From WCCO.COM (June 26, 2007)
(WCCO) A state lawmaker is learning about nursing home care by spending 24-hours as a patient at a home in rural Winthrop, Minn.

Rep. Terry Morrow’s injury — a broken hip — may be fake, but the lessons he is learning are very real.

“I dropped a pen on the floor and now I can’t pick it up,” said Morrow, D-St. Peter, as he pushed himself in a wheelchair. “I get an idea of somethings that can be changed just in the amount of paperwork … which I don’t think I would have really sensed had they just told me about it.”

Morrow underwent physical therapy and spent time hearing how residents value living in a hometown care facility where visitors, and friendly care, are more likely.

“More than just take care of us — visit, talk to us,” said Joyce Ittel, a nursing home resident.

However, Ittel worries some of her favorite caretakers will look for work elsewhere.

The state budget crunch resulted in many workers receiving little or no pay increase for the past four years in a row — a warning sign that a quarter of nursing homes in Minnesota are in financial crisis.

“Not immediate jeopardy of closing but … I hope that we have some financial assistance in the next few years or I could definitely see that we would be at risk,” said Lori Bussler, an administrator at Good Samaritan Society.

It’s especially tough for rural homes. Morrow already knew the economic puzzle before he checked in, now he has an up-close appreciation for what’s at stake.

“Nursing homes need to get more money than they’ve been getting,” said Morrow.

Morrow said he’ll help sponsor a measure to increase funding to nursing homes. One estimate is that 40 rural Minnesota nursing homes will close in the next year.

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For more on Terry’s work on nursing home funding:

Our View — Nursing homes should be first budget priority (Mankato Free Press, June 28, 2007)
http://www.mankato-freepress.com/editorials/local_story_179144133.html?keyword=topstory

Morrow checks in to Winthrop home

By Mark Fischenich
The Free Press, June 27, 2007
WINTHROP— The typical stay in a Minnesota nursing home lasts 32 days, so state Rep. Terry Morrow’s one-day as a “resident” at the Winthrop Good Samaritan Center was a relatively small sample.

State Rep. Terry Morrow, who spent a day as a “resident” at a Winthrop nursing home, awaits his turn at bowling activities. The Free Press

But considering the typical stay in a nursing home by an active member of the Legislature is zero days, Morrow figures his 24-hour experience had some real value in understanding a crucial but struggling rural Minnesota industry.

A freshman Democrat from St. Peter, Morrow was talking to staff at Good Samaritan in April when LPN Mary Healy suggested he spend a day at the facility.

“Terry jumped all over it and said ‘I’d love to stay here,’” said Administrator Lori Bussler.
On Tuesday morning, the Gustavus Adolphus College professor was admitted with a “broken left hip” and spent the next 24 hours being treated as a resident. Bussler was happy to educate a lawmaker about what she and her staff do because the Legislature decides the reimbursement rates for residents and has been less than generous with the industry in recent years.

“For five years we’ve basically had no inflationary increase,” Bussler said.
Morrow, a former chairman of the St. Peter School Board, has long talked about the state failing in its responsibility to fund K-12 education. And when he was appointed to the House Transportation Committee and learned more about the state of the state’s roads, he became a vocal advocate for more highway funding.

By Wednesday morning, nursing homes were approaching the top of his priority list.
“I know after the last 24 hours that there’s another unfunded mandate, and that’s nursing homes,” Morrow said. “… We’re underfunding. It’s clear we’re underfunding.”
Morrow said he knew the Good Samaritan Center was an important part of Winthrop’s economy — it’s the second largest employer in the city of about 1,300 residents — and that if it closed, elderly residents from the area could end up far from their homes and family.

What was reinforced was the dedication of the nurses, nursing aides and other staff, he said. And he learned how valuable it was to have longtime workers who were connected to the community.

He talked of how staff could connect with a resident with memory problems by bringing up common remembrances and experiences, of how the staff knew about the churches that the residents attended or the work they did or the social events they’d been involved in.

