to replace defective campaign material, if the defective material is destroyed without being used;

 

(18) contributions to a party unit;

 

(19) payments for funeral gifts or memorials;

 

(20) the cost of a magnet less than six inches in diameter containing legislator contact information and distributed to constituents;

 

(21) costs associated with a candidate attending a political party state or national convention in this state; and

 

(22) other purchases or payments specified in board rules or advisory opinions as being for any purpose other than to influence the nomination or election of a candidate or to promote or defeat a ballot question; and

 

(23) costs paid to a third party for processing contributions made by a credit card, debit card, or electronic check. 

 

The board must determine whether an activity involves a noncampaign disbursement within the meaning of this subdivision. 

 

A noncampaign disbursement is considered to be made in the year in which the candidate made the purchase of goods or services or incurred an obligation to pay for goods or services. 

 

Sec. 5.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.03, is amended to read:

 

10A.03 LOBBYIST REGISTRATION. 

 

Subdivision 1.  First registration.  A lobbyist must file a registration form with the board within five days after becoming a lobbyist or being engaged by a new individual, association, political subdivision, or public higher education system.

 

Subd. 2.  Form.  The board must prescribe a registration form, which must include:

 

(1) the name and, address, and e-mail address of the lobbyist;


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(2) the principal place of business of the lobbyist;

 

(3) the name and address of each individual, association, political subdivision, or public higher education system, if any, by whom the lobbyist is retained or employed or on whose behalf the lobbyist appears; and

 

(4) the web site address of each association, political subdivision, or public higher education system identified under part 3 of this subdivision, if the entity maintains a web site; and

 

(4) (5) a general description of the subject or subjects on which the lobbyist expects to lobby.

 

If the lobbyist lobbies on behalf of an association, the registration form must include the name and address of the officers and directors of the association.

 

Subd. 3.  Failure to file.  The board must send a notice by certified mail to any lobbyist who fails to file a registration form within five days after becoming a lobbyist.  If a lobbyist fails to file a form within ten business days after the notice was sent, the board may impose a late filing fee of $5 per day, not to exceed $100, starting on the 11th day after the notice was sent.  The board must send an additional notice by certified mail to a lobbyist who fails to file a form within 14 days after the first notice was sent by the board that the lobbyist may be subject to a civil penalty for failure to file the form.  A lobbyist who fails to file a form within seven days after the second notice was sent by the board is subject to a civil penalty imposed by the board of up to $1,000.

 

Subd. 4.  Publication.  The restrictions of section 10.60 notwithstanding, the board may publish the information required in subdivision 2 on its web site.

 

Subd. 5.  Exemptions.  For good cause shown, the board must grant exemptions to the requirement that e-mail addresses be provided.

 

Sec. 6.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.04, subdivision 5, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 5.  Late filing.  The board must send a notice by certified mail to any lobbyist or principal who fails after seven days after a filing date imposed by this section to file a report or statement or to pay a fee required by this section.  If a lobbyist or principal fails to file a report or pay a fee required by this section within ten business days after the notice was sent report was due, the board may impose a late filing fee of $5 per day, not to exceed $100, commencing with the 11th day after the notice was sent report was due.  The board must send an additional notice by certified mail to any lobbyist or principal who fails to file a report or pay a fee within 14 days after the first notice was sent by the board ten business days after the report was due that the lobbyist or principal may be subject to a civil penalty for failure to file the report or pay the fee.  A lobbyist or principal who fails to file a report or statement or pay a fee within seven days after the second certified mail notice was sent by the board is subject to a civil penalty imposed by the board of up to $1,000.

 

Sec. 7.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.071, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

 

Subdivision 1.  Definitions.  (a) The definitions in this subdivision apply to this section.

 

(b) "Gift" means money, real or personal property, a service, a loan, a forbearance or forgiveness of indebtedness, or a promise of future employment, that is given and received without the giver receiving consideration of equal or greater value in return.

 

(c) "Official" means a public official, an employee of the legislature, a judge, or a local official of a metropolitan governmental unit.


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Sec. 8.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.071, subdivision 3, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 3.  Exceptions.  (a) The prohibitions in this section do not apply if the gift is: 

 

(1) a contribution as defined in section 10A.01, subdivision 11;

 

(2) services to assist an official in the performance of official duties, including but not limited to providing advice, consultation, information, and communication in connection with legislation, and services to constituents;

 

(3) services of insignificant monetary value;

 

(4) a plaque with a resale value of $5 or less;

 

(5) a trinket or memento costing $5 or less;

 

(6) informational material of unexceptional value with a resale value of $5 or less; or

 

(7) food or a beverage given at a reception, meal, or meeting away from the recipient's place of work by an organization before whom the recipient appears to make a speech or answer questions as part of a program. 

 

(b) The prohibitions in this section do not apply if the gift is given: 

 

(1) because of the recipient's membership in a group, a majority of whose members are not officials, and an equivalent gift is given to the other members of the group; or

 

(2) by a lobbyist or principal who is a member of the family of the recipient, unless the gift is given on behalf of someone who is not a member of that family. 

 

Sec. 9.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.08, is amended to read:

 

10A.08 REPRESENTATION DISCLOSURE. 

 

A public official who represents a client for a fee before an individual, board, commission, or agency that has rulemaking authority in a hearing conducted under chapter 14, must disclose the official's participation in the action to the board within 14 days after the appearance.  The board must send a notice by certified mail to any public official who fails to disclose the participation within 14 days after the appearance.  If the public official fails to disclose the participation within ten business days after the notice was sent disclosure required by this section was due, the board may impose a late filing fee of $5 per day, not to exceed $100, starting on the 11th day after the notice was sent disclosure was due.  The board must send an additional notice by certified mail to a public official who fails to disclose the participation within 14 ten business days after the first notice was sent by the board disclosure was due that the public official may be subject to a civil penalty for failure to disclose the participation.  A public official who fails to disclose the participation within seven days after the second certified mail notice was sent by the board is subject to a civil penalty imposed by the board of up to $1,000.

 

Sec. 10.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.09, subdivision 7, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 7.  Late filing.  The board must send a notice by certified mail to any individual who fails within the prescribed time to file a statement of economic interest required by this section.  If an individual fails to file a statement of economic interest required by this section within ten business days after the notice was sent statement was due, the board may impose a late filing fee of $5 per day, not to exceed $100, commencing on the 11th day after the notice was sent statement was due.  The board must send an additional notice by certified mail to any individual


Journal of the House - 99th Day - Friday, May 7, 2010 - Top of Page 11670


who fails to file a statement within 14 ten business days after the first notice was sent by the board statement was due that the individual may be subject to a civil penalty for failure to file a statement.  An individual who fails to file a statement within seven days after the second certified mail notice was sent by the board is subject to a civil penalty imposed by the board up to $1,000.

 

Sec. 11.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.14, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 2.  Form.  The statement of organization must include:

 

(1) the name and, address, and web site address if the registrant maintains a web site, of the committee, fund, or party unit;

 

(2) the name and, address, and e-mail address of the chair of a political committee, principal campaign committee, or party unit;

 

(3) the name and address of any supporting association of a political fund;

 

(4) the name and, address, and e-mail address of the treasurer and any deputy treasurers;

 

(5) the name, address, and e-mail address of the candidate of a principal campaign committee;

 

(6) a listing of all depositories or safety deposit boxes used; and

 

(6) (7) for the state committee of a political party only, a list of its party units.

 

Sec. 12.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.14, subdivision 4, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 4.  Failure to file; penalty.  The board must send a notice by certified mail to any individual who fails to file a statement required by this section.  If the an individual fails to file a statement required by this section within ten business days after the notice was sent statement was due, the board may impose a late filing fee of $5 per day, not to exceed $100, commencing with the 11th day after the notice was sent statement was due.

 

The board must send an additional notice by certified mail to any individual who fails to file a statement within 14 ten business days after the first notice was sent by the board statement was due that the individual may be subject to a civil penalty for failure to file the report statement.  An individual who fails to file the statement within seven days after the second certified mail notice was sent by the board is subject to a civil penalty imposed by the board of up to $1,000.

 

Sec. 13.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.14, is amended by adding a subdivision to read:

 

Subd. 5.  Exemptions.  For good cause shown, the board must grant exemptions to the requirement that e-mail addresses be provided.

 

Sec. 14.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.20, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

 

Subdivision 1.  First filing; duration.  The treasurer of a political committee, political fund, principal campaign committee, or party unit must begin to file the reports required by this section in the first year it receives contributions or makes expenditures in excess of $100 and must continue to file until the committee, fund, or party unit is terminated.  The reports must be filed electronically in a standards-based open format specified by the board.  For good cause shown, the board must grant exemptions to the requirement that reports be filed electronically.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE.  This section is effective January 1, 2012, and applies to reports for election years on or after that date.


