Note: Due to a technical error, the May 6 Capitol View newsletter was not sent yesterday afternoon as intended. Below is the newsletter that should have been sent out on May 6. We will make it up to you with this newsletter and a bonus newsletter tomorrow. Good afternoon, Thanks to my editor Mike Mulcahy for writing this newsletter yesterday on my day off. It's now May 6, and there are 11 days remaining before the Legislature's scheduled adjournment on May 17. The big news: today Gov. Tim Walz announced a phaseout of Minnesota's COVID-19 restrictions:
Tomorrow, May 7, early closing times for bars and restaurants are lifted, as are capacity limits for outdoor events. The mask mandate stays in place, but is lifted for outdoor events, except those with more than 500 people On May 28, all remaining capacity limits are lifted. The mask mandate remains for indoor events and outdoor events with more than 500 people. On July 1, or whenever 70 percent of Minnesotans 16 years or older have at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, the mask mandate ends[Read more from Brian Bakst] Local governments are allowed to impose more stringent restrictions. (Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey is holding out the possibility of maintaining a mask mandate there.) Walz has not set a timeline for when he will end Minnesota's health emergency and thus relinquish the special powers this has granted him over the past year. The instant reaction: depending on your politics, these moves are either much too aggressive, or much too slow. (Of course, the kind of people plugged into news enough to offer an instant reaction on Twitter are not necessarily representative of the full population.)
The biggest question: when will Minnesota hit 70 percent vaccination, the trigger for the end of the statewide mask mandate? That depends on some unknowns, but at recent vaccination rates, Minnesota is looking at an end to the mask mandate in early June.
Initial comments on the announcement from political leaders and advocacy groups: Walz: "It's been a long journey, but we did the things that needed to be done... The job is not done until it's done, but the plan to finish it is on us now." Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka: "Not good enough and not soon enough. The emergency is over and the mandates need to end." Senate Minority Leader Susan Kent: "As more and more Minnesotans receive the vaccine, Gov. Walz's approach to wind down restrictions is consistent with his earlier decisions — thoughtful and measured." Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association: "Local bars and restaurants have been desperate to fully open safely and quickly — and the end is in sight. We’re thrilled to fully open for business with minimal restrictions." Hospitality Minnesota: "With today’s welcome announcement, brighter days are ahead as our citizens and communities can come back together to discover what they’ve been craving for – connectedness and hospitality."
Even as Walz proposes to lift all the COVID-19 restrictions he's imposed with his emergency powers, he's set out no timeline actually end the state's health emergency and thus relinquish his emergency powers. That's where the political fight is turning now, especially in the closing weeks of the legislative session. Republicans want an end to Walz's emergency powers and have written provisions to that effect into their budget proposals. One sticking point: Walz argues that he needs to maintain the state of emergency in order for Minnesota to receive certain federal aid. Republicans say he doesn't (and that the Walz administration has previously admitted this). [Read the law in question] Of course, whether Walz should keep abstract powers is a much less directly practical question than whether he should continue imposing restrictions on how Minnesotans go about their day-to-day lives .We'll see how the politics of this sort themselves out. In other fallout, the Minnesota Twins are immediately able to allow 100 percent capacity at Target Field, as an outdoor venue, but say they're going to ramp up attendance gradually. The Minnesota Senate is lifting its COVID-19 restrictions, allowing all senators to be on the floor, masks optional. The latest entrant into the 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary is Mike Marti, a little-known business owner. [Watch his announcement] DFL redistricting expert Peter Wattson spoke to MinnPost about the history of redistricting in Minnesota and how the process is likely to play out over the next year. [Read more] Congressional Democrats are hoping to pass an election bill soon, overhauling everything from redistricting to campaign finance laws. Its fate in the 50-50 Senate could come down to the bill's floor manager: Sen. Amy Klobuchar. [Read more from the Star Tribune's Jim Spencer and Hunter Woodall] Something completely different: A unique home freshly on the market in Rochester is going viral. Are you in the mood for 3,600 square feet of caves behind your four-bedroom house? Whether you want to store wine, authentically cosplay as Gimli, or brick up your enemies, pony up $550,000 and your dream can come true. [See the listing] Listen: I was off yesterday, but don't think I missed the deeper significance of May 5: a historically bad day to be Napoleon. On May 5, 1821, Napoleon Bonaparte died in exile on St. Helena. On May 5, 1862, the army of his nephew Napoleon III's French Empire was defeated near Puebla City in their attempt to prop up a foreign ruler on the Mexican throne. Perhaps the only good thing to come out of that day for the Bonapartes was Hector Berlioz's elegiac cantata on the death of Napoleon, "Le Cinq Mai." [Listen ]
