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MINNESOTA ATTORNEY GENERAL AS LOCAL BOND COUNSEL <br /> <br />The Senate Committee on Finance today favorably reported Senator Davies' bill S.F. 2202 <br />which establishes the State of Minnesota Attorney General as bond counsel for localities <br />on a local option basis. The bill was amended from its original form which required <br />cities to employ the attorney general as bond counsel on a motion by Senator Sch~af to <br />make use of the Attorney General optional with the city. <br /> <br />The League of Minnesota Cities still feels that this is a bad idea. In discussing the <br />amended bill, Senator Davies referred to it as "a nose in the temple". It is clear that, <br />having established the attorney general as optional bond counsel, the legislature could <br />more easily make such services mandatory. <br /> <br />The League is, of course, in no position to tell the state how it should organize its <br />own bond counsel services. We do feel, however, that the threat to local determination <br />should be removed from this bill, We will, therefore, ask that the Senate amend the <br />bill to eliminate localities from the optional use of the Attorney General. We feel <br />this is important in that the bill's author has identifiee that this is only the first <br />step of his program of increasing the authority of the Attorney General as bond counsel° <br /> <br />PLEASE CONTACT YOUR MEMBERS OF THE SENATE AND ASK THEM TO ELIMINATE CITIES FROM THE <br />OPTIONAL FEATURE OF S.F. 2202 WHEN IT IS CONSIDERED ON THE SENATE FLOOR. THEY SHOULD <br />SUPPORT AMENDMENTS WHICH SIMPLY ELIMINATE CITIES FROM THE COVERAGE OF THE BILL. <br /> <br />This is vitally important to maintain our continued independence from the state and the <br />legislature in the bonding question. <br /> <br />3/26/80 <br />DS:rmm <br /> <br /> <br />