The $1.13 billion debt nobody in Minnesota government wants to talk about
Minnesota is one of 10 states that owes the feds money for covering payments made out of its unemployment insurance trust fund.
Peter Callaghan
Peter Callaghan covers state government for MinnPost. Follow him on Twitter or email him at pcallaghan(at)minnpost(dot)com.
The Minnesota Legislature’s two newest leaders say they want to bridge the partisan divide. What does that look like in 2021?
Both Jeremy Miller and Melisa López Franzen have touted their membership in the Purple Caucus, a loose organization of lawmakers who wanted to counter partisanship in St. Paul.
Why 2,200 GOP convention-goers matter more in the Minnesota governor’s race than 320,000 Republican voters
The GOP endorsement has become a must-win for statewide Republican candidates in Minnesota.
GOP guv candidates are running on issues popular with Minnesota Republicans — but not so much with the rest of Minnesota voters
A MinnPost poll found a sharp divide between Republicans and most Minnesota voters on several issues.
As Minnesota, other states struggle to distribute rental assistance money, feds offer new guidelines (and a scolding)
So far, Minnesota state and local governments have distributed just 13 percent of the $375 million in federal money for rental assistance it received in December.
As temporary fencing returns to the Minnesota Capitol, state officials continue to debate permanent security measures
“Nobody likes the idea of a fence,” said Col. Matt Langer, the head of the Minnesota State Patrol. “I don’t anticipate the fence being up and down and up and down. But I can’t also predict the future.”
Why should anybody care who chairs the Minnesota GOP?
The controversy over former GOP Chair Jennifer Carnahan highlighted political parties’ unique status in Minnesota.
Minnesota sees dramatic differences in acceptance of workers’ comp claims under state’s COVID-19 ‘presumption’ law
The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry says 96 percent of COVID-19 infected workers covered under the new law had their workers’ compensation claim accepted. Those who didn’t qualify saw their claim denied 72 percent of the time.
Clad intentions: Minneapolis considers codifying what materials can be used for building exteriors
Builders and developers have pushed back on the idea, questioning whether the city should be in the business of deciding which materials — and how much of them — they can use.
Could a global deal between builders and local governments help increase affordability — and decrease segregation — in Minnesota?
A DFL legislator is trying to find out.
The Minnesota Legislature approved $250 million for pandemic worker bonuses. Should the state give away more than that?
The number of frontline workers eligible for the money could range from 250,000 to 1,000,000 — or more. But the more people on the list, the smaller each check will be.
How Minnesota got ‘a step ahead’ of an issue that may have contributed to the Surfside condo collapse
A law passed in 2017 was aimed at increasing the supply of condos and townhomes. But it also required developers, and condo associations, to fund upkeep of the buildings.
How reforming Minnesota’s law governing self-storage units became an equity issue
Rep. Esther Agbaje said the seemingly ubiquitous buildings are often used by people in desperate situations.
Why national drug company settlements could kill a key part of Minnesota’s efforts to address the opioid crisis
If the pending settlements are approved, current fees on drug-makers and distributors — worth around $20 million a year to Minnesota — would likely be all-but canceled under the terms of a bill passed by the Legislature in 2019.
DFL lawmakers wanted a state budget focused on racial equity issues. Did they get it?
Rep. Rena Moran said she thought the DFL “did pretty darn good” on equity issues in 2021 considering the Minnesota Legislature divides power between a DFL-controlled House and a GOP-controlled Senate.
There’s little evidence that film and TV tax credits work. Why Minnesota lawmakers funded a new one anyway.
The state’s new tax credit for TV and film productions will cost taxpayers $5 million a year over the next four years.
Still rolling in it: Latest report show Minnesota tax revenues continuing to surpass projections
In just the last three months of the 2020-21 two-year state budget — April, May and June — collections were 28.7 percent, or $2.12 billion, more than was expected in February.
Minnesota lawmakers approved cash bonuses for essential workers. Now they just need to figure out who’s going to get the money.
The three people who are deciding who will be part of the group coming up with a plan — Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka, Gov. Tim Walz and House Speaker Melissa Hortman — have their own ideas about who should qualify for the money.
Pressure intensifies for Minnesota Housing Commissioner Jennifer Ho
Unlike other Walz appointees left unconfirmed at the Legislature’s adjournment Wednesday, Ho was not given any assurance that what several DFL senators referred to as a Sword of Damocles wasn’t still dangling overhead.
Is taking up appointments 2½ years into a governor’s term the way it’s supposed to work?
The Republican-controlled Senate is scrutinizing Gov. Tim Walz’s appointees in a continuation of the special legislative session.
