Latest news with #EmeritaMelissaHortman
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
04-03-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Minnesota's bill to ban transgender athletes fails
The Brief Debate on a bill to ban transgender athletes from Minnesota school sports started late Monday afternoon, and has now failed after not getting 68 votes to pass the bill. GOP authors believe allowing it opens girls up to losing their spot on a team or even dangerous physical interactions, and it's just unfair. DFL opponents say it's an unnecessary and cruel distraction that ignores established law and demonizes the small population of transgender people. ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Minnesota House spent Monday in the longest debate of the year over a GOP bill to block transgender athletes in girls' sports, which failed Monday evening. What they're saying The bill to ban transgender athletes from girls' sports in Minnesota failed in the Minnesota House. The House voted 67-66 in favor of the bill, but a 68-vote majority is needed to pass a bill in the House. Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman released the following statement: "People of all ages deserve to be loved, accepted, and valued for who they are. At its core, this bill is about how we treat children, and it would allow children to be bullied by adults and other children for not meeting a particular definition of femininity. While Republicans push cruel, divisive bills like this, they ignore the real challenges Minnesotans are facing — like the rising costs of childcare, health care, and housing. Instead of solving problems, they're fueling division." Author of the bill, Rep. Peggy Scott (R-Andover) released the following statement: "There are fairness issues and there are safety issues involving girls' sports teams. When it comes to boys' and girls' athletics, how you identify shouldn't matter; how you were born should." The celebrity case It's a hot-button issue across the country and the vote drew a celebrity spokesperson to support the bill. Riley Gaines took center stage in the debate before the debate. A crowd at the Capitol heard from the former Kentucky swimmer who rose to fame after she tied for fifth place with transgender swimmer Lia Thomas. A crowd also heard support for trans athletes from another 2022 college swimmer from here in Minnesota. "I believe in preserving female sports teams," said Rep. Dawn Gillman, (R-Meeker). For at least ten years, transgender kids in Minnesota have been allowed to participate in sports based on their gender identity. Republicans want that to end, and they brought Gaines to the Capitol for a rally to boost their bill. "Minnesotans and Americans alike reject this absurdity," said the former swimmer. "We embrace the America First agenda, and we reject this absurdity." Challenging gender The bill debated Monday on the House floor would have banned transgender girls from school sports. If challenged, a female athlete would have to prove their gender. The House bill no longer describes how that would happen, leaving it up to the schools, but it originally matched a corresponding Senate bill requiring a doctor's note after an examination of the athlete's anatomy, hormone levels and chromosomes. Authors told FOX 9 they're not aware of any transgender athletes competing now in Minnesota. But they believe allowing it opens girls up to losing their spot on a team or even dangerous physical interactions, and it's just unfair. Allowing access Not all female athletes see it the same way. "Athletics offers so many benefits, from physical to mental health," said Kara Cowell, another former NCAA championship swimmer. "To educational success and self-confidence. Trans women and girls deserve the same access to these benefits." Transgender advocates point out that not even 10 of the 520,000 college athletes last year were transgender and none of them was a superstar. They point to research showing hormone therapy seems to remove any physical advantages. And they accuse Republicans of creating a distraction by making a boogeyman out of transgender athletes. "This bill is not about protecting fairness in sports or upholding integrity," said transgender teacher and coach Maggie Dayvis. "Instead, it is a calculated effort to sow division, to amplify fear, and to distract from the larger issue of defunding education." A similar Senate will was also rejected by the DFL majority on Monday.
