Latest news with #DFL-St.
CBS News
14-05-2025
- Politics
- CBS News
As lawmakers near deadline with no budget deal, special session "inevitable," Minnesota leaders say
Wildfires still out of control in northern Minnesota, and more headlines Wildfires still out of control in northern Minnesota, and more headlines Wildfires still out of control in northern Minnesota, and more headlines Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders have been meeting for hours over the last few weeks to hammer out the terms of a budget agreement, but they still haven't inked a deal as the clock winds down. With just five days left, is going into overtime with a special session inevitable? "Yes," DFL Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, one of the key leaders in the talks, told reporters going into the latest round of negotiations on Wednesday. Special sessions are not unique. There have been four in the last five sessions where lawmakers had to draft the next two-year budget — which falls during odd-numbered years — because the Legislature didn't pass the state's spending plan before the clock ran out. There were additional special sessions focused on pandemic response in 2020. The Minnesota Constitution requires adjournment in mid-May. This year, that day falls next Monday. All of those special sessions in the last decade happened when there was a divided government, like this year. In 2023, when Democrats controlled the House, Senate and governor's office, they finished on time. "I think at this point it is really difficult to get done and do the work in the way we need to. So yes, I think a special session is very, very likely, if not inevitable," said Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul. So far this session has been unlike any other. There was a delayed start in the House amid a power dispute and that chamber is tied for only the second time in modern history; there were three special sessions for vacant seats; and a former GOP senator was arrested and charged for soliciting a minor for sex. When asked if she thinks a special session is likely, Republican House Speaker Lisa Demuth did not answer the question as she entered the governor's office for another meeting Wednesday. Instead she replied: "We're going back in for more conversations, and we're talking and it's good." The Legislature must balance its budget for the next two years, but it's keeping an eye on the following two years where budget officials are projecting that $6 billion deficit. That state financial forecast is casting a cloud over negotiations this year. Some other points of contention extend beyond funding the government and its program — and where lawmakers should cut to find savings. Senate Democrats, for example, want to raise revenue by implementing a special tax on social media companies, but Republicans say tax hikes are a nonstarter for them. Meanwhile, Republicans say they want to eliminate or change DFL-backed laws they passed in the last two years, like unemployment insurance for hourly school workers and paid family and medical leave. Conference committees, or small panels of lawmakers in both chambers, have started their meetings hashing out the differences between some of their policy and budget bills on a specific topic — whether that's transportation, judiciary, commerce or others. But they need the budget blueprint agreed to by leaders and Walz with the top-line numbers in order to finalize those bills and get them to the floor for passage. Murphy said she expects lawmakers to work through the weekend up until Monday's deadline, even if a special session follows. "It is important for us to recognize that we do our best work if we get some sleep, and we need to do good work for the people of Minnesota. And I think that is more important than finishing at midnight on the 19th of May. We all want to get done on the 19th, and we're going to do our part," she said. "But I do think it is important to recognize that human beings work here, and human beings need sleep."
Yahoo
21-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Will the MN Legislature pass a bonding bill this year?
As usual, local governments, state agencies and public universities are pushing for the Minnesota Legislature to pass a big borrowing bill to fund infrastructure and maintenance projects this year. Will they get their wish? If recent history is any indication, they shouldn't expect an all-encompassing bill. Bonding has been a key part of partisan negotiations in the last few years at the Minnesota Capitol, where minority Republicans used the 60% threshold for borrowing bills to push for concessions from the Democratic-Farmer-Labor majorities. When lawmakers passed the last $2.6 billion capital investment package in 2023, it was possible because DFLers agreed to give Republicans $300 million for struggling nursing homes. The next year, a nearly $1 billion proposal failed. Republicans refused to approve a bonding proposal when DFLers tried to advance a bill that would create a path for abortion rights in the state Constitution. The session ended in chaos. This year could be different. Republicans now have a 67-67 tie with the DFL in the House, giving them a little more bargaining power. There was optimism about a bonding deal after a meeting between Gov. Tim Walz and key leaders of both parties in the House and Senate on April 10. 'What I heard from everybody in that room is a desire to proceed and hopefully that won't get wound up in the politics of this place and that we keep our eyes and our focus on what the people of Minnesota need,' said Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul. 'When we tie other politics to a bonding bill — that is the way you see it end.' Complete bonding bills aren't likely to emerge until the Legislature resumes business after Easter, but the governor and legislative leaders already have targets. They'll be smaller than past years as the state has a significantly smaller budget surplus for the next two years and a $6 billion deficit projected for the 2028-29 biennium. Walz has proposed a plan to borrow $700 million — what budget officials expect the state can take on in the next year — plus spending $10 million from the general fund and $97 million from the Trunk Highway Fund. All the highway funds in his pitch will cover a new $97 million Minnesota State Patrol Headquarters building. Another $69 million will go to the construction of a Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Office and Laboratory in Mankato. Other major projects include: • $85 million for asset preservation at the University of Minnesota system's campuses. • $99 million for water treatment. • $50 million for Department of Natural Resources repairs and maintenance. • $80 million for Minnesota State Colleges and Universities. Senate and House leaders have an idea of how much they want to borrow, but haven't released anything as specific as the governor has. DFL and Republican House leaders have not formally released targets but have signaled their bonding bill will adhere to the $700 million one-year borrowing limit set by state forecasters at the Department of Management and Budget. Senate DFLers say they want to pass a bonding bill of $1.35 billion this year but haven't released specifics yet, either. Either way, there will be a narrow group of projects approved this year. There are billions of dollars in requests in any year, and only some are granted. From St. Paul, there are bills with requests from the Como Zoo, Jimmy Lee Recreation Center, CHS Field and the Ordway Center, just to name a few. The city of Hastings is seeking state money to help address contamination of its city water supply with so-called forever chemicals. Another request — for state funds to cover half of the $769 million renovation of downtown St. Paul's Xcel Energy Center — likely won't be included in the bonding bill. If the state approved such a large project, it likely will be in a separate specific appropriation bond, bonding committee leaders said. State Sen. Sandy Pappas, a St. Paul DFLer who chairs the Senate Capital Investment Committee, told Minnesota Public Radio that general obligation bonds wouldn't be what cover a project like that, and that it was too soon to renovate the arena, which opened nearly 25 years ago. However, despite debt constraints and what appears for now to be a big gap between the House and Senate positions on bonding, the Xcel request may not be dead yet. 