Good morning. Bottle up yesterday’s weather and feed it to us year-round.
Minnesota's elevated tax collections compared to expectations are showing no signs of letup. A Department of Minnesota Management and Budget quarterly revenue update shows that $241 million more than predicted came in during February and March. That's 6.5 percent above forecast. All of the major tax categories were up — led by corporate taxes that ran 28 percent stronger than projections. The near-term economic growth outlook has improved. But inflation remains stubbornly above what economists were expecting.
As Minnesota kids report mounting mental health side effects stemming from social media, lawmakers want to prevent potentially harmful features from reaching young users. Dana Ferguson reports that lawmakers are weighing new restrictions for tech companies that would ratchet up privacy settings for their youngest users. Free speech groups and affected companies have sued over similar policies elsewhere, but supporters say it’s worth taking a stand.
Lawmakers are out through midday today for the Eid holiday break, but Senate leaders Erin Murphy and Mark Johnson will be on our airwaves giving an update this morning. Tune into MPR News beginning at 7:20 a.m. for the back-to-back interviews with Cathy Wurzer.
The Minneapolis City Council is set to vote today on a two-month delay in its rideshare ordinance. Jon Collins, Estelle Timar-Wilcox and Anna Haecherl report that three members announced yesterday that they’ll try to push back the implementation date to July 1 — that’s a two-month buffer from the original date the new driver pay and protection plan was set to take effect. Authors of the original ordinance say they’ll support the delay, but not an alternative proposal to adjust driver mileage rates in line with those laid out in a state report.
It’s not unheard of for the Legislature to convene in June, July, August, etc. But that’s only when the governor calls lawmakers into special session. The Minnesota House is debating a constitutional amendment that would let the Legislature come into session more times of the year. Some deride it as a full-time Legislature, others say it’ll level the power balance between the branches. Either way, MinnPost’s Peter Callaghan, who is known to speak Latin around the press room halls, says the ultimate decision would rest with voters if a measure winds up on the ballot.
Construction at the site of the State Office Building slowed for a time after workers there recently unearthed foundations and century-old artifacts. A spokeswoman for the Department of Administration told Dana that the deposits “consist mainly of butchered animal bone, glass, ceramics, and household objects.” Residential and business properties on former Aurora and Wabasha streets were razed in the 1920s to make way for the current State Office Building. An archaeological consultant is working on a treatment plan for the materials, but the process is not expected to impact the project’s timeline. The footprint of the State Office Building is expanding significantly and the existing structure will get rehabilitated in the project expected to approach $500 million — more when interest costs on the debt are factored in. | 