Good morning. You’ve made it through another week. Congratulations!
But is your week really over until you’ve listened to Politics Friday? We’re talking about education this week with Sens. Mary Kunesh and Zach Duckworth. And then Minnesota Chamber of Commerce President Doug Loon drops by for a discussion about permitting bills and other changes business leaders hope they can get through the state Legislature. Stick around to hear the other famous C.C. with Iowa ties — Caroline Cummings, naturally — in our reporter roundtable that will also feature our Clay Masters.
As we previewed yesterday, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy and Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson joined Cathy Wurzer for separate interviews. They were on to discuss where some issues stand as the session moves into its stretch run. Here’s what they said.
The rideshare working conditions dispute that has Uber and Lyft threatening to drive out of Minneapolis is now squarely in the Legislature’s court. The Minneapolis City Council has deferred until July 1 its ordinance requiring higher pay and other protections for drivers. There had been May 1 enactment. That leaves time for Minnesota lawmakers to consider a statewide standard that suits both drivers and the companies, which say they could dramatically pull back service in the Twin Cities if the ordinance moves forward. Jon Collins has our writeup.
There’s officially a new top state cop. Christina Bogojevic was announced as the State Patrol’s next colonel. As Peter Cox reports, she's been with the patrol for more than two decades and served as second-in-command for the last two years. Bogojevic, pronounced Bogo-YAY-vich, was named interim colonel following Col. Matt Langer’s announcement that he was leaving the State Patrol for a position with the International Association of Chiefs of Police. In an announcement from the patrol, Bogojevic said she looks forward to lowering Minnesota’s traffic fatality rate and finding new ways to recruit and retain troopers. She will officially take over as colonel on May 2.
The Biden administration has implemented a new gun background check rule that will cover more transactions. The guidelines are set to take hold in 30 days, but litigation is expected. The plan would affect roughly 23,000 unlicensed gun dealers and could put added scrutiny on tens of thousands of gun sales a year and provide for more tracing of guns used in crimes. NPR offers this nuts-and-bolts look.
No hunting reprieve for now for wolves in Minnesota. The Senate has turned away a proposal to ban recreational wolf hunting and trapping. It came up as a potential amendment to a larger environmental policy bill. DFL Sen. Mary Kunesh argued the state should prohibit the practice to protect the wolf population. "Wolves, like us, are highly intelligent social, pack-oriented animals. The random killing of one individual wolf can indirectly cause the deaths of other pack members through social chaos, loss of dependent offspring and pack dissolution," she said. Republican Sen. Nathan Wesenberg said wolves in parts of the state are overpopulated and said they injure or kill pets and farm animals. “So nobody wants to see the wolves disappear. No one wants to just kill them for fun, it is an issue and we need to manage these animals properly,” he said. The Senate voted down the proposed amendment on a vote of 35 opposed to 30 in favor.
Meanwhile, the House has passed bills that might help ticket hunters. Lawmakers could crack down on the add-on fees for everything from concert tickets to hotel rooms and restaurant bills. A pair of bills pending in the Minnesota Legislature would require transparent, upfront pricing that includes service fees. DFL Rep. Emma Greenman said the fees affect every Minnesotan. “Think about the last time you bought something online — an airline ticket, a hotel room, tickets for opening day for the Twins, a new phone. Was the price that you paid the one that you saw when you started that transaction?” Greenman said ahead of the House debate. National ticket reseller companies have testified the legislation would hurt consumers by restricting their role in the market. Her bill passed 70-61. The bill from Rep. Kelly Moller, dubbed the Taylor Swift bill and covering the ticket resale market as well as online purchase technology, passed 112-18. | 