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May 11, 2006

Action: Senate passes $23 million Nanny State bill

The final days of the 2006 legislative session are drawing to a close. All that we have worked for over the past months will be on the table in the coming conference committees. Please pay close attention to the legislative work during this time, and let your legislators know what you're thinking.

On May 8th, the Senate passed its omnibus budget bill that includes a $23 million package of all the bad Nanny State provisions we have briefed you about since the beginning of the session. They include:

The "Profile of Learning for preschoolers," called the Kindergarten Readiness Assessment, including mental health screening; interventions based on vague, inaccurate, and subjective state outcomes (Early Childhood Indicators of Progress) which include "anti-bias" curriculum about homosexuality; and authorizes the state to teach all parents the state's version of proper parenting; grants to child care providers and "family, friends, and neighbors" to participate in state training in the state's idea of proper parenting based on these bogus state Indicators.
The Minnesota Early Learning Foundation, the post-democratic public-private partnership, to implement and control a state defined rating system over private and religious child care, based on the use of the Early Childhood Indicators -- the diversity training curriculum for toddlers.
Requiring No Child Left Behind (NCLB) style adequate yearly progress (AYP) of kindergarten "readiness" based on these worthless Indicators.

None of these provisions are included in the House bill. Therefore, the only way they will pass at this point is for the House conference committee negotiators to allow them into the bill.

This bill is now on its way to the conference committee.
Please contact your representative.
Find out who represents you and how to reach them here.

Also call these House leaders:
House Speaker Sviggum (R) 296-2273
House Majority Leader Paulsen, (R) 296-7449
Rep. Barb Sykora (R) 296-4315
Rep. Mark Buesgens (R) 296-5185
Rep. Jim Davnie (DFL) 296-0173

Thank them for not including these dangerous and expensive programs in their bill so far.
Urge them to oppose the Senate's $23 million proposals in conference committee.

Your calls and e-mails make a big difference. The government Nanny State take-over advocates are calling to urge the House to adopt the Senate language. Key media outlets, such as the Star Tribune, are pressuring the House to adopt this expensive and harmful expansion of state government into the lives of our families and that affect boys disproportionately. If lawmakers hear only from one side, they will be more likely to adopt the position of Nanny State control over early childhood

Please don't allow this to happen. This is a moment when you can make a significant difference in the direction of state government and freedom for our children. Thank you!

Background information:
MN Nanny State Assault Returns
ACTION Against Profile of Learning for Preschoolers
Mental health screening bill "ethically challenged"
Myths and Facts About Minnesota's Plan to Screen the Mental Health of Toddlers
Order your copy of the Universal Mental Health Screening Briefing Book online here.

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