Good morning and welcome to Tuesday. Let me be the first to wish you a Happy Valentine’s Day, or if I’m not the first or that’s not your thing, please proceed directly to the Digest.
1. Voters in legislative District 32B will choose today between Republican Anne Neu and Democrat Laurie Warner to fill the 134th and final seat in the state House of Representatives. The seat was supposed to be filled in November, but the Minnesota Supreme Court ordered the special election after finding the incumbent lawmaker didn't live in his district. Ordinarily, the district would heavily favor the Republican candidate, but low-turnout special elections can be unpredictable, and Democrats hope that President Donald Trump's first month in office will spark a backlash that will lead them to a legislative upset. (Pioneer Press)
2.Minnesota Republican lawmakers see an opening this session to make deep reductions in state agency budgets and use the savings to cut taxes. Despite a $1.4 billion state surplus, some GOP House and Senate members are interested in across-the-board agency reductions. Tying that to tax relief could make it more enticing, but union leaders warn it would put thousands of Minnesotans needlessly out of work. (MPR News)
3. The 16-member Legislative Salary Council that started meeting in January is considering more than just the baseline salary that most state legislators make for the part-time job, which is now set at $31,140 annually. They are also looking at the per diem money legislators collect: $66 per day for House members and $86 for state senators while they're session, and that money also counts toward a lawmaker’s pension. Legislators also get money for lodging expenses if they travel long distances to serve at the Capitol: up to $1,500 per month all year long - even when they're not in session. And they can claim mileage reimbursements for traveling to and from the Capitol and around their districts. (MinnPost)
4. President Trump’s national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned following reports he misled Vice President Mike Pence and other officials about his contacts with Russia.In a resignation letter, Flynn said he gave Vice President Mike Pence and others “incomplete information” about his calls with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. The vice president, apparently relying on information from Flynn, initially said the national security adviser had not discussed sanctions with the Russian envoy, though Flynn later conceded the issue may have come up. (AP)
5. Immigration and Customs Enforcement released more information Monday about its raids last week. The agency arrested680 people, approximately three-fourths of whom had prior criminal convictions, according to Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly. The convictions were for offenses “including, but not limited to, homicide, aggravated sexual abuse, sexual assault of a minor, lewd and lascivious acts with a child, indecent liberties with a minor, drug trafficking, battery, assault, DUI and weapons charges.” ICE called the operations routine, but others weren’t so sure. (NPR)
6.The Senate confirmed former Goldman Sachs banker and Hollywood film financier Steven Mnuchin to be secretary of the Treasury Department on Monday, putting in place a key lieutenant to President Trump who will help drive the administration's plans to overhaul the tax code, renegotiate trade deals and remake financial regulations. The vote was53 to 47. Mnuchin was Trump's top fund-raiser during his campaign. Democrats argued that Mnuchin's experience on Wall Street exemplified corporate failures that led to the 2008 financial crisis. Another Trump nominee was not as controversial. The Senate confirmed David Shulkin as Veterans Affairs secretary by a vote of 100-0. (New York Times)