At one point, three staff members were in his room and he added up their tenure at Good Samaritan.

“Among the three folks, they had over 100 years of experience working here,” he said. “That number tells us a lot about the importance of nursing homes in rural Minnesota.”
But with the state’s hesitance to boost nursing home rates — the budget passed in May provides an increase of up to 2 percent for Good Samaritan the first year and no increase the second year — it means nursing aides are often making little more than fast-food workers.

“I have no doubt Lori’s staff could go somewhere else and make more money,” said Morrow, who became convinced they stayed because they love their jobs. “… It’s not the wages that are keeping them here.”

He said quality care is provided at Good Samaritan, but the staffing is thin later in the day and overnight. And the women are scrambling to keep up. One longtime resident has noticed, Morrow said.

“She said, ‘When I first came, the nurses could sit and talk a little bit. I really miss that.’”
Morrow pledged to work for better funding for nursing homes. He hopes it will be during a special legislative session this summer if Gov. Tim Pawlenty calls one to deal with vetoed tax legislation. Otherwise it will be during the 2008 session.

“The past 24 hours have confirmed for me that the state needs to sit down and determine its responsibilities and pay for them rather than shifting the costs to cities, counties, school districts and Good Samaritans,” he said.

Lois Majeski, who has worked at Good Samaritan for nearly 40 years, said she’s hoping Morrow gets the word out about the financial squeeze on nursing homes.
“This was really a blessing,” said Majeski, the activities director/spiritual care and volunteer coordinator. “Because people need to know nursing homes are really in a bind.”

Copyright © 1999-2006 cnhi, inc.

I was very disappointed recently when Gov. Tim Pawlenty vetoed the tax bill.
Many good components in this bill, including increased Local Government Aid for our towns (over $880,000 for Mankato, and close to $189,000 for North Mankato) and important tax credits for dairy farmers and veterans, were in this bill. Homeowner property tax refunds would have increased, farm homestead and disabled veteran homestead tax valuations would have gone down, Ham Lake fire victims would have received help, tax loopholes for foreign operating corporations would have been closed, and much more.
The governor said that he supported much of the tax bill. In fact, several provisions he specifically wanted were included. He stated that he vetoed the bill because, in the future, the state government would have been required to be consistent and include inflation when predicting expenses as well as for revenue.

A few years ago, the state changed its practice and included inflation for revenue only. This resulted in a false sense of Minnesota’s fiscal forecast and does not serve us well — as was seen in this budget cycle. Without inflation factored in, it appeared as though the state had a $2 billion surplus (by predicting an inflationary increase for revenue only). Once inflation is included for expenses as well, the true surplus is cut in half to $1 billion.
As with our personal budgets, the state budget should include the actual dollars available to spend and the actual cost of goods and services. Minnesota should either include inflation on both sides of the ledger or not at all. This prudent step does not mean that programs would receive automatic increases. It simply ensures that we have a reasonable understanding of Minnesota’s financial forecast. I predict that if you ask your local city council, county commissioner or school board, they agree and use the consistent approach that this bill hoped to restore.
The governor’s veto of this bill, the twentieth veto this session, not only reduces state payments to local cities— it will likely result in another increase in property taxes. The June 1 edition of the Mankato Free Press quotes local officials who indicate that local property taxes will likely increase because of the governor’s veto.
Reducing property taxes was a major DFL goal this session, yet the governor vetoed the property tax relief bills as well. The governor has not served the people of Minnesota well with this veto. It’s time to restore a sound budgeting policy in the state of Minnesota and offer tax relief to property owners, farmers and veterans.

