While Minnesota’s budget battle and the contentious ending to the legislative session may be most prominent as people assess the governor and Legislature, it’s important to note several success stories.
Screening will save medical costs
The American Cancer Society helped push through a colon cancer screening program for people who don’t have health insurance coverage. The pilot project received $371,000 that went to Hennepin County Medical Center and MeritCare in Bemidji.
Colon cancer is the second leading cause of cancer deaths killing 2,500 Minnesotans per year, and if detected early, 90 percent of the patients can be cured. Yet, places like the Open Door Center in Mankato see four of five residents over 50 who should be screened for colon cancer but don’t have insurance that covers it.
The pilot program will hopefully be expanded. It is one government program that will save money. One case of colon cancer undetected can cost the medical system and premium payers $200,000 or more, according to experts.
The Cancer Society gives credit to Sen. Kathy Sheran (DFL -Mankato) and Rep. Maria Ruud (DFL-Minnetonka). Gov. Tim Pawlenty showed his support by signing the bill.
Mandate relief for local governments
The DFL-controlled Legislature and Gov. Tim Pawlenty also agreed to give local governments relief from some standing mandates as the local units face funding cuts from the state.
The mandate relief bill allows local governments to use “best-value” contracting practices to save money more than twice a year, as was previously set by state law. It allows county commissioners to reduce their own salary at any time, and allows townships to recover the full cost of employing officials to settle land disputes.
The bill also eliminates minimum salary requirements for sheriffs and gets rid of limits on county booking fees for jailed individuals so counties can recover the full cost of booking.
The new law also requires the state to pay for costs involved in election challenges. Any election complaints filed with the state Office of Administrative Hearings must be paid by the state and not the county, city or municipality where the election is contested.
While the Association of Minnesota Counties had a much bigger agenda for cutting myriad unfunded mandates, the governor and Legislature at least made a start.
Buckling up for safety
The Legislature also passed and the governor signed a law that makes a seat belt violation a primary offense in Minnesota, meaning law enforcement may stop an individual when seeing a violation. Previous law prohibited law enforcement from stopping for only a seat belt violation.
Many Minnesota traffic fatalities could have been prevented if driver and passengers had been wearing seat belts. The requirement along with expanded powers of law enforcement to ticket as a primary offense will help raise awareness of wearing one’s seat belt.
Minnesota also will join 29 other states in making seat belt violations primary. There will be virtually no cost to the state to improve safety, but the cost of lives saved by seat belts will be priceless.
For all the criticism state legislators and the governor take for their inability to reach a budget deal, many toiled for hours on passing legislation that improves the state.
