Virtual File - Item

Text: Ph Iii L. Kahn
enate icholas Coleman
Senate Iajority Leader
208 State Capitol
St . Paul, 55155
Dear ick :
Minnesota
House of
Representatives
Rodn N Sc rl , Spell r
Febru ry 19, 1980
I know the current political wisdom is that there should be a
short legislative session in even or election years. This year
seems to be no exception .
I have always questioned the wisdom of applying the excessive and
unnecessary pressure to get out early , and recently came across the
attached article from the December, 1979 edition of "State Legislatures"
.
Members have already complained about the early onset of the end-of session
trauma, rushing betwen multiple meetings and appointments.
And we are still having limited floor sessions .
It seems to me that a recess around caucus time and another recess
around Easter to allow conference committees to function in a more
humane manner would be in order. Any negative public reaction to
the length of time could be countered by the appearance of a less
frantic finish .
Finally, you hardly need to be reminded of the two stress- and
disease-related deaths and the stress-related hospitali zation that
have already occurred in the Senate. I am only surprised that we.
have not had similar tragedies in the House.
The pressures that exist in the odd years are really due to our
constitutional deadline and the need for the budget and tax bills.
It hardly seems nece ssary to repat and even increase those pressures
this year.
Sincerely,
Phyllis Kahn
State Repre s e ntative
PK/ljb
cc~eplyt~P? 2~fs~tlffirrc1e~ilding, St. Paul, Minnesota 55155
? 100 Malcolm Ave. SE., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414
(61 2) 296-4257
Phyllis L. Kahn
Dstuct 57A
Hennepin County
Committees:
Agnculture
, ;t'n.--,;:,nJt:011s
A°"4 voes
S enate Nicholas Coleman
Senate Majority Leader
208 State Capitol
St. Paul, MN 55155
Dear Nick:
Minnesota
House of
Representatives
Rodney N. Searle, Speaker
February 19, 1980
know the current political wisdom is that there should be a
short legislative session in even or election years. This year
seems to be no exception.
have always questioned the wisdom of applying the excessive and
unnecessary pressure to get out early, and recently came across the
attached article from the December, 1979 edition of "State Legislatures".
Members have already complained about the early onset of the end-ofsession
trauma, rushing betwen multiple meetings and appointments.
And we are still having limited floor sessions.
It seems to me that a recess around caucus time and another recess
around Easter to allow conference committees to function in a more
humane manner would be in order. Any negative public reaction to
the length of time could be countered by the appearance of a less
frantic finish.
Finally, you hardly need to be reminded of the two stress- and
disease-related deaths and the stress-related hospitalization that
have already occurred in the Senate. I am only surprised that we
have not had similar tragedies in the House.
The pressures that exist in the odd years are really due to our
constitutional deadline and the need for the budget and tax bills.
It hardly seems necessary to repat and even increase those pressures
this year.
Sincerely,
Phyllis Kahn
State Representative
PK/ljb
??
iLa"8PcTS9.NRA&R0nano. st Paul. Minnesota 55155
D 100 Malcolm Ave. S.E., Minneapolis, Minnesota 55414
(612) 296-4257
A U niver ity of New Mexico physiologist
who studied the conditions of
a group of legislators during the 1979
se sion of the New Mexico legislature
found a consistent decline in physical
health as the 60-day session drew 10 a
close. Dr. HemmingAtterbom, director
of the Human Performance Laboratory
at the university in Albuquerque,
wiJI do further research during the upcoming
30-day session. He says his
results could lead to an exercise program
for legi slators and, more
generally, a recommendation for
longer sesisons.
According to Dr. Atterbom, the
culprit is fatigue, which he defines as
"the inability to respond to tension."
The doctor monitored 23 legislators
(22 senators and one representative)
during the last session, recording their
pulse and blood pressure early in the
morning on specified days and keeping
track of changes throughout the
day by way of electrodes attached to
the lawmakers' chests.
The project began with a conversation
between Dr. Atterbom and
Senator John Irick of Albuquerque, a
participant in the doctor's Cardiac
Rehabilitation Center. Irick, 55, suffered
a heart attack during the
legislature's 1977 session. Since then,
he has been on an exercise program
under Dr. Atterbom's supervision.
