Capitol View for March 5

Good morning. We hope winter got everything out of its system.

The Trump speech had no specific mentions of Minnesota, although there was a hint that something could be ahead. Trump said later in the week he would “take historic action to dramatically expand production of critical minerals and rare earths here in the USA.” There are copper nickel deposits in northeastern Minnesota that have previously caught Trump’s eye and he said that he would work to allow extraction from the ground. (More below on that debate). Trump was accompanied to the front of the House with House Majority Whip Tom Emmer of Minnesota a few paces behind. The 6th District Republican shook hands and high-fived as the procession moved up the aisle. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, a member of her party’s leadership, sat one row behind U.S. Supreme Court justices. Trump referenced a bill she has been active on that would require social media and websites to take down non-consensual intimate images, sometimes called revenge porn. U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar was shown in camera cutaways reacting glumly to some of Trump’s remarks.

Walz also elaborated on his offer to hold town hall discussions in districts around the country where Republican representatives might avoid them. Politico reported yesterday that the head of the National Republican Congressional Committee advised GOP members of Congress to hold off on in-person town hall events after several faced blowback over President Donald Trump’s policies. In response, Walz said Democrats would meet with constituents — the former vice presidential candidate included — if Republicans wouldn’t. “So what they're going to do now is try and pretend that they don't have to hear where the public's coming from. You told us what you were going to do, and those things aren't happening,” Walz said. “And I just said, if they don't want to do it, I'll do it and talk to them, if that's what it takes.” Conservatives noted that Walz has previously taken heat for avoiding interactions with those who oppose him, including those upset over his COVID-19 moves and who wanted to pressure him on the war in Gaza.

President Donald Trump’s actions could open up new mining projects around the country, including in Minnesota. Clay Masters went north to talk about what that could mean and what groups are doing to prepare for the possibility. Minnesota’s federal delegation is naturally split over the plans to permit new copper-nickel mines and the political divide at the Capitol means it’s unlikely new state barriers will be erected. Clay has a two-part, sound-rich radio story but he’s tied it into one online piece.

A pair of Republican-backed bills in the Minnesota House to roll back restrictions on so-called forever chemicals have cleared an early hurdle. Lawmakers passed Amara’s Law in 2023 that bans sales of new products in 11 categories if they’re made intentionally with PFAS that've been linked to cancer. It had bipartisan support then but some Republicans now say the law goes too far. One of the bills would exempt commercial and industrial products from certain PFAS restrictions. Carly Griffith is with the Minnesota Center for Environmental Advocacy and she questions the premise of the proposal. “That residential products are the only product sector that pose human health risks through direct PFAS exposure,” Griffith testified. “But this is false.” A lobbyist representing commercial and industrial companies say they need the exemptions to make changes to certain products that currently use PFAS.

For physicians who've practiced medicine in other countries, coming to Minnesota and working as a doctor can be difficult. They've got to pass three Step exams that measure medical knowledge, then take part in a residency-type program which can often take several years. Sen. Alice Mann, DFL-Edina and a practicing physician, said that even now medical students just graduating are having a hard time finding residency programs. Getting one for international medical graduates, or IMGs, can be harder. Mann estimates there are between 250 and 300 doctors in Minnesota who cannot practice medicine now because of those requirements. She’s pushing a bill to eliminate some barriers . "It will diversify our workforce, because patients feel more comfortable when their doctors look like them. It will increase the number of doctors practicing medicine, since we do have a physician shortage, and it will open up residency slots for the newly graduating physicians who actually need the training." The bill would allow for another avenue for that training, allowing people to do two years practice under the supervision of another physician in a rural or underserved community. They'd have to get recommendations from those they work with and do check-ins with a medical board during that process. They'd also still have to pass the Step exams, and have practiced medicine at least five of the last 12 years to qualify for the program. The bill could wind up as part of a broader health policy package this session.

In a new court filing, Republican Party lawyers argue that House DFL lawmakers “unlawfully acquired salary and benefits” because of the way they were sworn in and the boycott they engaged in for weeks. The brief was filed as part of a recall effort against 29 Democratic legislators that is making its way through the many paces it would take to succeed. The petition, currently before the Supreme Court’s chief justice, contends Democrats were required to attend Capitol sessions and their “failure to attend was a direct attack on the foundations of democracy itself.” The GOP lawyers write that the attendance expectations are the underpinning of civil and criminal protections lawmakers get during session, from privilege against arrest to guarantees they’ll be able to resume their normal jobs when the Legislature adjourns. “If legislators don’t need to show up, either to session or to committee hearings, to debate serious and difficult topics, they certainly do not require immunity,” the brief says. But the argument of an improper swearing-in is one of the more interesting wrinkles. The brief bases that conclusion on a belief that the DFL lawmakers weren’t physically in possession of election certificates when they took their oath in a private swearing in ceremony on Jan. 12 — two days before the session’s official opening. It goes on to say constituents’ “hard-earned tax dollars are going towards a person unable to fulfill their most basic responsibilities and duties of office. While taxpayers and constituents are unable to bring suit to claw back the respondents’ ill-gotten gains, they can certainly engage them in a recall for unlawfully taking a paycheck after failing to be sworn in properly.” A DFL response brief is due by Friday, and the court will decide after that whether to send the case to a special master for a public hearing sometime this spring.

A single recall case was lodged against a Republican legislator over his participation in the quorum-free House floor sessions in January and early February. That petition against Rep. Duane Quam of Byron is also awaiting further action by the state Supreme Court chief justice under the recall process outlined here . It contends he committed malfeasance (one of the standards for possible removal) by attempting to help convene the House and take other actions in the absence of enough members to formally do business. Quam’s attorney, who is the same as the one for recall proponents against DFLers, argues in a response filing that Quam “committed no illegal or unlawful acts and this petition should be rejected.” The case is also awaiting a determination of whether a special master will be asked to conduct further proceedings.