Letter: Legislature will eliminate obsolete laws, agencies

• Rep. Joe Schomacker

Rep. Joe Schomacker

Talk about it

The Legislature is fulfilling its obligation to review and repeal any Minnesota laws and commissions that are duplicative or obsolete.

Our statutes are littered with laws and working groups that no longer serve their intended purpose. We are now actively analyzing state agencies, making them more efficient to the taxpayer.

The Sunset Advisory Commission was created by the 2011 Legislature to periodically review state agencies and make recommendations on whether the agency should continue to exist. It consists of 12 members: four state senators, four state representatives, and four citizen members appointed by the governor.

Under language contained in last year’s law, the task for the Sunset Commission this year was to examine state commissions, councils and state health licensing boards and make recommendations for improvement.

Some of its suggestions include repealing the inactive Labor Interpretative Center and abolishing the Combative Sports Commission by transferring its duties to the Department of Labor and Industry.

Next year, the Sunset Commission will review the Departments of Health and Human Services, along with the Departments of Education and Higher Education, and all advisory groups associated with these agencies.

As we examine the largest agencies in state government, I truly look forward to what the Sunset Commission uncovers next year. For too long, state government has just accepted every tax dollar is being spent wisely. We are diligently reviewing each agency or commission to determine the current value of its service to the state of Minnesota.”

Tags: opinion, minnesota, legislature, politics, schomacker