Good morning, and welcome to another Monday. 

The Legislature resumes its session tomorrow after a break for Easter and Passover. A big item on the agenda is public safety, and MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports there are some differences in the plans lawmakers are considering to respond to a spike in violent crime . For one, Gov. Tim Walz and the House Democrats want to fund nonprofit community groups that are fighting crime. Republicans in the Senate don’t support that approach. Gov. Tim Walz wants to provide $15 million for community-based crime prevention grants, which could go to nonprofit groups that help fight crime. The DFL governor said the projected budget surplus provides an opportunity to try multiple things. “There are going to be programs that work better than others and we should be willing to give communities the opportunity to experiment and innovate to see what’s working,” Walz said “And if we have programs that are working, we need to fund them.” Sen. Warren Limmer, R-Maple Grove, who chairs the Senate judiciary and public safety committee, said there have been concerns recently about the way some nonprofits have handled tax dollars. Limmer wants a system of accountability in place before he would consider a trial project. “We use nonprofits all the time in other areas to address other social concerns,” Limmer said. “But on this one, nonprofits really haven’t been involved that much, and we just don’t have a track record. I think you have to establish a standard of accountability first before we start pouring tens of millions of dollars into the hands of people that we don’t know can do the job.”

And a Senate GOP plan to give Ramsey County Sheriff Bob Fletcher $3 million to create a law enforcement task force with a focus on carjacking that could operate in the metro area has surprised some officials.The Star Tribune reports : Under the plan, Fletcher would disperse the state funds to pay officers from other agencies. The bill is included in the Senate's sweeping public safety package, though it did not have a hearing in the House and would likely be debated in a conference committee. The measure says the state commissioner of public safety would report to the Legislature on how the money is spent. That was news to Commissioner John Harrington, who said he was unaware of Fletcher's proposal until contacted by the Star Tribune and that his department opposes it. "There are a lot of different parts of this that don't make a lot of sense," Harrington said. "Why is the money going to one of the seven counties? Why wouldn't you give the money [directly] to the seven counties. What is the application process? Who determines who gets it?" He added that the state already funds violent crime enforcement teams. "There is an apparatus that already exists," he said. In an interview, Fletcher was unmoved by Harrington's opposition. "It may be the Minnesota Senate had more confidence in the Ramsey Sheriff's Office than it did in the Department of Public Safety when it comes to addressing carjackings," Fletcher said. "And that's because our department has become very good at catching carjackers."

The Pioneer Press has a look at efforts to change the law involving police officers who die by suicide : In both federal and state statutes and rules, if an officer causes their own death, certain benefits, including some lump-sum payments and health insurance for surviving children, are excluded. “There’s a general stigma behind it and how it’s treated,” Katie Slifko, whose husband took his life, said in a recent interview. “He’s not given the honor of a work-related death. It makes me feel like his years of service aren’t recognized. All those years where we sacrificed with him, when he worked late, and when he missed family occasions, things with the kids.” Katie has no doubt that even though Slifko died not in a shootout, but alone in his bedroom, the job killed him. He had been diagnosed by multiple doctors with post-traumatic stress disorder stemming from his work as a cop. Proposals in Congress and the Minnesota Capitol seek to change the suicide exclusion for people like the Slifkos by redefining suicide by officers diagnosed with PTSD as no different than if they were gunned down by the hand of another — or if they suffered a heart attack or stroke from job-related stress. 

A few Republican candidates for governor are separating from the pack when it comes to fundraising, according to reports for the first three months of 2022 that were made public Friday. MPR’s Brian Bakst reports the eventual Republican nominee will have to play catchup to Walz, who raised $1 million in the opening months of 2022 and has more than $4 million in the bank. Figures provided to campaign regulators show physician and former state Sen. Scott Jensen with a financial edge among the Republican contenders. He entered April with about $775,000 in the bank after raising about $256,000 from January through March. Sen. Paul Gazelka had the next most with $406,000 available to spend. But former business executive Kendall Qualls had the best performance in terms of money raised so far this year. He entered the race in January and pulled in $467,000 through the end of March. He spent much of it raising money and getting his campaign off the ground, leaving him with about $168,000 in reserve.

There was a lot of talk over the weekend about a story by Alpha News that said there was an open, cold alcoholic beverage can found in the vehicle of State Auditor Julie Blaha and passenger Sen. Melisa López Franzen after they crashed into a truck last August at Farmfest. DFL Party Chair Ken Martin was also soon at the scene of the crash and told responding officers that there were elected officials involved. In a social media post Friday Blaha said, “In fact, when asked if I would take a breathalyzer shortly after the crash, I responded “hell yes” and registered a 0.00% blood alcohol level, a detail that was omitted in the website’s post on Friday. Another missing detail: Officers debated then determined the can of cold liquid was a non-alcoholic juice drink, Cocktail de Fruits.”  López Franzen issued a statement that said, “There was absolutely no drinking and driving on August 4, nor was alcohol a factor in the accident. I am extremely grateful to the first responders who arrived so quickly that day, and for the thorough investigation that brought this matter to a close.” The Star Tribune reported that according to State Patrol reports, the White Claw can was on a backpack that belonged to Franzen and was found near the back seat. When a trooper found the can, Blaha said she didn't know it was in the car, and that’s when she took the breath test. "This crash was thoroughly and objectively investigated by the State Patrol, including the driving conduct, commercial vehicle inspection, and the details surrounding the White Claw container," State Patrol Col. Matt Langer said in a statement Friday. "The file was submitted for review by the local prosecutor, consistent with other high profile cases. The result of that review was a citation issued to the driver for the driving error that caused the crash."