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Another layer of protection from eviction for people behind in their rent has gone away. MPR’s Brian Bakst reports it’s the latest step in a gradual return to housing procedures from before the pandemic. Attempts by landlords to remove tenants for failure to pay their bills were all but halted as a way to prevent people from being left homeless. And until now, property managers had to give at least 15 days notice before beginning to evict a tenant or terminate a lease over nonpayment. Renters who materially violate the terms of their lease or posed a threat to others have had less protection. Now, the only renters who will have a safe harbor are those qualified to receive rental assistance or who have an active application. The state still has hundreds of millions of federal dollars to distribute through a program that provides up to 18 months of back rent to landlords for income-eligible tenants. Pre-pandemic eviction standards resume in full next June.
From MPR’s Catharine Richert: A federal judge has denied a request to block a vaccine mandate for health care workers. After a nearly three hour hearing Tuesday, Judge Nancy Brasel denied a request filed by nearly 200 health care workers to block their employers' COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Still, Brasel didn't dismiss the case all together. She also said that the plaintiffs, who filed their request anonymously, would have to reveal their names to the defendants - a contingent of health care employers from around the state. The plaintiffs argued that the lack of alternatives to vaccination infringes on their rights. The defendants argued that many of these employees had been granted exemptions already, and that none had been fired. The case is one of several lawsuits filed over vaccine mandates across the country against government entities, employers or both.
MPR’s Tim Pugmire has an update on redistricting as a 5 judge panel began holding hearings around the state this week : The court consolidated two lawsuits filed earlier this year that challenge the constitutionality of Minnesota’s current legislative and congressional districts based on population changes. Peter Wattson, a plaintiff in the legal challenge, recently appeared before the Minnesota House Redistricting Committee. Wattson said that he and other plaintiffs are proposing a “least-change” approach to the new boundaries. “The Legislature has authority to get creative in drawing new districts every 10 years. A court does not,” Wattson said. House and Senate redistricting committees have been holding their own separate hearings to gather public input. Both legislative panels are scheduled to meet again this week, the House committee on Thursday and the Senate panel on Friday. The U.S. Census data needed to complete redistricting was delayed this year. Time is short with the February deadline. And legislators and candidates are in a holding pattern, waiting to see which district they might end up running in. Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, who was first elected in 1989, has been through redistricting several times. Hausman said she thinks next year’s political calendar should be delayed until new maps are ready.
St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter says he will vote for a rent control measure on the November ballot.The Pioneer Press has the story : “One of the challenges of policymaking by referendum is we sort of lock in a first draft,” said Carter, during a live candidate forum Tuesday. “I do believe there are concerns with regard to potential new housing starts, at a time when our population is growing so fast.” But he said the city owed it to those homeless individuals who froze to death last winter to prioritize and then fine-tune housing solutions.
In Washington, the House of Representatives on Tuesday voted 219-206 to approve a short-term increase in the federal debt ceiling, heading off fiscal calamity and putting an end — for now — to tense negotiations between the two major parties. The Minnesota delegation voted along party lines--all Republicans against and all Democrats in favor. “Democrats control the White House, Senate, and House – so if they want to spend trillions of dollars that we can’t afford – then they can do so alone,” said GOP U.S. Rep. Pete Stauber in a press release. “When inflation soars to even greater heights and American families suffer as a result of their expensive policies, the blame will fall squarely upon their shoulders.” DFL state party chair Ken Martin responded with a statement of his own. “Representatives Hagedorn, Emmer, Fischbach & Stauber voted to cause a financial crisis in the United States, all to spite a Democratic president,” Martin said. “Minnesota Republicans’ refusal to pay our nation’s bills is not fiscally conservative, it’s the height of partisan stupidity." Get ready for the debate to resume in advance of Dec. 3, when the short-term fix runs out.
(Repeating this item from yesterday, this time without a typo:) Kelly Jahner Byrne announced her campaign for Minnesota Secretary of Statevia Twitter. She ran unsuccessfully for Minnesota House in 2020 and is the winner of the 2001 Mrs. Minnesota pageant. She’s seeking the Republican nomination to run against DFL incumbent Steve Simon.
And finally, a contender for the best political ad of all time. | 