| Gov. Tim Walz pitched a leaner, roughly $66 billion budget yesterday, complete with a sales tax cut and lower-than-previously-proposed spending for disability services and special education transportation. Dana Ferguson has this dispatch about the effort to strengthen the state’s financial position ahead of a possible deficit down the road. “We are not changing that Minnesota is a generous state,” he said. “Minnesota is a state that cares deeply that every single individual should live the fullest quality of life they can. We will continue to be able to do that, but there are things that we can do.” Walz assured that services wouldn’t be cut for people who need them. Republican leaders said any proposed tax increases — like one the governor floated expanding the sales tax to more services — would be a nonstarter. House Tax Committee GOP Lead Greg Davids was more optimistic about the first pitch in the coming back-and-forth over the budget. “I think he's got some good ideas in here and so I'm looking forward to digging into it deeper,” he told MPR News.
Not all of the budget proposals got nods from Walz at his press conference. Some were in the hundreds of pages that make up the budget. We’re still working through the finer print, but a few things jumped out on first glance:
No drive to the DVS: The governor proposed creating an online license renewals portal for driver’s licenses where people could do the task virtually every other time. The staggering is meant so people still do vision screening and have a fresh photo taken every eight years. But it would cut out one trip to the licensing bureau. Cannabis tax reroute: Local governments will probably have a lot to say about this one. Walz recommended removing a set-aside of 20 percent of the gross receipts tax for legal marijuana sales that was supposed to go to local governments. Half of the money is to be split between cities and counties to help with regulation, but that share would just flow to the state instead. Drones! The plan would bring down the cost of drone shows by lowering registration fees. Right now, state laws require commercial drones be registered at a cost of $25 per drone. For coordinated drone events that might involve hundreds or thousands, that’s a deterrent. Those aerial shows use many lit up drones to produce images or words in the sky. In its place would be a $2 per drone fee for single-day events.
The governor, who has largely been out of the public eye over the last several weeks, also weighed in on the ongoing dispute over control in the Minnesota House. He said he doesn’t recognize Republicans as a majority in the chamber since their one-vote advantage could be upended in a special election later this month. He also said they should not block Democratic Secretary of State from the chamber. “They’re cosplaying right now. It's the secretary of state's job to be there,” Walz said. “So I would encourage them, don't go down this road. You're not going to win public or public opinion. You've got a split Legislature. That is acknowledged. Just go with that. You're not going to overcome an election.” Top Republican Rep. Lisa Demuth said Walz should be asking his fellow Democrats to get to work rather than lecture those at the Capitol. “That is how bills move forward and get to the governor's desk. Those are the ideas that are going to be coming forward, and we look forward to partnering with our governor, once he chooses to work with us.”
Republicans in the Minnesota House denied themselves a quorum under their interpretation of the rules yesterday for a very specific point. Only 65 of 67 members checked in at first. That might have been intentional. It allowed House GOP Leader Lisa Demuth to entertain a motion to have the sergeant-at-arms bring in the absent members. Of course, none of the 66 DFLers showed for a third straight day. They weren’t hauled in. Republicans say they took the step — two of their members did come in after the “call of the House” — for legal reasons. Basically that they tried to compel DFL attendance to no avail. The House GOP is being sued by DFLers and Secretary of State Steve Simon over what makes a quorum. Simon ruled 68 members but the GOP ignored that and went ahead with 67. They’ll also come in Monday because they lack the power to suspend the rules so they can be out of session for more than three consecutive days. Monday is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, a state and federal holiday. No significant action is expected and a brief meeting is likely.
New laws get a lot of attention around the time they’re passed but the follow-up is what matters, as is the case with the READ Act approved in 2023. It was a key piece of education policy to boost literacy. Elizabeth Shockman did a check-in on how it’s working so far , with experts telling her it could take three to five years to begin paying dividends via improved test scores. The act requires all Minnesota schools to train teachers in a structured literacy approach. It’s a massive undertaking and involves overhauling decades of instructional practice. And it’s just beginning to set in.
As we get to the end of a memorable week, remember that it could be worse. While the Minnesota House has been in disarray this week, with arguments over which party should lead and boycotts, it might not be the most dramatic state capitol in the country. Yesterday in Atlanta, a lawmaker tried to shove his way into the House chambers to see Gov. Brian Kemp’s State of the State address. The lawmaker was pushed to the ground and then led away in handcuffs by Georgia State Troopers after he tried to defy an order banning him from House chambers. Atlanta Journal Constitution Statehouse Reporter Greg Bluestein posted photos and video of the incident on X.
We are taking a pause to give our hardworking team a breather and time off for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. We’ll be back in your inbox on Tuesday and promise to chronicle all the drama the week has in store. | 
