Good morning. From the land of lakes to the land Down Under.
A long flight is in store for Gov. Tim Walz and dozens of Minnesota business leaders. MPR’s Dana Ferguson reports that they are set to depart Friday for an eight-day trade mission to Australia focused on medical device technology and agriculture. The DFL governor is due to lead a group of 35 cabinet members, business leaders, farmers and others on the trip that will include visits to Sydney and Melbourne. It’s the first time Minnesota officials have headed to the land Down Under for a trade mission, and Walz said he’s hopeful that the visit will spur more Australian investment in the state.
Dana also spoke, separately, with House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic. Both said talks about bringing a constitutional amendment guaranteeing the right to abortion and other reproductive health care services to the ballot next year are ongoing. Hortman said she was encouraged by efforts in other states to approve a similar amendment around abortion access. Earlier this year, DFL lawmakers approved laws that guarantee the right to reproductive health care, provide legal safeguard for patients traveling for the services and providers here and struck restrictions on abortion that had been on the books for decades. "I think we have to ask ourselves, if we decide we need to protect reproductive freedom in the Minnesota Constitution. Should we be doing that with a standalone question that's only focused on that issue and is very clearly protective of those rights? So we're having all those conversations right now with members, with the public and with stakeholder groups who would organize and push for an amendment if we put one on a ballot," Hortman said. Dziedzic told Dana her caucus will also mull bringing the constitutional amendment when they meet next month. She said Democrats have made clear their support for guaranteeing abortion access while Republicans have opposed those steps. "Whether there's a constitutional amendment or not, abortion will be on the ballot."
One lawmaker active in getting the abortion rights bills passed last year, state Sen. Kelly Morrison, has her eyes on the 2024 election. The Deephaven Democrat announced yesterday that she’s a candidate for the 3rd Congressional District. U.S. Rep. Dean Phillips, a Democrat and friend of Morrison, hasn’t said if he’ll run again for Congress if his current presidential run fails. Dana wrote briefly about Morrison’s entrance , which apparently came with Phillips’ blessing. She’s the second DFLer to announce a run and probably not the last.
As for the U.S. Senate, Democratic incumbent Amy Klobuchar still hasn’t attracted a top-flight challenger, but her party has a tough road to maintaining its majority. As NPR reports, that got tougher Thursday when West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin , a centrist Democrat known to break with his party, said he won’t try for another term next year. Democrats have the barest of majorities now and are already defending seats in Arizona, Montana, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Wisconsin. Their offensive opportunities are limited. With the White House on the line as well, the 101st Senate vote — the vice president — is also uncertain for Democrats. Manchin didn’t answer the other question floating around Washington: Will he run for president?
Election 2023 gets closer to completion today. Ranked-choice tabulations in a pair of undeclared St. Paul city council races will be conducted. A final count in a third race is not expected prior to Monday. Ramsey County Elections Manager David Triplett described the process to MPR’s Nina Moini this way: "Unlike a recount or election contest this is really just a continuation of election day where we are doing a final count." The current city council is due to meet on Wednesday to certify the results.
Cash those rebate checks, people! Briana Bierschbach of the Star Tribune says the Revenue Department estimates 150,000 tax rebate checks haven’t been cashed or deposited in a bank yet. Briana didn’t do the math , but I did. And it’s not trivial given that the checks ranged from $260 to $1,300 depending on the number of eligible recipients and dependents in a household — so $39 million (minimum) to $195 million (at most) in unconverted rebates! If it’s 60 days after the date on the check, it’s void and has to be reissued. A new batch will go out soon. Otherwise, the money goes into an unclaimed property account managed by a different agency.
You’re probably sick of me posting about the flag follies. Sorry, but one more (for now). MPR producers, reporters and editors have been trading messages about their favorites and decided to give them a high-school yearbook style treatment. Check it out and chime in. Props to Matt Mikus and Anna Haecherl for compiling and categorizing the images. | 