Good morning and welcome to Monday and the first day of May.
Don't look now, but there are only three weeks left before the Legislature has to adjourn. And something rare this session is happening this week — conference committees are meeting. Small groups of lawmakers will meet this week to look over different versions of education, public safety, health and human services and transportation budget bills to try to compromise on pieces that can advance through final votes and gain the governor's signature. During these small group discussions, which may happen behind the scenes before they're opened to the public, legislators will decide the shape of tax credits or rebates this year as well as some tax and fee hikes. They'll also determine precisely how the state should spend a roughly $72 billion budget. Meanwhile, the Senate is set to debate a tax bill today, and the House is expected to debate a paid family leave plan on Tuesday.
One of those bills heading to a conference committee is one to legalize marijuana in Minnesota for use by anyone 21 or older. MPR's Brian Bakst reports the Senate passed its version of the bill on Friday: Many DFL senators dressed in green to mark the vote. Lead sponsor Lindsey Port of Burnsville highlighted the extensive review and bill changes that led up to it as well as her belief that a regulated market has an upside. "Minnesotans are ready. Attitudes are changing," she said. "Now is our time to undo decades of ineffective and damaging prohibition." Sen. Zack Duckworth, R-Lakeville, said the state should move more gradually instead of diving into full-blown legalization. "There is still plenty of work to be done here," he said. "This isn't something that we should be rushing to." Senate Republicans opposed the bill, saying there are too many unanswered questions. They raised concerns over substance abuse, highway safety and the ability to crack down on illicit sales. They noted that medical groups have sounded alarms over marijuana being a gateway drug or worsening mental health problems.
One of the main things the marijuana legislation is supposed to do is expunge records of people convicted of crimes involving cannabis. MPR's Grace Birnstengel has a look at how that might work: The automatic expungement piece would largely fall on the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, which would be required to identify all individuals eligible for automatic expungement, then grant the expungements and notify the judicial branch. The bureau would have 60 days after doing that to seal the records and notify all relevant arresting or law enforcement agencies. Then those entities would seal their versions of the records, too. This work has been slow and painstaking in other states. Many criminal record databases aren't set up to communicate with each other, making the process "very difficult and very costly," said Jana Hrdinová. She's an expert in drug legalization and criminal record reform at Ohio State University's Moritz College of Law and directs its Drug Enforcement and Policy Center. "People need to know that even if you pass a real progressive law, that doesn't necessarily mean that relief will come in a short basis," Hrdinová said.
Some producers of THC products made from hemp are still concerned about the legal marijuana bill and the impact it will have on their industry. The Pioneer Press reports: Hemp growers seem effectively split between those who want to transition to primarily growing full-fledged cannabis and those who want to continue selling hemp-derived products. "I support the cannabis bill and want to see it passed," Ben Lipkin, of Carpe Diem in Minneapolis, said at a recent news conference with other hemp growers who were critical of the bill. "However, changes are needed for our community to survive." Bridgette Pinder, of Grounded Gardens in St. Paul, a longtime cannabis legalization activist, said her hemp business was just the start of her work in the cannabis industry. "We knew this was just a Band-Aid until they legalized cannabis," she said.
Why did it take so long for the National Guard to show up in Minneapolis to help stop the unrest after the murder of George Floyd? The Star Tribune looked at emails between Minnesota Guard leaders and the Pentagon but still didn't get a clear answer: In the months after the riots, Gov. Tim Walz, Mayor Jacob Frey and other public safety officials deflected blame onto the others over questions on why it took so long to deploy the National Guard. The emails show the Guard was ready the morning of May 28 — more than 12 hours before the first Molotov cocktail shattered inside the precinct — and expected to be deployed by "late afternoon." "After last night's violence, things have been accelerated by the state Director of Public Safety," Adjutant Gen. of the Minnesota National Guard Jon Jensen wrote to the Pentagon at 8:30 a.m. that day. Walz wanted to set up a meeting with the Secretary of Defense that morning. In the meantime, Jensen said, he'd just mobilized 50 members of a quick reaction force to support Minneapolis police. Soldiers were setting up command stations in Monticello, Stillwater and Arden Hills. Jensen said they were still waiting on orders from Minneapolis police and Walz, and they were storing guns and ammo in the Arden Hills armory. "We have worked with Minneapolis PD before — we supported them extensively during super bowl 52 in 2018 — we know their leadership and they know us," Jensen said. He said state police and other departments were already supporting Minneapolis through mutual aid agreements, "so we are the reserve of the reserve."
Tell MPR News: What do you hope lawmakers accomplish this session?
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