Don’t expect much to get done during the Minnesota Legislature’s latest special session
One issue that might be taken up this week: using federal CARES Act money to increase grant funding to provide day services for people with disabilities.
Peter Callaghan
Peter Callaghan covers state government for MinnPost. Follow him on Twitter or email him at pcallaghan(at)minnpost(dot)com.
The fence restricting access to the Minnesota State Capitol isn’t coming down anytime soon after all
Two weeks after the commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Administration said the fence would soon be gone, she is now recommending that it remain in place — with no date for removal.
Despite projected deficit, Minnesota officials in no rush to implement budget cuts
Compared to other states, Minnesota hasn’t taken drastic measures, or many measures at all.
A field guide to one of the weirdest Minnesota primary elections ever
From most compelling races to the oddity of voting in the time COVID, an overview of what might be one of the more notable elections of our lifetimes.
As Congress debates additional pandemic relief money, Minnesota debates how to spend the last of what it got in March
Some in the Legislature want to use what’s left of Minnesota’s CARES ACT money to reimburse the state for its pandemic response, while Gov. Tim Walz worries the money will be needed to fund additional costs related to COVID-19.
What my yearlong effort to get information about an officer-involved traffic accident reveals about Minnesota’s public records laws
After witnessing an accident involving Minneapolis police officers, I decided to use the incident as a way to look the MPD’s response to citizen requests for public information.
Turns out ‘ambassadors’ would make Metro Transit trains and buses safer
A report commissioned by East Metro Strong found that using non-police staff on buses and trains to deal with fare evasions and minor misbehavior has produced “genuine safety benefits” in other cities around the country.
How the bonding bill went bust
A bill to fund $1.8 billion in public construction projects in Minnesota now appears dead — due to a dispute over Gov. Tim Walz’s use of emergency powers to combat COVID-19.
The Legislature just passed a police reform bill. What it does — and doesn’t do — to reshape law enforcement in Minnesota
Even as lawmakers celebrated the bill’s passage, a debate broke out over whether the Legislature should have done more to reform policing in Minnesota after the killing of George Floyd.
Is the latest deal to end the 2020 Legislature even constitutional?
The mechanics of the deal — putting a tax bill inside a public construction projects bill — are rare if not unprecedented, and some GOPers are questioning whether it’s even legal under the Minnesota Constitution.
Bonding bill includes historic funding for bus rapid transit in Twin Cities
The $1.35 billion bill for public construction projects includes $55 million to complete funding for both the D Line and B Line Bus Rapid Transit routes, which would serve some of the region’s most highly used transit corridors.
The state is putting $100 million toward rental assistance for low-income Minnesotans. Why did it take so long?
It took four months for the state to put a rental assistance program amid the economic fallout of COVID-19 — even after there was a general agreement on the issue among Republicans and DFLers.
Despotic or spot on? The debate over the governor’s emergency powers shows just how differently the parties see the pandemic in Minnesota
Some Minnesota Senate Republicans expressed doubts about the seriousness of the dangers posed by COVID-19, portraying Walz’s use of his emergency powers as dictatorial.
Former CMS head Slavitt: Minnesota can have its economy back — if it stays ‘hyper-vigilant’
During an appearance before a special select committee of the Minnesota House of Representatives Wednesday, the former acting director of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services offered some hope for battling coronavirus.
How an effort to address Metro Transit safety got left behind at the Minnesota Legislature
Even with a July special session looming, the issue may have lost any chance of passing in 2020. Why?
Why so many people at the Capitol are so pissed off about the drug industry’s lawsuit against Minnesota’s new emergency insulin program
Minnesota’s insulin affordability plan had been sold as a compromise with the drug industry. That made the filing of the lawsuit galling to some, including Gov. Tim Walz, who said when told of PhRMA’s suit: “What the hell?”
Walz warns Minnesota bar owners: Follow COVID-19 rules — or get shut down
The head of the Minnesota Licensed Beverage Association also cautioned bar owners that not following the state’s guidelines to stem COVID-19 infections “may end up being the reason for our Governor to dial back,” on reopening. “We have to do better.”
From witness waivers to sanitized pens, what voting — and campaigns — are going to look like in Minnesota in 2020
So far, the numbers have indicated that Minnesotans are on board in making the shift to voting by mail. As of Friday, the Secretary of State reported that 207,835 absentee ballot applications had been received. That compares to 8,964 applications at the same point in 2016.
In Minnesota, GOP lawmakers see police problems mostly as a Minneapolis problem
Repeated statements by GOP leaders at the Minnesota Legislature make it clear they see any problems with policing as a more of a Minneapolis issue than a systemic one.
Five things we learned from the Minnesota Legislature’s special session
For now, it’s unclear when lawmakers will return to the Capitol. What’s also unclear, especially given the partisan differences exposed once again last week, is what the Legislature will be able to accomplish once it does return.
