A Bluestem Prairie

Another post about yet another Walz public meeting: meth impact forum

Tim Walz has scheduled yet another public meeting in Southern Minnesota, according to his latest press advisory:

On Tuesday, April 10th, Rep. Tim Walz will host a regional forum about the impact of meth on southern Minnesota.  The forum will address the need for all levels of government to work together in combating the production and use of meth and will include speakers from state and local government.

WHAT: Regional Forum on the Impacts of Meth
WHERE: Midwest Wireless Civic Center, Room 243
1 Civic Center Plaza
Mankato, Minnesota
WHEN: Tuesday, April 10th, 10:00am

The forum is free and open to the public. The forum will include presentations from:
* State Senator Julie Rosen
* Minnesota Gang and Drug Taskforce Coordinator Bob Bushman
* Minnesota Department of Human Services Program & Policy Specialist Jeff Hunsberger
* Minnesota Meth Coordinator Chuck Noerenberg
* Ramsey County Attorney Susan Gaertner

In addition to the meth meeting, Rep. Walz will participate in the following events on April 10th:

8am KDOG Morning Show
Rep. Tim Walz will co-host the 8 o'clock hour of the KDOG morning show with Brad and Sarah.  The show broadcasts in the Mankato area on 96.7FM and in western Minnesota on KNSG 94.7FM.

2:00-4:00 New Ulm Farm Bill Meeting
Martin Luther College
Luther Student Center Building Cafeteria
1995 Luther Court
New Ulm, Minnesota

The Rochester Post Bulletin reports on last night's meeting in Austin in Walz gathers input on federal farm bill:

The 40 or so people gathered in the basement of the Elks Lodge in Austin to discuss the farm bill know its importance.

But most people don't, said Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn. Walz is conducting nine farm bill hearings in the 1st District this month to hear from people affected by the bill.

The effect of the farm bill is far-reaching. It funds everything from school lunch programs to filter strips along waterways to rural infrastructure upgrades. The bill is up for reauthorization this year.

"When we create a budget document, we are impacting people's lives in a very real way," Walz said of the work in Congress. The document is a moral document because it reflects the nation's values, he said.

Walz serves on the House Agriculture Committee. Fellow Minnesotan Rep. Collin Peterson is the committee chairman. Peterson has directed committee members to gather input from their constituents through early May in preparation for writing a new farm bill and enacting it by September.

Find out what the farmers told Walz by reading the full PB article.

The Austin Daily Herald reports on Walz's meeting with veterans in During Austin visit, Walz's ‘to do' list gets longer.  Many veterans attended and they wanted action:

First District Rep. Tim Walz, D-Minn., said Wednesday night “a promise raised should be a promise kept.”

America's veterans have heard that before, but Walz brings new hope that he will keep the promises he makes.

After all, he's the highest ranking enlisted man in the U.S. Armed Forces ever to serve in Congress.

And only a year ago today, he was teaching classes at Mankato West High School instead of traveling the 1st Congressional District with an entourage.

Walz spoke to a large crowd of area veterans Wednesday night at the Austin Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1216.

Earlier Wednesday in Austin, he discussed a new Farm Bill with area farmers, but the veterans and their spouses gathered at the VFW Hall Wednesday night proved the most demanding.

Learn more about their demands in the Austin Daily Herald. We agree with Representative Walz's conclusion in the article:

One by one, veterans made their demands known of the new congressman, who defeated six-term incumbent Gil Gutknecht last November.

One by one, Walz looked them in the eye and gave them an answer and assigned an aide to “get on this immediately;” a phrase heard repeatedly.

Norm Hecimovich, Walz's veterans affairs liaison in the 1st District, watched and listened and took his own notes of things he could do.

It was a night of requests and demands and the new congressman's own pledge to help in whatever way a retired Command Sergeant Major in the U.S. Army can in Washington D.C.

“The one constant for all you veterans is that the nation must be there for you,” Walz said.

In other news, the PB reports that Labor board files charges against Holiday Inn Express:

The National Labor Relations Board is taking its dispute with the Holiday Inn Express over the dismissal of 18 hotel workers before an administrative law judge. . . .

. . . The discovery that the 18 workers were out of jobs came four days before Christmas and days after CMPJ, a Texas-based firm, purchased the hotel from its longtime owner, Sunstone Properties. CMPJ Enterprises argues that the transaction with Sunstone was an asset purchase only and that the workers were never the employees of the company in the first place.

According to the complaint, the NLRB alleges that soon after the purchase was made, CMPJ Enterprises, through an agent, "threatened employees by stating that (CMPJ Enterprises) would not retain employees who had been with the union and (CMPJ Enterprise) did not want union employees."

It also states that representatives of CMPJ Enterprises have refused to bargain with or recognize Local 21 since the firm became the owners of the hotel.

 

Mid-day digest: Iraq debate, meth remediation, and Highway 14 funds

Netroots: Nice having a veteran represent your district
Guyermo over at DailyKos comments about Walz's floor speeches and posts a You Tube clip of Walz's remarks.

He writes:

It's nice having Representatives in Congress with actual military experience, especially (with respects to John Kerry) experience in the current conflicts.

What's even better, is having one of these Fighting Dems representing your own district.  Yesterday, Tim Walz did all of us in MN-01 proud by giving two excellent floor statements regarding the non-binding resolution that will be passed on Friday.

