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Week of: 4.19.15
Headline of the Week:
House Passes Firearms Related Bills
MDHA and Natural Resources Action:
Firearms Bills Pass House Floor
On Thursday the House took up and passed four firearms related bills.
The first, HF722 would clarify how and why police officers can take possession of legal firearms from
private individuals during declared emergencies related to public disorders or disasters.
Second, HF372 would say that having been issued a permit to carry is enough when visiting the Capitol
and other state buildings.
Third, HF1434 would allow firearm suppressors to be used in Minnesota.
Fourth, HF830 would remove a restriction thereby expanding that range of shopping options to all 50
states. Minnesotans are currently limited as to which other states they can purchase long guns, such as
a rifle or a shotgun.
All four bills now await action in the Senate.
House Omnibus Environment and Natural Resources Finance Bill
This week this week the House Environment and Natural Resource Committee took up the committee’s
omnibus finance bill H.F.846.
Heading to the House Ways and Means Committee, the bill would appropriate more than $780 million
from the general fund to the Department of Natural Resources, Pollution Control Agency and Board of
Water and Soil Resources. Amendments that would have removed some of the more controversial
provisions of the bill failed on roll-call votes that largely followed party lines. They included an
amendment to delete language stripping the Pollution Control Agency’s Citizens’ Board of much of its
authority, and an amendment to eliminate a provision delaying new sulfate standards for wild
rice. The funding methods used in some portions of the bill raised the most objections by some
committee members. Several state agencies went on record with their opposition to the bill, including
the Pollution Control Agency.
One major amendment the committee did adopt was the A18, which added many of the provisions of
this year’s omnibus game and fish bill. Rep. Tom Hackbarth (R-Cedar), the sponsor of HF1406, said there
is “not a lot to the bill this year,” but a few of those provisions include:
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allowing residents of a Minnesota veterans home to hunt and take antlerless deer without a
permit;
directing the Department of Natural Resources to conduct a hunter participation and
satisfaction survey annually; and
an extension of the beaver hunting season until May 15.
DNR NEWS Release
DNR to begin reforesting state land in northeastern Minnesota
Spring is a busy time for Minnesota Department of Natural Resources forestry staff. As timber
harvesting activities wind down, attention turns to regeneration of recently harvested forest stands.
Starting in late April, tree planting crews contracted by the DNR are scheduled to begin planting more
than 800,000 tree seedlings on state forests in northeastern Minnesota. A combination of bareroot and
containerized seedlings from the Minnesota State Forest Nursery and private industry partners will be
planted. Most of these will be conifers such as red, white and jack pine, white and black spruce, and
tamarack. Some hardwoods such as yellow birch, red oak and bur oak will also be planted.
In addition, about 3,600 acres will be aerially seeded with black spruce, tamarack, and jack, red and
white pine. Aerial seeding is an inexpensive and effective way to give lowland conifer sites an excellent
chance for successful regeneration.
Aerial photography will be analyzed to determine the success of these reforestation efforts and the
need for follow-up care such as weed control and removal of competing vegetation. This is an effective
way to evaluate wetland sites that are difficult to reach by road during the summer. A percentage of the
sites will be visited by DNR staff to ensure accuracy of the remotely sensed data.
It’s not too late to purchase seedlings for spring plantings on private forest land. Visit
www.mndnr.gov/forestry/nursery/index.html or contact the Minnesota State Forest Nursery at 800657-3767 for a list of available trees.
Questions and comments can be directed to Rick Klevorn at 651-259-5274 or rick.klevor@state.mn.us.
Bill Tracking:
Again this year I would encourage the membership to follow MDHA legislative bills of
interest utilizing MyBills. MyBills allows you view bills MDHA is tracking in the House and Senate by bill
number. When you log in, you will be shown alerts for the bills MDHA has selected that have had, or
have upcoming, significant action. To access MyBills visit www.leg.state.mn.us/mybills/login enter
username mdha2015 then enter password mdha2015.
Other Legislative Action and FYI: (The following items do not reflect any MDHA legislative positions
and are for your information only)
Avian Flu Outbreak
Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton said no one knows how much it will cost to respond to an avian influenza
that has killed 1.5 million Minnesota turkeys.
He said Wednesday that he would consider working with lawmakers to change state law to allow
disaster funds that often flow to flood and tornado relief to also be available for the turkey crisis.
However, he added, in the month remaining of the 2015 legislative session he is "confident" he and
lawmakers can provide adequate funding. Federal funds will pay for many of the emergency costs, the
governor said.
This week Gov. Mark Dayton also signed an emergency executive order, delivering relief from
regulations pertaining to load restrictions on highways and streets for poultry feed trucks, load-out
trailers, and emergency operation equipment responding to the situation.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has identified that the increased number of trips resulting from
seasonal load restrictions, specifically for poultry feed trucks, poultry load-out trailers, and emergency
operation equipment used for high pathogenic avian influenza response, could potentially spread the
avian flu.
Sunday Liquor Sales
During an MPR interview Minnesota House Speaker Kurt Daudt (R-Crown) is raising the hopes of
Sunday liquor sales advocates with a new prediction about the issue's prospects this session.
The Speaker said he can guarantee that a proposal to lift the state's long ban on Sunday sales will come
up as an amendment on the House floor in the coming weeks, as it has in the past.
He just doesn't know how it will fare this time. The legislation received only an informational hearing
this week and was left out of a larger liquor bill. Daudt said he'll vote for the amendment when it comes
up.
"It needs to get 68 out of the House to get on the bill," he said. "I think if it gets added as an amendment
in the House, which I think it probably has a 50-50 shot of getting added. If it does get added, I believe it
will become law."
The Sunday sales initiative faces a similar uphill climb in the Senate. DFL Gov. Mark Dayton has said he
will sign the change if it reaches his desk.
But the Senate on Thursday defeated an amendment sought to lift the ban on Sunday liquor sales. The
vote was 35-28. That vote could dim the hopes advocates seeking to lift the ban passage this year.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk (DFL-Cook) said after the floor session that the Senate has now taken
a strong position against Sunday sales.
Bakk, who voted against the amendment, said that position will matter in negotiations with the House.
“In the event the House brings it to conference, I don’t expect the Senate would take it in conference
after we’ve taken a vote against it,” Bakk said.