Apparently some legislators are so busy that the cows are getting lonely.

Rep. Ken Tschumper is pondering whether to sell his herd of Brown Swiss dairy cattle.

... �I�m not getting tired out. And I�m certainly not complaining about it,� said Tschumper. �It just takes a lot of time,� he said. �That�s all I�ve been doing since eight o�clock working on flood related issues,� said Tschumper, speaking one late morning this week.

In addition to its constituency work, the interim committee schedule has been drawing many lawmakers frequently to St. Paul and to sites across the state.

Since the end of the regular legislative session in May, about 100 commission, committee, subcommittee, and working group hearings have taken place.

The pace continues through October � two hearings are scheduled on Halloween.

Through the month of December, the House committee schedule currently has the number of hearings over the interim, held and planned, at more than 130.

You might think I'm going to talk about all the per diem money this fellow is collecting. What is more disturbing, though, is the stuff these guys end up doing. Take for example this highly critical meeting held last week on ... pesticide right-to-know laws.

Rep. Tschumper said there are a number of cases each year when people are exposed to unsafe levels of pesticides. �This is not an isolated case,�� he said of testimony to be heard in Wadena.

Tschumper said that along with the right to access records, he wants to see requirements that pesticide applicators notify neighbors in advance of spraying.

�We want to improve the law to eliminate the risk of accidental exposure. That is our goal,�� said Tschumper. He added that pesticide exposure is as much an urban as rural issue.

Well I guess it would be OK to take a few days away from flood issues to deal with something that important. If he just wants to hold a meeting and talk, that's fine. But you can bet some intrusive piece of legislation will come out of this.

Rep. Tschumper, your cows miss you. Go home. February will be soon enough to find out if we need the nanny state telling us where and when to use pesticides.

Labels: legislature, Minnesota