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A special panel of judges appointed by the Minnesota Supreme Court will release new congressional and legislative district maps at noon today, Background here and here.
The Minnesota Senate passed a bill Monday that would fund a $1 million advertising campaign to help recruit more law enforcement officers to the profession. MPR’s Tim Pugmire reports the vote was 51-15. It’s unclear when or if the DFL-controlled House might take up the bill. Police departments throughout the state have complained about staff shortages and a lack of applicants for those vacancies. The Department of Public Safety would direct the campaign to lure more applicants. Debate on the bill hinted at some of the campaign themes members of both parties are expected to use as they seek reelection later this year. Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller, R-Winona, said many Minnesotans don’t feel safe, and many police officers do not feel appreciated. “Anti-police rhetoric has demoralized the profession,” Miller said. “It’s causing current police officers to retire early, and it’s discouraging new people from entering the profession.” Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, said the money could be better used in existing programs. Marty also criticized the timing of the discussion, so soon after the fatal shooting of Amir Locke by a Minneapolis police officer during the execution of a search warrant. “I just think it’s really insensitive, at this time, to be talking about using taxpayer money to run an advertising campaign,” Marty said.
The Senate also passed a bill that replenishes the state’s depleted unemployment insurance fund with more than $1 billion and repays more than $1 billion to the federal government for unemployment benefits paid to Minnesotans during the COVID-19 pandemic. The state shouldering the cost avoids payroll tax increases for Minnesota businesses. "The deficit was not caused by employers and every dollar that was paid out of the unemployment system went to Minnesota workers who lost their job at no fault of their own,” said Sen. Eric Pratt, Prior Lake. The vote was 55-11, but not before Democrats argued that majority Republicans should also follow through on promises to pay bonuses to those who worked on the front lines during the pandemic. ''Our small businesses and our frontline workers kept our state going even when it meant their own health–even when it meant that their own safety was at stake," Minority Leader Melisa López Franzen, DFL-Edina said. An attempt to link worker bonuses to the unemployment fund repayment failed in the Senate. House Democrats say they also want the two issues to move together. They have not yet scheduled a vote.
MPR’s Jon Collins reports: Defendants will start calling their witnesses Tuesday morning in the trial of three former Minneapolis police officers charged with violating George Floyd’s civil rights. The prosecution rested its case Monday, four weeks after testimony began in the trial. The prosecution’s case wrapped up Monday afternoon with testimony from Darnella Frazier, the teenager who filmed Floyd’s killing on May 25, 2020. That footage went viral and sparked protests across the globe and unrest in the Twin Cities.
As I mentioned yesterday, leading Republicans in the Minnesota Senate have introduced a package of bills they call the “Parents’ Bill of Rights” that they say will guarantee parents more information and more of a say in public education. MPR’s Brian Bakst reports that the plans outlined include mandatory access to curriculum, lesson plans, and materials used in classes. There would also be requirements for parental notification about incidents at school. Senate Education Committee Chair Roger Chamberlain, R-Lino Lakes, said parents deserve more involvement in classroom decisions. “For too long, they’ve been simply ignored,” Chamberlain said. And with the last couple of years [during] the turmoil, they’ve been ignored, they’ve been bullied, they’ve been silenced, they’ve been threatened.” Chamberlain declined to answer most questions about what recourse parents would have to change schools’ plans based on information they receive. “Parents have the right to know what their kids are being taught,” Sen. Michelle Benson, R-Ham Lake said. “It is imperative our schools have a well-planned and transparent curriculum. This legislation affirms what many educators are already doing and allows parents to have the information necessary to help decide what education option is best for their child.” Reaction from Education Minnesota. “Unfortunately, certain politicians seem more interested in following the lead of the national big money groups’ plans to inflame division about what’s taught about race and gender than in presenting coherent policies to engage parents in their local schools,” said Denise Specht, president of statewide teachers union Education Minnesota, in a statement. The Star Tribune notes the idea of "parental rights" is gaining traction with Republicans nationally, who see it as a winning political strategy to take back state legislative chambers and win governor races across the country. Last fall, Republican Glenn Youngkin successfully used the idea of more parental control as a wedge issue in the race for governor of Virginia, capitalizing on fears about more racially inclusive curriculums in classrooms and frustrations from parents around school during the pandemic.
News from the world of broadcasting: The corporation that owns WCCO Radio confirms that Cory Hepola is out of a job. Hepola told MPR’s Brian Bakst last week that he is considering a run for governor. He had hosted a morning talk show on WCCO. And NFL sideline reporter Michelle Tafoya officially retired from NBC at the end of Sunday night's Super Bowl, but she didn't stay out of the spotlight long. On Monday Republican gubernatorial candidate Kendall Qualls announced Tafoya has joined his campaign as co-chair, joining real estate developer David Frauenshuh. Tafoya has already endorsed Qualls. He is one of a half dozen Republicans vying for the party endorsement to challenge incumbent DFL Gov. Tim Walz. | 