Good morning and congratulations for making it to another Friday.
On the radio today I'll be talking to Rep. Kelly Moller, DFL-Shoreview, and Rep. Paul Novotny, R-Elk River, about the public safety budget bill they've been working on. For that and more tune in on the radio at noon.
Donald Trump is the first former president to be indicted. The charges from a New York grand jury related to payments made to silence claims about an extramarital affair are still sealed. That hasn't stopped partisan reaction. DFL Rep. Angie Craig said in a statement that those who protest the indictment must do so peacefully and that she hopes Congress will not interfere in the judicial process. DFL Rep. Betty McCollum tweeted that no one is above the law, not even a current or former president. "It is disconcerting to see our justice system used to pursue partisan ends," said Republican Party of Minnesota Chair David Hann. "A Democrat district attorney is busy tying up time and resources to go after a political opponent instead of cracking down on lawlessness in New York — which just saw another year of record-breaking crime." Trump has denied committing any crime.
As for the current president, there are more details this morning about his visit to Minnesota on Monday. President Biden will visit Cummins Power Generation Facility in Fridley as part of his Administration's "Investing in America" tour, the White House said this morning. Cummins announced soon after Biden signed the Inflation Reduction Act that it will begin manufacturing electrolyzers in the United States for the first time, according to a White House statement. Electrolyzers help produce clean hydrogen that is essential for reducing emissions in hard-to-decarbonize sectors, and play a critical role in clean energy supply chains that until now have largely been produced overseas. The White House statement said the visit will highlight how Biden's legislative successes are building a clean energy economy, rebuilding the country's infrastructure and bringing back supply chains.
The House public safety bill at the Capitol Includes two changes to state law on guns. As MPR's Dana Ferguson reports , Democrats are trying to rally support for them: Gov. Tim Walz and other Minnesota leaders stood with former Arizona Rep. Gabrielle Giffords on Thursday to urge lawmakers to pass bills aimed at curbing gun violence. Three days after a fatal school shooting in Nashville, Walz and others said that this would be the year that the Minnesota Legislature adopts measures that require background checks for private sales and other transfers of handguns and assault rifles and allow temporary removal of guns from people determined by a judge to be a danger to themselves or others. Both bills previously stalled out at the Capitol under divided government. But with DFL leaders in control of the Legislature and governor's office, lawmakers said they were confident that they would move forward the proposals this year. Democrats hold a one-vote majority in the Senate, and they've not yet said whether they have the votes in their caucus to advance the bills.
Even though lawmakers are spending a record $17.5 billion budget surplus, some are saying they need more money from the state. Dana reports : Nursing homes, disability providers and emergency food shelves this week urged leaders to find a way to spend more in areas with the most pressing needs. During a House Agriculture Committee this week, Rachel Sosnowchik with Second Harvest Heartland, thanked legislators for approving free school meals for Minnesota students and an emergency appropriation for food shelves. But with needs at food shelves hitting twice the rates they experienced during the pandemic and emergency SNAP benefits coming to a close, food assistance groups need more help, she said. "These investments alone are not enough to end hunger in Minnesota, which remains at a record high due to ongoing consequences of the pandemic, elevated grocery costs and sunsetting federal benefits," Sosnowchik said. "We hope that legislative leaders in both parties, as well as the governor's office, will reconsider this committee's target and choose to invest more," she continued. After seeing no action to boost funding to long-term care facilities last year, Kari Thurlow, president and CEO of Leading Age Minnesota, said that 30 nursing homes are on the brink of closure. "We've been sounding the alarm bell for months," Thurlow said.
Starting tomorrow, states across the country will be able to drop large numbers of people off Medicaid who were allowed to stay in the program during the COVID-19 pandemic. MPR's Michelle Wiley reports that includes some 1.5 million Minnesotans in low-income health programs, many of whom will soon be in danger of losing needed coverage. Those at risk who are still eligible can stay on the Medicaid rolls without seeing a gap in coverage, but only if they complete the renewal process by the state's rolling deadlines. Worried about the potential staggering impact of hundreds of thousands of Minnesotans losing their health coverage, officials are working now to re-up those affected. But it's a daunting task, one the state system could make more difficult. "We are estimating anywhere from 15 to 30 percent may lose access or not renew," said Dr. Nathan Chomilo, director of Medicaid at the Minnesota Department of Human Services. "Out of those, anywhere from 25 to 50 percent will likely be able to renew within the next six months and so indicating that they likely would have maintained eligibility if they had gotten through the process."
Republicans tried unsuccessfully to limit the rent on alternate housing during renovations of the Governor's residence to $2,500. The Star Tribune reports: State government officials signed a nearly $330,000 lease agreement to rent a house in Sunfish Lake for a year and a half during the renovation project. "This is more expensive than the Upper East Side of Manhattan, for crying out loud. So this is a Manhattan solution to a Minnesota problem," Rep. Jim Nash, R-Waconia, said Thursday in a committee hearing. Nash proposed an amendment to the state and local government finance bill that would limit monthly rent payments for a temporary residence to $2,500. Democrats rejected the move. Rep. Ginny Klevorn, DFL-Plymouth, called it a "gotcha amendment" and said she wants to see the "mythical" home that costs less than $2,500 a month, meets security needs and can be used as a ceremonial space. Brian Bakst tweeted some audio from the hearing.
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