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St. Paul Ford plant gets jump-start "We must act decisively on a package of incentives that enables Ford to produce the kind of fuel-efficient vehicles in St. Paul that will keep the plant thriving now and in the future," Hornstein said. "We have been in conversations with Ford and we are confident that we can work together toward both short- and long-term solutions to keep jobs in St. Paul." Rybak calls for more plug-in hybrid conversions The conversion is pretty pricey: $10,000. The Legislature passed funding for the state's Office of Energy Security to create a new grant for hybrid owners. State Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, says the grant will help Minnesotans with up to 30 percent of the conversion cost. "As a result of this legislation that was passed, we now have, in a matter of very short period of time, we'll have individuals grants available to consumers that want to convert their existing hybrids to a plug-in model," said Hornstein. Congestion Relief Hornstein calls transportation bill's passage 'historic' "We have not had a gas-tax increase in 20 years and had not had a comprehensive transportation funding bill happen for a very long time," said state Rep. Frank Hornstein (DFL-60B), who played a large part in the bill's passage. "Not only are we infusing $6.6 billion over next 10 years, (but also) the way it happened, with the dramatic override few people expected, made it historic." Pawlenty Signs Texting-While-Driving Ban Into Law "This isn't really meant as 'big brother,' it's really meant to say 'This is unsafe, don't do it, it's against the law,'" said Hornstein. Lori Sturdevant: Still in a Minnesota state of mind? Was it because Pawlenty wants to be vice president that he vetoed a much-needed gas tax increase, or Central Corridor funding? Did he appear to change his tune on Real ID because he wants to cozy up to the Department of Homeland Security? Was he minding the store while on all those weekend trips for John McCain? And were DFLers intent on making him look bad in the eyes of GOP kingmakers? Did they succeed? Over a morning-after-adjournment cup of coffee (we needed the caffeine), I put those questions to two legislators sure to have divergent answers, Republican Sen. Geoff Michel of Edina and DFL Rep. Frank Hornstein of Minneapolis. Bill would give those living in cars right to last few possessions A growing number of people live in cars these days, forced out of their homes by foreclosures, too poor to find a place to sleep other than their back seat. But when you live on the street, or park your life on one, you can lose everything to a tow truck. That's why advocates for the homeless are hoping to win passage of a law in the Legislature that would let the homeless retrieve their belongings from vehicles in impound lots, even if they can't pay to get the car back. The House author, Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, calls it, "The Let-people-get-their-stuff Bill." Hornstein says it is a matter of "simple human dignity" and says the current law, which allows impound lots to auction vehicles with all their contents, does not take into account the fact that people living in their cars can suddenly find themselves deprived of their records, their medications, their keepsakes and sometimes even their children's homework. City legislators talk about top priorities for '08 legislative session In late January, the Southwest Journal invited state legislators representing districts in Downtown and Southwest to discuss the upcoming legislative session, which commences Feb. 12 at noon. We asked them a spectrum of questions — about their priorities in 2008, the bonding bill, infrastructure and education, among other topics. Minnesota lawmakers roll out plan to cut greenhouse gases The push for mass transit expansion in Minnesota is part of another piece of legislation, the transportation bill, but backers say building a regional network could also play a big role in the greening of Minnesota. "If we build out our transit system, which is called for in that bill we'll be saving 430,000 tons of greenhouse gases by 2010," Representative Frank Hornstein of Minneapolis told reporters. "Building out the transit ways, the light rail, the commuter rail buses and doubling the bus system would have a huge impact." Taking the Lead Now in a position to influence transportation policy at the Legislature, Dibble and Hornstein are working hard to do so. Dibble, a member of the Senate Transportation Committee and chair of the Transit Subcommittee, and Hornstein, chair of the House Transportation and Transit Policy Subcommittee, are calling for renewed investment in transportation and changes in how the Minnesota Department of Transportation (MnDOT) is run. They were among the first legislators to call for the resignation of MnDOT Commissioner Carol Molnau, who also serves as lieutenant governor. They are members of a legislative committee investigating the structural problems within MnDOT's organization. And they're working to put together a transportation bill for the upcoming legislative session that will provide more funding for the state's roads and bridges. "We have a Southwest team that's really at the center of all of this," Hornstein said, noting that House Speaker and Southwest legislator Margaret Anderson Kelliher (DFL-60A) has also called for Molnau's resignation. Three worker bills advance in the Minnesota House House File 219 passed the Labor and Consumer Protection Division with the addition of an amendment by Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, to include an employee's "domestic partner" on the list of people whose care may be eligible for use of employee sick leave. Minn. House adopts "25 percent by 2025’ green energy goal Minnesota lawmakers on Monday night put their faith in electricity from burned waste, sun panels, windmills and other renewable sources by passing legislation aiming to reduce reliance on fossil fuels like coal and petroleum. Hang-up-and-drive bill gains traction Talking on a cell phone could soon cost you plenty -- and not because you exceeded your minutes. Northwest is offered big break on fees Northwest Airlines will get a $239 million break on airport charges in return for keeping its hub and headquarters in the Twin Cities after it clears bankruptcy, a divided Metropolitan Airports Commission decided Wednesday. Hennepin County wants metro sales tax to help out light rail Hennepin County, which uses a special property tax to pay for half the cost of running the line linking Minneapolis and Bloomington, thinks the entire metro region should help pay for it. The six other metro counties agree. Hot for hybrids
