A Busy Day At The Minnesota Capitol

(St. Paul, MN)  --  A bill setting up alternative ways of licensing teachers in Minnesota is debated in state Senate committee today.  Minnetonka Democrat Terri Bonoff argues it's needed to help attract highly-talented instructors to Minnesota classrooms.  Other topics in the Senate this afternoon include allowing Minnesotans to buy health insurance from companies operating in other states and regulating insurance policies people buy for their portable electronics.  Another Senate panel discusses a "Complete Streets" bill that would require projects using state money to consider the needs not only of motorists but also pedestrians, transit users and bicyclists.  Also, a House committee debates a bill that would abolish the state Pollution Control Agency, DNR and several other agencies in mid-2011, setting up a task force to recommend how to reorganize those functions.