After a federal judge signals that he’ll let Minnesota’s mask mandate stand, @GovTimWalz suggests that it’s here to stay.
“One of the last things we’ll do is lose the masks,” Walz says.
He declines to lay out a timeline because of the pandemic’s uncertainty.
Walz suggests he’s unlikely to fill open cabinet positions soon, after the Senate fired two commissioners and another retired.
“I’m hesitant to fill them before the election, because I think they’ll (Senate GOP) remove them again,” Walz says.
Walz still will not say if he’ll drop his endorsement of John Thompson, a Democratic House candidate who made violent threats against the Minneapolis police union president and his wife this summer.
“I need to sit down and figure this out,” Walz says.
Walz says he is “not so hopeful” to get the long-stalled bonding bill done this year.
He says the window for a deal is closing, as early as the end of this week.
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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.