Journal of the House - 99th Day - Friday, May 7, 2010 - Top of Page 11671


Sec. 15.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.20, is amended by adding a subdivision to read:

 

Subd. 1b.  Release of reports.  Except as provided in subdivision 1c, a report filed under this section is nonpublic data until 8:00 a.m. on the day following the day the report was due.

 

Sec. 16.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.20, is amended by adding a subdivision to read:

 

Subd. 1c.  Reports of certain political party units.  (a) This subdivision applies to the following party units: 

 

(1) the two state party units of major political parties that received the highest level of contributions in the last election year;

 

(2) the two party units established by members of a major party in the house of representatives that received the highest level of contributions in the last election year; and

 

(3) the two party units established by members of a major party in the senate that received the highest level of contributions in the last election year.

 

(b) A report filed under this section by a member of one of the party units listed in paragraph (a) is nonpublic data until the reports of each of the party units in that group have been filed.

 

(c) A report filed electronically under this section by a member of one of the party units listed in paragraph (a) is nonpublic data unless the reports of each of the party units in that group are filed electronically or until the board has created electronic data from the nonelectronic report so that data from each report are available in the same electronic form.  The board may produce a viewable image of an electronic report after the requirements of paragraph (b) have been met.

 

(d) A party unit may waive the restrictions on publication of data established in this section through a written statement signed by the treasurer.

 

(e) Nothing in this subdivision prevents the board from publicly disclosing that an entity subject to this section has filed a report and the date the report was filed.

 

(f) Each group listed in paragraph (a) is exempt from the electronic filing requirement unless both members of the group have approved the filing format specified by the board.

 

Sec. 17.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.20, subdivision 12, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 12.  Failure to file; penalty.  The board must send a notice by certified mail to any individual who fails to file a statement required by this section.  If an individual fails to file a statement report required by this section that is due January 31 within ten business days after the notice was sent report was due, the board may impose a late filing fee of $5 per day, not to exceed $100, commencing with the 11th day after the notice was sent report was due.

 

If an individual fails to file a statement report required by this section that is due before a primary or election within three days after the date due, regardless of whether the individual has received any notice, the board may impose a late filing fee of $50 per day, not to exceed $500, commencing on the fourth day after the date the statement was due.

 

The board must send an additional notice by certified mail to an individual who fails to file a statement report within 14 ten business days after the first notice was sent by the board report was due that the individual may be subject to a civil penalty for failure to file a statement the report.  An individual who fails to file the statement report within seven days after the second certified mail notice was sent by the board is subject to a civil penalty imposed by the board of up to $1,000.


Journal of the House - 99th Day - Friday, May 7, 2010 - Top of Page 11672


Sec. 18.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.20, subdivision 13, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 13.  Third-party reimbursement.  An individual or association filing a report disclosing an expenditure or noncampaign disbursement that must be reported and itemized under subdivision 3, paragraph (g) or (l), that is a reimbursement to a third party must report the purpose of each expenditure or disbursement for which the third party is being reimbursed.  In the alternative, the reporting individual or association may report individually each of the underlying expenditures being reimbursed.  An expenditure or disbursement is a reimbursement to a third party if it is for goods or services that were not directly provided by the individual or association to whom the expenditure or disbursement is made.  Third-party reimbursements include payments to credit card companies and reimbursement of individuals for expenses they have incurred.

 

Sec. 19.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.27, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

 

Subdivision 1.  Contribution limits.  (a) Except as provided in subdivision 2, a candidate must not permit the candidate's principal campaign committee to accept aggregate contributions made or delivered by any individual, political committee, or political fund in excess of the following:

 

(1) to candidates for governor and lieutenant governor running together, $2,000 in an election year for the office sought and $500 in other years;

 

(2) to a candidate for attorney general, secretary of state, or state auditor, $1,000 in an election year for the office sought and $200 in other years;

 

(3) to a candidate for the office of secretary of state or state auditor, $500 in an election year for the office sought and $100 in other years;

 

(4) (3) to a candidate for state senator, $500 in an election year for the office sought and $100 in other years; and

 

(5) (4) to a candidate for state representative, $500 in an election year for the office sought and $100 in the other year; and

 

(5) to a candidate for judicial office, $2,000 in an election year for the office sought and $500 in other years.

 

(b) The following deliveries are not subject to the bundling limitation in this subdivision:

 

(1) delivery of contributions collected by a member of the candidate's principal campaign committee, such as a block worker or a volunteer who hosts a fund-raising event, to the committee's treasurer; and

 

(2) a delivery made by an individual on behalf of the individual's spouse.

 

(c) A lobbyist, political committee, political party unit, or political fund must not make a contribution a candidate is prohibited from accepting.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE; APPLICABILITY.  This section is effective the day following final enactment.  The limits on contributions received by a candidate for judicial office apply to contributions received on or after that date.  A judicial candidate who has accepted a contribution from an individual, political committee, or political fund between January 1, 2010, and the effective date of this act may only accept an additional contribution from that individual, political committee, or political fund during calendar year 2010 to the extent that the additional contribution does not cause the aggregate amount received from that contributor to exceed the limit contained in this section.


Journal of the House - 99th Day - Friday, May 7, 2010 - Top of Page 11673


Sec. 20.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.31, is amended by adding a subdivision to read:

 

Subd. 7a.  Withholding of public subsidy.  If a candidate who is eligible for payment of public subsidy under this section has not filed the report of receipts and expenditures required under section 10A.20 before a primary election, any public subsidy for which that candidate is eligible must be withheld by the board until the candidate complies with the filing requirements of section 10A.20 and the board has sufficient time to review or audit the report.  If a candidate who is eligible for public subsidy does not file the report due before the primary election under section 10A.20 by the date that the report of receipts and expenditures filed before the general election is due, that candidate shall not be paid public subsidy for that election.

 

Sec. 21.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.322, subdivision 1, as amended by Laws 2010, chapter 184, section 3, is amended to read:

 

Subdivision 1.  Agreement by candidate.  (a) As a condition of receiving a public subsidy, a candidate must sign and file with the board a written agreement in which the candidate agrees that the candidate will comply with sections 10A.25; 10A.27, subdivision 10; 10A.31, subdivision 7, paragraph (c); 10A.324; and 10A.38.

 

(b) Before the first day of filing for office, the board must forward agreement forms to all filing officers.  The board must also provide agreement forms to candidates on request at any time.  The candidate must file the agreement with the board at least three weeks before the candidate's state primary.  An agreement may not be filed after that date.  An agreement once filed may not be rescinded.

 

(c) The board must notify the commissioner of revenue of any agreement signed under this subdivision.

 

(d) Notwithstanding paragraph (b), if a vacancy occurs that will be filled by means of a special election and the filing period does not coincide with the filing period for the general election, a candidate may sign and submit a spending limit agreement not later than the day after the candidate files the affidavit of candidacy or nominating petition for the office close of the filing period for the special election for which the candidate filed.

 

Sec. 22.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.323, is amended to read:

 

10A.323 AFFIDAVIT OF CONTRIBUTIONS. 

 

In addition to the requirements of section 10A.322, to be eligible to receive a public subsidy under section 10A.31 a candidate or the candidate's treasurer must file an affidavit with the board stating that during that calendar year the candidate has accumulated contributions from persons eligible to vote in this state in at least the amount indicated for the office sought, counting only the first $50 received from each contributor: 

 

(1) candidates for governor and lieutenant governor running together, $35,000;

 

(2) candidates for attorney general, $15,000;

 

(3) candidates for secretary of state and state auditor, separately, $6,000;

 

(4) candidates for the senate, $3,000; and

 

(5) candidates for the house of representatives, $1,500. 

 

The affidavit must state the total amount of contributions that have been received from persons eligible to vote in this state, disregarding the portion of any contribution in excess of $50. 


Journal of the House - 99th Day - Friday, May 7, 2010 - Top of Page 11674


The candidate or the candidate's treasurer must submit the affidavit required by this section to the board in writing by the cutoff date for reporting of receipts and expenditures before a primary under section 10A.20, subdivision 4. 

 

A candidate for a vacancy to be filled at a special election for which the filing period does not coincide with the filing period for the general election must submit the affidavit required by this section to the board within five days after filing the affidavit of candidacy the close of the filing period for the special election for which the candidate filed. 

