Almanac: At the Capitol

The biggest change for the legislature is the new leadership for the four caucuses: Margaret Kelliher and Marty Seifert in the House and Larry Pogemiller and David Senjem in the Senate. I am very optimistic about this fresh start and with these new leaders there is certain to be new set of relationships and dynamics. As far as the budget in 2007-08, I'd like to see effective and responsible use of current resources without further burdening the taxpayers of Minnesota. Tax relief is one of my highest goals for this session. Some of the things we are doing work very well, and are an excellent investment of our assets; I believe others are desperately in need of reevaluation.

I am working on expungement legislation to make sure that once our courts have decided to give someone a fresh start and seal a record, that we actually make sure that private data harvesters aren't gaining access and revealing the records (like an incorrect credit report), and that law enforcement (while they should have access internally) do not disclose them publicly in response to requests from the public. It is important for people to have a second chance and to take responsibility for themselves and for their families.