Story originally printed in the Winona Daily News or online at www.winonadailynews.com
Published - Wednesday, November 22, 2006
Pelowski appointed head of committee
Rep. Gene Pelowski of Winona was appointed Tuesday to head the Government Operations Reform, Technology and Elections Committee in the Minnesota House of Representatives.
The chairmanship is part of a restructuring in the wake of Democrats taking control of the House in the Nov. 7 election.
As chairman of the committee, Pelowski said his goals are eliminating state mandates and downsizing agencies to make them more economical and accountable. He would like to expand the state’s use of technology to allow citizens 24-hour access to resources. He suggested creating a Web site to allow people to compare long-term care facilities statewide.
His first mandate target is the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities administration system, an agency with some 300 employees and a $30 million budget that oversees schools including Winona State University and Minnesota State College-Southeast Technical.
“It’s the third largest campus in the system, and not one student,” he said.
Much of its functions could be better performed at the campus level, Pelowski said.
Pelowski will also serve on the Higher Education and Workforce Development finance subcommittee.
He said he is excited to find new ways for the state to work with technology. More than 15 years ago, he was the first state representative to bring a laptop computer onto the House floor.
He would like to see a statewide system for parents and students to have 24-hour access to grades, attendance records and assignments. He said residents should also be able to go online for licenses.
“There will be up-front costs, but there are long-term benefits,” he said, noting that the Legislature saved about $500,000 in paper and postage costs when it went to an electronic bill tracking system.
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