 

Sec. 23.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.35, is amended to read:

 

10A.35 COMMERCIAL USE OF INFORMATION PROHIBITED. 

 

Information copied from reports and statements filed with the board, other than reports and statements filed by lobbyists and lobbyist principals, may not be sold or used by an individual or association for a commercial purpose.  Purposes related to elections, political activities, or law enforcement are not commercial purposes.  An individual or association who violates this section is subject to a civil penalty of up to $1,000.  An individual who knowingly violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor.

 

Sec. 24.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 13.607, is amended by adding a subdivision to read:

 

Subd. 5a.  Campaign reports.  Certain reports filed with the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board are classified under section 10A.20.

 

Sec. 25.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 211A.02, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 2.  Information required.  The report to be filed by a candidate or committee must include: 

 

(1) the name of the candidate or ballot question;

 

(2) the printed name, address, telephone number, signature, and e-mail address, if available, of the person responsible for filing the report;

 

(3) the total cash on hand;

 

(4) the total amount of receipts and expenditures for the period from the last previous report to five days before the current report is due;

 

(4) (5) the amount, date, and purpose for each expenditure; and

 

(5) (6) the name, address, and employer, or occupation if self-employed, of any individual or committee that during the year has made one or more contributions that in the aggregate exceed $100, and the amount and date of each contribution.  The filing officer must restrict public access to the address of any individual who has made a contribution that exceeds $100 and who has filed with the filing officer a written statement signed by the individual that withholding the individual's address from the financial report is required for the safety of the individual or the individual's family.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE.  This section is effective June 1, 2012.


Journal of the House - 99th Day - Friday, May 7, 2010 - Top of Page 11675


Sec. 26.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 211A.05, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 2.  Notice of failure to file.  If a candidate or committee has filed an initial report, but fails to file a subsequent report on the date it is due, the filing officer shall immediately notify the candidate or committee of the failure to file.  If a report is not filed within ten days after the notification is mailed, the filing officer shall file a complaint under section 211B.32.

 

Sec. 27.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 211B.12, is amended to read:

 

211B.12 LEGAL EXPENDITURES. 

 

Use of money collected for political purposes is prohibited unless the use is reasonably related to the conduct of election campaigns, or is a noncampaign disbursement as defined in section 10A.01, subdivision 26.  The following are permitted expenditures when made for political purposes: 

 

(1) salaries, wages, and fees;

 

(2) communications, mailing, transportation, and travel;

 

(3) campaign advertising;

 

(4) printing;

 

(5) office and other space and necessary equipment, furnishings, and incidental supplies;

 

(6) charitable contributions of not more than $100 to any charity organized under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code annually, except that the amount contributed by a principal campaign committee or from the campaign fund of a candidate for political subdivision office that dissolves within one year after the contribution is made is not limited by this clause; and

 

(7) other expenses, not included in clauses (1) to (6), that are reasonably related to the conduct of election campaigns.  In addition, expenditures made for the purpose of providing information to constituents, whether or not related to the conduct of an election, are permitted expenses.  Money collected for political purposes and assets of a political committee or political fund may not be converted to personal use.

 

Sec. 28.  CAMPAIGN FINANCE AND PUBLIC DISCLOSURE BOARD; FUNDING OPTION. 

 

The Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board shall analyze the potential use of funds collected under Minnesota Statutes, section 10A.31, as the exclusive source of funding for the operations of the board.

 

The board must submit a report describing the board's findings and recommendations under this section to the chairs and ranking minority members of the legislative committees with jurisdiction over elections policy and finance no later than January 15, 2011.

 

Sec. 29.  REPEALER. 

 

Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.20, subdivision 6b, is repealed."


Journal of the House - 99th Day - Friday, May 7, 2010 - Top of Page 11676


Delete the title and insert:

 

"A bill for an act relating to elections; campaign finance; removing certain unconstitutional provisions governing independent expenditures in political campaigns; changing certain campaign expenditure and contribution limits and provisions and certain reporting requirements; authorizing electronic filing of certain items with the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board; providing contribution limits for judicial candidates; increasing certain contribution limits for candidates for secretary of state and state auditor; making certain reports filed with the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board nonpublic data until certain conditions have been met; requiring certain reports; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, sections 10A.01, subdivisions 9, 11, 18, 26; 10A.03; 10A.04, subdivision 5; 10A.071, subdivisions 1, 3; 10A.08; 10A.09, subdivision 7; 10A.14, subdivisions 2, 4, by adding a subdivision; 10A.20, subdivisions 1, 12, 13, by adding subdivisions; 10A.27, subdivision 1; 10A.31, by adding a subdivision; 10A.322, subdivision 1, as amended; 10A.323; 10A.35; 13.607, by adding a subdivision; 211A.02, subdivision 2; 211A.05, subdivision 2; 211B.12; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.20, subdivision 6b."

 

 

We request the adoption of this report and repassage of the bill.

 

Senate Conferees:  Ann H. Rest, Katie Sieben and Chris Gerlach.

 

House Conferees:  Steve Simon, Ryan Winkler and Tim Sanders.

 

 

      Simon moved that the report of the Conference Committee on S. F. No. 80 be adopted and that the bill be repassed as amended by the Conference Committee.  The motion prevailed.

 

 

S. F. No. 80, A bill for an act relating to elections; campaign finance; removing certain unconstitutional provisions governing independent expenditures in political campaigns; changing certain campaign expenditure and contribution limits and certain reporting requirements; authorizing electronic filing of certain items with the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board; providing contribution limits for judicial candidates; increasing contribution limits for candidates for secretary of state, state auditor and the legislature; making certain reports filed with the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board nonpublic data until certain conditions have been met; requiring the public subsidy for an eligible candidate be withheld until a required report has been filed; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, sections 10A.01, subdivisions 9, 11, 18, 26; 10A.04, subdivision 5; 10A.071, subdivision 3; 10A.08; 10A.09, subdivision 7; 10A.14, subdivisions 2, 4, by adding a subdivision; 10A.20, subdivisions 1, 12, 13, by adding subdivisions; 10A.27, subdivision 1; 10A.31, subdivision 6, by adding a subdivision; 10A.322, subdivision 1; 10A.323; 10A.35; 13.607, by adding a subdivision; 211A.02, subdivision 2; 211A.05, subdivision 2; 211B.12; repealing Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 10A.20, subdivision 6b.

 

 

      The bill was read for the third time, as amended by Conference, and placed upon its repassage.

 

      The question was taken on the repassage of the bill and the roll was called.  There were 131 yeas and 0 nays as follows:

 

      Those who voted in the affirmative were:

 


Abeler

Anderson, B.

Anderson, P.

Anderson, S.

Anzelc

Atkins

Beard

Benson

Bigham

Bly

Brod

Brown

Brynaert

Buesgens

Bunn

Carlson

Champion

Clark

Cornish

Davnie

Dean

Demmer

Dettmer

Dill


Journal of the House - 99th Day - Friday, May 7, 2010 - Top of Page 11677


Dittrich

Doepke

Doty

Downey

Drazkowski

Eastlund

Eken

Falk

Faust

Fritz

Gardner

Garofalo

Gottwalt

Greiling

Gunther

Hackbarth

Hamilton

Hansen

Hausman

Haws

Hayden

Hilstrom

Hilty

Holberg

Hoppe

Hornstein

Hortman

Hosch

Howes

Huntley

Jackson

Johnson

Juhnke

Kahn

Kalin

Kath

Kelly

Kiffmeyer

Knuth

Koenen

Kohls

Laine

Lanning

Lenczewski

Lesch

Liebling

Lieder

Lillie

Loeffler

Loon

Mack

Magnus

Mahoney

Mariani

Marquart

Masin

McFarlane

McNamara

Morgan

Morrow

Mullery

Murdock

Murphy, E.

Murphy, M.

Nelson

Newton

Nornes

Norton

Obermueller

Olin

Otremba

Paymar

Pelowski

Peppin

Persell

Peterson

Poppe

Reinert

Rosenthal

Rukavina

Ruud

Sailer

Sanders

Scalze

Scott

Seifert

Sertich

Severson

Shimanski

Simon

Slawik

Slocum

Solberg

Sterner

Swails

Thao

Thissen

Tillberry

Torkelson

Urdahl

Wagenius

Ward

Welti

Westrom

Winkler

Zellers

Spk. Kelliher


 

 

      The bill was repassed, as amended by Conference, and its title agreed to.

 

 

Madam Speaker:

 

      I hereby announce that the Senate has concurred in and adopted the report of the Conference Committee on:

 

      S. F. No. 2519.

 

      The Senate has repassed said bill in accordance with the recommendation and report of the Conference Committee.  Said Senate File is herewith transmitted to the House.

