Capitol Notepad: April 3, 2009

House side: Just a brief docket today. Telecommunications Regulation and Infrastructure Division is canceled.

Taxes is hearing local tax increment financing (TIF) bills, and Rep. Ann Lenczewski’s (DFL-Bloomington) accommodation for emergency debt certificates (HF 2077).

The Legislative Audit Topic Selection Subcommittee is working on selectingfive to eightevaluation topics for consideration by the Legislative Audit Commission.

The Housing Finance and Policy and Public Health Finance Division is hearing about food shelves, Alzheimer’s, food shelves and food stamps, a homebuyer savings plan trust, protecting children from toxic chemicals and emergency services grants and transitional housing.

The Labor and Consumer Protection Division is hearing about unreimbursed expense wage deductions, safe patient handling and a Redwood County limited exemption.

Senate side: Senate’s in session at 8:15 a.m.

Finance is hearing the miscellaneous education bill (SF 1328).

The Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Budget Division Subcommittee on Natural Resources is hearing SF 1927 on outdoor heritage appropriations.

Judiciary is hearing plenty of bills, including debt settlement, sex offenders, human trafficking and prostitution, breach of insurance policy damages, intersection gridlock, farmer-lender mediation, criminal background checks for people civilly committed, human services licensing, early Internet ticket sales and garnishment and creditor remedies.

The Health and Human Services Budget Division is hearing about birthing center licensure, licensing for speech language pathologists and other health care professional licensing, MinnesotaCare and medical assistance, MFIP, disabled children, runaway and homeless youth and child care programs.

The Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Budget Division Subcommittee on Parks and Trails Legacy is hearing about grants and outdoor appropriations.

Health, Housing and Family Security is hearing about the Department of Health’s "Eliminating Health Disparities" report and watching a PBS video, "Unnatural Causes: Is Inequality Making Us Sick?"

The Environment, Energy and Natural Resource Budget Division Subcommittee on Clean Water Legacy is hearing about a comprehensive Lake St. Croix water monitoring appropriation (SF 1918) and water projects elsewhere, as well as SF 1783 and 1784 about high-resolution digital elevation data (some of it for impaired waters modeling).

Over the weekend, House Taxes was going to have a meeting, but it’s been canceled.