Good morning, and welcome to another cold Monday.
If you went to sleep early Friday night, you missed it, but MPR’s Dana Ferguson was watching the state Senate: A measure guaranteeing the right to an abortion — and other reproductive health care — is on its way to the governor’s desk for a signature after the Senate voted 34-33 to pass it on early Saturday morning. During a long and at times contentious debate that started around noon on Friday, the Senate rejected multiple Republican efforts to amend the bill by adding restrictions on abortion. In the end, after a 15 hour debate, all Democrats in the chamber voted for the bill while all Republicans voted against it. The proposal, known as the Protect Reproductive Options or PRO Act, has been a top priority for Democrats at the Capitol. It would cement in state law the right to access reproductive health care options including abortion, birth control, family planning help and sterilization. And it has spurred strong support, as well as harsh criticism, on its path through the Legislature.
If it seems like things are moving faster than usual at the Capitol it’s because they are, as Dana also notes: As they enter the second month of the legislative session this week, Democrats at the Capitol say they're ready to keep the pedal to the metal. And given their current rate of moving bills, they’re on track to hit that record productivity target, at least in terms of recent history. “We’re moving fast, but we’re addressing that concern that Minnesotans have raised for as long as I’ve been here, that they don’t want the Legislature to cram everything in the last five weeks,” House Speaker Melissa Hortman told reporters. “The more we do now, the less we have to do in April and May.” Hortman on Friday highlighted the above-average rate at which leaders have ushered bills through committees and to the House and Senate floors for votes. The House has approved seven bills so far, while the Senate has passed four. And dozens more are set to come up for a vote in the next few weeks. Typically the first year of the two-year legislative session starts slowly, with new members and veterans getting lots of overviews of state agencies and programs. That has not been the case this year. And with the DFL in control of the House, Senate and governor’s office, the path is open to move more bills across the finish line that previously would’ve hit a wall under divided control. Hortman and other DFL lawmakers said leaders will keep up the rapid pace.
Case in point: Today the House is expected to debate a bill that would allow people in the country without legal authorization to get driver's licenses and state IDs.
Some state legislators are considering measures to crack down on people who don’t pay their fare to ride mass transit. The Star Tribune has the story: Rep. Steve Elkins, DFL-Bloomington, plans to introduce a bill making it easier to punish fare dodgers by issuing them an administrative citation, akin to a parking ticket, rather than threatening them with a misdemeanor bearing a possible $180 fine — a rarely pursued penalty that is essentially meaningless, he said. Elkins and Rep. Brad Tabke, DFL-Shakopee, also want to give non-police personnel authority to cite transit passengers who don't pay. Only Metro Transit police officers now can issue such citations and only after a previous warning. In 2022, 542 such warnings were issued; in 2021, 689 were. The debate on how to counter fare evasion comes as Metro Transit attempts to lure back customers who fled during the COVID-19 pandemic and assure them the system is safe to ride despite recent reports showing that crime last year on trains and buses — mostly simple assaults and nuisance violations such as drug use and liquor law violations — increased by 54 percent.
Minnesota could soon create a specialty license plate that officials believe will quickly become a popular option. Brian Bakst reports. Gov. Tim Walz is recommending authorization of what are called blackout plates. Those are plates with a dark or black background and white lettering. Colorado, Iowa and Mississippi are among the states with blackout plates now and they’re often chosen. Iowa issued nearly a half-million of them in the first three years. Minnesota officials believe there would see demand of 120,000 to 160,000 per year in the early going. That would make the blackout plates the most-popular specialty option after collector plates and the suite of critical habitat plates. Minnesota issues more than 1.3 million plates annually. The blackout plates would come with a $30 annual contribution in addition to standard fees. Plate designs wouldn’t begin until after legislation is passed, so it could be some time before they’re spotted on the road.
A new report shows people moved to rural Minnesota during the height of the pandemic. MPR’s Catharine Richert reports a Center for Rural Policy and Development report shows that during 2020 and 2021, rural Minnesota counties saw in-migration. Meanwhile, the Twin Cities region saw enough people leave to result in its first population decline in years. According to the report, Greater Minnesota counties that typically see in-migration are those where lakes and recreation are popular, in areas where non-white populations are concentrated and in other metropolitan centers, such as Mankato and Rochester. But the report says counties that saw population growth during the pandemic did not fit these county types. In spite of these shifts, the report says Minnesota's population is projected to decline everywhere over the next 20-30 years.
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