 

Colleen J. Pacheco, First Assistant Secretary of the Senate

 

 

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT ON S. F. NO. 2519

 

A bill for an act relating to public utilities; requiring disclosure of public utility's travel, entertainment, and related expenses included in rate change request; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, sections 13.681, by adding a subdivision; 216B.16, by adding a subdivision.

 

May 5, 2010

 

The Honorable James P. Metzen

President of the Senate

 

The Honorable Margaret Anderson Kelliher

Speaker of the House of Representatives

 

We, the undersigned conferees for S. F. No. 2519 report that we have agreed upon the items in dispute and recommend as follows:

 

That the House recede from its amendments and that S. F. No. 2519 be further amended as follows:


Journal of the House - 99th Day - Friday, May 7, 2010 - Top of Page 11678


Delete everything after the enacting clause and insert:

 

"Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 13.681, is amended by adding a subdivision to read:

 

Subd. 8.  Public utility expense data.  Treatment of employee expense data submitted in a rate case petition is governed by section 216B.16, subdivision 17.

 

Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 216B.16, is amended by adding a subdivision to read:

 

Subd. 17.  Travel, entertainment, and related employee expenses.  (a) The commission may not allow as operating expenses a public utility's travel, entertainment, and related employee expenses that the commission deems unreasonable and unnecessary for the provision of utility service.  In order to assist the commission in evaluating the travel, entertainment, and related employee expenses that may be allowed for ratemaking purposes, a public utility filing a general rate case petition shall include a schedule separately itemizing all travel, entertainment, and related employee expenses as specified by the commission, including but not limited to the following categories:

 

(1) travel and lodging expenses;

 

(2) food and beverage expenses;

 

(3) recreational and entertainment expenses;

 

(4) board of director-related expenses, including and separately itemizing all compensation and expense reimbursements;

 

(5) expenses for the ten highest paid officers and employees, including and separately itemizing all compensation and expense reimbursements;

 

(6) dues and expenses for memberships in organizations or clubs;

 

(7) gift expenses;

 

(8) expenses related to owned, leased, or chartered aircraft; and

 

(9) lobbying expenses.

 

(b) To comply with the requirements of paragraph (a), each applicable expense incurred in the most recently completed fiscal year must be itemized separately, and each itemization must include the date of the expense, the amount of the expense, the vendor name, and the business purpose of the expense.  The separate itemization required by this paragraph may be provided using standard accounting reports already utilized by the utility involved in the rate case, in a written format or an electronic format that is acceptable to the commission.  For expenses identified in response to paragraph (a), clauses (1) and (2), the utility shall disclose the total amounts for each expense category and provide separate itemization for those expenses incurred by or on behalf of any employee at the level of vice president or higher and for board members.  The petitioning utility shall also provide a one-page summary of the total amounts for each expense category included in the petitioning utility's proposed test year.

 

(c) Except as otherwise provided in this paragraph, data submitted to the commission under paragraph (a) are public data.  The commission or an administrative law judge assigned to the case may treat the salary of one or more of the ten highest paid officers and employees, other than the five highest paid, as private data on individuals as defined in section 13.02, subdivision 12, or issue a protective order governing release of the salary, if the utility establishes that the competitive disadvantage to the utility that would result from release of the salary outweighs the public interest in access to the data.  Access to the data by a government entity that is a party to the rate case must not be restricted."


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Delete the title and insert:

 

"A bill for an act relating to public utilities; modifying provisions related to recovery of expenses by utilities; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, sections 13.681, by adding a subdivision; 216B.16, by adding a subdivision."

 

 

We request the adoption of this report and repassage of the bill.

 

Senate Conferees:  Ellen Anderson, Kevin Dahle, Katie Sieben, Dennis Frederickson and D. Scott Dibble.

 

House Conferees:  Debra Hilstrom, Andrew Falk, Melissa Hortman, Gail Kulick Jackson and Jim Abeler.

 

 

      Hilstrom moved that the report of the Conference Committee on S. F. No. 2519 be adopted and that the bill be repassed as amended by the Conference Committee.  The motion prevailed.

 

 

      S. F. No. 2519, A bill for an act relating to public utilities; requiring disclosure of public utility's travel, entertainment, and related expenses included in rate change request; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, sections 13.681, by adding a subdivision; 216B.16, by adding a subdivision.

 

 

      The bill was read for the third time, as amended by Conference, and placed upon its repassage.

 

      The question was taken on the repassage of the bill and the roll was called.  There were 99 yeas and 32 nays as follows:

 

      Those who voted in the affirmative were:

 


Abeler

Anderson, S.

Anzelc

Atkins

Benson

Bigham

Bly

Brown

Brynaert

Bunn

Carlson

Champion

Clark

Davnie

Dill

Dittrich

Doepke

Doty

Eken

Falk

Faust

Fritz

Gardner

Garofalo

Greiling

Hansen

Hausman

Haws

Hayden

Hilstrom

Hilty

Hornstein

Hortman

Hosch

Howes

Huntley

Jackson

Johnson

Juhnke

Kahn

Kalin

Kath

Knuth

Koenen

Laine

Lenczewski

Lesch

Liebling

Lieder

Lillie

Loeffler

Loon

Mack

Mahoney

Mariani

Marquart

Masin

McFarlane

McNamara

Morgan

Morrow

Mullery

Murphy, E.

Murphy, M.

Nelson

Newton

Norton

Obermueller

Olin

Otremba

Paymar

Pelowski

Persell

Peterson

Poppe

Reinert

Rosenthal

Rukavina

Ruud

Sailer

Sanders

Scalze

Sertich

Simon

Slawik

Slocum

Solberg

Sterner

Swails

Thao

Thissen

Tillberry

Urdahl

Wagenius

Ward

Welti

Westrom

Winkler

Spk. Kelliher


 

 

      Those who voted in the negative were:

 


Anderson, B.

Anderson, P.

Beard

Brod

Buesgens

Cornish

Dean

Demmer

Dettmer

Downey

Drazkowski

Eastlund

Gottwalt

Gunther

Hackbarth

Hamilton

Holberg

Hoppe


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Kelly

Kiffmeyer

Kohls

Lanning

Magnus

Murdock

Nornes

Peppin

Scott

Seifert

Severson

Shimanski

Torkelson

Zellers


 

 

      The bill was repassed, as amended by Conference, and its title agreed to.

 

 

Madam Speaker:

 

      I hereby announce that the Senate has concurred in and adopted the report of the Conference Committee on:

 

      S. F. No. 2935.

 

      The Senate has repassed said bill in accordance with the recommendation and report of the Conference Committee.  Said Senate File is herewith transmitted to the House.

 

Colleen J. Pacheco, First Assistant Secretary of the Senate

 

 

CONFERENCE COMMITTEE REPORT ON S. F. NO. 2935

 

A bill for an act relating to human services; making changes to licensing provisions; modifying background study requirements, disqualifications, and data classification; amending Minnesota Statutes 2008, sections 245A.07, subdivision 2a; 245A.30; 245B.05, subdivision 7; 245C.02, subdivision 18; Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, sections 245A.03, subdivision 2; 245A.04, subdivisions 5, 7; 245A.07, subdivisions 1, 3; 245A.144; 245A.50, subdivision 5; 245C.15, subdivision 2; 245C.20; 245C.22, subdivision 7.

 

May 3, 2010

 

The Honorable James P. Metzen

President of the Senate

 

The Honorable Margaret Anderson Kelliher

Speaker of the House of Representatives

 

We, the undersigned conferees for S. F. No. 2935 report that we have agreed upon the items in dispute and recommend as follows:

 

That the Senate concur in the House amendment and that S. F. No. 2935 be further amended as follows:

 

Delete everything after the enacting clause and insert:

 

"ARTICLE 1

 

LICENSING

 

Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 144A.071, subdivision 4c, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 4c.  Exceptions for replacement beds after June 30, 2003.  (a) The commissioner of health, in coordination with the commissioner of human services, may approve the renovation, replacement, upgrading, or relocation of a nursing home or boarding care home, under the following conditions: 


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(1) to license and certify an 80-bed city-owned facility in Nicollet County to be constructed on the site of a new city-owned hospital to replace an existing 85-bed facility attached to a hospital that is also being replaced.  The threshold allowed for this project under section 144A.073 shall be the maximum amount available to pay the additional medical assistance costs of the new facility;

 

(2) to license and certify 29 beds to be added to an existing 69-bed facility in St. Louis County, provided that the 29 beds must be transferred from active or layaway status at an existing facility in St. Louis County that had 235 beds on April 1, 2003. 

