Good morning, and welcome to Thursday. 

Gov. Tim Walz on Wednesday called on lawmakers to capitalize on the last four weeks of session to pass a budget, approve gun control measures and to safeguard abortion and LGBTQ rights. MPR’s Dana Ferguson reports: During his fifth State of the State address — and the first in his second term — the governor ticked off the legislative achievements of the last few months. And he harkened back to the 1970s “Minnesota Miracle” to set some expectations for the Legislature as it wraps up a nearly $72 billion budget. With a Democratic trifecta in control at the Capitol, Walz said lawmakers had a new opportunity and a mandate to act on what Minnesotans asked them to do. That included sending rebate checks back to taxpayers, creating tax credits for parents and spending more on public schools and public safety. “For four years, despite enormous headwinds and complicated politics, we did manage to get a lot done for the people of Minnesota,” Walz said.“But now we have a new mandate for action — a chance to set aside old fights in favor of doing something truly historic for our children and grandchildren,” he continued. “This is a moment we have been building towards for a long time. And we won’t let it go to waste.” Walz also made a plea for the Legislature to pass new gun laws. 

Republicans said they were underwhelmed. Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, said the speech was more like a national campaign speech than a State of the State. And he said it failed to touch on many issues important to Minnesotans. “He skipped a lot of the things that most Minnesotans care about: a lot of the issues with tax relief, a lot of the issues with law enforcement we’re seeing going on,” Johnson said. “I was really hoping for a uniting speech but as you saw from the reaction, there’s really a divided body here today.” From the House side: “We didn’t hear that we were going to fund our nursing homes, we didn’t hear about funding other things that are important, there was no mention of returning that surplus to Minnesotans,” House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said. “Even though they (Democrats) have the total control of state government, they have to be willing to compromise and collaborate.” 

The Minnesota House passed a transportation funding plan Wednesday that includes a new delivery fee, higher vehicle registration fees and a metro area sales tax to fund transit.  The 71-59 vote fell mostly along party lines in the DFL-led House. The bill differs from one awaiting a Senate vote which omits the 75-cent food and retail delivery fee. House Majority Leader Jaime Long said the bill takes real concerns over deteriorating infrastructure and congestion head on. “The easy thing to do is to pretend like we don't have a problem with funding those needs,” Long said. “The easy thing to do is to pretend like our existing revenues are sufficient to pretend like one time money can fix problems that aren't one time problems. We have done the easy thing for decades.” Republicans blasted the taxes and fees as misplaced at a time when Minnesota has a huge budget surplus. 

And that Senate transportation bill contains a provision that would allow Minnesotans to get a tax credit of up to $1,500 for buying an electric bike, depending on their income. MinnPost reports: A prominent seller of electric cargo bikes called the proposal generous, though the initial program would be capped at $2 million. A similar program in the city of Denver that also capped how much the government would spend on rebates ran out of money in days. “This is a big deal,” said Luke Breen, the owner of Perennial Cycle in south Minneapolis. “That would lure a ton of people to electric bikes.” The proposal, led by Sen. Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis, is patterned after the Denver program and statewide incentive for e-bikes in Colorado. The credits in Fateh’s amendment would allow a resident who buys from an in-state retailer to claim a credit equal to 75 percent of the purchase price of an e-bike plus accessories like helmets, locks, bags and reflective clothing. A couple filing their taxes jointly could each take advantage of the credit. 

The state Senate on Wednesday passed a $1.5 billion bill that funds health and human services programs in the next biennium. It includes a provision supported by the Minnesota Nurses Association that requires hospitals to set up committees to determine nursing staff levels, increases funding for school-linked mental health services and supports school-based health centers. And it invests in child care and creates a Department of Children, Youth and Families. 

The Minnesota House voted this week to ban the recreational hunting and trapping of wolves in the state, should the animal be removed from federal endangered species protection. MPR’s Dan Kraker reports the proposal was not initially included in the omnibus environment bill. DFL Rep. Peter Fischer of Maplewood introduced the ban as an amendment during floor debate Monday. The last time wolves were hunted in Minnesota, from 2012-2014, after they were removed from the endangered species list in the Great Lakes region, more than 900 were killed. “Most of them were killed for fun, display of their pelts, or for bragging rights,” Fischer contended. Several GOP lawmakers expressed indignation over the proposal. They said a decision whether to allow wolf hunting should be left up to state wildlife officials. “I’m appalled that this is on this table. It’s dangerous for our citizens, dangerous for our pets, and dangerous for Minnesota,” said Rep. Brian Johnson of Cambridge.

The Star Tribune reports:The U.S. Supreme Court has sided with the owners of the Mall of America in a complex, long-running legal battle about the vacant retail space that once housed a Sears store. The 9-0 ruling allows mall owners to continue to challenge a holding company's $10-a-year lease for the empty space. The unanimous opinion vacates a judgment of the U.S. Court of Appeals for Second Circuit and sends it back to lower courts for further proceedings. The Supreme Court heard arguments for the case in December and issued its opinion Wednesday, which Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson wrote. A jurisdictional debate as to whether or not appellate courts can challenge bankruptcy court decisions has been the core of the dispute.

Tell MPR News: What do you hope lawmakers accomplish this session?