Peter Callaghan covers state government for MinnPost. Follow him on Twitter or email him at pcallaghan(at)minnpost(dot)com.
“Here in Minnesota, when we talk about freedom, we talk about having your children be free to go to school without worrying about being shot dead in their schools,” Walz said during his State of the State speech.
The program, which has an overall cap of $2 million, is modeled after similar e-bike incentive programs in Colorado that have been popular among consumers.
The House tax bill released Monday represents House Democrats’ view that wealthy individuals and corporations don’t pay their fair share and that any tax relief should be aimed at those at the lowest incomes.
The 75-cent fee would have raised more than $150 million a year and was seen as an alternative to higher gas taxes, which have been politically unpopular and not increased since 2008.
The Metropolitan Council has been mired in controversy and criticism, much of it resulting from the lengthy, pricey and troubled Southwest Light Rail Transit project.
Democrats in control of all three branches of government have plenty of unanswered questions left to address, starting with the Big One: how, exactly, they plan to spend a Paul Bunyan-sized $17.5 billion surplus.
The program would put Minnesota in league with 11 other states that have pioneered the coverage. It is important to the DFL majorities in the House and Senate, as indicated by the bill numbers assigned — Senate File 2 and House File 2. Only the bill codifying abortion rights received a lower number.
Estimates are that between 100,000 and 300,000 Minnesota recipients of medical assistance will lose coverage over the next year.
The proposed quarter-cent sales tax would raise around $200 million a year with the money being sent in three directions: seven counties, cities and a state rental assistance program.
Such rideshare and delivery fees are among a series of taxes moving through the House Transportation Committee to supplement traditional sources of money that pay for roads: gasoline taxes, tab fees, sales taxes on car parts and special transportation sales taxes.
A bill brought by House and Senate DFL sponsors and supported by the chairs of both the state DFL and Republican parties would increase the vote threshold to win major party status from 5% to 10%.
Officials from Hennepin and Ramsey counties shared jurisdictional, legal and staffing concerns about the proposed Transit Safety Intervention Project.
The report by the Office of the Legislative Auditor found the Metropolitan Council committed itself to spending money it did not have, added or changed substantial work after the project was bid, and was not fully transparent.
The bill would broaden the number of local governments that could adopt the system and then create a task force with the aim of crafting a plan to elect partisan state and federal officials via ranked choice voting.
DFLers say help is needed soon to prevent additional evictions. The $50 million is part of a larger funding package being considered this session.
It can’t come soon enough for businesses making and selling low-potency hemp-derived edibles and beverages boosted by last year’s legalization. Many in the industry are spooked by how the bills so far treat their businesses.
The DFL leaders of the House and Senate transportation committees say a change in governance is needed to better serve the region.
Initially meant to hold accountable all people involved in a murder even if they didn’t carry out the act, the rule has long been used to capture people on the periphery of crimes. Those caught are disproportionately young and people of color.
It would update decades-old rules that required lobbyists to disclose how much they spent on phones and postage but did not require them to disclose many details about which issues they were trying to influence.
Neither party changed its rhetoric in reaction to the historic surplus. DFL Gov. Tim Walz called for investing in programs that help families and to provide one-time checks to middle and low-income residents. Republicans want tax cuts.