Printed in the Mankato Free Press 6/10/07

The ongoing debate on how to fix Minnesota’s deteriorating roads and bridges — and how to improve public transit and reduce congestion — rests upon two numbers: $24 billion and 93 cents.
The first number, $24 billion, is the shortfall in transportation funding over the next 22 years. The nonpartisan source of this number is the Minnesota Department of Transportation. Significantly, nobody close to the transportation funding debate questions this figure. All agree that roads won’t be fixed or constructed, bridges won’t be shored up, transit won’t improve until Minnesota takes serious
steps to start investing again in roads, bridges, and transit.
The second number — 93 cents — represents the daily savings to the average Minnesota family if the transportation plan is enacted. On Wednesday, WCCO-TV’s Pat Kessler presented a Reality Check that carefully established the facts. As Kessler observed, metro families pay a congestion-related cost of $620 per year in lost time and increased gas consumption.
Once these costs are factored in, the governor’s claims that families would pay up to $500 in tax increases falls flat. Using data from MnDOT, the nonpartisan 2007 Tax Incidence Study, and other sources, the average metro family would see an increase of 75 cents per day if they earn $100,000 per year and purchase a new $30,000 car every four years (families in Greater Minnesota, on average, would see a much lower increase).
When the congestion costs are included, the 75-cent increase is more than offset by the $620 in costs families are currently incurring each year. The 93-cent savings per day per family is the end result if the transportation bill is enacted.
Savings are similar in Greater Minnesota. Stronger roads mean that farm trucks can safely carry higher loads, resulting in fewer trips. Improved road surfaces reduce car damage. Renewable energy industries are relying upon sufficiently strong roads to bear the brunt. These savings and investment opportunities explain why farm organizations-corn growers, wheat growers, soybean growers, pork producers, Farm Bureau, Farmer’s Union, and others — support increasing Minnesota’s investment in transportation.
Businesses agree: companies report that congestion costs millions statewide dollars for every mile under the posted speed limit that their trucks can travel. The costs to Minnesota companies when we fail to invest in our roads explain why many in the business sector are calling for passage of the transportation bill.
Another important number: the inflation cost on road construction in Minnesota. Last year, road construction costs went up by 18.8%. Much of this inflationary increase is due to another number: 55 percent — the increase in asphalt costs linked to the rise in oil prices. Putting off road construction does not make the projects less expensive; in fact, the costs go up dramatically every year that we wait.
Other numbers — ones less easy to establish — must be included. Lives lost and families affected by accidents that may be reduced through improved road design and construction result in losses that are inestimable. As baby boomers retire, hours of waiting for scarce public transit and dial-a-ride services, especially in Greater Minnesota, place a heavy burden. Safety and quality of life cannot be precisely calculated; they are, indeed, priceless.

An article by Leigh Pomeroy can be found at http://www.tcdailyplanet.net/node/4508

Hello:

The Minnesota Legislature adjourned for the year on May 21, completing its work on time. It was the first time since 1999 that the Legislature finished its work on schedule in a budget year, a sharp contrast from previous years of gridlock, government shutdown, and special sessions.

A renewed focus on the basic issues facing Minnesotans marked this session. Minnesota residents can be pleased with the reasonable and fiscally responsible approach the Legislature took in addressing Minnesota’s priorities of education, health care, renewable energy, and more.

Early childhood and K-12 education, struggling under significant needs and mandates, saw the first substantial steps to reversing the cuts and flat-lined funding of the past eight years. Recognizing that investing in our youngest learners pays huge dividends, the Legislature restored funding to Early Childhood and Family Education, School Readiness, and Head Start. This session also marks the state’s first real commitment to voluntary all-day kindergarten. This year’s emphasis upon redressing the under-funding of special education reflected the Legislature’s goal to start paying more of the state’s obligation and to cover for the federal government’s failure to pay its promised share. Together with increased funding will come legislative examination of education funding and of ways to revamp special education.

Years of double-digit tuition increases at Minnesota’s public universities and colleges come to an end.

