Good morning, and happy Tuesday. 

The Minnesota House debated a bill to legalize marijuana for nearly three hours Monday night, but quit at midnight and delayed a final vote until today. As MPR’s Brian Bakst reports, the House vote that will come during daylight hours Tuesday – along with one set for Friday in the Senate – won’t end the debate. Differences in the two versions would have to be reconciled before anything reaches Gov. Tim Walz, who supports permitting adults over 21 to buy, possess and use cannabis. But if a bill passes before May 22, Minnesota’s marijuana landscape would change starting this summer. “Cannabis will be no longer illegal this summer,” said the bill’s lead sponsor, Rep. Zack Stephenson, DFL-Coon Rapids. “The regulation, rulemaking and licensing process will take many more months. Beyond that you will of course also be able to home grow starting this summer, so it will be a while before Minnesotans can expect to see a dispensary open up.” Opponents of the bill acknowledged the votes appeared stacked against them. They attempted to alter the plan to give local officials more say in how cannabis is sold, provide law enforcement more tools to spot impairment and reduce fallout from addiction and youth use.

Minnesota schools saw a rise in four-year public high school graduation rates last year following a drop during the COVID-19 pandemic, reports MPR’s Elizabeth Shockman. The class of 2022 graduated at 83.6 percent, up from 83.3 percent for the prior year’s class and close to the historic high of 83.8 percent in 2020, the Minnesota Department of Education said Tuesday. Rate gaps between white students and students of color persisted in 2022, as did gaps for students who qualify for free and reduced lunch, English language learners and students who receive special education services. Black and Native American students, however, saw a notable rise in student graduation rates last year — a 3.5 percent gain for Black students and a 2.5 percent gain for Native American students. 

Gov. Tim Walz has a new temporary home while the state-owned governor’s residence undergoes repairs. The University of Minnesota Board of Regents on Monday approved a lease to house the first family at Eastcliff. That’s the home along the Mississippi River that is usually occupied by school presidents. The university is in a presidential transition as Joan Gabel departs, and the state was in need of a suitable home for the governor through much of 2024. Regent Mike Kenyanya said the timing is perfect. “I think it's an excellent idea. I mean, it allows us to obviously recoup some operating costs as well as put a public asset to public use and continue serving the state in that way.” The state will pay the university $4,400 in monthly rent plus cover various operating expenses. That’s less than the $17,000 per month it would have required to rent a suburban home for the Walz family under a temporary lease signed in March. University Senior Vice President Myron Frans told regents it would also help “foster positive relationships with our state partners.” Regent Darrin Rosha said Eastcliff, which has been home to eight university presidents, will have a new footnote: “Having the governor stay there for a period of time just adds to the mystique of this amazing facility.” 

A federal ruling that made gun carry permits accessible to 18-to-20-year-olds in Minnesota is on hold for at least a month and potentially longer. U.S. District Court Judge Katherine Menendez sided Monday with state lawyers who sought to hold off on permits until a likely appeal is settled. The Department of Public Safety and some county sheriffs are fighting an earlier Menendez ruling that the age restriction on concealed carry permits is unconstitutional. Attorney General Keith Ellison, a DFLer, has said he would appeal the March ruling that determined the age limit to be a violation of the Second Amendment. Minnesota law has restricted the permits to adults 21 and older who met other qualification standards. In her latest order, the judge wrote that requiring sheriffs to issue permits to valid applicants could create problems if the underlying ruling is overturned on appeal. 

Monticello officials say independent tests have found the city's drinking water is safe, following a leak at the nearby nuclear power plant. MPR’s Kirsti Marohn reports that last month, the city submitted water samples from its municipal wells to a private vendor to test for radioactive tritium. Officials hope to restore public confidence in the city's drinking water, after tritium leaked from a faulty pipe at the Monticello nuclear plant. The test results showed all samples of the city's water had tritium levels well below federal health limits. The highest sample was 209 picocuries per liter, compared to the federal limit of 20,000 picocuries per liter. 

President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris are running for reelection. NPR reports: "When I ran for president four years ago, I said we are in a battle for the soul of America. And we still are. The question we are facing is whether in the years ahead we have more freedom or less freedom. More rights or fewer," Biden said in a 3-minute video announcing his run. The video links images from the Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol with protests over the Supreme Court decision overturning abortion rights. At 80, Biden is the oldest person to serve as president, a point that has given Democrats pause, questioning, at times, whether he gives them the best chance at winning. But the former vice president and longtime Delaware senator is unlikely to face a serious challenge for the nomination. 

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