Good morning, and welcome to Thursday. The U.S. House is set to vote today to formalize majority Democrats' impeachment inquiry of President Trump. We'll know soon who is in favor and who's against. In the meantime, here’s the Digest.
1. Long journey begins for lawsuit seeking to overturn abortion restrictions in Minnesota. A unique legal challenge attempting to wipe a slate of Minnesota abortion laws off the books has had its first day in court Wednesday, the opening salvo in a case almost certain to take many months, if not years, to ultimately decide. Groups that brought the case urged a Ramsey County District Court judge to let the fight move ahead, while state attorneys argued that it should be tossed at the start. Judge Thomas Gilligan lobbed plenty of questions at attorneys on both sides but indicated he would take time to issue an initial ruling. The complex case has already put some Democratic leaders in an awkward spot. Attorney General Keith Ellison, a DFLer and abortion rights supporter, dispatched lawyers from his office to argue to dismiss the case; he’s said previously he’s duty-bound to defend state laws. The coalition behind the lawsuit rallied in below-freezing air outside the courthouse as key players laid out the reason for the sweeping case. “Minnesota’s abortion restrictions are medically unnecessary and legally untenable,” said Megan Peterson, executive director of Gender Justice. It’s involved in the fight to cancel more than a dozen abortion restrictions in one legal swoop. The case is rooted in a belief that current laws go too far in dictating how abortion providers consult with patients, what women must do before undergoing the procedure and what must happen after the fact to notify the state and dispense with fetal tissue. MPR News
2. System designed to streamline disability payments is riddled with problems. Six years after promising to modernize Minnesota’s biggest assistance program for people with disabilities, the state is struggling to fix a system wracked by cost overruns, computer breakdowns, delays and staff turnover. The system, known as MnChoices, was supposed to streamline and simplify a program that disburses more than $3 billion a year to Minnesotans with physical and developmental disabilities. Instead, it has produced wildly inconsistent results and a chorus of complaints from the county officials and front-line employees who use it. The state has already spent $600 million on MnChoices, and its annual operating expenses are forecast to surpass $170 million — more than 10 times what officials predicted. Nearly one-fourth of the 2,300 workers who were hired and trained to use MnChoices have quit. “MnChoices is a runaway spending train that needs to be stopped,” said Sen. Jim Abeler, R-Anoka, chairman of the Human Services Reform Finance and Policy Committee. “It was supposed to standardize the evaluation process, but it does not appear to have standardized anything.” Star Tribune
3. Farmers struggling to bring in crops. Farmers from across northwest Minnesota gathered in East Grand Forks on Tuesday to tell Gov. Tim Walz and his administrative staff about the unprecedented situation they are facing this harvest season. About 50 farmers attended the roundtable discussion at the U.S. Agriculture Department to express their frustrations about the wet conditions that have resulted in unharvested wheat, soybeans, edible beans, potatoes and sugar beets in northwest Minnesota. Walz told the farmers he wanted to hear from them about the challenges they are facing and how the state can help them. He noted that he earlier had heard terms such as “unprecedented and catastrophic,” used to describe the wet harvest. “We’re here to listen. We’re here to solve the issues,” Walz said Tuesday. Farmers had a lot to say. From farmers who grow wheat, to ones who grow sugar beets, to those who grow potatoes, they told Walz about how wet conditions this fall stymied their harvests and resulted in damaged crops. “Saturday night, I got 5 tons out of the field. Otherwise, I haven’t dug a ton out of the field since August,” said Paul Rutherford, who raises sugar beets near Euclid, Minn. Rhonda Larson, a wheat grower from East Grand Forks, told Walz that wet conditions damaged the quality of her wheat, resulting in discounts that totaled thousands of dollars on a single check. Potatoes also have been hit hard by wet conditions, and less than 40 percent of the fresh potato crop in the Red River Valley has been harvested, said Casey Folson, of Folson Farms in East Grand Forks. The effect of that will reach far beyond North Dakota and Minnesota, Folson said. Forum News Service
4. Is a crackdown on vaping consistent with legal marijuana? Opponents of legalizing marijuana in Minnesota are seizing on the recent outbreak of vaping-related illnesses and teen nicotine addiction to urge caution on the cannabis front — even as advocates of legalization ramp up their campaign ahead of next year’s legislative session. “I hope this slows down the rush by (Gov. Tim Walz) and House Democrats on recreational marijuana,” said state Sen. Paul Gazelka, R-Nisswa, the majority leader. “If they see the correlation, that might at least slow down the process.” State Rep. Ryan Winkler, DFL-Golden Valley, said the outbreak of illness is more reason to push for a legal but rigorously regulated cannabis market. Winkler, who is the majority leader of the House, said Minnesota should prohibit the sale of both nicotine and cannabis to anyone under 21 and focus on product safety for adult users. “The vaping problem is one of underregulation, and people not knowing what they’re consuming,” said Winkler. Star Tribune
5. St. Paul’s Mahoney to end House career next year. State Rep. Tim Mahoney, a Democrat from St. Paul’s East Side, announced Wednesday he will retire at the end of his current term next year after serving 22 years in the Minnesota House. “It is time for me to enjoy the next chapter in my life,” Mahoney, 66, a retired pipefitter, said in a statement. “I can’t thank the people of the East Side enough for allowing me to represent them at the Capitol for the past two decades. I am looking forward to spending time with my wife, two daughters, three stepsons and two grandsons.” A lifelong East Side resident, Mahoney was first elected to the House in 1998. A champion of workers’ rights, he chairs a House jobs and economic development committee. Earlier this year, he was the chief author of the nation’s strictest wage theft law, which he said was a high point in his legislative career. The measure provides penalties, including felony charges and jail time, that are intended to deter unscrupulous employers from taking advantage of workers. His announcement came less than a month after Hoang Murphy, a former teacher and founder/executive director of Foster Advocates, which promotes opportunities for foster care recipients, announced he would challenge Mahoney for the DFL nomination next year. Pioneer Press
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