Go over, read the post and comment. 

Here's the YouTube for the busy or lazy:

House passes Meth Remediation bill

The federal meth remediation bill we wrote about earlier in the week passed in the House in a nearly unanimous vote, according to the Worthington Globe:

WORTHINGTON — A bill that charges the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the development of health-based guidelines to assist state and local authorities in cleaning up former meth lab sites — and co-sponsored by Minnesota 1st District Rep. Tim Walz — was passed Wednesday in the House of Representatives by a lopsided margin.

By a vote of 426-2, the House approved the Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2007. Walz delivered a statement in support of the bill on the House floor, saying the legislation is a necessary step toward improving the meth lab remediation process nationwide.

“Meth production, which often occurs in residential homes, leaves behind dangerous, toxic waste,” Walz said. “According to the Minnesota Department of Health, meth production leaves behind five to seven pounds of chemical waste for every pound of meth produced.” . . .

Walz see the federal measure as a tool to help state and local efforts to fight meth:

“In 2005, the Drug Enforcement Administration discovered 88 labs in Minnesota, each of which presented a risk,” Walz said. “Although Minnesota has strong local and state guidelines for dealing with meth lab remediation, the federal government can still play an important role in making the remediation process easier for local communities.”

According to a 2006 National Drug Threat Survey of state and local law enforcement agencies across the nation, meth was named most often as the greatest drug threat in communities.

“This is just one of many steps needed to safeguard our communities against this terrible drug,” Walz stated.

Even Kline and Bachmann voted for this one. Walz was a co-sponsor.

Update: The Albert Lea Tribune looks at local implications for the bill.

Walz co-sponsors HR 365, the Methamphetamine Remediation Act

The consequences of meth manufacture and use are tragic wherever they happen, but in rural Minnesota, with its smaller tax base and population, the illegal drug's impact hits a bit harder than in more wealthy areas. Just about everyone has a story of a friend, neighbor or family member hit by the scourge.

That being the case, we speculate that Representative Tim Walz is once more bringing his constituents' concern forward. This just in from the DC office, which tells us that a vote on the bill is coming up today:

Rep. Walz Works to Clean Up Meth Problem in Minnesota

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In order to help communities across Minnesota clean up methamphetamine labs and the toxic mess they leave behind, U.S. Rep. Tim Walz is co-sponsoring H.R. 365, the Methamphetamine Remediation Act.

Today, Rep. Walz added his support to H.R. 365, a bill that charges the Environmental Protection Agency with the development of health-based guidelines to assist state and local authorities in cleaning up former meth lab sites.

"We must work, not only to end addiction to meth, but also to responsibly clean up the toxic sites left by its manufacture," said Walz.  "Abandoned and raided labs leave a volatile mess of chemicals and dangerous equipment, many of them where our children live and play."

"While Minnesota has already mandated and funded meth lab cleanup, this measure finally gives state and local officials the tools and health-based guidelines needed to clean these facilities," Walz said.

In addition to establishing those guidelines, the bill would also:

·  Direct the National Institute of Standards and Technology to consult with EPA in developing technologies to detect meth labs, emphasizing in field test kits for law enforcement.

·  Require the National Academy of Sciences to study the long-term health impacts of meth exposure on first-responders and on children taken from meth lab sites.

The Drug Enforcement Administration reports that more than 88 meth labs were seized in Minnesota in 2005.

According to a 2006 National Drug Threat Survey of state and local law enforcement agencies across the nation, meth was named most often as the greatest drug threat in communities.

"This is just one of many steps needed to safeguard our communities against this terrible drug," Walz stated.

Rep. Walz also delivered the following statement in support of H.R. 365 on the floor of the House of Representatives today:

Mr./Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 365, the Methamphetamine Remediation Research Act of 2007.  In Minnesota, methamphetamine usage has increased dramatically over the last decade. That being said, legislators, law enforcement agencies, and concerned citizens are all taking necessary steps to protect our communities from the threat of methamphetamine production and usage.

This legislation addresses the difficult problem of meth lab remediation.  Meth production, which often occurs in residential homes, leaves behind dangerous, toxic waste.  In fact, according to the Minnesota Department of Health, meth production leaves behind 5 to 7 pounds of chemical waste for every 1 pound of meth produced.  This waste presents a health risk to future residents and an environmental risk to the surrounding area.  In 2005, the Drug Enforcement Administration discovered 88 meth labs in Minnesota, each of which presented such a risk.  Although Minnesota has strong local and state guidelines for dealing with meth lab remediation, the federal government can still play an important role in making the remediation process easier for local communities.

H.R. 365 will direct the EPA to research and establish important voluntary guidelines for meth lab remediation.  Furthermore, the bill will bring together local and state agencies, organizations, and individuals to share their best strategies for cleaning up meth labs and determining when they are inhabitable. 

Mr./Madam Speaker, this legislation is a necessary step toward improving the meth lab remediation process nationwide.  It will help local, state, and federal law enforcement safely move forward after discovering a meth lab and it will make local communities dealing with the methamphetamine problem cleaner and healthier. 

Thank you.

Among Minnesota's congressional delegation, Oberstar and Peterson have also signed on as co-sponsors.