Good morning. Another taste of fake spring is in store.
Threats of cyberattacks and data intrusion have Minnesota schools on edge. MPR’s Dana Ferguson reports that districts are turning to local taxpayers and state officials for help in building up their defenses. Voters in several districts approved ballot questions letting local districts raise levies to fund cybersecurity improvements. School officials on Monday told lawmakers that it shouldn’t be entirely on their shoulders. “It's crucial to have strong defense and be prepared to respond with incident response and business continuity plans,” Justin Hennes, chief information officer for Minneapolis Public Schools, told the Legislative Commission on Cybersecurity. “The Legislature and state agencies can help by funding cybersecurity services for education.” Expect it to have a place on the 2024 legislative agenda when the session convenes in February.
Senior meal programs are under the microscope. MPR’s Peter Cox has more on a new report from the Office of the Legislative Auditor that found the Minnesota Board on Aging did not meet legal standards in its oversight of the Senior Nutrition Program. The Board on Aging and seven regional area agencies on aging administer the federal program which provides meals to people aged 60 or older. But the OLA’s report says the board did not have “adequate internal controls to ensure compliance with significant legal requirements” for the nutrition program. A public hearing on the auditor’s report is scheduled for Wednesday.
Big money, no whammies. The state’s finance agency released Minnesota's final revenue update before an important budget forecast is out. And it shows tax collections remain well ahead of projections. The monthly revenue update covering October had collections $133 million above prior estimates. That's almost six percent more than expected. For the fiscal year just a few months old, the excess is now more than a half-billion dollars ahead of projections. State officials will release a report in a few weeks documenting both tax and spending patterns. That will set the tone for the 2024 legislative session.
If you’re among the 150,000 people who haven’t cashed a paper tax rebate check from the state, it might be close to expiring. There was a 60-day clock to cash a check. About 7 percent of all rebates sent out are still hanging out there. That’s considerable money given that the rebates range from $260 to $1,300 each. For rebate checks that expire, there will be a reissue phase, with the first coming this week and the next in December, according to the Department of Revenue. The agency says it is trying to alert people who have money there for the taking.
Meanwhile in Washington, the federal government’s shutdown staredown is in full effect. A House Republican plan to approve continued spending in stages could be put to a vote today. Senate Democrats postponed a vote on a government funding extension, waiting to see what the House can pass. All in all, a repeat of past up-to-the-deadline debates over how to keep the government running or whether to let parts of it shut down. The deadline is Friday. The AP has an update on the situation.
In the department of congressional candidate moves, we have a couple of developments. DFL State Rep. Zack Stephenson said he would not try for the 3rd Congressional District seat now held by Rep. Dean Phillips. It’s unclear if Phillips will try to fall back to the race or go another direction if his presidential bid doesn’t pan out. But Stephenson said he’ll watch the race unfold while trying to retain his Minnesota House seat. In the 5th District, one of the DFL primary challengers to Rep. Ilhan Omar introduced herself to voters through a video highlighting difficulties in her own past. Sarah Gad, who announced a campaign in August, is one of several looking to unseat the incumbent. Politico wrote about the Gad bio video here. It was released a day after former Minneapolis city council member Don Samuels kicked off his DFL bid. | 