John Benson's

2007 - 2008 Voting Record

Foreword

This page is here to allow you the voter to make an informed decision and better understand John Benson's positions on issues that may be important to you. This is not an exhaustive list of Benson votes but I believe it does give you a keen sense of his philosophies, values and beliefs on how government should be govern. It is up to you as the voter to decide whether you agree or disagree with Benson's positions.

If you find yourself predominately disagreeing with Benson’s vote in opposition to these amendments, then you will have an easy choice on Election Day (Nov 4^th) because like you I would have supported and voted for these amendments. I would have especially supported parental rights, medical records privacy, property tax relief, fiscal discipline and the elimination of funding discrimination within schools. Lastly, spending bills are enacted in the first year of a biennium (2007), so a majority of the votes below occurred in 2007.

On Important Issues

1. TOP Parental Rights and Family Privacy

   1. LET PARENTS PICK WHAT DATA ON THEIR CHILDREN GOES IN DATA BASE: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment offered by Rep. Dan Severson (R-Sauk Rapids) which would have allowed parents to decide what information from their children’s medical records are placed in a state data base on birth defects that is shared with researchers and others. Many parents fear that the information could be used to limit their children’s insurance or health care, or could be used to invade the privacy of the children or the parents. The amendment would have required parents to choose to place the entire records in the database, rather than having the records inserted automatically unless the parents raised an objection. [April 20, 2008 House Journal 4302, vote 289]
   2. REJECT HOLBERG AMENDMENT TO GIVE PARENTS CHANCE TO PROTECT PRIVACY OF AN INFANT’S GENETIC RECORDS: The House rejected a Holberg amendment to SF 3138 (Thissen) (Genetic information handling provisions changed). The Holberg would have added protections for parents and infants with the following added language: "Before an infant's test results or samples may be used by the Department of Health for public health studies or research, parents of the infant must be provided a Tennessen warning, as provided in section 13.04, subdivision 2. No genetic testing, genetic research, or use of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) genetic information may be performed without the prior, informed, written consent of the infant's parents." [April 17, 2008 HJ 10378, 64-69, vote 325]
   3. REJECT PEPPIN AMENDMENT TO GIVE PARENTS CHANCE TO PROTECT PRIVACY OF A PATIENT’S GENETIC RECORDS: The House rejected a Holberg amendment to SF 3138 (Thissen) (Genetic information handling provisions changed). The Holberg would have added protections for patients with the following added language: "Retention or use of genetic information. The commissioner must not retain the blood or tissue sample or perform genetic research, or use deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or genetic information without the prior, informed, written consent of the parent or guardian of the infant." [April 17, 2008, HJ 10380, 59-74, vote 327]
   4. DON’T GIVE PATIENTS THE CHOICE ABOUT RECORD PRIVACY: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment offered by Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Delano) which would have required doctors or insurers to get patient’s affirmative permission before sending medical records to a record locator service, where computer security issues may raise privacy concerns. The bill itself required patients to speak up on their own (or “opt out”) against sharing identifying information about the location of their health records in a record locator service. [April 20, 2007 House Journal 4208, vote 276]
   5. ALLOW FULL ARRAY OF MEDICAL RECORDS TO BE SHARED: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment offered by Rep. Tom Emmer (R-Delano) which would have barred doctors and insurers from giving those parts of patients’ medical records to record locator services which contained “other non-clinical data used to uniquely identify a patient.” Opponents of the amendment said they supported unlimited access to data in the records when such records are shared for research or other purposes. [April 20, 2007 House Journal 4227, vote 280]
   6. REJECT A PEPPIN AMENDMENT THAT WOULD REQUIRE PARENTS TO APPROVE THE PARTICIPATION OF THEIR CHILDREN IN MANDATORY STATE-ESTABLISHED SEX EDUCATION: The House rejected a Peppin amendment to a Walker amendment to SF 3001 (Mariani) (Omnibus E-12 education policy bill). The Walker amendment would impose state-established sex education classes in every school district. The Peppin amendment would have required that parents must affirmatively agree before their children were forced to participate in mandatory, state-established sex education. [April 28, 2008 HJ 10819, 53-79, vote 443]
   7. DON’T TELL PARENTS IF 8-YEAR-OLD GIRL SEEKS PILL: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Laura Brod (R-New Prague) which would have required nurses to notify parents if a girl under the age of 12 sought and received oral contraceptives. [May 15, 2007 House Journal 6701, vote 488]
   8. DON’T TELL PARENTS IF MINOR DAUGHTER WAS RAPED: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Bob Dettmer (R-Forest Lake) that would have required hospitals to notify the parents if their minor daughter reported being raped and received emergency contraception. [May 1, 2007 House Journal 4974, vote 369]
   9. DON’T ASK PARENTS ABOUT ASKING KIDS ABOUT HOME LIFE; Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Mary Liz Holberg (R-Lakeville) that would have required schools to get parent’s permission before giving students surveys that asked about drugs, sexual conduct, and other aspects of their home life. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3979, vote 213]
   10. BIG NANNY IS WATCHING MOTHERS, NOT WORRIED ABOUT BIRD FLU: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment offered by Rep. Laura Brod (R-New Prague) that would have restored some of the Governor’s request for $19 million for preparedness efforts, research, and training for the health impacts of natural or man-made pandemics or natural disasters such as bird flu. After DFLers campaigned against and criticized the Governor in 2006 for failing to do enough to prepare for bird flu, they cut support for his 2007 request for preparedness funding by 70%. The Brod amendment would have restored $10 million for preparedness by eliminating the DFL’s proposal to have a government agent visit and inspect the residence of each new mother to make sure they were raising their infants correctly. [April 20, 2007 House Journal 4263, vote 282]
   11. ALLOW PSYCHIATRIC TESTS TO BE GIVEN BY AMATEURS: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Mark Olson (IR-Big Lake) that would have barred the use by school districts of such psychiatric screening instruments as “Teen Screen,” which are given by lay people, are subjective, are biased, have a very high false positive rate and can leave a student with a false psychiatric label for life, potentially resulting in medication use with drugs that have dangerous if not fatal side effects. See also vote 220. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3980, vote 214]
   12. DON’T REQUIRE PARENTAL AND STUDENT CONSENT FOR PSYCH TESTS: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Mark Olson (IR-Big Lake) that would have required schools to get both parental and student consent before using such psychiatric tests as “Teen Screen,” which are given by lay people instead of professionals, are subjective, are biased, have a very high false positive rate, and can leave a student with a psychiatric label for life. See also vote 214. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3989, vote 220]

