Traffic enforcement on Hwy. 52, the $15.7 million reconstruction project at Inver Grove Heights City Hall, health inspections at new restaurants within the city. They don’t have much in common, with one big exception: All three of those  services or projects could be limited, delayed or stopped entirely if the state government shuts down on July 1. Republican legislators and Gov. Mark Dayton spent much of the past weekend in budget negotiations—trying to end a months-long budget impasse and stave off a state government shutdown, which will occur if the Republican-controlled Legislature and …

When it comes to fundraising and spending during an election year, the Democratic incumbents representing Inver Grove Heights had a clear advantage over their Republican challengers in 2010. District 39B Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL) outspent his Republican opponent by a nearly 10-1 ratio in the 2010 election, according to campaign finance reports released earlier this year by the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board. In 2010, Atkins raised nearly $76,000. Individual contributions made up the bulk of that money, roughly $58,000, with some of the donations coming from as far away as …

District 39 Sen. Jim Metzen (DFL) will be working without pay during the legislature's special session this summer. Metzen announced last week that he would refuse to take his $96 per diem—Latin for "per day"—payment for the length of the special session, which will likely begin later this summer.  During regular session House members may accept up to $77 a day, while senators can receive a payment up to $96. Legislators receive a salary of $31,140. “I think personally, if we didn’t get our work done, we don’t get paid,” said Metzen. “I want my constituents to know that if its one day back or…

In one stroke, District 39 Sen. Jim Metzen (DFL) would permit slot machines at Canterbury Park in Shakopee, and use the gambling revenue generated by those machines to fund the construction of two new sports stadiums in Minnesota. That's the gist of new bill, proposed by District 27 Sen. Dan Sparks (DFL) and co-authored by Metzen and District 24 Sen. Julie Rosen (R). Under the legislation, introduced last Friday, gaming machines would be allowed at certain, licensed horse tracks, including Canterbury Park in Shakopee. Revenue from the machines would be funneled into a "Multi-Stadium Revenue …

Consumer privacy is at the heart of a new bill introduced last week by District 39B Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL). Under the proposed legislation, cell phone providers would be prohibited from tracking users through their mobile phone or wireless device — unless the owner  grants the provider written permission. The bill, HF 1700, has already garnered support from both sides of the political aisle; several Republican representatives, including District 52B Rep. Matt Dean and District 39A Rep. Mary Liz Holberg, have signed on as co-authors of the bill. “Wireless consumers deserve to know that their …

A redistricting plan that would split Inver Grove Heights into two separate communities drew criticism from at least one local legislator. Last Monday, District 43A Rep. Sarah Anderson (R) of Plymouth, released her plan, HF1425, to redraw the state's legislative boundaries, an exercise that occurs every decade after each Census. On Friday, Anderson introduced an update to the proposal, which passed in the Minnesota House of Representatives on Friday by a 69-59 vote. Since 1982, the boundaries of Senate District 39 and House District 39B have encompassed the city limits of Inver Grove Heights…

Inver Grove Heights Patch: What were your goals when the legislative session began this spring?  District 39B Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL): Since the start of the legislative session in January, my two primary goals have been to solve the state's budget deficit and to ensure that we were prepared for the predicted spring flooding. Patch: Have you met or made progress on any of those goals?  Atkins: Yes. We have made steady progress on solving the state's budget deficit, passing the first of the budget bills last week with overwhelming bipartisan support. With respect to the flooding that was …

A bill that would use a variety of new taxes to help fund the construction of a new Vikings stadium drew a mixed review from District 39B Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL). Introduced in the Minnesota House earlier this month by Rep. Morrie Lanning, the Vikings stadium bill would provide as much as $300 million for the construction of the facility through a 10 percent tax on sports memorabilia, an income tax on sports organization employees and players and a sales tax on luxury boxes at the stadium. Revenue for the stadium would also be raised through a new sports-themed lottery game and by selling the …

