Capitol View for December 10

Good morning, and welcome to what promises to be a snowy Friday for many of us.

From MPR’s Brian Bakst: Minnesota’s strained hospital capacity is causing continued alarm as new coronavirus case levels remain high. State Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm says despite all the attention the omicron variant has drawn, only one case has been confirmed in Minnesota. Malcolm said nearly all cases in Minnesota now are the delta variant. "Since we briefed you last week on the detection of the first omicron case here in Minnesota, that so far is the only confirmed case that we have,” Malcolm said Thursday afternoon. “We continue to work really hard with our surveillance system to look for the virus, but I can assure you that what is happening now is still very much delta." Malcolm said on average 80 percent of people in the state’s hospitals for COVID-19 complications are unvaccinated, even more so in intensive care units. Gov. Tim Walz said he spoke with leaders of the state’s largest health systems this week. Many are dealing with lack of space and staff as COVID-19 hospitalizations rise, he said. That’s left less room for people dealing with other health emergencies. “That’s why this matters,” Walz said. “And that’s why I’m just asking people, don’t take up a bed because you’re unvaccinated. Please, please don’t take up a bed because these are really, really hard decisions.” Walz and Malcolm spoke as they promoted the importance of vaccinations and boosters as a way to head off serious cases.

MPR’s Kirsti Marohn has more: Wearing blue scrubs, a mask and a floral print surgical cap, Tanya Shaw blends in with the other nurses in the COVID-19 isolation unit of St. Cloud Hospital’s intensive care unit. But Shaw is a major in the U.S. Air Force, and she's a long way from home. She's originally from New Mexico, and is usually stationed at Keesler Air Force Base in Biloxi, Miss. Shaw arrived in St. Cloud, Minn., a little more than a week ago as part of a 23-member medical response team sent by the U.S. Department of Defense, at the request of the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Gov. Tim Walz. Since arriving, Shaw has been working side by side with CentraCare staff, caring for patients critically ill with COVID-19 in the hospital’s ICU.

From MPR’s Tim Pugmire: A Minnesota House panel Thursday advanced DFL plans for redrawing congressional and legislative district boundaries. The House Redistricting Committee advanced both maps on party-line votes. Still, DFL Representative Mary Murphy of Hermantown, the committee chair, called them the people’s maps. She thanked Minnesotans for taking the time to share their concerns with lawmakers. “All of your efforts were appreciated and listened to,” Murphy said. “And we tried to figure how to fit them in. Some we did and some we didn’t.” Republican Rep. Paul Torkelson tried unsuccessfully to get approval for an alternative Republican plan, which he said would split fewer communities. “This map is one we’re very proud of, and we think it could well make a good map to move forward with, should we try to move forward and negotiate with the Senate to get a map that may accomplish our final goal of getting a map on the governor’s desk,” Torkelson said. Changes in the boundaries are needed every 10 years to reflect population shifts. The House is expected to vote on the plan early in the 2022 session. State lawmakers have until February 15th to pass a redistricting plan and get it signed by the governor or the courts step in. Court intervention has been needed in Minnesota for many decades.

Via press release: More than 50 Minnesota House Republicans are urging the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission to reject a proposal to change the way repeat felony offenders serve their time. The commission voted last month to do away with the in-custody point when determining an offender’s sentence. The Pioneer Press reports that means judges would no longer be able to take into consideration whether the offender committed the crime while in custody, on probation or on supervised release. Supporters say the move would free up prison space and send offenders to programs where the focus would be on rehabilitation. A statement from GOP Reps. Peggy Scott of Andover and Brian Johnson of Cambridge says it’s a bad idea: “Almost every night on the news we see stories about carjackings, robberies, murders, and other violent crime, and too often the perpetrators are repeat offenders who should have been in prison,” their statement said. “This proposal is just another example of Democrats putting the needs of criminals over the safety of Minnesotans." The commission holds a public hearing on the issue next week and is due to make a final decision in January.

Another Republican challenger has announced a campaign for Minnesota Attorney General. Political newcomer Jim Schultz is a private practice attorney who began his campaign with an outsider’s pitch. He says in a launch video that he would take a tougher line on crime-fighting and public safety than incumbent Democrat Keith Ellison. “I’m not a politician, I’ve never run for office,” Schultz says in the video. “I’m a father, a husband, and a conservative who, like you, is fed up." Schultz said he grew up in the South Haven, Minnesota and practices law with a Minnesota company, specializing in business, regulatory, and compliance law. He previously worked at Dorsey & Whitney LLP in Minneapolis. He currently serves on the board of The Front Line Foundation, a nonprofit supporting police and other first responders. He’ll have to navigate an increasingly crowded race within his party before he can take on Ellison. The 2018 Republican nominee Doug Wardlow, former state Rep. Dennis Smith and private attorney Lynne Torgerson are all seeking the party nomination. Ellison announced his re-election bid this fall. He’s focused his first term on consumer protection, efforts to promote voting rights and his work to uphold COVID-19 safety measures.

From NPR:A federal appeals court has denied former President Donald Trump's bid to block the release of some of his White House records to the House committee investigating the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol. The unanimous ruling from the three-judge panel on the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upholds a lower court's decision that a tranche of Trump White House records can be provided to the Democratic-led committee. "On the record before us, former President Trump has provided no basis for this court to override President Joe Biden's judgment and the agreement and accommodations worked out between the Political Branches over these documents," Judge Patricia Millett wrote in the ruling. "Both Branches agree that there is a unique legislative need for these documents and that they are directly relevant to the Committee's inquiry into an attack on the Legislative Branch and its constitutional role in the peaceful transfer of power." The court said it will leave in place its temporary block on releasing the documents for 14 days to allow Trump time to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court, as the former president's attorneys have signaled they intend to do.