Good morning and happy Thursday.
The table is set for final negotiations over a huge area of disagreement between Democrats and Republicans at the Minnesota Capitol: How much to cut taxes and where to cut them.MPR’s Brian Bakst reports the Minnesota House set up those end-of-session negotiations Wednesday with passage of a plan that’s more-limited than one that the Senate advanced earlier this year. It would be difficult for lawmakers to reach a deal for dispersing the rest of Minnesota’s giant budget surplus unless at least some is sent back as tax relief. The House DFL-driven plan, approved on a 69-62 vote, would deliver about $1.6 billion in tax savings this year and more into the future. House Taxes Committee Chair Paul Marquart, DFL-Dilworth, said he fashioned his plan to make “strategic, crucial tax cuts” for those facing the most financial constraints. “We know that young families at this time of their stage of life probably are facing the highest bills they'll ever face – child care costs, student loan payments, mortgage, your rent payments, property taxes,” Marquart said. “And so this bill really zeroes in on: How can we reduce those costs?” Republicans say it goes the wrong direction. “Minnesota is not competitive in our taxes,” Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove, said. “If we are going to be able to compete with other states and grow our economy we have to get out of the top five and top 10 tax brackets in the nation.”
A Minnesota lawsuit that challenges the state’s restrictions on abortion has been delayed.The Associated Press reports the Minnesota Court of Appeals has ruled the trial can’t begin until some legal issues raised by the state are resolved. If the U.S. Supreme Court follows through on a leaked draft opinion to strike down the landmark Roe v. Wade decision, abortion will still be legal in Minnesota. A 1995 state Supreme Court ruling known as Doe v. Gomez established a right to abortion under the Minnesota Constitution. But Gender Justice and its allies are challenging a list of restrictions that Minnesota has enacted over the years, including a 24-hour waiting period, a requirement that minors notify both parents before getting an abortion, and a requirement that only doctors can perform abortions. The lawsuit relies in part on precedents set in Doe v. Gomez. “We know our case will ultimately move forward to the merits,” said Jess Braverman, legal director for Gender Justice. “The question now is when. We are weighing all available legal options at this time.”
One twist in that case–Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is defending the state’s laws that restrict access to abortion while at the same time Ellison criticizing the draft Supreme Court opinion that seems poised to overturn Roe v Wade. Ellison told reporters Wednesday that he strongly supports abortion rights. But he said his office has the legal obligation to defend all state statutes, and that changing the laws should be up to the Legislature. “I want to be real clear: there’s not one of these impediments to abortion that I would have voted for as a legislator, said Ellison, a former state representative and congressman. ”I would have voted against all of them. I think they’re all bad policy.”
Ellison also signed on to a letter Wednesday with eight other attorneys general urging President Joe Biden to fully cancel federal student debt owed by every federal student loan borrower in the country. “My job is to help everyone afford their lives, and canceling crushing federal student debt will help the economy as a whole,” Ellison said in a statement.
The Minnesota Senate is trying to force the University of Minnesota to conduct a review of its intercollegiate sports programs. MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports lawmakers attached an amendment to a larger higher education bill Wednesday that would withhold supplemental funding from the university if it does not establish a special commission. Sen. Jason Rarick, R-Pine City, accused the university of not listening to the concerns of athletes who are losing men’s gymnastics and other sports. “I’m pleading with the university and the board of regents to do this commission,” Rarick said. “It’s the right thing to do. Members of those programs and all nonrevenue programs deserve to have their voices heard.” The Legislature can't directly manage the university, so the bill uses funding as a stick. Sen. Jason Isaacson, DFL-Shoreview, said the amendment was embarrassing.
The Minnesota State Patrol will deploy officers to Minneapolis amid a rise in violent crime and hundreds fewer city officers on the streets.The StarTribune reports: The arrangement announced Wednesday by city and state officials clears the way for state troopers to patrol Minneapolis streets three nights a week starting Thursday and for the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension to join Minneapolis Police Department criminal investigations. "Now is the time, before summer is underway, to bolster public safety resources in our city," Mayor Jacob Frey said in a statement. "Our collective work aligning MPD, State Patrol and BCA personnel will help improve safety outcomes rightfully expected by residents and visitors in Minneapolis." Interim Police Chief Amelia Huffman said in a statement that her department, the BCA and State Patrol "share one mission: to reduce violence and increase safety, and we can achieve better results working together."
A longtime veteran of the St. Paul Police Department will take over as interim chief next month as the city searches for a permanent replacement.MPR’s Tim Nelson reports Mayor Melvin Carter on Wednesday named Deputy Chief Jeremy Ellison to the interim role, taking over on June 1 when current Chief Todd Axtell retires. Ellison started his public safety career as a park ranger in the city in 1999. He's since served as a patrol officer, investigator, federal task force participant and most recently has been the deputy chief in charge of support services. He pledged to stay the course set by Axtell, who has served as chief for the past six years but announced last fall he would not seek another term leading the department. "We have the support and trust of the city and the people that we serve — people who do not want to see sweeping changes in the programs that we're delivering, the services that we are out there delivering or the culture that they are appreciating so much every day," Ellison said at a news conference. Ellison said he would not seek the job permanently.
About a quarter of Minnesota’s cities, counties and tribal nations don't have plans to address extreme weather caused by climate change, despite experiencing more severe rainfall and flooding. MPR’s Hannah Yang reports the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency released preliminary survey results gathered from 380 local governments around the state, with 87 percent of local governments reported recently experiencing the effects of at least one weather trend caused by climate change. More than half saw more extreme rainfall and storms; a third saw flooding, others saw extreme drought and less consistent snow cover. But the report found only 12 percent have a standalone climate adaptation or resilience plans, and about a quarter of respondents stated they don’t have plans to address extreme weather caused by climate change. Almost half of the surveyed communities stated they need more funding for planning infrastructure upgrades to address problems. | 