2. TOP Taxes and Spending Bills

   1. REJECT DEAN AMENDMENT WHICH WOULD HAVE PROVIDED TEMPORARY REDUCTION IN THE ‘SICK-TAX’ WHEN THERE IS A GOVERNMENT SURPLUS: The house and Rep Benson rejected a Dean amendment to HF 3201 (Tax Conformity Bill). The amendment would have reduced the 2% tax on paying customers when they visited a hospital, clinic, doctor’s office or pharmacy. The ‘sick-tax’ is placed in the Health Care Assess Fund, which pays for insurance of people who will not or cannot pay for themselves. The amendment would have allowed for reductions in the tax in those years in which it was determined that the HCAF would end the year with a surplus. [March 3, 2008, HJ 8072, 48-85, vote 032]
   2. REJECT PAULSON AMENDMENT WHICH WOULD HAVE ENCOURAGED JOB CREATION BY REDUCING TAXES ON CAPITAL INVESTMENTS BY EMPLOYERS: The house and Rep Benson rejected a Paulsen amendment to HF 3201 (Tax Conformity Bill). The amendment would provided tax relief to employers who invest in capital improvements that create jobs. [March 3, 2008, HJ 8083, 59-73, vote 039]
   3. RERFERENDUM ON RAISING LOCAL SALES TAX: The house rejected a Berns amendment to HF 2800, (Leider) (Gas Tax) and rejected by Rep. Benson that would have required a local referendum before the sales tax could be imposed in Metro counties to pay for transit projects. [February 21, 2008, HJ 7862, 54-79, vote 005]
   4. REJECT ZELLERS AMENDMENT WHICH WOULD HAVE CAPPED INCREASES IN PROPERTY TAXES ON NON-RESIDENTAL CABINS: The house and Rep Benson rejected a Zellers amendment to HF 3201 (Tax Conformity Bill). The amendment would have placed limits on increases in property taxes on non-residential cabins that had not been improved in the previous year. The annual increase would be limited to the greatest of either 15 percent of the prior’s year assessment or a percentage ranging from 25 to 50 percent of the prior year assessment. [March 3, 2008, HJ 8072, 48-85, vote 032]
   5. NO TAX RELIEF AND CREATE A NEW BUREAUCRACY TO STUDY TRAFFIC: The house passed the Leider amendment to HF2800 (Leider) (Gas Tax) supported by Rep. Benson that created a new transportation Strategic Management and Operations Advisory Task Force. The Leider amendment also changed the bill so that the sales tax imposed in the metro area could only go for transit, not roads. [February 21, 2008, HJ 7877, 98-34, vote 011]
   6. NO PROPERTY TAX RELIEF FROM GAS TAXES: The house and Rep Benson rejected a Kohls amendment to HF 2800, (Leider) (Gas Tax) that would have required that any funds to local government from the gas tax bill be offset by a corresponding reduction in local property taxes. [February 21, 2008, HJ 7863, 34-98, vote 006]

