Good morning, and happy Thursday.
Gov. Tim Walz has signed a bill that will instantly change the state’s budget outlook. The bill will require that inflation be measured in state program costs. That will make future projected surpluses smaller or deficits bigger. State finance officials offer inflation estimates already, but they had been forbidden from using the number to change the topline economic forecast figure. Lawmakers use the forecast when setting the budget. A new forecast is due on Monday.
As the war in Ukraine hits the one year mark, more than 8 million Ukrainians have been displaced, and some have made their way to Minnesota. MPR’s Nina Moini reports: Based on enrollments to local programs, more than 900 Ukrainians have arrived since March 2022 and accessed federally funded services upon arrival, according to the Department of Human Services (DHS). There may be many more who have not accessed any support services. Maryna Kyrylkova, her husband and four children made a split-second decision to leave their home near the Ukrainian capital within the first days of the Russian invasion. “It was like one hour to pack everything we can and just left,” Kyrylkova remembered. A childhood friend Kyrylkova met when she was 11 years old at a day camp in Ukraine helped her family eventually get to Minnesota. They now live there for free in a house belonging to an older couple that was sitting empty for years. Kyrylkova marvels at the kindness of others. “I was in need, but I never felt struggling,” Kyrylkova said. “One suitcase and a few bags, but until this moment I have food, everything I need and I really appreciate it.”
There will be more police officers at light rail stations at the Twin Cities airport after complaints from airport employees and passengers. The Star Tribune reports: As air travel rebounded last year following a precipitous drop during the COVID-19 outbreak, complaints increased from airport and airline employees who use light rail to get to work, as well as from passengers traveling between the two terminals. Most of the complaints are a microcosm of the issues dogging light rail and some bus service in the Twin Cities, including crime, harassment of passengers, drug and alcohol use, and sanitary concerns. The concerns have prompted a broader response from Metro Transit, which has embraced a safety and security action plan and pushed measures at the Legislature to improve safety on the region's public transportation system. But these efforts have been thwarted in part by persistent shortages of police and community service officers.
If you were hoping the legislative session would end with a new law that would let you buy a six pack or a bottle of wine in a grocery store, it looks like you’re out of luck. MinnPost reports DFL leaders of the two commerce committees with jurisdiction over liquor laws — Sen. Matt Klein and Rep. Zack Stephenson — say they will not hear bills to allow groceries and convenience stores to sell beer and wine. “We have a number of big issues to talk about this year,” Stephenson said, alluding to other bills he is sponsoring on recreational marijuana and sports betting. “We just had a really significant liquor bill last year. So I don’t expect to do a significant liquor bill this year.” Klein referenced an agreement among liquor industry players — absent the grocers and convenience stores — that said there would be a five-year moratorium on further changes to liquor laws.
A new national poll shows majority support for raising the debt ceiling, but the survey also finds Americans are split on the best approach to the federal budget. NPR reports: By a 52-to-46 percent margin, registered voters said they support raising the debt ceiling. They divide along party lines with 8 in 10 Democrats in favor and 7 in 10 Republicans opposed. Independents are split. That represents a big jump in support from 2011, the last time Congress faced a pitched fight over raising the debt ceiling. Only a quarter of voters in a Marist poll supported raising the debt ceiling back then. The country had its credit downgraded as a result of the fight. Like members of Congress, Americans are divided on the best approach to reduce that debt. While 7 in 10 people, including a majority of Republicans, say they want their representatives to compromise to find solutions, there was a sharp split on how people want to see Congress try to close the debt. Half (50 percent) said they favored mostly cutting programs and services, but almost as many (46 percent) said they preferred to see taxes and fees raised. A majority of independents sided with three-quarters of Republicans, who said programs should be cut.
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