Capitol View for February 22

Good morning. Stay busy, my friends.

After two notable gun bills were dislodged and made law last year, advocates are putting the emphasis on other proposals left behind. MPR’s Dana Ferguson writes that this year’s list for consideration ranges from required alerts to authorities when guns go missing, to ways to incentivize safe storage of firearms and ammunition. Some Republicans are calling for tougher penalties against people who sell guns to those ineligible to have them and who ultimately commit violent offenses. One bill that could attract bipartisan support would exempt firearms safety devices from the sales tax. Legislative leaders have also said there should be additional funding for first responders to help with mental health in the wake of the fatal incident in Burnsville. They also said they’d take another look at supportive services for survivors of domestic violence.

Gun rights groups and allied lawmakers are warning against a rush to pass laws in the aftermath of the Burnsville tragedy. As part of Dana’s reporting, she spoke with Rob Doar of the Gun Owners’ Caucus. He told her, “Right now with the information that we have, it's premature to be lobbying out policy proposals without a real understanding of what the actual issue is.” Republican Rep. Paul Novotny was more emphatic: “Minnesota would be a much safer place if Democrats spent a fraction of their time and energy enforcing our existing gun laws, of which there are many, stopping the anti-law enforcement rhetoric, and holding criminals responsible for their actions instead of proposals that place new burdens on law-abiding Minnesotans.” But GOP Rep. Pat Garofalo, who is retiring after this term, told Dana: “Three heroes got murdered last weekend because a lunatic had a gun. As far as I'm concerned, anything is on the table to stop that from happening. We need to do a better job here at the Capitol of working together so that we have less or none of these things happening.”

One aspect of the marijuana law that has been slower to take shape is the expungement process for those with prior convictions. Now we know who will have the day-to-day role of leading that discussion. Gov. Tim Walz has named James Rowader (for our broadcast friends and committee chairs, it rhymes with “chowder”) as the executive director of the Cannabis Expungement Board . He currently is a program director at the American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota and formerly served as city attorney for Minneapolis. The five-member expungement board was created by the law that legalized marijuana in the state. The panel could wipe felony-level convictions off records completely or reclassify them. Board members will decide if an expungement is in the public interest and wouldn’t create a risk to public safety. The marijuana law also has an automatic expungement mechanism for lower level offenses, such as illegal possession. The Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is developing that protocol and says it could be ready by late summer.

The Legal Marijuana Now Party isn’t going down without a fight. Following a legal challenge by DFL Party Chair Ken Martin that aims to strip the LMN party of its coveted major party status, some members of the Forward Party of Minnesota are considering a merger with LMN. Ellie spoke with a member of the Forward Party and the co-chair for the party’s 8th Congressional District in Minnesota. Atle Rennan said, “Our goal is to maintain major party status. Minnesota has a very rich history of having many third parties and the DFL has worked hard to make that impossible now.” The Forward Party is relatively new and aims to create more opportunities for grassroots leaders in politics.

In related party status intrigue: The court case over the Legal Marijuana Now status has attracted a set of possible intervenors from the Republican Party, but not the Republican Party of Minnesota. The group that filed papers with the Supreme Court this week argues that the Minnesota GOP could find itself on the ropes over paperwork and certification issues under new state laws. That’s of course legally debatable. The group is made up of members who have been a thorn in the side of elected Republican Party leadership, so there is certainly more to the story here. Read the intervention motion and the list of GOP members trying to step in.

Not a good outcome for Mike Lindell of MyPillow in a case tied to his efforts to disprove the 2020 election result. A judge has upheld a determination he owes $5 million to a software engineer who proved him wrong over vote-counting malfeasance claims in his “Prove Mike Wrong Challenge.” An appeal is coming, according to AP’s Steve Karnowski . But Lindell’s Minnesota-based bedding company is struggling as the owner digs in on his false insistence that Donald Trump won in the prior election.

Minnesota’s top elections official is on the road to promote law changes made last year that aim to build civic habits. DFL Secretary of State Steve Simon has appearances Thursday in Barrett and Fergus Falls. He’s due to speak with high school students about serving as election judge trainees and about a law change allowing them to pre-register to vote at age 16 (they can’t actually vote until their 18th birthday). Friday’s leg of the trip takes him to Morris, Benson and Alexandria for similar gatherings with students.