'Nothing's actually ruled out at this point,' said House Majority Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, when asked about the project at an April 10 negotiation meeting. Senate president faces scrutiny, MN lawmakers say ethics rules need a look Joe Soucheray: Cutting the pittance set aside for private schools? Typical Letters: Seasons rule. We need permanent standard time, not DST Private schools face cuts under Gov. Tim Walz's proposed budget Republicans will vie in Senate primary that followed Eichorn's sex sting arrest
Yahoo
18-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minnesota Sen. Justin Eichorn arrested for allegedly soliciting prostitution with minor
Police arrested a northern Minnesota state senator in Bloomington Monday on suspicion of soliciting a teenage girl for sex. Sen. Justin Eichorn, R-Grand Rapids, thought he was meeting with a 16-year-old girl in the city who turned out to be a city police detective, according to a news release from the Bloomington Police Department. Eichorn, who arrived in his pickup truck in an area near 8300 Normandale Avenue, was arrested without incident, according to police. He was booked into the Bloomington Police Department jail and was expected to be rebooked in the Hennepin County Jail, the release said. The senator had not yet been formally charged as of Tuesday afternoon. Bloomington Police said a charge of soliciting someone under 18 to practice prostitution is pending against Eichorn. 'As a 40-year-old man, if you come to the Orange Jumpsuit District looking to have sex with someone's child, you can expect that we are going to lock you up,' said Bloomington Police Chief Booker Hodges, referring to his department's anti-crime initiative. Eichorn was elected in 2016 and is serving his third term as a state Senator for District 6. He lives in Grand Rapids with his wife and four children, according to his state Senate biography. Legislative Republicans called for Eichorn to leave office. 'We are shocked by these reports and this alleged conduct demands an immediate resignation,' the Senate Republican Caucus said in a statement. 'Justin has a difficult road ahead and he needs to focus on his family.' 'Given the seriousness of the charges, Senator Eichorn should resign,' said House Speaker Lisa Demuth. 'While he is entitled to due process, we must hold legislators to a higher standard.' Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, DFL-St. Paul, reacted to the arrest Tuesday afternoon. 'The felony allegation against Senator Eichorn is deeply disturbing, and raises serious questions that will need to be answered by the court, as well as his caucus and constituents,' she said. Politics | Minnesota Supreme Court tosses recall petitions against DFLers who boycotted session Politics | Rep. David Gottfried takes seat, returns Minnesota House to tie Politics | Letters: How 'bout you start with your own budgets, budget-cutters? Politics | Republican bill would classify 'Trump derangement' as mental illness in Minnesota Politics | As MN Legislature again weighs ending ban on new nuclear plants, Prairie Island tribe a key voice
Yahoo
07-02-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Minnesota attorney general sues Trump over order halting funding for gender-affirming care
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison sued President Donald Trump in federal court over his recent executive order aiming to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender youth younger than 19. Photo by Madison McVan/Minnesota Reformer. Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison and two other state attorneys general sued President Donald Trump in federal court Friday over his recent executive order aiming to restrict gender-affirming care for transgender youth younger than 19. Trump on Jan. 28 signed a sweeping order to broadly limit access to gender-affirming care by halting funding via government-run insurance programs, including Medicaid and Medicare. The order also calls for federal agencies to cut off grants to hospitals and medical schools providing gender-affirming care to people under 19. Ellison defended the health care in a statement: 'Gender-affirming care is evidence based, provided by licensed and trained medical professionals, and provided with the consent of a young person's parents or legal guardians,' Ellison said in a statement. 'President Trump's executive order is not only illegal, it's mean-spirited and deeply hurtful.' Major medical associations in the U.S., including the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics, support the use of gender-affirming care for the treatment of gender dysphoria. Ellison's office said Trump's executive order would also direct the Department of Justice to investigate states like Minnesota that have laws prohibiting the enforcement of another state's law requiring a child to be taken from their parents for accessing gender-affirming care. In 2023, the DFL-controlled Legislature passed a law making Minnesota a refuge for transgender people, protecting them from legal repercussions for traveling to Minnesota for gender-affirming health care. Last year, lawmakers also passed legislation to ensure gender-affirming care is covered by health insurance plans. Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL-St. Paul, and the state's first openly transgender lawmaker, in a statement said Minnesota will fight against attempts to discriminate against trans people. 'Transgender people do not deserve to be policed in our health care decisions or in our personal lives. Not by the president, the public or anyone else,' Finke said. 'We do not need the president's permission to live our authentic lives. In Minnesota, we will always fight for trans and nonbinary people, our health care access and all of our rights.' Ellison, along with attorneys general from Washington and Oregon, argues in the federal suit that Trump's executive order violates the Fifth Amendment's equal-protection clause. The states are asking the court for an emergency order to block the executive order, as it will harm youth. On Wednesday, Trump signed another executive order banning transgender athletes from participating in women's sports. The president during his first days in office has signed a number of anti-trans executive orders, including one on his first day declaring that the federal government would only recognize two genders.