 

The licensed capacity at the 235-bed facility must be reduced to 206 beds, but the payment rate at that facility shall not be adjusted as a result of this transfer.  The operating payment rate of the facility adding beds after completion of this project shall be the same as it was on the day prior to the day the beds are licensed and certified.  This project shall not proceed unless it is approved and financed under the provisions of section 144A.073;

 

(3) to license and certify a new 60-bed facility in Austin, provided that:  (i) 45 of the new beds are transferred from a 45-bed facility in Austin under common ownership that is closed and 15 of the new beds are transferred from a 182-bed facility in Albert Lea under common ownership; (ii) the commissioner of human services is authorized by the 2004 legislature to negotiate budget-neutral planned nursing facility closures; and (iii) money is available from planned closures of facilities under common ownership to make implementation of this clause budget-neutral to the state.  The bed capacity of the Albert Lea facility shall be reduced to 167 beds following the transfer.  Of the 60 beds at the new facility, 20 beds shall be used for a special care unit for persons with Alzheimer's disease or related dementias;

 

(4) to license and certify up to 80 beds transferred from an existing state-owned nursing facility in Cass County to a new facility located on the grounds of the Ah-Gwah-Ching campus.  The operating cost payment rates for the new facility shall be determined based on the interim and settle-up payment provisions of Minnesota Rules, part 9549.0057, and the reimbursement provisions of section 256B.431.  The property payment rate for the first three years of operation shall be $35 per day.  For subsequent years, the property payment rate of $35 per day shall be adjusted for inflation as provided in section 256B.434, subdivision 4, paragraph (c), as long as the facility has a contract under section 256B.434; and

 

(5) to initiate a pilot program to license and certify up to 80 beds transferred from an existing county-owned nursing facility in Steele County relocated to the site of a new acute care facility as part of the county's Communities for a Lifetime comprehensive plan to create innovative responses to the aging of its population.  Upon relocation to the new site, the nursing facility shall delicense 28 beds.  The property payment rate for the first three years of operation of the new facility shall be increased by an amount as calculated according to items (i) to (v): 

 

(i) compute the estimated decrease in medical assistance residents served by the nursing facility by multiplying the decrease in licensed beds by the historical percentage of medical assistance resident days;

 

(ii) compute the annual savings to the medical assistance program from the delicensure of 28 beds by multiplying the anticipated decrease in medical assistance residents, determined in item (i), by the existing facility's weighted average payment rate multiplied by 365;

 

(iii) compute the anticipated annual costs for community-based services by multiplying the anticipated decrease in medical assistance residents served by the nursing facility, determined in item (i), by the average monthly elderly waiver service costs for individuals in Steele County multiplied by 12;

 

(iv) subtract the amount in item (iii) from the amount in item (ii);


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(v) divide the amount in item (iv) by an amount equal to the relocated nursing facility's occupancy factor under section 256B.431, subdivision 3f, paragraph (c), multiplied by the historical percentage of medical assistance resident days. 

 

For subsequent years, the adjusted property payment rate shall be adjusted for inflation as provided in section 256B.434, subdivision 4, paragraph (c), as long as the facility has a contract under section 256B.434.; and

 

(6) to consolidate and relocate nursing facility beds to a new site in Goodhue County and to integrate these services with other community-based programs and services under a communities for a lifetime pilot program and comprehensive plan to create innovative responses to the aging of its population.  Eighty beds in the city of Red Wing shall be transferred from the downsizing and relocation of an existing 84-bed, hospital-owned nursing facility and the entire closure or downsizing of beds from a 65-bed nonprofit nursing facility in the community resulting in the delicensure of 69 beds in the two existing facilities.  Notwithstanding the carryforward of the approval authority in section 144A.073, subdivision 11, the funding approved in April 2009 by the commissioner of health for a project in Goodhue County shall not carry forward.  The closure of the 69 beds shall not be eligible for a planned closure rate adjustment under section 256B.437.  The construction project permitted in this clause shall not be eligible for a threshold project rate adjustment under section 256B.434, subdivision 4f.  The property payment rate for the first three years of operation of the new facility shall be increased by an amount as calculated according to items (i) to (vi):

 

(i) compute the estimated decrease in medical assistance residents served by both nursing facilities by multiplying the difference between the occupied beds of the two nursing facilities for the reporting year ending September 30, 2009, and the projected occupancy of the facility at 95 percent occupancy by the historical percentage of medical assistance resident days;

 

(ii) compute the annual savings to the medical assistance program from the delicensure by multiplying the anticipated decrease in the medical assistance residents, determined in item (i), by the hospital-owned nursing facility weighted average payment rate multiplied by 365;

 

(iii) compute the anticipated annual costs for community-based services by multiplying the anticipated decrease in medical assistance residents served by the facilities, determined in item (i), by the average monthly elderly waiver service costs for individuals in Goodhue County multiplied by 12;

 

(iv) subtract the amount in item (iii) from the amount in item (ii);

 

(v) multiply the amount in item (iv) by 48.5 percent; and

 

(vi) divide the difference of the amount in item (iv) and the amount in item (v) by an amount equal to the relocated nursing facility's occupancy factor under section 256B.431, subdivision 3f, paragraph (c), multiplied by the historical percentage of medical assistance resident days.

 

For subsequent years, the adjusted property payment rate shall be adjusted for inflation as provided in section 256B.434, subdivision 4, paragraph (c), as long as the facility has a contract under section 256B.434.

 

(b) Projects approved under this subdivision shall be treated in a manner equivalent to projects approved under subdivision 4a.


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Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 245A.03, subdivision 2, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 2.  Exclusion from licensure.  (a) This chapter does not apply to:

 

(1) residential or nonresidential programs that are provided to a person by an individual who is related unless the residential program is a child foster care placement made by a local social services agency or a licensed child-placing agency, except as provided in subdivision 2a;

 

(2) nonresidential programs that are provided by an unrelated individual to persons from a single related family;

 

(3) residential or nonresidential programs that are provided to adults who do not abuse chemicals or who do not have a chemical dependency, a mental illness, a developmental disability, a functional impairment, or a physical disability;

 

(4) sheltered workshops or work activity programs that are certified by the commissioner of employment and economic development;

 

(5) programs operated by a public school for children 33 months or older;

 

(6) nonresidential programs primarily for children that provide care or supervision for periods of less than three hours a day while the child's parent or legal guardian is in the same building as the nonresidential program or present within another building that is directly contiguous to the building in which the nonresidential program is located;

 

(7) nursing homes or hospitals licensed by the commissioner of health except as specified under section 245A.02;

 

(8) board and lodge facilities licensed by the commissioner of health that do not provide services for five or more persons whose primary diagnosis is mental illness that do not provide intensive residential treatment children's residential services under Minnesota Rules, chapter 2960, mental health or chemical dependency treatment;

 

(9) homes providing programs for persons placed by a county or a licensed agency for legal adoption, unless the adoption is not completed within two years;

 

(10) programs licensed by the commissioner of corrections;

 

(11) recreation programs for children or adults that are operated or approved by a park and recreation board whose primary purpose is to provide social and recreational activities;

 

(12) programs operated by a school as defined in section 120A.22, subdivision 4; YMCA as defined in section 315.44; YWCA as defined in section 315.44; or JCC as defined in section 315.51, whose primary purpose is to provide child care or services to school-age children;

 

(13) Head Start nonresidential programs which operate for less than 45 days in each calendar year;

 

(14) noncertified boarding care homes unless they provide services for five or more persons whose primary diagnosis is mental illness or a developmental disability;

 

(15) programs for children such as scouting, boys clubs, girls clubs, and sports and art programs, and nonresidential programs for children provided for a cumulative total of less than 30 days in any 12-month period;

 

(16) residential programs for persons with mental illness, that are located in hospitals;


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(17) the religious instruction of school-age children; Sabbath or Sunday schools; or the congregate care of children by a church, congregation, or religious society during the period used by the church, congregation, or religious society for its regular worship;

 

(18) camps licensed by the commissioner of health under Minnesota Rules, chapter 4630;

 

(19) mental health outpatient services for adults with mental illness or children with emotional disturbance;

 

(20) residential programs serving school-age children whose sole purpose is cultural or educational exchange, until the commissioner adopts appropriate rules;

 

(21) unrelated individuals who provide out-of-home respite care services to persons with developmental disabilities from a single related family for no more than 90 days in a 12-month period and the respite care services are for the temporary relief of the person's family or legal representative;