3. TOP Against Local School Board Control

   1. DENY SCHOOL BOARDS ANY DISCRETION ON SEX ED AT AGE 12: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Randy Demmer (R-Hayfield) that would have given school boards discretion in how they implemented a controversial, graphic, comprehensive, and mandatory sex education program. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3992, vote 223]. Voted against the same amendment on April 28, 2008 [HJ 10817, 53-79, vote 441]
   2. DON’T LET VOTERS DECIDE ON WHETHER TO FORM A NEW DISTRICT: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Joyce Peppin (R-Rogers) that would have allowed school districts to place an initiative on the ballot on whether an existing district should be divided into two new districts. In areas where there is rapid growth or decline in one part of a larger school district, voters should be able to decide if they want to be separated from the cost of bonding for new facilities. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3971, vote 209]

4. TOP Fiscal Issues in Education

   1. DON’T MAKE SCHOOL DISTRICTS PUBLISH THEIR BUDGETS: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Randy Demmer (R-Hayfield) which would have preserved the current law which requires each school district to publish a “structurally balanced” budget report which shows how they plan to pay for all expenses for the next few years, including union-negotiated settlements for teacher raises. Opponents of the Demmer amendment said that few people bothered to read these reports, so that they were not necessary. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3947, vote 193]
   2. RAISE PROPERTY TAXES AGAIN: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) which would have deleted the bill’s mandatory property tax increases. The bill would have raised property taxes on special levies by up to 10% for every pupil in regular school districts. The funds purportedly would have been used to increase “safety” programs, such as the highly controversial “Teen Screen” program with which non-professionals can label teens for life. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3993, vote 224]
   3. SUPRESS BUESGENS AMENDMENT TO REQUIRE STRUCTURAL BALANCE IN SCHOOL BUDGETS: The House sustained the Speaker’s ruling that a Buesgens amendment was not in order on SF 2653 (Gardner) (Conflict of interest exception established for certain school contracts for professional and other services requiring school board approval). The Buesgens amendment would have barred school districts from signing contracts that would require tax increases on local taxpayers. [April 1, 2008 HJ 9506, 83-46, vote 139]
   4. DON’T INCREASE STATE FUNDING PER STUDENT: The House rejected a Garofalo amendment to an Emmer amendment to HF 1812 (Carlson) (DFL Deficit Reduction Bill). The Emmer amendment would have saved $30 million by reducing a payment to the Metropolitan Council that was equal to its new revenues from higher sales taxes. The Garofalo amendment would have spent that $30 million by increasing the bill’s increase in state support per student from $51 to $86 per student. [April 3, 2008 HJ 9750, 48-84, vote 193]. [Discussion of the Emmer Amendment began at 11:50:55. Discussion of the Garofalo amendment began at 11:54:20.]
   5. REJECT A WESTROM AMENDMENT THAT WOULD REQUIRE STUDENTS TO PAY FOR TEXTBOOKS THAT ARE NOT RETURNED TO THE SCHOOL DISTRICT: The House rejected a Westrom amendment to SF 3001 (Mariani) (Omnibus E-12 education policy bill). The Westrom amendment would have provided: “The postsecondary institution may bill the pupil for any textbooks and equipment that are not promptly returned by the student.” [4/28/08, HJ 10829, 41-89, vote 450]
