The DFL Concern For Transportation
After I finished watching the Twins defeat the Orioles, I decided to check the Minnesota Senate's website to see how much time the Transportation Committee spent on various bills. What I found was appalling, especially in light of the outcry there is for a special session. Here's what I found out:
The Transportation Committee held:
The Transportation Committee held:
- 1 hearing in January that lasted under 2 hrs.
- 2 hearings in February; the first hearing lasted 1 hr., 31 mins., the second lasted 2 hrs.
- 1 hearing in March, lasting 2 hrs., 47 mins.
- 4 hearings in April; the first meeting lasting a mere 42 mins., the second meeting lasting 1 hr., 50 mins., the third lasting 1 minute, 24 seconds, the fourth meeting lasting 1 hr., 49 mins.
That's a grand total of 8 meetings in 5 months, for a total time of 12 hrs., 40 mins.
According to the notes, the January meeting was about making seat belt violations a primary offense (S.F. 16). After that, the members introduced themselves to each other.
The first hearing in February focused on Motor vehicle operators child restraint systems use requirement expansion. (S.F. 122)
The second hearing in February focused on Mobile (cell) phone motor vehicle moving violation fine increase. (S.F. 247)
The only hearing held in March dealt with 19 bills, ranging from HazMat restrictions to load restrictions to renaming a highway for Dallas Sams to EMS personnel communication headsets to hearing from the congestion reduction task force to the Omnibus Transportation Policy Bill.
The first meeting in April dealt with ATV youthful operation and passenger requirements. The second meeting dealt solely with the Omnibus Transportation Policy Bill. The third meeting lasted 1 minute, 24 seconds. I'd doubt they did more than clear their collective throats before that hearing was gaveled shut. The last Senate Transportation Committee hearing of the 2007 regular session was held on April 25. It dealt solely with runway safety and with the Airport Zoning Advisory Task Force.
I think it's interesting that most of the hearings didn't deal with highway construction or repairs. Clearly, the Omnibus Transportation Policy Bill dealt with those issues. Based on the minutes from the hearings, those issues didn't get more than 3-4 hours of attention in committee for the entire session.
That's quite an indictment against the DFL in general and Steve Murphy in particular. Furthermore, this information suggests that the DFL didn't put a high priority on bridge and highway reconstruction or on expanding existing highways.
Let's also remember Sen. Murphy's now-infamous quote about the Omnibus Transportation Policy Bill:
People can argue about this or that policy. It's impossible to argue against timelines that tell people how little time was spent on legislation that mandated road and bridge repairs.
According to the notes, the January meeting was about making seat belt violations a primary offense (S.F. 16). After that, the members introduced themselves to each other.
The first hearing in February focused on Motor vehicle operators child restraint systems use requirement expansion. (S.F. 122)
The second hearing in February focused on Mobile (cell) phone motor vehicle moving violation fine increase. (S.F. 247)
The only hearing held in March dealt with 19 bills, ranging from HazMat restrictions to load restrictions to renaming a highway for Dallas Sams to EMS personnel communication headsets to hearing from the congestion reduction task force to the Omnibus Transportation Policy Bill.
The first meeting in April dealt with ATV youthful operation and passenger requirements. The second meeting dealt solely with the Omnibus Transportation Policy Bill. The third meeting lasted 1 minute, 24 seconds. I'd doubt they did more than clear their collective throats before that hearing was gaveled shut. The last Senate Transportation Committee hearing of the 2007 regular session was held on April 25. It dealt solely with runway safety and with the Airport Zoning Advisory Task Force.
I think it's interesting that most of the hearings didn't deal with highway construction or repairs. Clearly, the Omnibus Transportation Policy Bill dealt with those issues. Based on the minutes from the hearings, those issues didn't get more than 3-4 hours of attention in committee for the entire session.
That's quite an indictment against the DFL in general and Steve Murphy in particular. Furthermore, this information suggests that the DFL didn't put a high priority on bridge and highway reconstruction or on expanding existing highways.
Let's also remember Sen. Murphy's now-infamous quote about the Omnibus Transportation Policy Bill:
"I’m not trying to fool anybody," said Sen. Steve Murphy, DFL-Red Wing, sponsor of the measure that would increase funding for roads and transit by $1.5 billion a year once it was fully implemented in the next decade. "There’s a lot of taxes in this bill."If a person based their opinions solely on this information, they'd have to conclude that the Senate DFL expended alot of effort in increasing taxes. They'd also have to conclude that they didn't expend much effort in passing legislation that repaired roads and bridges.
People can argue about this or that policy. It's impossible to argue against timelines that tell people how little time was spent on legislation that mandated road and bridge repairs.
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