 

(22) respite care services provided as a home and community-based service to a person with a developmental disability, in the person's primary residence;

 

(23) community support services programs as defined in section 245.462, subdivision 6, and family community support services as defined in section 245.4871, subdivision 17;

 

(24) the placement of a child by a birth parent or legal guardian in a preadoptive home for purposes of adoption as authorized by section 259.47;

 

(25) settings registered under chapter 144D which provide home care services licensed by the commissioner of health to fewer than seven adults;

 

(26) chemical dependency or substance abuse treatment activities of licensed professionals in private practice as defined in Minnesota Rules, part 9530.6405, subpart 15, when the treatment activities are not paid for by the consolidated chemical dependency treatment fund;

 

(27) consumer-directed community support service funded under the Medicaid waiver for persons with developmental disabilities when the individual who provided the service is:

 

(i) the same individual who is the direct payee of these specific waiver funds or paid by a fiscal agent, fiscal intermediary, or employer of record; and

 

(ii) not otherwise under the control of a residential or nonresidential program that is required to be licensed under this chapter when providing the service; or

 

(28) a program serving only children who are age 33 months or older, that is operated by a nonpublic school, for no more than four hours per day per child, with no more than 20 children at any one time, and that is accredited by:

 

(i) an accrediting agency that is formally recognized by the commissioner of education as a nonpublic school accrediting organization; or

 

(ii) an accrediting agency that requires background studies and that receives and investigates complaints about the services provided.

 

A program that asserts its exemption from licensure under item (ii) shall, upon request from the commissioner, provide the commissioner with documentation from the accrediting agency that verifies:  that the accreditation is current; that the accrediting agency investigates complaints about services; and that the accrediting agency's standards require background studies on all people providing direct contact services.


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(b) For purposes of paragraph (a), clause (6), a building is directly contiguous to a building in which a nonresidential program is located if it shares a common wall with the building in which the nonresidential program is located or is attached to that building by skyway, tunnel, atrium, or common roof.

 

(c) Nothing in this chapter shall be construed to require licensure for any services provided and funded according to an approved federal waiver plan where licensure is specifically identified as not being a condition for the services and funding.

 

Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 245A.03, is amended by adding a subdivision to read:

 

Subd. 9.  Permitted services by an individual who is related.  Notwithstanding subdivision 2, paragraph (a), clause (1), and subdivision 7, an individual who is related to a person receiving supported living services may provide licensed services to that person if:

 

(1) the person who receives supported living services received these services in a residential site on July 1, 2005;

 

(2) the services under clause (1) were provided in a corporate foster care setting for adults and were funded by the developmental disabilities home and community-based services waiver defined in section 256B.092;

 

(3) the individual who is related obtains and maintains both a license under chapter 245B and an adult foster care license under Minnesota Rules, parts 9555.5105 to 9555.6265; and

 

(4) the individual who is related is not the guardian of the person receiving supported living services.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE.  This section is effective the day following final enactment.

 

Sec. 4.  Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 245A.04, subdivision 5, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 5.  Commissioner's right of access.  When the commissioner is exercising the powers conferred by this chapter and sections 245.69, 626.556, and 626.557, the commissioner must be given access to the physical plant and grounds where the program is provided, documents and records, including records maintained in electronic format, persons served by the program, and staff whenever the program is in operation and the information is relevant to inspections or investigations conducted by the commissioner.  The commissioner must be given access without prior notice and as often as the commissioner considers necessary if the commissioner is conducting an investigation of allegations of investigating alleged maltreatment or other, conducting a licensing inspection, or investigating an alleged violation of applicable laws or rules.  In conducting inspections, the commissioner may request and shall receive assistance from other state, county, and municipal governmental agencies and departments.  The applicant or license holder shall allow the commissioner to photocopy, photograph, and make audio and video tape recordings during the inspection of the program at the commissioner's expense.  The commissioner shall obtain a court order or the consent of the subject of the records or the parents or legal guardian of the subject before photocopying hospital medical records. 

 

Persons served by the program have the right to refuse to consent to be interviewed, photographed, or audio or videotaped.  Failure or refusal of an applicant or license holder to fully comply with this subdivision is reasonable cause for the commissioner to deny the application or immediately suspend or revoke the license.

 

Sec. 5.  Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 245A.04, subdivision 7, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 7.  Grant of license; license extension.  (a) If the commissioner determines that the program complies with all applicable rules and laws, the commissioner shall issue a license.  At minimum, the license shall state:


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(1) the name of the license holder;

 

(2) the address of the program;

 

(3) the effective date and expiration date of the license;

 

(4) the type of license;

 

(5) the maximum number and ages of persons that may receive services from the program; and

 

(6) any special conditions of licensure.

 

(b) The commissioner may issue an initial license for a period not to exceed two years if:

 

(1) the commissioner is unable to conduct the evaluation or observation required by subdivision 4, paragraph (a), clauses (3) and (4), because the program is not yet operational;

 

(2) certain records and documents are not available because persons are not yet receiving services from the program; and

 

(3) the applicant complies with applicable laws and rules in all other respects.

 

(c) A decision by the commissioner to issue a license does not guarantee that any person or persons will be placed or cared for in the licensed program.  A license shall not be transferable to another individual, corporation, partnership, voluntary association, other organization, or controlling individual or to another location.

 

(d) A license holder must notify the commissioner and obtain the commissioner's approval before making any changes that would alter the license information listed under paragraph (a).

 

(e) Except as provided in paragraphs (g) and (h), the commissioner shall not issue or reissue a license if the applicant, license holder, or controlling individual has:

 

(1) been disqualified and the disqualification was not set aside and no variance has been granted;

 

(2) has been denied a license within the past two years;

 

(3) had a license revoked within the past five years; or

 

(4) has an outstanding debt related to a license fee, licensing fine, or settlement agreement for which payment is delinquent.

 

When a license is revoked under clause (1) or (3), the license holder and controlling individual may not hold any license under chapter 245A or 245B for five years following the revocation, and other licenses held by the applicant, license holder, or controlling individual shall also be revoked.

 

(f) The commissioner shall not issue or reissue a license if an individual living in the household where the licensed services will be provided as specified under section 245C.03, subdivision 1, has been disqualified and the disqualification has not been set aside and no variance has been granted.

 

(g) Pursuant to section 245A.07, subdivision 1, paragraph (b), when a license has been suspended or revoked and the suspension or revocation is under appeal, the program may continue to operate pending a final order from the commissioner.  If the license under suspension or revocation will expire before a final order is issued, a temporary provisional license may be issued provided any applicable license fee is paid before the temporary provisional license is issued.


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(h) Notwithstanding paragraph (g), when a revocation is based on the disqualification of a controlling individual or license holder, and the controlling individual or license holder is ordered under section 245C.17 to be immediately removed from direct contact with persons receiving services or is ordered to be under continuous, direct supervision when providing direct contact services, the program may continue to operate only if the program complies with the order and submits documentation demonstrating compliance with the order.  If the disqualified individual fails to submit a timely request for reconsideration, or if the disqualification is not set aside and no variance is granted, the order to immediately remove the individual from direct contact or to be under continuous, direct supervision remains in effect pending the outcome of a hearing and final order from the commissioner.

 

(g) (i) For purposes of reimbursement for meals only, under the Child and Adult Care Food Program, Code of Federal Regulations, title 7, subtitle B, chapter II, subchapter A, part 226, relocation within the same county by a licensed family day care provider, shall be considered an extension of the license for a period of no more than 30 calendar days or until the new license is issued, whichever occurs first, provided the county agency has determined the family day care provider meets licensure requirements at the new location.

 

(h) (j) Unless otherwise specified by statute, all licenses expire at 12:01 a.m. on the day after the expiration date stated on the license.  A license holder must apply for and be granted a new license to operate the program or the program must not be operated after the expiration date.

 

(k) The commissioner shall not issue or reissue a license if it has been determined that a tribal licensing authority has established jurisdiction to license the program or service.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE.  This section is effective the day following final enactment.

 

Sec. 6.  Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 245A.07, subdivision 1, is amended to read:

 

Subdivision 1.  Sanctions; appeals; license.  (a) In addition to making a license conditional under section 245A.06, the commissioner may suspend or revoke the license, impose a fine, or secure an injunction against the continuing operation of the program of a license holder who does not comply with applicable law or rule.  When applying sanctions authorized under this section, the commissioner shall consider the nature, chronicity, or severity of the violation of law or rule and the effect of the violation on the health, safety, or rights of persons served by the program.