   6. GIVE MILLIONS TO ILLEGAL ALIENS, NOT TUITION FREEZE: Rep. Dan Severson (R-Sauk Rapids) offered an amendment to strip funds from the bill that would have given in-state tuition to illegal aliens. The amendment would have shifted the money to fund a tuition freeze in 2009 for legal residents at MnSCU schools. House DFLers opposed the Severson amendment. [April 19, 2007 House Journal 4039, vote 245]
   7. RAISE ANOTHER NEW TAX: The Higher Education Bill included a new tax on small businesses, large employers, churches, other non-profit groups, and individual taxpayers whenever they put up a new non-residential building. With a $2 billion surplus, many questioned why this new tax was needed to fund educations for construction managers. Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Mark Buesgens (R-Jordan) that would have cancelled this new tax. [April 19, 2007 House Journal 4031, vote 237]
   8. ST. PAUL DESERVES TO JUMP TO THE FRONT OF THE LINE FOR A GRANT: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Steve Gottwalt (R-St. Cloud) which would have deleted the only priority earmark in the 200-page bill that directed the Department of Education to move St. Paul’s application for after-school funding grants to the head of the line. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3991, vote 222]
   9. REWARD SCHOOLS THAT CAN’T TEACH ENGLISH TO FOREIGNERS: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Mark Buesgens (R-Jordan) that would have preserved the five-year cut-off of extra state funds to make foreign students proficient in English; under current law, districts can continue their efforts after five years, but they have to fund their own efforts. Opponents of the Buesgens amendment said that English is harder to learn than some languages, and that state taxpayers should fund these efforts no matter how long they take. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3950, vote 196]
   10. DON’T MAKE SCHOOLS MEET STANDARDS TO GET EXTRA DOLLARS: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Mark Buesgens (R-Jordan) that would have set a minimum number of minutes that must be taught in the classroom before a school district could get state funding for “extended time learning” (after-school programs, summer school, etc.). Opponents of the Buesgens amendment said that issues of minimum classroom time should be negotiated with local unions. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3948, vote 194]
   11. $50,000 FOR A FORD RANGER AND $6 MILLION OF PORK: The bill’s chief author from the Senate was from St. Paul. The bill’s House leader was from the Iron Range. Unsurprisingly, there was a lot of pork for St. Paul and northeast Minnesota in the bill. It authorized $50,000 to buy a Ford Ranger to be worked on at St. Paul Tech, even though new Ford Rangers cost less than $20,000. It included $100,000 for extra gear and equipment for a Duluth hockey team. It had over $5 million of pork projects for the Iron Range. Rep. Mark Buesgens (R-Jordan) offered an amendment to strip over $6 million of pork for the two authors out of the Higher Education Finance Bill. Rep. Benson opposed the Buesgens amendment, [April 19, 2007 House Journal 4032, vote 238]
   12. $6 MILLION FOR PORK, NOT VETERANS: The bill cut the Governor’s $30 million plan for financial aid for veterans by $10 million. Rep. Mark Buesgens (R-Jordan) attempted to add $6 million back into the Minnesota GI Bill. The funds would have been cut from the pork barrel projects described in vote 238 above: $50,000 for a $20,000 truck; $100,000 in extra gear for a hockey team; and other projects in St. Paul and the Iron Range. Rep. Benson voted against the Buesgens amendment. [April 19, 2007 House Journal 4034, vote 240]