District 39 Sen. Jim Metzen (DFL) believes that the state, faced with a $5 billion deficit, needs every source of revenue it can get. Which is why Metzen has cast his support behind a Republican-backed bill to allow video slot machines at two horse tracks in Minnesota — Canterbury Park in Shakopee and Running Aces Harness Park in Columbus. If passed, the measure could generate $250 million to $500 million annually, Metzen said, some of which would be funneled back into state funds. Proposed by District 29 Sen. David Senjem (R) and introduced on March 25, the bill creates an account called the…

When Jim Metzen first became a state senator, he joked, it took him two years just to figure out where the bathrooms at the State Capitol were. All joking aside, Metzen is one of several legislators who have thrown their support behind a constitutional amendment that would increase the term limits for representatives and senators in the Minnesota Legislature by two years. Authored by District 5 Sen. David Tomassoni (DFL) and introduced on March 17, the bill would grant state representatives a four-year term, while state senators would only need to worry about re-election every six years. …

Two local legislators have thrown their support behind the development of a proposed, 250-acre nature and education center in Inver Grove Heights. District 39B Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL) is the chief author of two separate bonding requests that, if approved, would provide funding for the design and development of the Darvan Nature Center and the restoration of more than 200 acres of land. The proposed nature center would be located near the 9100 block of Barnes Avenue in Inver Grove Heights, on a parcel of land owned by former Inver Grove Heights Mayor Vance Grannis, Atkins said. If created, the …

When it comes to teachers’ salaries, District 39B Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL) is all for local control. Which is why Atkins and District 39 Sen. Jim Metzen (DFL) both say they oppose SF56, a bill authored by District 36 Sen. Dave Thompson (R) that places a hard freeze on the salaries of all school district staff statewide through 2013. A hard freeze means teachers, administrators and others employed by school districts and charter schools would be ineligible for direct salary increases, cost-of-living increases and step or lane changes. Under the proposed bill, employees who are promoted are still …

Editor’s Note: Capitol Review is a weekly look at what your state legislators are doing at the Minnesota Capitol—how they’re voting, the bills they’re writing and the issues they’re getting behind. Come back to Patch every Monday for a new Capitol Review. Since 2007, the Minnesota Department of Public Safety has reported 90,000 new cases of electronic fraud or identity theft in Minnesota, District 39B Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL) said. Which is all the motivation the legislator needed to author a new bill, HF343, designed to enhance the state's enforcement capabilities against electronic fraud. If …

Editor’s Note: Capitol Review is a weekly look at what your state legislators are doing at the Minnesota Capitol—how they’re voting, the bills they’re writing and the issues they’re getting behind. Come back to Patch every Monday for a new Capitol Review. When it comes to cost cutting, District 39B Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL) wants to lead by example. Atkins is named as co-sponsor of HF178, a bill that, if approved, would cut the salaries of legislators and state government officials, including the governor and lieutenant governor, by 5 percent. The bill would also shave 15 percent off the daily …

Editor’s Note: Capitol Review is a weekly look at what your state legislators are doing at the Minnesota Capitol—how they’re voting, the bills they’re writing and the issues they’re getting behind. Come back to Patch every Monday for a new Capitol Review. District 39B Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL) is taking aim at synthetic cannabinoids — also known as synthetic marijuana. Atkins, who represents Inver Grove Heights, is named as a co-author on a bill introduced earlier in January that criminalizes synthetic marijuana. The proposed legislation, HF57, would make it a gross misdemeanor to sell synthetic …

The legislative session opened quietly for District 39 Sen. Jim Metzen (DFL) and District 39B Rep. Joe Atkins (DFL) . Metzen said last week that he would spend less of his time authoring bills this session and more energy defending education and health and human services funding from expected cuts. True to his prediction, Metzen has authored just one bill so far this session, at a time when some of his compatriots have already proposed multiple pieces of legislation. Metzen is the chief author of SF49, a bonding request would appropriate $14 million from the state's bond proceed fund to …