St. Paul recorder. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1934-2000, 1949-03-18
THE WEEK
Under Capitol
DONE
By Clifford Fucker

The race discrimination issue
slackened its pace somewhat in
our State Legislature last week.
A much amended Fair Employ
ment Prectices bill Is now on Cen
eral Orders in the Senate and It
will advance in turn TO the top
and consideration before the
Committee Of the Whole.
The fate Of the bill in the
House Labor Committee will have
been decided by the time this
column is published and the Com
mittee's decision to report the
bill out favorably or kill 1t will be
known.
The fact that the State Of
Washington has just passed an
FEP bill is stimulating. One of the
arguments presented by the OPP
ponents at the hearings was that
such a bill had been passed in
only four states, New York, New
Jersey, Massachusetts and Con-
necticut, all Eastern seaboard
states have local sectional inter
ests. Now a state legislature in a
far northwestern corner Of the ma
ton, having a situation somewhat
comparable to Minnesota has been
the first Of the 1949 legislatures
TO pass the bill. This would seem
to refIte the arguments Of the OPP
ponents.
1t Is significant also that In
the State Of Washington, the bill
passed Overwhelmingly n Re-
publican dominated Senate and
q Democratic cOntrOled House.
This brings into focus the nom
PARTISAN aspect motivatinE the
passage Of the bill.
On Thursday Of last week, the
. National Guard issue reached the
floor Of the Senate before the
Committee Of the Whole. 1t Is to
be recalled that in the Senate
Military Affairs committee meet
ing, Senator Claude Baughman of
Waseca tried unnecessarily to
tack an amendment to the resolu-
ton which would include the
whole Army. His same amendment
was presented on the floor Of the
Senate and again was rejected
with Senators Novak and Ander-
sen Of st. Paul, Rosenmeier of
Little Falls, Marvin Anderson and
Daniel Feidt Of Minneapolis speak
ing effectively for the passage of
the original resolution. BY a 29-13
vote with a number of senator's
significantly not voting, the
measure passed and now goes on
the senate calendar where 1t will
receive its third reading and
final passage.
On Friday, the National Guard
resolution passed the House Vet
erans' and Military Affairs COM
mittee without objection and in
its original form.
A new bill was introduced in the
House on last Friday by Represen-
tRtive William Carlson Of st. Paul
with Representatives Leo Mosier
Of Minneapolis and Richard Sill
VIOLA Of Virginia as co-authors. 1t
aims to curb discrimination
against racial groups in hospitals.
The bill would authorize the State
Department Of Health to revoke
or suspend the license of any hos
pitAl which refuses to extend
emergency medical treatment III
facilities exist" to a patient be-
cause Of race, creed. color or
AAAlaANAA ConulllOls
OF special interest to readers OF
this column is the provision in this
bill which would provide for lie
ense revocation II admittance for
emergency treatment were refused
solely on the ground that the at
tending physician is not a regular
member Of the hospital staff. Ac-
cording to Representative Carlson,
there are some hospitals In the
Twin Cities who refuse emergency
treatment because of color or
race and Their are also some hos
pitfalls who will accept the patients
but will tell the attending physi-
clan he can't handle the case be-
cause he Is not on the staff. The
bill aims to curb this practice.
The legislature moved into its
45th legislative day on Monday
with April Fl the definite date for
adjournment. Most of the major
bills have not been acted on and
there will probably be no more
weekend adjournments with the
exception Of Good Friday. Night
sessions are a difinite possibility.
The race against time is on.
cIIAAalr RIEAAlrnr