Affordable and accessible health care for more Minnesotans was a major goal of this Legislature. This year, significant health care reform initiatives will help control costs for the 93 percent of Minnesotans who currently have insurance. Minnesota takes a serious step toward “Covering All Kids” by providing health coverage for 37,000 children. MinnesotaCare policy changes mean that farmers and their families who had been denied access will now be eligible again.

Supporting Minnesota’s active service members and veterans was a major focus of the Agricultural Policy and Veteran’s Affairs committee that I served on. Minnesota National Guard and combat pay received favorable tax status. We helped those who have made enormous sacrifices to serve our country by passing Minnesota’s GI bill to provide college tuition assistance and by doubling the number of campus advisors for veteran-students. The Heroes Earned Retirement Opportunities Act allows members of the military to make tax-exempt retirement contributions through their combat pay. County veteran service officers received additional funding, as did the veteran’s crisis hotline, outreach services, and the Department of Veteran’s Affairs. The “Beyond the Yellow Ribbon” reintegration program is another valuable veteran’s program that the Legislature supported.

Minnesota showed leadership by passing a historic renewable energy standard and by setting goals for limiting greenhouse gas emissions and meeting energy efficiency/conservation standards and for clean water. Public safety is enhanced through hiring more police officers and other measures.

Even with the historic successes of this year’s session, additional issues remain to be addressed in the future. In particular, one of my highest priorities is the enactment of significant, permanent property tax relief. Property taxes have skyrocketed out of control with statewide increases exceeding $2 billion over the past four years. The Legislature’s proposed tax fairness plan would have reduced property taxes, but the Governor vetoed the legislation. I hope that we might be able to work together to reverse ever-increasing property taxes, for they especially threaten retirees and others on fixed incomes who may find it difficult financially to remain in their homes. We need to talk seriously about closing tax loopholes that benefit foreign operating corporations.

On the Transportation Finance committee, I learned from MnDOT that Minnesota needs an additional $1.5 billion invested in our transportation system every year simply to stay even. Voters’ approval to dedicate the motor vehicle sales tax to roads in November covered about one-fifth of this cost. Construction costs are rising very rapidly, especially because of inflation in asphalt expenses related to oil costs. County and city officials unanimously reported that local property taxes are going up to pay for road and bridge construction that the state cannot afford. The Legislature offered a plan to start paying for safer and stronger roads, but the Governor vetoed the legislation. As a Transportation Committee member, I deeply hope that the Governor’s representatives will sit down with us and create a pay-as-we-go solution that all can support.

As we look to the future, it is my hope that in upcoming sessions we can build upon the positive measures enacted this year, and strive to improve those measures in need of reform. I am committed to working on a bi-partisan basis for the good of our community—in fact, virtually every one of my statewide bills had authorship and support from both sides of the aisle.

Thank you for the honor to serve you in St. Paul—it is a blessing to serve such a tremendous district. As always, please don’t hesitate to share your views on issues that are of concern to you.

Sincerely,

Terry

Your View — Treaty site’s story will be told properly

The Free Press June 2, 2007

— As executive director of Nicollet County Historical Society, I would like to sincerely thank Rep. Terry Morrow and Sen. Kathy Sheran for their difficult and diligent work in the last legislative session.

Through their exhaustive efforts they were able to secure an appropriation for the Treaty Site History Center to complete the central exhibit focused on the Treaty of Traverse des Sioux signed in St. Peter in 1851. NCHS is not the first local historical organization to receive state funding nor will we be the last. But I feel that this project is especially important to every Minnesotan, not just those of us in our area. The Treaty of Traverse des Sioux accounted for about 38 percent of what we call Minnesota today (roughly everything south of I94).

This funding will allow us to tell the story in the way it deserves to be told. I am excited for the day when students, young families, and seniors can relate to our past through hands-on activities, life-size images, and insightful text. Thankfully, that day is not far off.

The state understands the importance of this exhibit thanks to the hard work of Sheran and Morrow. Please stay tuned for more on this exciting project, or contact me at the Nicollet County Historical Society.

Ben Leonard
St. Peter