The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1929-02-08
LEGISLATIVE LETTER
BY R. W. HITCHCOCK Representative, Goth Dist


senate and appropriations" in the
house. A brief description of how these
committees function will disclose the
spending machinery.
The senate finance committee con-
siSts of 81 members, the house appro-
priations committee of 35 members,
the membership numbering in each
case more than one-foilrth of the
chamber.
For many years it has been the
custom of these committees to hold
hearings" at which heads of depart
ments, regents of the university, heads
of the teachers colleges and citizens
generally present their requests for
state support Following these hear
ingS the committees discuss the var
iouS requests and vote appropriations
The house appropriations committee
two years ago held II such, meetings.
Bills for Appropriations.
The appropriations voted by the
committees are presented to the senate
and house in five appropriation bills.
The largest of these is the educational
bill which includes about one-half of
all the appropriations made and sup
plies money for distribution to the
public schools of the state, for the
support of the university and the state
teachers colleges and for some other
educational activities. InaSmuch as
the legislature meets but once in two
years, the appropriations are for the
''biennium", the two year period. The
total appropriations of the last three
legislatures have been 10 million dol
lars for each biennium, and the edu-
cational bill carries approximately one
half of the total.
Other appropriation bills are the
board of control measure which pro-
vides money for the maintenance of
the various state institutions, such as
the school for the blind, the state re-
formatory, the asylums etc. This bill
will carry almost one-fourth of the
total appropriations this year or close
to 10 million dollars for the two year
period. The state department bill will
carry some millions and the state
activities bill, which includes parks,
fish hatcheries and numerous other
undertakings, will approximate 2 mil
lions. A fifth bill will care for var
ious claims against the state and will
amount to only some thousands of dol
lars. .
When Greek Meets Greek.
When these appropriation bills come
into the senate and the house from the
committees they are printed and lie
over for few days to give every men,
Der of the legislature chance to ex-
anime them. They are then explained
in detail by the chairman of the COM
mittee and any member of the cham
Der may offer amendments. It is ex-
tremely exceptional, however, when
any change is made from an appro-
priation bill as recommended by the
committee.
The appropriation bills as drafted by
the senate and house committees are
never exactly alike which necessitateS
the appointmnt of conference COM
mittee from each chamber. When con-
fierce meets conferee then comes the
tug of war. 1t is the struggle of these
conference committees to agree which
sometimes prolongs the life of the ses-
sion beyond the legal midnight limit
of the last legislative day. In the
sessions of 1925 and 1927 conference
committees fought all night over the
details of some of these appropriation
bills, and for time in the 1927 ses-
sion it seemed that the conferees would
be unable to agree and that an extra
session of the legislature might be pre-
cipitated
Guardians of the Treasury.
It is fitting that we should here pay
richly deserved tribute to three men,
all still living, who are no longer
members of the legislature, but who
sat in the house in many sessions,
were Stalwart members of the appro-
priationS committee and of its sub
committee on claimS-three men who
were among the most valuable to the
state ever sent to Minnesota legis-
lature from any district. Thoughtful,
earnest, courageous men were these
Three Guardsmen. From their initia-
tive the state benefited much, and
from their courage even more. They
saved the state its thousands and its
tens of thousands, they prevented the
passage of much ill-conSidered legis-
lation, their keen criticism whipped
many law into workable shape.
Teigen of jackson, Jacobson of Rock,
Haugland of Chippewa, veritable
watch-dogs of the treasury! Doubtless
the voters will be able to raise up
other Daniels unto us, but we fear we
shall never again at one time see the
like of these Three Guardsmen.
The Big Three.
Since the Legislature of 1925 the
Economy and Efficiency Commission,
which is high hat for big Three,
has been functioning Their duties are
like unto the duties of similar COM
missions in Massachusetts,, New York,
Pennsylvania and other states. Some
allege that they have too much power;
however that may be, they have but q
fraction of the power possessed thru
Governor Alfred E. Smiths much
Wanted efficiency act in New York
state.
One function of the Big Three is to
prepare for the legislature a budget.
Even the most bitter-ender among the
opponents of the Minnesota reorgani-.
zation act will admit that budget is
a good thing for an individual, a
household or a commonwealth. Thru
the budget the legislature has more
and better information upon which to
base its judgment as to appropriations
than ever before.
Sets and Example.
The State of Minnesota has been
careful and conservative in its ex-
penditure of public monies. In these
days when taxes are mounting all too
near to the confiscation point, the ex-
ample of the state is one which its
subdivisions have urgent need to heed.