Home -> Law Blog Directory -> Administrative Law Blogs -> Within the Scope

Administrative Law

: Within the Scope

A Big Day at the Capitol: Three Short Stories

By Eric L. Lipman

This was a day in which the events that I wanted to write about just kept coming in; one right after another. Among the noteworthy events occurring today in Saint Paul, any one of which could made for its own post, were:

Item One: The recently-merged agencies of the Department of Finance and Department of Employee Relations unveiled its new moniker ? Minnesota Management and Budget ? and a new website today. The new look of the newly combined agency is accessible here.

Item Two: Senator Yvonne Prettner Solon, Chairwoman of the Senate Energy, Utilities, Technology and Communications Committee, announced that she will convene a ?stakeholder meeting? to ?present and discuss ideas for legislation designed to achieve the state greenhouse gas reduction goals.? Notes Senator Solon, her intention for the meeting ?is not only to present proposals but to initiate a process to legislatively advance these proposals.? The stakeholder meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 10, from 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. and will be held in Room 123 of the State Capitol.

Item Three: A panel of the Minnesota Court of Appeals upheld a lower court?s imposition of an indeterminate sentence for a repeat sex offender, in a case that the appellate court described as one of first impression. The indeterminate sentencing provisions were enacted by the Minnesota Legislature in 2005 as part of the reforms in House File 1, and followed from the earlier recommendations of the Governor's Commission on Sex Offender Policy. The panel affirmed the lower court?s imposition of the ?minimum term of imprisonment called for by the sentencing guidelines? and a maximum term of life in prison. The panel?s published opinion, and analysis of the 2005 law, is accessible here.

And, of course, there were some unpublished opinions issued today that make for worthwhile reading; but I will turn to those in separate posts soon.

Full post as published by Within the Scope on November 25, 2008 (boomark / email).