5. TOP Support of Discrimination in School Funding

   1. DO NOT TREAT POOR CHILDREN THE SAME IF THEY LIVE IN NEARBY CITIES: The House rejected a Garofalo amendment to HF 1812 (Carlson) (DFL Deficit Reduction Bill). The Garofalo amendment would have treated all school children the same in terms of state funding under the compensatory funding program for students from low-income families. Under the “concentration factor” in the program, some school districts get different amounts from these funds than other schools get. Minneapolis gets $2,426 per student. The South Washington district gets $593 per child. The Lakeville District gets $294 per child. The Garofalo amendment would have given the same amount of state funding per low-income student to every district. [April 3, 2008 HJ 9742, 52-77, vote 188]. [9:53:45]
   2. DON’T TREAT CHILDREN OF COLOR THE SAME IF THEY ARE IN NEIGHBORING CITIES: The House rejected a Garofalo amendment to HF 1812 (Carlson) (DFL Deficit Reduction Bill). The Garofalo amendment would have distributed state “school integration” funds to schools equally to qualifying districts. Under current law, many school districts get no state “school integration” funds; these districts would not get any funds under the Garofalo amendment. The school districts in Minneapolis and St. Paul each get $445 of state funds for each student of color. The Duluth school district gets $206 per qualifying student. All the other qualifying school districts get either $92 or $129 per qualifying student. Under the Garofalo amendment, state “school integration” funds would be distributed on an equal basis to qualifying school districts at a rate of $175 per qualifying child. [April 3, 2008 HJ 9751, 51-81, vote 194]. [12:35:30]
   3. SHIFT COLLEGE GRANTS FUNDS FROM STATE-WIDE POOL TO STUDENTS FROM THE MINNEAPOLIS AND ST. PAUL SCHOOL DISTRICTS: The House rejected a Lanning amendment to HF 1812 (Carlson) (DFL Deficit Reduction Bill). The Lanning amendment would have restored $3.8 million to the state-wide pool for college grants. The bill takes that $3.8 million and dedicates it to a privately-funded program that gives college money to students from Minneapolis and St. Paul. The program is called “The Power of You.” Most House Republicans voted to keep the local program on private donations, and to preserve the $3.8 million for college grants for which students in every county could compete. [April 3, 2008 HJ 9754, 54-78, vote 196]. [12:55:30]
   4. POOR STUDENTS ARE WORTH LESS IN RURAL AND SUBURBAN SCHOOLS: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Mark Buesgens (R-Jordan) which would have given the same amount of extra state funds to school districts for each low-income student. Under the current “compensatory compensation factor,” the Minneapolis district can get up to ten times more in extra state funds for each poor student than other districts. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3955, vote 199]
   5. STUDENTS ARE WORTH LESS UNLESS THEY ARE IN BIG-CITY SCHOOLS: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Steve Sviggum (R-Kenyon) that would have allocated more state dollars fairly to students in suburban and rural schools. The amendment would have limited the growth in “compensatory formula” funding (that keeps state funds per student for urban schools exploding) to 5% per year. The savings would have been spent more equally on all students in the state. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3957, vote 201]
   6. DON’T TREAT MINNESOTA STUDENTS EQUALLY: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Steve Sviggum (R-Kenyon) that would have treated students in non-urban school districts more equally with state funds. The state gives more money per student to large urban school districts than to rural and suburban districts. Minneapolis students get $26,669 while students in Medford get $13,671 of state money. The Sviggum amendment would have shifted more funds to the general formula’s dollars-per-student fund by taking them from the compensatory fund that favors urban districts over suburban and rural schools. The amendment would have added $33 per student (or $990 per classroom of 30 students) to suburban and rural schools. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3952, vote 198]
   7. ALL CHILDREN ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL IN MINNESOTA: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Bob Dettmer (R-Forest Lake) which would have eliminated funding for all the “special” formulas that give Minneapolis at 2-1 edge in per-student funding from state taxpayers. Under the Dettmer amendment, all the state funds for public schools would be distributed more equally per student, no matter where they lived. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3990, vote 221]
   8. DON’T OFFER RELIGIOUS EQUALITY AT PUBLIC COLLEGES: Controversy arose at MnSCU campuses in Minneapolis and Bloomington when school funds were used to create foot-washing facilities and special segregated prayer rooms. Rep. Torrey Westrom (R-Elbow Lake) offered an amendment regarding MnSCU campuses that spent state dollars on such facilities. Under the amendment, the schools could either make an equal amount available to any other religious group that requested it, or they could reduce tuition by an amount equal to the accommodations offered to the first religious group. Rep. Benson opposed the Westrom amendment. [April 19, 2007 House Journal 4044, vote 248]
   9. EVERY LESSON MUST NOTE NATIVE AMERICANS: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Paul Kohls (R-Victoria) which would have deleted the bill’s requirement that relevant contributions of the Native Americans must be inserted into every academic standard or unit. See also vote 211, which would have added a similar requirement to teach about the contributions of African Americans, Asian-Pacific Minnesotans, and Hispanic communities to each lesson. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3961, vote 203]