 

(b) If a license holder appeals the suspension or revocation of a license and the license holder continues to operate the program pending a final order on the appeal, and the license expires during this time period, the commissioner shall issue the license holder a temporary provisional license.  The temporary provisional license is effective on the date issued and expires on the date that a final order is issued.  Unless otherwise specified by the commissioner, variances in effect on the date of the license sanction under appeal continue under the temporary provisional license.  If a license holder fails to comply with applicable law or rule while operating under a temporary provisional license, the commissioner may impose additional sanctions under this section and section 245A.06, and may terminate any prior variance.  If the license holder prevails on the appeal and the effective period of the previous license has expired a temporary provisional license is set to expire, a new temporary provisional license shall be issued to the license holder upon payment of any fee required under section 245A.10.  The effective date of the new license shall be retroactive to the date the license would have shown had no sanction been initiated.  The expiration date shall be the expiration date of that license had no license sanction been initiated.  The temporary provisional license shall expire on the date the final order is issued.  If the license holder prevails on the appeal, a new nonprovisional license shall be issued for the remainder of the current license period.

 

(c) If a license holder is under investigation and the license is due to expire before completion of the investigation, the program shall be issued a new license upon completion of the reapplication requirements and payment of any applicable license fee.  Upon completion of the investigation, a licensing sanction may be imposed against the new license under this section, section 245A.06, or 245A.08.


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(d) Failure to reapply or closure of a license by the license holder prior to the completion of any investigation shall not preclude the commissioner from issuing a licensing sanction under this section, section 245A.06, or 245A.08 at the conclusion of the investigation.

 

Sec. 7.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 245A.07, subdivision 2a, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 2a.  Immediate suspension expedited hearing.  (a) Within five working days of receipt of the license holder's timely appeal, the commissioner shall request assignment of an administrative law judge.  The request must include a proposed date, time, and place of a hearing.  A hearing must be conducted by an administrative law judge within 30 calendar days of the request for assignment, unless an extension is requested by either party and granted by the administrative law judge for good cause.  The commissioner shall issue a notice of hearing by certified mail or personal service at least ten working days before the hearing.  The scope of the hearing shall be limited solely to the issue of whether the temporary immediate suspension should remain in effect pending the commissioner's final order under section 245A.08, regarding a licensing sanction issued under subdivision 3 following the immediate suspension.  The burden of proof in expedited hearings under this subdivision shall be limited to the commissioner's demonstration that reasonable cause exists to believe that the license holder's actions or failure to comply with applicable law or rule poses, or if the actions of other individuals or conditions in the program poses an imminent risk of harm to the health, safety, or rights of persons served by the program.  "Reasonable cause" means there exist specific articulable facts or circumstances which provide the commissioner with a reasonable suspicion that there is an imminent risk of harm to the health, safety, or rights of persons served by the program.

 

(b) The administrative law judge shall issue findings of fact, conclusions, and a recommendation within ten working days from the date of hearing.  The parties shall have ten calendar days to submit exceptions to the administrative law judge's report.  The record shall close at the end of the ten-day period for submission of exceptions.  The commissioner's final order shall be issued within ten working days from the close of the record.  Within 90 calendar days after a final order affirming an immediate suspension, the commissioner shall make a determination regarding whether a final licensing sanction shall be issued under subdivision 3.  The license holder shall continue to be prohibited from operation of the program during this 90-day period.

 

(c) When the final order under paragraph (b) affirms an immediate suspension, and a final licensing sanction is issued under subdivision 3 and the license holder appeals that sanction, the license holder continues to be prohibited from operation of the program pending a final commissioner's order under section 245A.08, subdivision 5, regarding the final licensing sanction. 

 

EFFECTIVE DATE.  This section is effective the day following final enactment.

 

Sec. 8.  Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 245A.07, subdivision 3, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 3.  License suspension, revocation, or fine.  (a) The commissioner may suspend or revoke a license, or impose a fine if a license holder fails to comply fully with applicable laws or rules, if a license holder, a controlling individual, or an individual living in the household where the licensed services are provided or is otherwise subject to a background study has a disqualification which has not been set aside under section 245C.22, or if a license holder knowingly withholds relevant information from or gives false or misleading information to the commissioner in connection with an application for a license, in connection with the background study status of an individual, during an investigation, or regarding compliance with applicable laws or rules.  A license holder who has had a license suspended, revoked, or has been ordered to pay a fine must be given notice of the action by certified mail or personal service.  If mailed, the notice must be mailed to the address shown on the application or the last known address of the license holder.  The notice must state the reasons the license was suspended, revoked, or a fine was ordered.


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(b) If the license was suspended or revoked, the notice must inform the license holder of the right to a contested case hearing under chapter 14 and Minnesota Rules, parts 1400.8505 to 1400.8612.  The license holder may appeal an order suspending or revoking a license.  The appeal of an order suspending or revoking a license must be made in writing by certified mail or personal service.  If mailed, the appeal must be postmarked and sent to the commissioner within ten calendar days after the license holder receives notice that the license has been suspended or revoked.  If a request is made by personal service, it must be received by the commissioner within ten calendar days after the license holder received the order.  Except as provided in subdivision 2a, paragraph (c), if a license holder submits a timely appeal of an order suspending or revoking a license, the license holder may continue to operate the program as provided in section 245A.04, subdivision 7, paragraphs (g) and (h), until the commissioner issues a final order on the suspension or revocation.

 

(c)(1) If the license holder was ordered to pay a fine, the notice must inform the license holder of the responsibility for payment of fines and the right to a contested case hearing under chapter 14 and Minnesota Rules, parts 1400.8505 to 1400.8612.  The appeal of an order to pay a fine must be made in writing by certified mail or personal service.  If mailed, the appeal must be postmarked and sent to the commissioner within ten calendar days after the license holder receives notice that the fine has been ordered.  If a request is made by personal service, it must be received by the commissioner within ten calendar days after the license holder received the order.

 

(2) The license holder shall pay the fines assessed on or before the payment date specified.  If the license holder fails to fully comply with the order, the commissioner may issue a second fine or suspend the license until the license holder complies.  If the license holder receives state funds, the state, county, or municipal agencies or departments responsible for administering the funds shall withhold payments and recover any payments made while the license is suspended for failure to pay a fine.  A timely appeal shall stay payment of the fine until the commissioner issues a final order.

 

(3) A license holder shall promptly notify the commissioner of human services, in writing, when a violation specified in the order to forfeit a fine is corrected.  If upon reinspection the commissioner determines that a violation has not been corrected as indicated by the order to forfeit a fine, the commissioner may issue a second fine.  The commissioner shall notify the license holder by certified mail or personal service that a second fine has been assessed.  The license holder may appeal the second fine as provided under this subdivision.

 

(4) Fines shall be assessed as follows:  the license holder shall forfeit $1,000 for each determination of maltreatment of a child under section 626.556 or the maltreatment of a vulnerable adult under section 626.557 for which the license holder is determined responsible for the maltreatment under section 626.556, subdivision 10e, paragraph (i), or 626.557, subdivision 9c, paragraph (c); the license holder shall forfeit $200 for each occurrence of a violation of law or rule governing matters of health, safety, or supervision, including but not limited to the provision of adequate staff-to-child or adult ratios, and failure to comply with background study requirements under chapter 245C; and the license holder shall forfeit $100 for each occurrence of a violation of law or rule other than those subject to a $1,000 or $200 fine above.  For purposes of this section, "occurrence" means each violation identified in the commissioner's fine order.  Fines assessed against a license holder that holds a license to provide the residential-based habilitation services, as defined under section 245B.02, subdivision 20, and a license to provide foster care, may be assessed against both licenses for the same occurrence, but the combined amount of the fines shall not exceed the amount specified in this clause for that occurrence.

 

(5) When a fine has been assessed, the license holder may not avoid payment by closing, selling, or otherwise transferring the licensed program to a third party.  In such an event, the license holder will be personally liable for payment.  In the case of a corporation, each controlling individual is personally and jointly liable for payment.


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Sec. 9.  Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 245A.144, is amended to read:

 

245A.144 SUDDEN INFANT DEATH AND SHAKEN BABY SYNDROME FOR CHILD FOSTER CARE PROVIDERS. 

 

(a) Licensed child foster care providers that care for infants or children through five years of age must document that before staff persons and caregivers assist in the care of infants or children through five years of age, they are instructed on the standards in section 245A.1435 and receive training on reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome and shaken baby syndrome for infants and young children.  This section does not apply to emergency relative foster care placement under section 245A.035.  The training on reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome and shaken baby syndrome may be provided as:

 

(1) orientation training to child foster care providers, who care for infants or children through five years of age, under Minnesota Rules, part 2960.3070, subpart 1; or

 

(2) in-service training to child foster care providers, who care for infants or children through five years of age, under Minnesota Rules, part 2960.3070, subpart 2.