"We got to talking about the
legislature's short session," Irick explained.
"He wondered if it would be
possible to measure stress. I suggested
it to our Committee on Committees in
the Senate. Dr. Atterbom made a
presentation on how he wanted to do
it."
Volunteers were recruited on the
Senate floor, where more than half the
members wanted to take part. One
Jone rt:presentative asked to be included,
although facilities were maintained
in the Senate chamber. The
doctor had a place behind the rostrum
to monitor from," Irick said.
"r took part," the senator cont
in u ed . "I think it was pretty
interesting for most of the fellows. Wt:
had these little transmitters taped to
our chests. In my case, when I was involved
in some pn:lty heavy stuff,
Warning to legislator :
Short sessions can be
hazardous to your health
Ncnrly hnlf the rrntio n's s tate
legislatu res meet for nbbreviatecl sessions,
many of them omtitutionally
limited lo n spec ific number of days
over n 011e- or I wo-year period. Traditionall
y, the last weeks of those
sc.~s ions mean long, tcme hours of
high-pre sure meetings, often in volving
the most serious issues of the sessions.
Those closing weeks can also mean
severe physical ~train for legislators.
everything went up. It darn sure
shows up."
When participants signed up for the
program, they took a physical test and
filled out a questionnai re. Responses
showed that the lawmakers got less
sleep and had poorer eating habits
during the legislative session than
during the rest of the year. Dr. Atterbom
was surprised to find, however,
that the session had little effect on
their use of tobacco and alcohol.
With some assistants from the
University of New Mexico, the doctor
observed activities and their effects in
the Senate chamber and sat in on some
committee meetings in which his subjects
were involved.
"What r think I found by observation,"
he said, "is that the legislators
who appeared to be in poorer shape
compensated with their work behavior.
They didn't stay up as late." No particular
category of lawmaker was
more adversely affected than another,
he said. Participants ranged in age
from 28 to 74.
"The younger ones, the ones in
better shape were more active ... It
was detrimental to several . .. When
an athlete overtrains, there is a reaction.
The same kind of thing happened
there."
Three days before the end of the
session, a 32-year-old senator from
Albuquerque, Sen. Tom Rutherford,
reported to Dr. Atterbom at 8 R.m.,
was tested, wired and relea ed. He
had attended committee meeting until
3 a.m. before: beginning the day,
during which he skipped lunch,
chaired a committee meeting and
presented a bill bdore another.
When Sen. Rutherford reported
back to Dr. Atterbom at 5: 15 p.m. , he
had contracted a serious cold. His
heart had increased by 23 beats per
minute, up from 76 that morning to99
by late afternoon, and the day wasn't
over yet; he was on his way to an evening
reception.
In an interview with National
Public Radio, Dr. Atterbom said the
increased heartbeat was "a much
greater increase than a worker in industry
would experience. That would
be indicative of fatigue. The accumulated
effect on fatigue and stress
would make him more susceptible to
disease."
"We're still working on the data,"
he said. "This year, we'll look into the
physical condition and its effect on
stress. If the study indicates a definite
need for it," Dr. Atterbom said, "an
exercise program will be made
available for lawmakers the next year
and a study of that program will be '
made."
He points out that a longer
legislative session could be beneficial
to legislators' health, but only if the .
work is distributed evenly throughout I
the session and not allow¢ to ac- t
cumulate during the final weeks. ,
Several state legislatures, the doctor I
said, have written him for information
about his research.
Sen. Irick said long-range results of 1
the study are uncertain at this point. :
"I suppose Dr. Atterbom's conclusions
will have some weight," he said.
"It's very apparent that legislators
need more rest and more exercise,
especially in states like ours. The work
piles up." i
Deborah Bowditch I
A University of New Mexico physiologist
who studied the conditions of
a group of legislators during the 1979
session of the New Mexico legislature
found a consistent decline in physical
health as the 60-day session drew to a
close. Dr. HemmingAtterbom, director
of the Human Performance Laboratory
at the university in Albuquerque,
will do further research during the upcoming
30-day session. He says his
results could lead to an exercise program
for legislators and, more
generally, a recommendation for
longer sesisons.
According to Dr. Atterbom, the
culprit is fatigue, which he defines as
"the inability to respond to tension."