6. TOP Teachers Unions in Control

   1. ALLOW LESS TIME IN CLASSROOMS: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Marty Seifert (R-Marshall) which would have required school days to be at least as long as each school district required in the 2006-2007 school year, so that learning time would not be eroded by further growth of non-learning days in the school calendar. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3964, vote 205]. Voted against same amendment on April 28, 2008, [HJ 10798, 59-72, vote 434]
   2. WEAKEN “MERIT PAY” SYSTEM TO REWARD EFFECTIVE TEACHERS: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Pat Garofalo (R-Farmington) that would have preserved the QComp program of giving merit raises to teachers whose students improved on standardized tests over the course of the year. The amendment would have removed provisions in the bill that would have watered down the “merit” raises by basing them more on the experience and educational credits of teachers. The Governor had made it clear that he would veto this bill if it weakened the results-oriented bonus program. See also vote 207. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3951, vote 197]
   3. ENCOURAGE SLOW-DOWNS IN SCHOOLS: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Randy Demmer (R-Hayfield) that would have barred negotiations between school districts and teacher unions during the school year. The amendment would have discouraged slow-downs, walk-outs, protests, and other actions related to contract talks during the school year. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3968, vote 208]
   4. LET TEACHERS SEND HOME POLITICAL MATERIALS IN BACKPACKS: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Mary Liz Holberg (R-Lakeville) that would have required school districts to implement policies to bar school employees from using district funds or facilities to advocate for political candidates or issues. The amendment was offered because of numerous reports over the years of parents meeting children upset by messages from favorite teachers that they would be fired unless a certain candidate won an election or a referendum passed. Opponents of the Holberg amendment said that school employees should be free to engage in political activities. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3949, vote 195]
   5. WE SHOULD PAY TEACHERS TO CAMPAIGN ON OUR DIME: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Matt Dean (R-Dellwood) that would have barred school employees from campaigning on school grounds or at school events while acting in their official capacity, [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3960, vote 202]

7. TOPBad Curriculum

   1. DON’T OFFER A BALANCED OPTION ON AGGRESSIVE SEX ED: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Steve Gottwalt (R-St. Cloud) that would have added an option for parents to choose for their children that stressed “abstinence until marriage” to the controversial, graphic, comprehensive, and mandatory sex education program which the DFL proposed in this bill. [April 18, 2007 House Journal page 3984, vote 216]
   2. OKAY, WE SHOULD ENCOURAGE SEXUAL ACTIVITY BY STUDENTS: Rep. Benson supported an effort to gut an amendment by Rep. Rob Eastlund (R-Isanti) which would have read: “Nothing in this section shall be construed to encourage sexual activity.” That language was gutted when Rep. Neva Walker (DFL-Minneapolis) added language to exempt every sex ed program in the state from being scrutinized under the Eastlund amendment. Rep. Walker added the sentence: “Educational programs administered under this section shall not be construed to violate this subdivision." When that language was added by Rep. Benson and the DFL, Rep. Eastlund withdrew his amendment. [April 18, 2007, page 3994, vote 225]
   3. IGNORE THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Mark Olson (IR-Big Lake) that would have required school district that used state funds to participate in the International Baccalaureate (“IB”) program to replace the lesson plans on the International Declaration of Human Rights with lessons on the Declaration of Independence, which includes many principles excluded by the UN document. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3978, vote 212]
   4. LEARNING ABOUT THE UNITED NATIONS IS MORE IMPORTANT: Rep. Benson opposed an amendment by Rep. Mark Olson (IR-Big Lake) that would have deleted state funding for the International Baccalaureate (“IB”) program and shifted the funds to Advanced Placement and Concurrent Enrollment programs that help students prepare for college. Although the IB program is liked by many people, many critics say the IB program places a focus on the United Nations and organizations that criticize the United States. [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3966, vote 206]
   5. SPEAKING ENGLISH EFFECTIVELY IS NOT A PRIORITY: Rep. Benson supported an effort to gut an amendment by Rep. Mark Olson (IR-Big Lake) that would have required schools to set a “first priority to ensuring that all district students are able to communicate effectively in English and clearly understand that English is America’s first language.” Instead, the Olson language was replaced by a proposal by Rep. Carlos Mariani (DFL-St. Paul) that schools should “strive to ensure English proficiency for all students.” [April 18, 2007 House Journal 3982, vote 215]