Good Wednesday morning. Here’s your Digest:
1. Minnesota leaders dust off 9/11-era state quarantine law as COVID-19 spreads. The law was first written almost two decades ago during an anthrax scare. It spells out the circumstances and procedures for forced quarantines, though the law has never been invoked. So far, state health officials say people with COVID-19 have complied with guidance to self-quarantine. Still, state lawmakers say they're giving the law a closer look as the virus continues to spread. MPR News
2. Coronavirus quickly consumes most business at the state Capitol. "This is eating the news cycle, probably more than it should," House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt said at a sparsely attended news conference earlier this week. Daudt and other Republicans want the Legislature to pass tax cuts this year. But he was asked whether it would be wise, given how COVID-19 could affect the economy. Gov. Tim Walz plans to release his plan for spending a $1.5 billion surplus on Thursday, and it's expected to be conservative. MinnPost
3. State officials look for relief for homeowners who became victims of substandard solar installers. "The collapse of Altaray comes a year after Minnesota regulators took action against another major solar company, Able Energy, which shut down after failing to complete work on 80 projects in Minnesota despite taking $1.5 million in upfront deposits. State officials are now working on legislation aimed at providing relief to homeowners and others who get scammed by solar companies that refuse to honor their commitments in Minnesota. But the debate is raising questions about the licensing of solar contractors and whether the state did everything it could to protect customers from unscrupulous operators. Rep. Shane Mekeland, a Republican from Clear Lake who sits on the committee that oversees the Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry, blamed the department for allowing Able Energy to operate with an electrician's license rather than the more comprehensive residential contractors license." Star Tribune
4. Lawmaker who is also a doctor explains why he's only talking to constituents on the phone. State Sen. Matt Klein, DFL-Mendota Heights, said it's for their protection as COVID-19 spreads. The Capitol remains open and has been bustling with people, but that could change quickly. Klein said a large gathering of people with disabilities and their advocates at the Capitol on Tuesday prompted him to make the decision. “It was literally hundreds of the most medically vulnerable people,” Klein said of the group. “That really made it clear to me.” Pioneer Press
5. As campaign season ramps up, it could be void of handshakes, kissing babies. "Podiums get sanitized before the candidate steps up to speak. Fist or elbow bumps take the place of handshakes, and kissing babies is out of the question. Rallies are canceled, leaving candidates speaking to a handful of journalists and staffers instead of cheering crowds of thousands. This is campaigning in the age of the coronavirus, when fears of the new pandemic's rapid spread are upending Joe Biden's and Bernie Sanders' campaigns. The urgency of the issue comes at a pivotal time in the Democratic presidential primary, as Biden is beginning to pull ahead as a front-runner for the nomination and as Sanders is scrambling to catch up. 'If coronavirus has the lasting impact that we all fear it will, it will also dramatically reshape the way a presidential campaign unfolds,' said Jesse Ferguson, a veteran Democratic strategist and former spokesman for Hillary Clinton's campaign." The Associated Press | 