The doctor monitored 23 legislators
(22 senators and one representative)
during the last session, recording their
pulse and blood pressure early in the
morning on specified days and keeping
track of changes throughout the
day by way of electrodes attached to
the lawmakers' chests.
The project began with a conversation
between Dr. Atterbom and
Senator John Irick of Albuquerque, a
participant in the doctor's Cardiac
Rehabilitation Center. Irick, 55, suffered
a heart attack during the
legislature's 1977 session. Since then,
he has been on an exercise program
under Dr. Atterbom's supervision.
"We got to talking about the
legislature's short session," Irick explained.
"He wondered if it would be
possible to measure stress. I suggested
it to our Committee on Committees in
the Senate. Dr. Atterbom made a
presentation on how he wanted to do
it."
Volunteers were recruited on the
Senate floor, where more than half the
members wanted to take part. One
lone representative asked to be included,
although facilities were maintained
in the Senate chamber. The
doctor had a place behind the rostrum
to monitor from," Irick said.
"I took part," the senator cont
inu ed. "I th ink it was pret ty
interesting for most of the fellows. We
had these little transmitters taped to
our chests. In ?? my case, when I was involved
in some pretty heavy stuff,
Warning to legislators:
Short sessions can be
hazardous to your health
Nearl y half the nation's state
legislatures meet for abbreviated session
s, ?? many of them constitutionally
limited to a specific number of days
over a o n e - or t wo- y c ar period. T raditionally,
the l ast weeks of t hos e
sessions mean l ong , tense hours of
high-pressure meetings, often involving
the most serious issues of the sessions.
Those closing weeks can also mean
severe physical strain for l eg i s l a t or s .
everything went up. It darn sure
shows up."
When participants signed up for the
program, they took a physical test and
filled out a questionnaire. Responses
showed that the lawmakers got less
sleep and had poorer eating habits
during the legislative session than
during the rest of the year. Dr. Atterborn
was surprised to find, however,
that the session had little effect on
their use of tobacco and alcohol.
With some assistants from the
University of New Mexico, the doctor
observed activities and their effects in
the Senate chamber and sat in on some
committee meetings in which his subjects
were involved.
"What I think I found by observation,"
he said, "is that the legislators
who appeared to be in poorer shape
compensated with their work behavior.
They didn't stay up as late." No particular
category of lawmaker was
more adversely affected than another,
he said. Participants ranged in age
from 28 to 74.
"The younger ones, the ones in
better shape were more active ... It
was detrimental to several ... When
an athlete overtrains, there is a reaction.
The same kind of thing happened
there."
Three days before the end of the
session, a 32-year-old senator from
Albuquerque, Sen. Tom Rutherford,
reported to Dr. Atterbom at 8 a.m.,
was tested, wired and released. He
had attended committee meetings until
3 a.m. before beginning the day,
during which he skipped lunch,
chaired a committee meeting and
presented a bill before another.
When Sen. Rutherford reported
back to Dr. Atterbom at 5:15 p.m., he
had contracted a serious cold. His
heart had increased by 23 beats per
minute, up from 76 that morning to 99
by late afternoon, and the day wasn't
over yet; he was on his way to an evening
reception.
In an interview with National
Public Radio, Dr. Atterbom said the
increased heartbeat was "a much
greater increase than a worker in industry
would experience. That would
be indicative of fatigue. The accumulated
effect on fatigue and stress
would make him more susceptible to
disease."
"We're still working on the data,"
he said. "This year, we'll look into the
physical condition and its effect on
stress. If the study indicates a definite
need for it," Dr. Atterbom said, "an
exercise program wi ll be made
available for lawmakers the next year
and a study of that program will be
made."
He poi nts out that a longer
legislative session could be beneficial
to legislators' health, but only if the
I work is distributed evenly throughout
the session and not allowed to ac- ??
cumulate during the final weeks.
1
Several state legislatures, the doctor
said, have written him for information
about his research.
Sen. Irick said long-range results of 1
the study are uncertain at this point.
"I suppose Dr. Atterbom's conclusions
will have some weight," he said.
"It's very apparent that legislators
need more rest and more exercise,
especially in states like ours. The work
piles up." I Deborah Bowditch ??