Good morning. A spoonful of sugar to help the session go down?
Negotiations are ongoing over a capital investment bill, and tensions simmered yesterday as Republicans took their wishlist public. GOP leaders said they'd withhold votes on a public construction project bill if DFLers move forward with an equal rights amendment and other measures they don’t like. Their proposal included $30 million for emergency medical services. They insisted DFL leaders drop trigger provisions in a gun bill heading into conference committee and skip a vote on the equal rights amendment. “If this had been a true priority for House Democrats, they would have had this done earlier,” House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth told reporters. “The Senate did pass the ERA bill last year. The House has waited, the Democrats have waited to bring that up until the final weeks of session. So that is part of a discussion."
Republican leaders said they were expecting to go back into negotiations with DFL leaders late Tuesday. And as far as non-negotiable items, Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson said his caucus was prioritizing funding for EMS and enhanced participation from GOP members in policy discussions. “The other thing I want to see, and I think is the most critical piece to this whole, and this session, is bipartisanship,” he said. “Bipartisanship is going to be the spoonful of sugar that makes this whole end of session go down.” DFLers have narrow minorities in both chambers but need GOP votes to pass capital investment bills.
In response, DFL House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy said they weren’t willing to hand over the reins, with four days for votes remaining in the session. “Republicans have jeopardized the completion of important work by intentionally throwing up roadblocks and delays on the floor, in negotiations, and again today by attempting to score political points with the press and public,” the pair said in a joint written statement (don’t get us or Peter Callaghan going on that tactic which implies they spoke in harmony). “We appreciate the Republican leaders accepting our offer to meet, and hope they can come to the ongoing negotiations in good faith and with an earnest dedication to the best interests of the people of Minnesota.” Hortman and Murphy agreed that EMS would be a component of negotiations on bonding.
Could a special session be on the horizon? Leaders on both sides of the political aisle said they don’t expect one. But we’ll see! (Evergreen reminder not to make vacation plans right after session.)
Lawmakers look like they are nearing an agreement on a cannabis policy bill. The law that made marijuana legal for adults 21 and older last year could be adjusted to speed up issuance of licenses for cultivation and retail operations. That would allow businesses to make needed plans for a broad market launch sometime in 2025. Some lawmakers from the House and Senate will be in a conference committee this morning to discuss language from House and Senate versions. On the docket is discussion and adoption of a top-to-bottom amendment.
A bipartisan group of lawmakers who support legalizing sports betting in Minnesota are readying a possible vote with no certainty something can get done. For months, the group has been working to strike a compromise between varying interests, especially between horse tracks and tribal nations. The bill’s sponsor in the Senate had said odds weren’t great. But the bill is on the Wednesday agenda on the House floor action (though it could easily get delayed). Republican Pat Garafalo of Farmington has been trying to legalize sports betting in Minnesota for years. He tells MPR’s Clay Masters: “We're going for the Hail Mary play in the endzone. The bipartisan group of legislators who oppose us are trying to knock it down.”
Running Aces now claims all tribal casinos violate federal law with video casino games. The Star Tribune’s Rochelle Olson writes Running Aces argued in an amended lawsuit that federal law bars American Indian tribes from having exclusive rights to run gambling operations. They also said the tribes violated state law by offering video slots and video games of chance. Last month’s lawsuit filed by Running Aces initially claimed that only some tribal communities are violating rules around card game betting in their casinos.
Michael Cohen took the stand again yesterday in Former President Donald Trump’s hush money trial. It was the first chance for Trump’s defense team to cross examine Cohen , the former Trump fixer. The exchanges were blistering from the get-go as Trump’s legal team sought to reinforce doubts about Cohen’s credibility. He’s expected to wrap up his testimony Thursday and the prosecution could rest its case. No word yet on whether Trump will take the stand. Meanwhile, leading Republicans in Congress and on the political scene are making it a point of appearing in the courtroom to show support for the most powerful figure in the party. In other trial news, a New York appeals court denied and dismissed Trump’s gag order appeal. The gag order bars Trump from commenting publicly about jurors, witnesses and others connected to the case. Earlier this month, the judge presiding over the hush money trial fined Trump $1,000 for violating a gag order. |