Capitol notebook

Happenings Thursday at the Minnesota Capitol:

PROFILE OF LEARNING

An outright repeal of the Profile of Learning graduation standards lost ground in the House.

On a 20-15 vote, the House Education Policy Committee rejected an attempt to eliminate the profile and replace it with a new system.

The move is another sign that lawmakers are making a conscious effort to avoid a repeat of last year's legislative deadlock that left the profile unchanged.

Rep. Tony Kielkucki, the author of last year's bill to abolish the project-based learning system, proposed the ''North Star Standard,'' which would have cut out state requirements in favor of local teaching models.

SEAT BELTS

Not buckling up could be costly under a proposal to make not wearing a seat belt a primary offense.

The bill, which would allow police to pull people over solely for not wearing a belt in the front seat, got the endorsement of the House Transportation Committee.

All children between 3 and 18 would have to wear a seat belt regardless of where they are sitting in the car under the bill sponsored by Rep. Lee Greenfield, DFL-Minneapolis. Tickets would still be $25.

CAPITOL SECURITY

The Senate Transportation Committee scrapped a recommendation by another Senate panel and returned a bill dealing with Capitol security to its original form.

That would create a Capitol police department.

''We have to have our own police here,'' said Senate Crime Prevention and Judiciary Budget Division Chairman Randy Kelly, DFL-St. Paul, the bill's sponsor.

The bill would add four licensed officers for the Legislature and four more for Ventura.