Good morning, and welcome to Monday. It’s the 22nd anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Before leaving for a trade trip to Japan over the weekend, Gov. Tim Walz told MPR News that new clarifications of the state’s student prone restraint law have helped local police agencies and school districts reset contracts for school resource officers. And — as of now — he said he doesn’t plan to call a special legislative session to rewrite the law that bars the use of holds and restraints on students that limit their breathing or ability to call out. Walz said that insurance providers who work with police agencies have said the clarification from the attorney general’s office has put them at ease, and they said departments could enter back into contracts with schools without concerns for liability. One agency that had considered shifting its school resource officer plans is set to move forward with a contract renewing their presence in Faribault schools.
The DFL governor’s assurances weren’t enough for Republicans or for the Minnesota Police and Peace Officers Association. "Governor Tim Walz should immediately cancel his junket to Japan and stay in Minnesota to address the immediate and growing safety problem in our schools,” said David Hann, chair of the Republican Party of Minnesota in a statement on Saturday. “Our schools are less safe today due to the Minnesota DFL's extreme, single-party control, and their zealous anti-police agenda has put students, teachers, and staff in danger.” And a statement from MPPOA President David Titus called Walz’s decision not to call a special session “very disappointing,” and said the law will force police officers who contract with school districts “to react to situations involving students in ways that are contrary to their training and department policy.”
Hundreds of people packed Central Lutheran Church in downtown Minneapolis Saturday for the funeral of former Minnesota Gov. Al Quie. MPR News reported former DFL Senate Majority Leader Roger Moe, a friend for decades despite political differences, spoke of Quie's faith, love of horses, and political foresight. “He made a very unique and special contribution to our state,” Moe said. “He had the ability to see over the horizon. He saw emerging issues, and he wanted to do something about it.” Another friend, activist and media producer, Robin Hickman-Winfield, spoke of how Quie, a lifelong Republican, prided himself on making friendships that crossed ideological lines. “I thank you for allowing me to fellowship with you,” she said. “And say goodbye to my friend and my brother in Christ.” The funeral happened a day after Quie lay in state at the Minnesota State Capitol. Political leaders from both parties paid respect to Quie during a ceremony in the Rotunda next to his casket.
Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon said he does not have the authority to remove former President Donald Trump from the 2024 presidential ballot over concerns about the Constitution’s 14th Amendment, but he said any Minnesotan can petition the courts on the issue. Simon made his remarks to MPR’s All Things Considered after a University of St. Thomas legal scholar co-wrote a paper saying there's a sound constitutional argument to remove Trump from the ballot because the 14th Amendment says people who swear an oath of office and then participate in or give comfort to participants of an insurrection cannot return to office. As for Simon’s personal feelings about the attack on the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, he said, “The conduct that day was shameful. And to the extent that former President Trump supported or aided it, that too, is shameful and will be judged extremely harshly by history. Again, but whether it rises to a constitutional definition, I don't know. But I sure do condemn his conduct and his behavior that day.”
The Minnesota Department of Corrections has ordered extensive water testing at its Stillwater facility, a week after more than 100 prisoners protested their living conditions. MPR News reports that in the meantime, the department has brought in bottled water for staff and those incarcerated at the facility. In a news release late Saturday, the department said Commissioner Paul Schnell is ordering the testing to “assure staff and incarcerated individuals that the water is safe for drinking.” The new tests come just a week after more than 100 inmates refused to go to their cells, which family members said was in direct protest to reduced shower, phone and recreation time, as well as dangerously hot rooms and poor water quality.
There was a lot of talk about how many items the DFL trifecta at the Capitol passed this year, but there was at least one issue that was left on the table: legal sports betting. The Star Tribune reports: Sen. Matt Klein, DFL-Mendota Heights, said with Democrats still in charge in 2024, it makes sense to get it done. "If we don't legalize this now when we can get exclusive licenses for the tribes, it will be legalized some time," he said. "The moment is now." His late-session bill last session gave each of the state's 11 American Indian tribes the exclusive right to partner with one mobile sports betting platform such as FanDuel or DraftKings. Online betting is the main game in sports gambling, though, and supporters here envision mobile betting to be legal statewide — meaning Vikings fans and anyone else can bet on their phones from just about anywhere. Sports betting is legal now to varying degrees in more than 30 states, including in Minnesota's four bordering neighbors. Mobile and in-person betting is legal in Iowa, while Wisconsin and the Dakotas have legalized the activity only on tribal grounds. The tension in Minnesota over legalization comes from how to help the state's two horse-racing tracks, which say they deserve a share of the expanded betting action or their operations will be at risk. | 