EdAction
Maple River Education Coalition PAC
105 Peavey Rd, St 116 
Chaska, MN  55318 
952-361-4931
http://www.EdAction.org
E-mail

May 31, 2001

Career Tracking ALERT

On May 22nd we sent out an update about career tracking amendments in the K-12 Education Finance and in the Jobs and Economic Development conference committees. We said at that time that we need your involvement if these two amendments "prohibiting mandatory and involuntary career tracking" were to survive.

Last Wednesday, both conference committees, called "working groups," met. The amendments are being strongly opposed by key members of both committees. In K-12 Finance, Senators Martha Robertson and Pappas indicated that it is unnecessary to add statutory language regarding something that is not happening! We are in the process of providing documentation for them of career tracking in Minnesota.

In the Jobs and Economic Development committee, Dave Johnson is exerting strong influence to keep a prohibition for mandatory career tracking prohibition out of the final bill. Now is the time to bring your personal testimony regarding career tracking in the schools to the attention of these key lawmakers! Please write it up as if you are addressing legislators and forward it on to us. Or simply call these conferees. We will follow this email with one family's personal testimony.

Activities in committees have come to a temporary halt due to ongoing negotiations over tax policy. This gives us some limited time to contact legislators!

Tell them that they must include a prohibition against career tracking in their final omnibus bills. Whatever they include in their final conference reports will have no more opportunity to be amended in the full House and in the full Senate. Because these are omnibus spending bills for major department financing, the bills will have no chance of being defeated on the House and Senate floors. That is why these amendments now are crucial. Whatever is agreed to in conference will be sent to the Governor for his signature.

Conferees for HF2486:
Omnibus Jobs and Economic Development Finance bill.

House:

McElroy     651-296-4212
Gunther    651-296-3240
Gerlach    651-296-5506
Lindner    651-296-7806
Karen Clark    651-296-0294

Senate:

Anderson    651-296-5537
Cohen        651-296-5931
Dave Johnson    651-296-9261
Knutson    651-296-4120
Orfield    651-296-4191

HOUSE K-12 EDUCATION FINANCE CONFEREES:

Seagren     651-296-7803
Mares        651-296-5363
Buesgens    651-296-1072
Ness        651-296-4344
Wenzel        651-296-4247

SENATE CONFEREES:

Stumpf        651-296-8660
Pappas        651-296-1802
Robertson    651-296-4314
Kelley    S.P.    651-296-8065
Tomassoni    651-296-8017

The session will completed very soon. Now it the time to act.

One last note: We do not know for certain when the conferees will reconvene. Perhaps they will meet next Monday or Tuesday. If we can notify you in advance, we urge you to show up for one or both of the conference committee meetings. There is nothing so forceful as a roomful of citizens listening and watching as the debate and the votes proceed. If you have any flexibility in your schedule, consider responding to our call to show up when we send it out.

Thank you!

EdAction - 105 Peavey Rd, Ste 116, Chaska, MN  55318 
952-361-4931 - edaction@lakes.com - (c) EdAction - All rights reserved.