The DFL could still have a governing trifecta when the 2025 session of the Legislature convenes next January. But it might not.
Those different possible outcomes have shaped two different approaches to the 2024 session. Some DFL lawmakers have been determined to pass as much progressive legislation as possible in case the DFL loses control of the House this November. Others have tried to cap the same types of legislation to deny Republicans fodder for campaign mailers.
The limiters have prevailed. And even a modest DFL agenda was restricted further by the April 22 arrest of Sen. Nicole Mitchell in the Detroit Lakes basement of her estranged stepmother. The push by Senate Republicans to keep Mitchell from being the 34th and deciding vote haven’t been successful, but they have slowed the legislative process. And they created bad blood between the parties that have darkened the atmosphere for agreement.
Still, there remains hope that some key issues can emerge before the last votes are cast just before midnight Sunday.
Cannabis law updates
The two main authors of marijuana legalization have similar thoughts on how to adjust the program before the state’s final push to open retail sales next spring. On Wednesday morning they put those thoughts into a single conference committee report that will be sent back to the House and Senate for acceptance. The conference committee made minor amendments to a draft that contains much of what the Office of Cannabis Management asked for at the beginning of session. The adopted proposal would change how licenses are distributed from a strictly points-based system to a “vetted lottery.” Social equity applicants would get a head start in the licensing process and some would be allowed to plant seeds this fall in hopes of having some cannabis in stores next spring.
RELATED | MinnPot: All of MinnPost’s cannabis-related coverage in one place
Sports Betting
Ah, sports betting, the Charlie Brown of legislative issues year after year after year. It appears there are majorities in both the House and Senate who favor a sports betting bill, they just don’t favor the same sports betting bill. But legislative backers who feared the Mitchell affair ended hopes of bipartisan dealmaking have renewed hope that one bill can legalize sports betting while at the same time keeping tribal nations, the two horse racing tracks, the professional teams and charitable gambling all relatively happy.
That has been the goal for several years but the right combination has not yet been found.
RELATED | MinnPost’s sports betting coverage gathered in one place
Equal Rights Amendment
Backers of an Equal Rights Amendment to the state constitution are also used to being disappointed. ERA of Minnesota founder Betty Folliard has been working on the issue for more than two decades and has been told — usually by men, she says — that now is not the time.
A new version that brings together equal rights, reproductive rights and gender equity will get another try in the House Wednesday after a GOP filibuster blocked action Monday. But even a win there doesn’t mean the Senate — which passed its own, more limited version one year ago — will agree to the new language or to a 2026 election date.
RELATED | House to consider re-inserting religion in Equal Rights Amendment; Minnesota supporters of Equal Rights Amendment optimistic despite Senate turmoil
Comp Plan Clarity
Legislation to retroactively preempt the lawsuit that has delayed implementation of the Minneapolis 2040 comprehensive plan remains alive and could end up in one of the remaining omnibus bills that combine dozens of pieces of legislation into one bill. The language would clarify that comp plans are not required to have full studies to measure environmental impacts as Smart Growth Minneapolis has maintained. A court of appeals decision this week lifted an injunction against the plan but didn’t end the litigation.
RELATED | Why some legislators want to end Minneapolis 2040 lawsuit
Uber/Lyft
Once the Minneapolis City Council adopted a new rideshare regulation ordinance, and once Uber and Lyft announced plans to leave the city, Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders have been trying to reach a solution. Given that rideshare trips often cross city lines, a regional or statewide rules regime was the goal. But despite talks with the top legislative leaders, Walz’s staff, the city and the companies, no grand agreement has been reached. A “compromise” announced earlier this month has DFL and city council signoff, but not Walz or the companies.
Conversations continue with a July 1 effective date for the city ordinance — and Uber’s and Lyft’s threatened departure from the whole state — approaching.
RELATED | Two paths: A look at Uber and Lyft’s threat to leave Minnesota
Gun Measures
Three proposals meant to prevent gun violence passed out of the House earlier this month but only one — legislation that puts stiffer penalties on straw purchasing and bans binary triggers — made it to the Senate floor, passing on a 34-33 party-line vote last week. It heads to a conference committee next but is expected to make it to Gov. Tim Walz’s desk to become law.
The other two bills — one requiring gun owners to lock and unload their guns to safely store them and another requiring owners to report a lost or stolen firearm to police within 48 hours — are not expected to pass this year. DFL Sen. Grant Hauschild of Hermantown said last week that he would not support a gun storage bill, which kills its chances this session, and the reporting requirements bill remains stuck in committee.
RELATED | Minnesota Senate passes bill stiffening penalties on straw purchasing as prospects of remaining gun violence bills perish
Advanced Child Tax Credit
This is a follow-up to the large increases in the state child tax credit adopted last year that would make it more likely for families to claim the credit throughout the year rather than get it after filing tax returns in the spring. The child tax credit is a refundable credit that provides income to families with children whether they have tax liability or not. The advanced system provides the same amount of money spread out throughout the year.
But some taxpayers worry that their income will increase, making them ineligible for the credit and requiring a reimbursement to the state. The CTC Payment Protection Plan would forgive some of the payments even if the family income increases. It remains alive in the taxes conference committee.
RELATED | Minnesota’s ‘most progressive tax state’ designation explained
Bonding/EMS
Even-number years are usually devoted to passing bonding bills — government borrowing to pay for construction projects like college buildings, roads and bridges, water works and usually local projects for cities and counties.
On Tuesday, the DFL brought forward a plan for $330 million for local projects and $600 million for state agencies, but neither number is final since legislative leaders have not yet set targets. And because bonding bills require a 60% vote in the House and Senate, the GOP uses them as a negotiating tool. And there’s been no deal yet.
Tuesday’s discussions, then, were frustrating for members of both parties.
“I don’t know why we’re meeting if we don’t yet have a deal on moving a bonding bill forward. We could kind of talk about these projects, we could discuss them for hours at end, but until we have that leadership level of agreement between the four caucuses, I just I guess I don’t know why we’re here today,” Sen. Jordan Rasmusson, R-Fergus Falls, said Tuesday at a joint meeting of the House and Senate Capital Investment Committees.
Republican leaders said Tuesday they want at least $30 million in cash to help emergency medical services in Greater Minnesota plus other changes in the DFL agenda including no ERA constitutional amendment.
RELATED | Will Minnesota get a bonding bill in 2024? It’s all in the politics; Walz bonding bill focuses on facilities preservation rather than new projects; Rural cities press for more state funding for emergency medical services
MinnPost reporter Mohamed Ibrahim contributed to this story.
Peter Callaghan
Peter Callaghan covers state government for MinnPost. Follow him on Twitter @CallaghanPeter or email him at pcallaghan@minnpost.com.
Ava Kian
Ava Kian is MinnPost’s Greater Minnesota reporter. Follow her on Twitter @kian_ava or email her at akian@minnpost.com.
