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Agriculture, Rural Economies and Veterans Affairs Finance Division

TWENTY-FOURTH MEETING

2007-2008 Regular Session - Tuesday, February 19, 2008

STATE OF MINNESOTA TWENTY-FOURTH MEETING
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES EIGHTY-FIFTH SESSION


Committee on Agriculture, Rural Economies, and
Veterans Affairs Finance

MINUTES



Representative Al Juhnke, Chair, called the twenty-fourth meeting to order at 10:08AM on Tuesday, February 19, 2008 in Basement of the State Office Building.

The Committee Legislative Assistant noted the roll.

Members present:

JUHNKE, Al MAGNUS, Doug
WELTI, Andy OLIN, Dave
DOTY, Al OTREMBA, Mary Ellen
FAUST, Tim PETERSON, Aaron
FINSTAD, Brad POPPE, Jeanne
HAMILTON, Rod SHIMANSKI, Ron
HANSEN, Rick


A quorum was present.

HF 2523; a bill relating to capital improvements; appropriating money to establish a veterans facility in Sauk Centre; authorizing the sale and issuance of state bonds.

Chair Juhnke moved that HF 2523 be heard and laid over for possible inclusion.

Chair Juhnke moved an oral amendment to HF 2523 as follows:

Page 1, line 6, delete "…" and insert "2,000,000"

Page 1, line 12, delete "…" and insert "2,000,000"


THE MOTION PREVAILED AND THE AMENDMENT WAS ADOPTED.

Representative Heidgerken and Nancy Gertner, Associate Chair, DFL Veterans Caucus, testified on HF2523.

Discussion and questions followed.

Robin Kinney, Assistant Director, Minnesota Department of Agriculture and Quinn Cheney, Government Affairs Director, Minnesota Department of Agriculture presented reports on the status of the dairy industry in Minnesota.

David Ward, Director, MN Association of Co-ops (MAC), Steve Schlangen, dairy farmer, MAC and John Funk, diary farmer, MAC, testified on behalf of the dairy industry.

Discussion and questions followed.

Pat Luneman, President, Minnesota Milk Producers, and John Merden, dairy producer, presented on the state of the dairy industry in Minnesota and testified on HF 2942.

Discussion and questions followed.

Paul Sobocinski, Land Stewardship Project, and Dave Minar, owner of Cedar Summit Farms testified on HF 2942.

Discussion and questions followed.

Clark Dyrud, Commissioner, MN Department of Veterans Affairs, and Gilbert Acevedo, Deputy Commissioner, MN Department of Veterans Affairs, presented the department's bonding requests.

Discussion and questions followed.

HF 2791; a bill relating to capital improvements; appropriating money for a veterans home in Kandiyohi County; authorizing the sale and issuance of state bonds.

Chair Juhnke moved that HF 2791 be heard and laid over for possible inclusion.

Discussion and questions followed.

HF 2456; a bill relating to capital improvements; appropriating money for a veterans nursing home on the Brainerd Regional Treatment Center site; authorizing the sale and issuance of state bonds.

Chair Juhnke moved that HF 2456 be heard and laid over for possible inclusion.

Representative Ward and Sheila Haverkamp, Executive Director, Brainerd Lakes Area Development Corporation, testified on HF 2456.

HF 3098; a bill relating to capital improvements; authorizing the sale and issuance of state bonds; appropriating money to design and construct the All Veterans Memorial in the city of Richfield.
Chair Juhnke moved that HF 3098 be heard and laid over for possible inclusion.

Representative Thissen, Jim Topitchofer, City of Richfield, Travis Gorshe, designer and founder, Honoring All Veterans Memorial, testified on HF3098.

HF 864; a bill relating to capital investment; appropriating money for supportive housing on the campus of the Hastings Veterans Home; authorizing the issuance of general obligation bonds.

Chair Juhnke moved that HF 864 be heard and laid over for possible inclusion.

Representative McNamara and Chip Cox, Hastings Veterans Home, testified on HF 864.

HF 3194; a bill relating to veterans; authorizing the issuance of state bonds; appropriating money for the purpose of constructing, furnishing, and equipping a 21-bed special care unit and additional clinical space at the state veterans home in Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

Representative Nornes testified on HF 3194.

Representative Shimanski moved that the minutes of March 28, 2007 be adopted. THE MOTION PREVAILED.

Next meeting: Wednesday, February 20, 2008, 10:00AM.

The meeting was adjourned at 11:53AM.


____________________________________
Al Juhnke, Chair

____________________________________
Dana Wilson, Committee Legislative Assistant
More Info On This Meeting..

Department of Agriculture reports on dairy industry
HF2942 (Juhnke) Livestock investment grant program
Department of Veterans Affairs bonding requests
HF2791 (Juhnke) Kandiyohi County Veterans Home
HF2456 (Ward) Brainerd; veterans nursing home design funding provided on the Brainerd regional treatment center site, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
HF864 (McNamara) Hastings Veterans Home supportive housing funding provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
HF2523 (Heidgerken) Sauk Centre veterans facility funding provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated.
HF 3098 (Thissen) A bill for an act relating to capital improvements; authorizing the sale and issuance of state bonds; appropriating money to design and construct the All Veterans Memorial in the city of Richfield.
HF3194 (Nornes) Fergus Falls Veterans Home bonding