Just because we've had a winner in the poll doesn't mean the silly bills introduced in the Legislature have stopped. Not at all! Here are a few more introduced just last two weeks.

• HF1213 would make you walk farther from a bus stop to find a prostitute. Penalties that used to apply to parks and school zones would be expanded to one block from any public transit stop as well as child care centers. Thank you, Rep. Karen Clark, for making johns get a little exercise before they, um, contract for service.
• HF1275 puts $1.4 million into the St. Paul public transportation system to take children to ballparks and rec centers after school to get regular exercise, as well as to libraries. Rep. John Lesch wants to be sure we take advantage of the hooker-free bus stops. And in case you didn't know St. Paul had parks and rec centers, Rep. Carolos Mariani has a bill to spend a quarter-mil advertising them, HF 1277.
• HF1299 would make it a crime to go back and sit in your car while you're refueling on a windy, cold day. Rep. Joe Atkins would probably arrest me for washing off the headlights on my T-Reg, too, while I pump up. (This is one of those Alice's Restaurant moments where I'd join the Group W bench: "What were you arrested for, kid?" "Gas pump neglect.")
• HF1385, because Minnesota's flag isn't good enough. We need A TASK FORCE (when a committee just won't do, it's a task force for you!) From Tina Liebling of Rochester and (who else!) Phyllis Kahn.
• HF1439, because you wouldn't want the government to earn money from 'contraband cigarettes.' Joe Atkins, Kurt Zellers and Dean Simpson (the latter two are Republicans) offer a bill that would burn them instead. How far would you have to keep people from that bonfire?
• HF1547. How dare you not contribute your tax refund to the state election fund!? Asst. Majority Leader Steve Simon is so concerned about this he wants to add another $750,000 from the general fund.

Meanwhile, the folks in Alexandria are not too keen on our glass-on-your-pontoon-boat bill:

Douglas County Sheriff Troy Wolbersen thinks these types of rules are more about common sense and don�t have to be controlled in statute form by government.

�Rules are posted and most often, people follow them,� he said. �This has never really been an issue.�

Plus, he noted, it would be tough to enforce that type of law � especially on a lake � because boaters could simply hide the glass containers if they saw an officer approaching.

Hide it!?! Wow, I'd've never thought of that! Amazing what you learn on the Group W bench.

Fritz Bukowski from Lakes Area Recreation, who manages the two public beaches in the Alexandria area, feels the same way.

�This is a common sense rule,� said Bukowski. �And we haven�t had a problem at the beaches. People respect the rules we have posted.�

Bukowski called the bill �unique� and said it would be a nightmare to try to enforce.

At both public beaches in the area � Latoka and Geneva � there are rules posted on signs for beach goers that do not allow glass containers, alcohol or dogs, Bukowski noted.

He added that there haven�t been any problems in the past and that he doubts there will be problems in the future because most beach goers are respectful people.

That's thought seems to lost on Mr. Welti.

Labels: legislature, Minnesota