Vickerman and Winter announce re-election intentions
The current incumbents to the Minnesota House and Senate, Sen. Jim Vickerman and Rep. Ted Winter, both announced this week that they will seek re-election to their positions.
Vickerman
Vickerman was first elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1986 and re-elected in '90, '92, '96, and in 2000.
He currently chairs the State and Government Operations Committee, is Vice-Chair of the Legislative Commissioner on Minnesota Resources and serves on the Senate Tax, Agriculture and Environment and Natural Resource Committees.
Vickerman said that the rural economy and the quality and availability of health care in rural communities are his top priorities.
Vickerman was a farmer and former county commissioner before being elected to the Senate.
Winter
Rep. Ted Winter, who has served in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 1986, also announced his re-election plans.
Winter, a family farmer from the Fulda area, stated that he would continue working to help "Main Street" businesses and farms prosper and meet the education, transportation and health care needs of rural Minnesota.
Winter serves on the Rules and Legislative Administration, Taxes, property tax division and sales tax division.
Winter points to his efforts in the passage of the biodiesel legislation as a major accomplishment.
The measure would require the use of soy-based biodiesel oil in diesel fuel sold in Minnesota beginning in 2005.
Restoring cuts in nursing home funding and education would be priorities on WinterÕs agenda in the next session.
USDA to conduct farm identification survey
The USDA will begin its 2002 farm survey beginning this month.
The survey includes 500,000 potential farms and ranches in the US, including nearly 7,000 in Minnesota.
The surveys should come in the mail over the next two weekends.
According to the USDA, the intent of the survey is to identify agricultural operations for the 2002 Census of Agriculture.
In a recent announcement, the USDA emphasized that many people who do not consider themselves to be farmers or ranchers actually qualify as a farm and are important to the 2002 survey.
The survey consists of seven short questions, which help determine the status of agriculture in the country.
The farm identification survey takes less than five minutes to complete and comes with a self-addressed postage-paid envelope.
Responses to this survey and the 2002 Census of Agriculture are mandatory under the law, which also assures that the information will remain confidential.
The 2002 Census of Agriculture forms will be sent out in December to 2.75 million potential farms and ranches.
Inmates paying their own way?
Locking up criminals is an expensive proposition.
And with the current budget problems legislators are considering a bill aimed at the high cost of holding criminals and making them accountable for their actions.
A bill that would allow counties to collect room, board, clothing, medical, dental, and other correctional services for convicted offenders spending time in a county jail, workhouse, or correctional farm is now the law.
The law goes into effect Aug 1.
The payments can be made during the sentence or after it has been served.
If a court has ordered restitution to be paid, that obligation will take precedence over the paying for room and board.
Publisher Roger Tollefson can be contacted by e-mail at
tolly@star-herald.com