The House and Senate both started today's special session with a Sept. 11 remembrance.
Now both chambers are moving to resolutions that would end Gov. Tim Walz's emergency powers.
Both would have to vote to end them, which won't happen. #mnleg
In the Senate, Majority Leader Paul Gazelka says "We’re not in an emergency. 9/11 was an emergency...We do not minimize the fact that COVID-19 is serious."
The Senate votes 36-31 as expected to end Gov. Walz’s emergency powers (Eken again is only lawmaker on either side to break ranks).
The debate is still going in the House, but Democrats there have vowed to uphold Walz’s powers.
In a voice vote, the Minnesota Senate confirms Bureau of Mediation Services Commissioner Janet Johnson.
She is just the third Walz commissioner to be confirmed in the first 20 months of his term.
Now comes the day's drama.
The Senate is taking up Commerce Commissioner Steve Kelley's confirmation. Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka says he'll vote against Kelley.
Gazelka blames Kelley for suing to block the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline in northern Minnesota.
"This commissioner is not working out," Gazelka says he told Gov. Walz last week.
NEW: State Rep. Fue Lee, DFL-Minneapolis, reveals that he contracted the coronavirus a month ago and stopped himself from attending last month's special session.
He says 20 of his family members have tested positive and his 76-year-old father has been hospitalized twice. #mnleg
NEW: The Minnesota House votes 67-64 to block an effort to end Gov. Walz's emergency powers.
The powers will stay in place for another month. #mnleg
The House adjourns sine die after a roughly three-hour session.
On a 33-31 vote, Senate Republicans reject Commerce Commissioner Steve Kelley.
Kelley is the second Walz commissioner the Senate has fired in a month.
The Senate has adjourned the fourth special session sine die.
Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said before adjournment that he thinks there could be a deal on a bonding bill by Sept. 21. That would require another special session to pass.
Gov. Tim Walz says Republicans “tried to pretend that COVID isn’t real” during today’s special session.
Walz says he hasn’t decided on Steve Kelley’s replacement at Commerce.
During a brief Q&A with reporters, he would not say if he’d call lawmakers back for another special session later this month on a bonding bill.
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Minnesota's budget surplus is now projected at $17.6 billion between now and June 2025, per @MMBCommunicates.
The projections will help #mnleg decide short-term spending plans and a two-year budget.
@MMBCommunicates Higher-than-expected tax collections and #mnleg's failure to strike deals in 2022 have contributed to another record surplus, which Democrats now have control over.
Initial story ahead of news conferences that start at 11:45 a.m.:
@mnhealth .@mnhealth assigned 35 staffers to review grant applications and recommend awards, but failed to comply with state requirements and get conflict of interest disclosures from the people, auditors found.
This left the state open to potential fraud and abuse, auditors said.
@mnhealth .@mnhealth says the people *did* file conflict disclosures, but the agency didn't retain electronic records of them. That's been fixed, health officials say in their response to the auditor's findings.
“There is enough time,” House Speaker @melissahortman says about concerns that some of the largest bills, like health and human services, won’t get done by Sunday.
“Everybody has to get realistic,” Hortman says, and no one will get 75-80% of what they want. #mnleg
I asked which issue areas are in the worst shape.
Hortman says K-12, public safety, health and human services are “tied.”
NEWS: St. Paul Police say DFL Rep. John Thompson showed up after officers pulled over his daughter Sunday afternoon, screamed and yelled at police, identified himself as a state lawmaker and handed out his business card during a "chaotic" scene.
(Thread)
Officers say they stopped Thompson's adult daughter for erratic driving and expired registration. Cops smelled marijuana. As more officers arrived, so did Thompson.
To diffuse tensions, police say they decided to charge Thompson’s daughter out of custody and let them both go.
Police are asking the St. Paul city attorney to charge Thompson's daughter with 3rd degree DWI-test refusal, a gross misdemeanor.
Thompson does not face charges, though police say the case is open.