Good morning, and welcome to Friday.
The new head of Planned Parenthood North Central States is defending her decision to remain in the Minnesota Legislature while leading the high-profile nonprofit. Ruth Richardson was named president and CEO of the health care organization this week. She’s a two-term DFL House member who is running for a new term. Richardson said she leads a smaller healthcare nonprofit now and has shown she can recuse herself if conflicts arise. She told MPR News Thursday that lawmakers often juggle multiple roles. “There's this ongoing debate about whether we need to build a new system that isn't a citizens’ Legislature. That would be a full time Legislature,” RIchardson said. “But for the current moment we have and for what we are faced with right now, there are many folks that are within the Legislature who have other jobs.” Richardson said the organization’s lobbying and political operations are separate from the health care services she’ll direct. State Republicans have called her acceptance of the new job a conflict of interest.
The head of the Metropolitan Council says a funding source to finish the Southwest Light Rail Line will be found soon. There is a more than $500 million gap in funding, and the state and federal governments aren’t expected to spend any more. The cost to build the line has more than doubled since 2011 and its opening day has been delayed by nine years, with passenger service now slated for 2027. The Star Tribune reports: "This gap is something we are actively working on with our partners," Met Council Chair Charlie Zelle said during an hourlong meeting Thursday of the Legislative Audit Commission. "I have confidence we will have an answer by the end of the year. It's important for the project to move forward. It's in the region's best interest." Zelle declined to identify a potential source for the funding. So far the 14.5-mile line between downtown Minneapolis and Eden Prairie has been funded from federal, state and local coffers.
One of the names on a leaked membership list of the group Oath Keepers released by the Anti-Defamation League this week is of a Minnesota legislator. The Oath Keepers are a far-right anti-government militia that played a big role in the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol. The Minnesota Reformer reports Rep. Donald Raleigh, R-Blaine, said in an interview that he disavows the group and its beliefs, and that he only signed up for a membership years ago as part of a project to conduct market research on organizations targeting veterans. Raleigh said he has “no idea about” what the Oath Keepers are up to today, but he added that “from what I’ve heard they’ve taken a very dark turn and I absolutely do not support anything that has to do with insurrection.” Unlike other officeholders who have proudly advertised their affiliation with the fringe group, Raleigh has not promoted or spoken favorably about the Oath Keepers in public appearances.
The ADL said it found a total of 514 signups for the group in Minnesota, including six law enforcement officers, three members of the military and two first responders. MPR’s Peter Cox reported the leak has raised concerns from Kelly McCarthy, the head of the Minnesota POST board and the chief of the Mendota Heights Police Department. "I'm angry that we haven't done more. I'm angry we didn't get changes into the POST board rules sooner. I'm angry we as law enforcement leadership haven't sent a clear enough message to our troops,” McCarthy said. “I'm ashamed that we didn't listen to our communities of color, in particular our Black communities earlier and sooner." Earlier this year the POST board proposed several rule changes, including a ban on people who support or participate in white supremacy, hate or extremist groups from getting a law license. Those changes are still in progress.
MinnPost has a look at the upcoming rematch in Minnesota’s 1st Congressional District now that Republican Brad Finstad is the incumbent: Finstad’s 4 point win over Jeff Ettinger in the special election last month prompted a political analyst to move the general election race from “solid Republican” to “lean Republican” because President Joe Biden lost the 1st District by more than 10 percentage points. A former Hormel executive who is running as a centrist Democrat, Ettinger, 63, said he’s encouraged by his narrow loss. He also pointed out that Rep. Jim Hagedorn, a conservative Republican who represented the 1st District until his death in February, barely won his races against Democrat Dan Feehan in 2018 and 2020. Finstad looks at those election results in a different way. “It was the largest margin of victory in the First District since 2014, and it was the highest vote percentage a Republican for Congress has received in the district since 2004,” he said of his special election victory.
The University of Minnesota plans to ask state lawmakers for a 15 percent increase in funding next year, after the Legislative session ended this year with much of a state budget surplus unspent. The Pioneer Press reports: The U plans to ask for an additional $205 million in ongoing biennial funding from the state, which would be a 14.9 percent increase over the $1.38 billion it’s already due to receive in fiscal years 2024-25. Officials say that would pay for half of the U’s growing costs, with the rest being covered by spending cuts and increased tuition revenue – both from higher enrollment and higher prices, although no specific proposal has yet been made on tuition. “Given the current state of the state’s budget, the surplus that they have, this is the right time for them to invest more in the University than they have in recent times,” Myron Frans, senior vice president for finance and operations, told the U’s Board of Regents on Thursday. | 