Good morning, and congratulations for making it to Friday at the end of another long week. A program note–on the radio at noon today, I’ll talk to the winners of Tuesday's special primary election in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District, Republican Brad Finstad and Democrat Jeff Ettinger. I’ll also talk to Dr. Scott Jensen and House Speaker Melissa Hortman about the state budget surplus and the possibility of a special session. Tune in at noon to MPR News.
Speaking of that special session, there’s still no plan for one. MPR’s Brian Bakst has more:Talks on a potential special session to pass unfinished budget bills won’t resume until after the Memorial Day holiday weekend, Gov. Tim Walz said on Thursday . Walz said after filing for reelection that he’s hopeful he and legislative leaders can salvage their $8 billion deal – half each for tax relief and new spending – after running out of time to craft and pass bills in their regular session. “We had a universal agreement that is fantastic for Minnesota. I just think as Minnesotans are out there listening and saying wait a minute, ‘We could have the largest tax cut, we could invest in roads, bridges and education. We could invest in thinking about workforce development for the future. And we could keep money on the bottom line in case the economy turns bad,’” Walz said. “Why in God's name, would anyone not accept that deal?” Hours later, House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt stood on the same Capitol plaza where Walz was earlier. He downplayed the prospects of a deal getting done. “The agreement they were close to at the end of session was not fiscally responsible for the state. If we do have an economic downturn, I’m worried that agreement did not leave any money on the bottom line,” Daudt, R-Zimmerman said. “And frankly I think the spending level was too high.” In fact, as much as $4 billion would have gone untouched as a buffer against a deteriorating economy.
Would new gun control proposals be part of a special session agenda? Probably not. Walz said more needs to be done to make sure guns don’t wind up in the wrong hands. He dismissed suggestions that additional background checks or temporary removal of guns from people in crisis would be cumbersome. “As a longtime gun owner, as someone who's been around these both as military weapon, and as someone who owns them today, even calling it an inconvenience to do a background check, or to have in place red flag laws that do not take away your constitutional rights, I don’t understand that,” Walz said, adding, “I think planning a funeral for a nine year old is more of an inconvenience right now.” Daudt said he’s not convinced proposed gun restrictions would have averted this week’s tragedy. “We want to make sure that we address the problem and we believe the problem is a mental health problem. We already have some of the strongest gun laws,” Daudt said. “The gun laws that have been proposed would not have changed what happened in Texas and not prevented it. So we need to actually get down to the root cause of the problem, which is we're not addressing the mental health of folks in our state and our country.” House Public Safety Committee Chair Carlos Mariani, DFL-St. Paul, acknowledged that gun control bills won’t budge in the Republican-led Senate, but he said he hopes to build public pressure for change by keeping the focus on them. “Lack of ideas is not the problem. Lack of will, lack of caring and a lack of care are. Lack of commitment by those elected to make laws is the problem,” Mariani said. “We are the problem. We are the ones failing.”
One reason for a special session? To approve matching funds so the state can start getting some of that federal infrastructure money.MPR’s Tim Pugmire explains: The infrastructure law that President Joe Biden signed late last year would provide billions of dollars for Minnesota to use for highways, bridges, transit and more. But the $282 million per year in initial matching money needed to leverage some of those federal funds was included in a transportation funding bill that lawmakers failed to pass before the end of the 2022 session. “We cannot leave the federal money from the largest infrastructure package in 50 years on the table,” Walz said. “If we do not put in the matching funds for some of the competitive grants, other states will, and they will get new roads, new bridges. They will get the lead out of their pipes. They will get new water treatment systems. All of those things are going to happen, and they need to happen here.” State officials have estimated Minnesota could receive $7.3 billion from the infrastructure law over the next few years. Most, but not all, would go toward transportation projects. A state match, which is a percentage and not dollar-for-dollar, is required for most of the money. But not all lawmakers are convinced the matching money needs to pass this year.
The Legal Marijuana Now Party has a candidate for Congress in Minnesota's 2nd District. It's Paula Overby, who has run in the district before. MPR’s Mark Zdechlik reports that Overby has run for office before as a Democrat and a third party candidate. In 2016 her third party campaign in the 2nd District drew nearly 8 percent of the vote. Republican Jason Lewis beat Democrat Angie Craig that year. Despite her history with the DFL, Overby dismisses the notion that entering this year's race could hurt Craig, who is now the DFL incumbent, and help Republican challenger Tyler Kistner. "I'm not concerned about that,” Overby said. “There is very little truth to it, as well. I've run two campaigns in this district for Congress, a statewide Senate campaign. And you know, we've looked at the numbers. There's a pretty reasonable balance between the number of Republicans, people leaning Republican and people leaning Democrats that vote for independent candidates." The race in Minnesota's 2nd District is expected to be one of the most hard-fought House races in the country this year.
And Tim Davis of Minneapolis has filed to run for State Auditor with the Legal Marijuana Now Party.
New U.S. census data show people leaving the Twin Cities and some first-ring suburbs for further-out exurbs. But new preliminary population estimates from the Met Council, also released Thursday, contest those findings.The Star Tribune reports: State Demographer Susan Brower also questioned the census findings about suburbs like Robbinsdale losing population. "Are these losses real, even though building has continued in many of these communities?" she said. The federal figures were drawn up using new methods, said Brower, and from what she's seen so far, the census figures don't jive with what she was expecting to see. "It's really hard for me to say how much of this is real and how much of this is as a result of those methods," she said. Met Council officials also were puzzled by the census figures. Their reaction to word that Minneapolis and St. Paul, as well as most of the inner-ring suburbs, lost population over the past year? It didn't happen.
NOTE: No newsletter Monday or Tuesday. Have a peaceful and restful Memorial Day Weekend. | 