Teacher candidates requirements defined; Schedules posted

Yesterday at the Capitol

The House passed SF 170 as amended on the floor yesterday by a vote of 91-39. The bill requires teacher candidates to pass a reading, writing and math basic skills test before being granted an initial teaching license. Rep. Mark Buesgens, R-Jordan, amended the bill to remove the language that requires colleges and universities offering a Board of Teaching approved teacher preparation program to offer remedial assistance to persons who do not pass the basic skills test. Buesgens said in a time of budget cuts to higher education, a costly mandate is not necessary. Rep. Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul, asked for the amendment to be vetted through the committee process to determine the cost and implications before voting on the amendment on the floor. Mariani also said some qualified and good teacher candidates may not be good test-takers and measuring a candidate on one test could be "fairly punitive." The author of the bill, Rep. Andrea Kieffer, R-Woodbury, said lawmakers want to raise the standards for teachers.

Today at the Capitol

9:30 AM
House in Session

10:30 AM
Senate Higher Education
Room: 107 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Michelle L. Fischbach
Agenda:
H.F. 821-Fischbach: Senior citizen higher education program qualifying age modification.
Confirmation hearing: Jacob Englund, Minnesota State Colleges and Universities Board of Trustees

11:00 AM
Senate Judiciary and Public Safety
Room: 15 Capitol
Chair: Sen. Warren Limmer
Agenda:
H.F. 562 Limmer Manufactured home parks water and sewer charges and charges by public water suppliers regulation.
S.F. 1236 (Parry) Innocent Successor Asbestos-Related Liability Fairness Act.
S.F. 1239 (Thompson) Criminal forfeiture clarification.
S.F. 1240 (Thompson) Criminal forfeiture provisions modifications.
S.F. 1173 (Benson) Adoption assistance and child welfare provisions modifications.
S.F. 1125 (Thompson) Portable electronics products insurance claims regulation; automated claims processing system authorization.
S.F. 1143 (Ortman) Government data practices and open meeting law technical changes.
S.F. 590 (Gazelka) Insurance data gathering and notification modifications; nonresident insurance appraisers authorization.
S.F. 1287 (Hann) Minnesota sex offender program provisions modifications.
S.F. 1357 Hoffman Defense of Dwelling and Person Act of 2011; firearms regulation provisions modifications

12:30 PM (or 15 Minutes after the last body adjourns)
Conference committee on SF 1047: state government finance
Room: 112 Capitol
Chairs: Sen. Mike Parry and Rep. Morrie Lanning
SENATE CONFEREES: Parry; Gazelka; Thompson; Daley; Vandeveer
HOUSE CONFEREES: Lanning; Downey; Benson; Stensrud; Anderson
Agenda: State government finance bill
Meeting Documents:
Language Comparison - No Comparable ProvisionsLanguage Comparison - Provisions with Substantive DifferencesLanguage Comparison - Same and Similar ProvisionsConference Committee Side-By-Side
Omnibus Spreadsheet 041211
Omnibus Change Items 041211

Looking Ahead

Monday, May 9

10:30 AM
Senate in Session

Tuesday, May 10

10:15 AM
House Capital Investment
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Larry Howes
Agenda: HF959 (Howes) Flood hazard mitigation grant funding provided, bonds issued, and money appropriated.

Wednesday, May 11

6:30 PM
Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement
Room: 10 State Office Building
Chair: Rep. Morrie Lanning
Agenda: TBA