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Mar 31 Z006 18:80:05 Via Fax -> Administrator Page 801 Of 885 Lmc -Fred a a F x- A weekly legislative update from the League ofMinnesota Cities March 31, 2006 Pagel Joint powers liability bill up next The House companion bill, I-IF 3079 authored week by Rep. Ron Abrams(R-Minnetonka), has been approved by the House Local Government Next Tuesdav, the Senate Judiciary Committee Committee and the House Civil Law is scheduled to consider SF 2648, the Joint Committee and is now on the House floor. Powers Liability bill supported by the League Questions? Contact Gary Carlson 651-281- of Minnesota Cities. Tuesday is the second committee deadline and the bill must be 1255 or by email at_cEar!.Von di hnnc.c�rg. reported out of the Judiciary Committee or it will be dead for the session. Unfortunately, the Senate passes bill restricting eminent bill will likely be considered after the domain authority; House vote controversial constitutional amendment expected next week proposal to define marriage. On Mondav, the Minnesota Senate approved The bill clarifies the application of the state tort SF 2750, legislation restricting eminent domain caps to joint powers arrangements_ The bill, authority authored by Sen. Tom Bakk(DFL- which is authored by Sen. Ann Rest(DFL-New Cook) and supported by the Institute for Justice Hope), specifies that the tort caps apply as if a and the Minnesota Automobile Dealers joint powers entity or, arrangement is a separate Association. government entity, regardless of the number of participating local units of government. The Legislators offered several amendments to the legislation was introduced in response to an bill, including one proposed by Sen- Steve Eighth U.S. Circuit Court decision involving a Murphy(DFL-Red Wing) and supported by joint powers entity created by the Crookston local governments, which exempts strip takings School district and the city of Crookston. valued under$25,000 from the attorney fees provision in the bill. Another amendment The bill is jointly supported by the League of proposed by Sen- Julianne Ortman(R- Minnesota Cities, the Association of Minnesota Chanhassen)would have stricken the blight Counties, the Minnesota School Boards provisions in the bill and only allowed for the Association and the Minnesota Association of acquisition of private property to remove a Townships. public nuisance or environmental contamination. The Murphy amendment was In the Crookston case, a maintenance worker adopted while the C7tman amendment was was injured in a boiler mishap at a swimming defeated on a 33-33 vote. pool jointly run by the school and the city. Although the school district had assumed SF 2750 passed, as amended, on a 64-2 vote responsibility for any mishaps under the joint with Seri. Sandy Pappas (DFL-St. Paul) and powers arrangement, the court found that the T Sen- Wes Skoglund (DFL-Minneapolis) voting school and the city were each liable up to the against the bill. A summary of the major state tort caps of$300,000 per individual and components of the Senate bill was published in $1 million per event. this week's Cities'Bulletin. For more information on city legislative issues,contact any member of the League of Minnesota Cities Intergovernmental Relations team. 651.281.1200 or 800.925.1122