St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1949-02-25
THE WEEK
Under Capitol
DONE
BY Clifford Rucker

our state legislature and there is
talk that unless there is some
down-to-earth work done between
now and April 81, there is a pos
sibility of a special session. There
are huge financial problems facing
the state, for in addition to the IL
million dollar increase in the bud
get recommended by the Governor
ways and means must yet be de-
vised to finance a soldiers bonus.
Senator Gerald T. Mullin, Min
neapols, the president pro TEN of
the Senate puts it this way. "Usu-
ally by mid-February we have
some idea of how to finance de-
partmental requests and whether
the general revenue fund will
carry the burden, whether we will
have to issue certificates of in
debtedness or what. Frankly, this
year, nobody knows where we're
going to get the money. Here we
are almost at the halfway mark
and the Legislature hasn't met one
important issue yet"
On the other hand, Senator
Harry Bridgeman Of BemidjI
who is serving his seventh four
year term and who has the long
est period Of continuous service
Of any man now In the Senate
thinks the Legislature has made
about the normal amount Of pro-
gress for this part Of the ses-
sion and that the Senate caIen-
dar and general orders are in
good shape and committees are
getting along with their work.
Public hearings on Fair Employ
ment Practices bills were held be-
fore both House and Senate Labor
committees. Proponents of the bill
were given the first opportunity
and on last Thursday the oppon-
ents of the bill were heard by the
Senate Labor Committee. The
hearing rooms were packed on all
three occasions and many who
could not get in stood in the hall
outside. The opponents will have
a final hearing on Monday of this
week before the House Labor Com
mittee. The FEPC bill will then be
considered by the Committee mem
beers of each house who NAV
recommend that the bill pass; that
it be passed as amended in COM
mittee; be indefinitely postponed
lie. killed for the session.; be
returned to its author lie. polite
DEATH or be passed out without
any recommendation.
Other bills introduced last week
included two Senate bills to out
law the closed shop in this state.
One bill by Senator Karl C. Neu-
meier of Saltwater claims that
No person shall be denied en-
ployment because of membership
in or affiliation with or resignation
or expulsion from a labor organi-
cation or because of a refusal to
join or affiliate with a labor or
ganlzatiOn. The other bill is
authored by Senator A. o. Slet-
void of Detroit Lakes and pro-
hlbits an employer from requiring
his employees to join or abstain
from joining a union or to paw
dues, fees or other charges to any
union as a condition of employ
ment.
An attempt was made last week
to repeal the Old Age Lien Law
which has been in effect since 1889.
This law permits the state to place
lien against homes owned by old
age assistance recipients and which
must be satisfied by heirs before
the title on the property is clear.
By a vote of 70 to SIS repeal of
this law was defeated in the House.
Representative Arthur GiIIen
OF South st. Paul introduced a
bill which would Increase by 10
the number of members Of the
House Of Representatives. His
proposal would give Olmstead
and Dakota counties each one
additional member. st. Paul two
and Minneapolis six additional
members.
The week closed with the
Governor sending in his tax bills
for raising some Sl3,OOO.OOO addi-
tional revenue to finance his So
cial welfare program. The Cover
nors tax bills provide for a 2-cent
increase per package of cigarettes,
SlOO per gallon increase on
strong beer and a SIOO per gallon
increase on hard liquor. These tax
es would bring in an anticipated
Sl2632,OOO. Another $500 600
would be raised from a tax on
other tobaccos.
The legislature is no more than
one-third over and the important
decisions will be made in the weeks
that lie ahead.