A jolt for hybrids The bill is designed to retain jobs at the troubled Ford plant and reduce U.S. dependence on foreign oil from trouble spots around the world, such as Iraq, Iran, Nigeria and Saudi Arabia, said key sponsors Rep. Frank Hornstein and Sen. Scott Dibble, both DFL-Minneapolis. Reduce the Class Size Squeeze As legislators, we take our responsibility to students seriously, which is why we are introducing legislation to create a class-size reduction fund. The straightforward plan would offer additional funding to those schools which are able to meet the recommended size guidelines, such as fewer than 20 students in kindergarten through third-grade classrooms and fewer than 25 in grades 4 to 6. In English, math, science and social studies, class sizes would be maintained at 25 students in middle school and 28 in high school. DFLers have a plan to lower class size "We've reached a tipping point, and something needs to be done," said Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis. "We need to reduce class sizes." Bipartisan bridge-building boosts I-35W transit
Holberg and Hornstein both say they're encouraged that the state's study will make BRT an I-35W reality. "This BRT study allows people along the corridor a chance to share their vision," Hornstein said. Pursuing Justice In Our Cities: "We have workshops on conducting one-on-one organizing meetings," says Frank Hornstein, one of the group's leaders, "as well as sessions on particular issues, like affordable housing and community reinvestment. But we start the day with text study." Pipe dream? The bill, which would be sponsored by Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, aims at increasing the number of flexible-fuel cars sold in Minnesota and requiring the state to begin buying hybrid vehicles that can be plugged in to run on electricity in concert with other states. Morris figures 5,000 plug-in hybrids could be built at the Ford plant in St. Paul and on the roads beginning in 2008. Everyday ethics: Funds, ethics are not mutually exclusive State Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, says that when a mutual fund he has invested in has stocks from a company that doesn't meet his ethical standards, he writes the fund managers and tells them why they should divest. On a couple of occasions, the managers have dropped those companies from their portfolios, although Hornstein says he can't be sure it was because of his activism.
Plug-in hybrid vehicles' lobby introduces itself Big classes, big problems State Rep. Frank Hornstein of Linden Hills, who has children in the district - including a daughter in a lab class of 42 - will fight for greater state support. He sees hope in a bill that would amend the state's constitution and cap class size. The Boss: On The Road Alone Frank Hornstein, who brought his 10-year-old son, Max, to his third Bruce concert, says, "You want the E Street Band, but I respect him as an artist." Minnesota Officials Join Northwest Mechanics in Urging MAC Not to Rush Approval of Northwest's Airport Expansion Proposal Hybrid vehicle registrations jump Frank Hornstein, a state representative in Minnesota who drives a Civic hybrid, has introduced legislation that would give state residents a sales tax exemption for buying certain hybrid vehicles. Bus strike highlights debate over transit at the Capitol Lawmakers want to put brakes on toll road plan Rep. Frank Hornstein, DFL-Minneapolis, says such (non-compete) clauses would tie the state's hands in unacceptable ways, and would do so for as long as the tolls were paying off the construction costs. Yucca opponents sway lawmaker from Minnesota So compelling was his talk with (Nevada) Gov. Kenny Guinn, state lawmakers and citizen activist Peggy Maze Johnson that Hornstein has decided to sponsor legislation in Minnesota that would restrict transportation of nuclear waste through densely populated areas like the south end of Minneapolis, which he represents. Legislator from Minnesota opposes waste transport "People need to start asking questions," Hornstein said by telephone from St. Paul, Minn. "I don't think people are generally aware that their communities could be possible routes for (shipments of) fairly high volumes of nuclear waste." On The Road To The Coast Frank Hornstein, a Minnesota state legislator who joined the freedom riders on the trek from Minneapolis to Madison, said the immigrant labor cause suffered a considerable setback after Sept. 11. |
It's not often that a piece of legislation offered up in the hinterlands by a politician mostly unknown outside of a handful of thawing neighborhoods presents the opportunity to rearrange the world. A bill promoting the production of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) recently submitted to the Minnesota House of Representatives could drastically reduce the amount of money you spend on gasoline, make the air you breathe cleaner and, as an extra bonus, make the United States safer and quite possibly energy-self-sufficient.