Askov American. [volume] (Askov, Pine County, Minn.) 1914-current, 1939-02-23
Legislative News
BY c. G. MANN.
Representative from Pine County

On Monday morning, bill to in
clude the male line in those who
may apply for aid to dependent chill
dren was passed out of the Public
Welfare committee. Heretofore, only
the mothers, aunts, etc., or the female
line could apply. We understand
that there is another bill on the way
to help out counties that are in a
distressed financial condition on this,
as has been done in the past with
old age assistance. The Old Age
Assistance law will also be changed
to some extent, as is indicated by
the number of bills on this law which
are now under discussion, most of
them iberalizing the measure as to
property exemption and perhaps
amount, but the sentiment of the
legislature this year seems to be in
favor of tightening up the claim on
property and the other provisions
protecting the taxpayer.
On Tuesday we wasted a great
deal of time arguing resolution in
troduced by Mr. Bennett of Mime
apolis, asking the Governor to refuse
a license to several detective agencies,
which were claimed to have aggra-
waited or agitated labor troubles. Mr..
Palmer tried to include that the labor
unions have done the same thing,
but was voted down.
A bill to exempt employers of
four or less employees from the I'M
employment insurance tax is now on
our general orders for debate, and
l would say that from the sentiment
I have heard, it will pass.
On Wednesday, Thursday and Fri
day of last week, as far as the House
session was concerned, the Civil SerV-
ice bill was taken up, probably one
of the most important pieces of leg
islation of the session. A number
of amendments were proposed to the
bill as submitted by the Civil Ad-
ministration committee, and the bat
tie still RACES; however, with the
Governors backing, some kind of a
Civil Service bill will undoubtedly
be passed, although many sections
will not suit everybody.
The first amendment, outside of
revisionary amendments adopted, was
one eliminating the consideration of
any person connected with Commun-
ism, FasciSm, or who advocates the
overthrow of the democratic sys-
tenn of government. There was a
little opposition to the amendment
by Representatives Bennett, Stock
well and others, but it carried by
heavy majority. The bill provides
that all state employees who have been
in the state employ for more than
four and half years would not need
to take examinations, but would be
on probation for six months, sub
ject to removal by the Governor, and
the probationary period would also
apply to those taking the examin-
ations. This was to save the great
cost of giving all present employees
an examination, and to me is faif
way of working out the problem
However, this particular section was
probably one of the most controver-
sial of the measure, the Farmer
Labor members wanting to blanket
in all present employees.
The sections on Veteran preference
and Highway Patrol were also Bit
terly contested, and are still under
discussion as I write this.
The tax committee, meeting long
hours, has been discussing a bill to
exempt coop electric lines from tax
alton, or rather to levy 10-cent fee
member tax in lieu of all other taxes.
Many of us feel that it is the farm
user, rather than the co-ops, that
should be considered, and, if we re-
duce the taxes on one, we should
on the farmer using power from a
private line. Also under discussion
in taxes is a bill to exempt house.
hold goods and farm machinery from
taxation, and in view of the ex-
perience along this line four years
ago, we certainly should not pass
this again.
Relief officials from Duluth ap-
peared before the Relief committee
on Friday morning and presented
their problems. We have not COM
pleted a bill for the next two years
as yet, and the deficiency appropria-
tons bill is still in Appropriations