Anoka Times

Local representatives in Anoka County proposed several bills in March to the state Senate for review. 

Some of the representatives who submitted proposals were Sen. Jim Abeler (R-Anoka), Rep. Cal Bahr (R-East Bethel) and Sen. Michelle Benson (R-Ham Lake). 

Abeler proposed seven bills to the Senate. Senate file 4222 is designed to make hospitals give a notice the patients if they will be place in an observation status. Another Senate file, 4230, will remove obsolete dates from child care payment rates. 

Abeler also proposed Senate file 4253, which will modify nursing home requirements. Interim payments for new operates would be created and it will make $600,000 of the state's general fund by uses specifically for auditing nursing home staff. 

Senate file 4260 would make changes to probationary sentences for those who have committed nonviolent crimes if they are the primary caretaker of children. 

Requiring school districts to compensate employees who had decreased hours due to the coronavirus was also a Senate file, 4369, proposed by Abeler. 

Senate file 4410 will not allow resource recovery facilities to be a fourth of a mile or closer to a school. 

Lastly, Abeler introduced Senate file 4436. This bill will allow food and drink businesses to give out take-home containers and utensils. 

Bahr only submitted one bill, House file 4410, which would let towns adopt charters for home rule. 

Benson proposed four bills.

Senate file 4170 would give $2 million to Sherburne County as bonds in Zimmerman for a project on Highway 169 and Highway 4. Senate file 4334 creates a fund for health care response, which would move $50 million from the general fund to health care in response to an outbreak. 

Another bill, Senate file 4388 would make the commissioner of human services be required to reform the Minnesota health care programs process. 

Benson also proposed Senate file 4424 which would give Ramsey Volunteer Firefighter's Relief Associate funds and it would move the account to a relief association.