 

(b) Training required under this section must be at least one hour in length and must be completed at least once every five years.  At a minimum, the training must address the risk factors related to sudden infant death syndrome and shaken baby syndrome, means of reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome and shaken baby syndrome, and license holder communication with parents regarding reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome and shaken baby syndrome.

 

(c) Training for child foster care providers must be approved by the county or private licensing agency and that is responsible for monitoring the child foster care provider under section 245A.16.  The approved training fulfills, in part, training required under Minnesota Rules, part 2960.3070.

 

Sec. 10.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 245A.30, is amended to read:

 

245A.30 LICENSING PROHIBITION FOR CERTAIN JUVENILE FACILITIES SERVING CHILDREN. 

 

The commissioner may not:

 

(1) issue any license under Minnesota Rules, parts 9545.0905 to 9545.1125, 2960.0010 to 2960.0710, for the residential placement of juveniles children at a facility if the facility accepts juveniles children who reside outside of Minnesota without an agreement with the entity placing the juvenile child at the facility that obligates the entity to pay the educational and medical expenses of the juvenile child; or

 

(2) renew a license under Minnesota Rules, parts 9545.0905 to 9545.1125, 2960.0010 to 2960.0710, for the residential placement of juveniles children if the facility accepts juveniles children who reside outside of Minnesota without an agreement with the entity placing the juvenile child at the facility that obligates the entity to pay the educational and medical expenses of the juvenile child.

 

Sec. 11.  Minnesota Statutes 2009 Supplement, section 245A.50, subdivision 5, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 5.  Sudden infant death syndrome and shaken baby syndrome training.  (a) License holders must document that before staff persons, caregivers, and helpers assist in the care of infants, they are instructed on the standards in section 245A.1435 and receive training on reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.  In addition, license holders must document that before staff persons, caregivers, and helpers assist in the care of infants


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and children under school age, they receive training on reducing the risk of shaken baby syndrome.  The training in this subdivision may be provided as initial training under subdivision 1 or ongoing annual training under subdivision 7.

 

(b) Sudden infant death syndrome reduction training required under this subdivision must be at least one-half hour in length and must be completed at least once every five years.  At a minimum, the training must address the risk factors related to sudden infant death syndrome, means of reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in child care, and license holder communication with parents regarding reducing the risk of sudden infant death syndrome.

 

(c) Shaken baby syndrome training required under this subdivision must be at least one-half hour in length and must be completed at least once every five years.  At a minimum, the training must address the risk factors related to shaken baby syndrome, means of reducing the risk of shaken baby syndrome in child care, and license holder communication with parents regarding reducing the risk of shaken baby syndrome.

 

(d) Training for family and group family child care providers must be approved by the county licensing agency.

 

(e) The commissioner shall make available for viewing by all licensed child care providers a video presentation on the dangers associated with shaking infants and young children.  The video presentation shall be part of the initial and ongoing annual training of licensed child care providers, caregivers, and helpers caring for children under school age.  The commissioner shall provide to child care providers and interested individuals, at cost, copies of a video approved by the commissioner of health under section 144.574 on the dangers associated with shaking infants and young children.

 

Sec. 12.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 245A.66, is amended to read:

 

245A.66 REQUIREMENTS; MALTREATMENT OF MINORS. 

 

Subdivision 1.  Internal review.  Except for family child care settings and foster care for children in the license holder's residence, license holders serving children shall:

 

(1) establish and maintain policies and procedures to ensure that an internal review is completed and that corrective action is taken if necessary to protect the health and safety of children in care when the facility has reason to know that an internal or external report of alleged or suspected maltreatment has been made.  The review must include an evaluation of whether: 

 

(i) related policies and procedures were followed;

 

(ii) the policies and procedures were adequate;

 

(iii) there is a need for additional staff training;

 

(iv) the reported event is similar to past events with the children or the services involved; and

 

(v) there is a need for corrective action by the license holder to protect the health and safety of children in care.

 

Based on the results of this review, the license holder must develop, document, and implement a corrective action plan designed to correct current lapses and prevent future lapses in performance by individuals or the license holder, if any;


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(2) identify the primary and secondary person or position who will ensure that, when required, internal reviews are completed.  The secondary person shall be involved when there is reason to believe that the primary person was involved in the alleged or suspected maltreatment; and

 

(3) document that the internal review has been completed and provide documentation showing the review was completed to the commissioner upon the commissioner's request.  The documentation provided to the commissioner by the license holder may consist of a completed checklist that verifies completion of each of the requirements of the review.

 

Subd. 2.  Child care centers; risk reduction plan.  (a) Child care centers licensed under this chapter and Minnesota Rules, chapter 9503, must develop a risk reduction plan that assesses the general risks to children served by the child care center.  The license holder must establish procedures to minimize identified risks, train staff on the procedures, and annually review the procedures.

 

(b) The risk reduction plan must include an assessment of risk to children the center serves or intends to serve based on the following:

 

(1) an assessment of the risk presented by the vulnerability of the children served, including an evaluation of the following factors:  age, developmental functioning, and the physical and emotional health of children the program serves or intends to serve;

 

(2) an assessment of the risks presented by the physical plant where the licensed services are provided, including an evaluation of the following factors:  the condition and design of the facility and its outdoor space, bathrooms, storage areas and accessibility of medications and cleaning products that are harmful to children when children are not supervised, doors where finger pinching may occur, and the existence of areas that are difficult to supervise; and

 

(3) an assessment of the risks presented by the environment for each facility and for each site, including an evaluation of the following factors:  the type of grounds and terrain surrounding the building and the proximity to hazards, busy roads, and publicly accessed businesses.

 

(c) The risk reduction plan must include a statement of measures that will be taken to minimize the risk of harm presented to children.  At a minimum, the risk reduction plan must address the following:

 

(1) a general description of supervision, programming, and reference to the policies and procedures developed and implemented to address the risks identified in the assessment required under paragraph (b) related to the general population served, the physical plant, and environment;

 

(2) in addition to any program-specific risks identified in paragraph (b), the plan must include or refer to policies and procedures developed and implemented to minimize the risk of harm or injury to children, including:

 

(i) closing children's fingers in doors, including cabinet doors;

 

(ii) leaving children in the community without supervision;

 

(iii) children leaving the facility without supervision;

 

(iv) caregiver dislocation of children's elbows;

 

(v) burns from hot food or beverages, whether served to children or being consumed by caregivers, and the devices used to warm food and beverages;


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(vi) injuries from equipment, such as scissors and glue guns;

 

(vii) sunburn;

 

(viii) feeding children foods to which they are allergic;

 

(ix) children falling from changing tables; and

 

(x) children accessing dangerous items or chemicals or coming into contact with residue from harmful cleaning products; and

 

(3) the plan shall prohibit the accessibility of hazardous items to children.

 

Subd. 3.  Orientation to risk reduction plan and annual review of plan.  (a) The license holder shall ensure that all mandated reporters, as defined in section 626.556, subdivision 3, who are under the control of the license holder, receive an orientation to the risk reduction plan prior to first providing unsupervised direct contact services, as defined in section 245C.02, subdivision 11, to children, not to exceed 14 days from the first supervised direct contact, and annually thereafter.

 

(b) The license holder must review the risk reduction plan annually.  When conducting the review, the license holder must consider incidents that have occurred in the center since the last review, including:

 

(1) the assessment factors in the plan;

 

(2) the internal reviews conducted under this section, if any;

 

(3) substantiated maltreatment findings, if any; and

 

(4) incidents that caused injury or harm to a child, if any, that occurred since the last review.

 

Following any change to the risk reduction plan, the license holder must inform mandated reporters, under the control of the license holder, of the changes in the risk reduction plan.

 

EFFECTIVE DATE.  This section is effective January 1, 2011.

 

Sec. 13.  Minnesota Statutes 2008, section 245B.05, subdivision 7, is amended to read:

 

Subd. 7.  Reporting incidents.  (a) The license holder must maintain information about and report incidents under section 245B.02, subdivision 10, clauses (1) to (7), to the consumer's legal representative, other licensed caregiver, if any, and case manager within 24 hours of the occurrence, or within 24 hours of receipt of the information unless the incident has been reported by another license holder.  An incident under section 245B.02, subdivision 10, clause (8), must be reported as required under paragraph (c) unless the incident has been reported by another license holder.