Good morning, and welcome to Wednesday.
Minnesota families could receive up to $2,600 in rebate checks under a state spending plan that Gov. Tim Walz outlined on Tuesday.MPR’s Dana Ferguson reports: Individuals who make up to $75,000 a year could receive a check for $1,000. For married couples, the threshold for a $2,000 rebate check is $150,000. Parents could receive an additional $200 on their rebate check for each child. The maximum benefit is $2,600 for a family. As many as 2.5 million Minnesota households are expected to receive a check if the plan is adopted. The governor rolled out the final chapter of his budget proposal, which also called for reducing the state tax on Social Security benefits for about 350,000 recipients and legalizing marijuana for recreational use.
The governor’s budget also includes an increase in the state’s capital gains tax for those making over $500,000, a payroll tax to fund a paid family and medical leave program, and increased vehicle tab fees. DFL leaders at the Capitol applauded the overall package on Tuesday but stopped short of endorsing all the details. “We value great public schools, affordable health care and an economy that works better for everyone,” House Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, said. “I commend the governor for proposing a bold budget with an inspirational vision for our future." Republicans have been saying, since projections of a $17.6 billion surplus were announced in December, that most of the money should go to cutting taxes. “Huge government growth in agencies, huge government growth in taxation. It’s very very concerning,” Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R- East Grand Forks, said Tuesday of the budget. "If we can't cut taxes now, when can we?” asked House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, adding that the governor’s proposals on public safety fall short, given concerns about violent crime.
The Duluth News Tribune reports:The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources would get $287 million in new money over the next two years to rebuild dilapidated state park buildings, boat landings and fish hatcheries under the governor’s budget. The governor's plan also calls for millions more to be invested into protecting and enhancing grassland, forests, wetlands, peatlands and waterways to help mitigate climate change. The two-year budget, which would start July 1, would pump unprecedented resources into the state’s outdoor facilities, some of which have been requested for years but have been on hold due to legislative infighting between Republicans and DFLers.
During a Washington hearing Tuesday, Sen. Amy Klobuchar questioned the leader of Live Nation about competition in concert promotions and ticketing. The hearing followed problems many fans had trying to buy tickets to see Taylor Swift later this year. MPR’s Mark Zdechlik reports that Live Nation merged with Ticketmaster more than ten years ago. Critics say the combined company has a stranglehold over the concert industry at the expense of consumers and artists. Klobuchar and other lawmakers are expressing antitrust concerns. "Today Live Nation doesn't just dominate the ticketing to about 70 percent of the big concert market, but also they own many of the major venues,” Klobuchar said. “And for the venues that they don't own, they tend to lock in on 3-5-7 year agreements, which means that the competitors that are out there aren't able to even compete." Live Nation's president told the committee that it is not putting up barriers to competition. He said one reason ticket fees are so high is that it costs a lot of money trying to stop automated purchasing operations. Republicans and Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee also debated possible action, including making tickets non-transferable to cut down on inflated resales and requiring more transparency in ticket fees. NPR has more on that hearing.
Some Minnesota DFL lawmakers hope to take action this session to further restrict so-called “forever chemicals.”MPR’s Kirsti Marohn reports: At a press conference Tuesday at the state Capitol, DFL legislators said they’ll push to ban non-essential uses of PFAS in products such as carpet, cleaning products, cosmetics and ski wax. “Right now, the bathtub is overflowing in the number of products that we have in everyday life,” said Rep. Jeff Brand, DFL-St. Peter. “We have to stop adding to the problem if we hope to turn the tide on this issue.” Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, don’t break down in the environment or the human body. Some have been linked to health effects such as cancer, kidney and thyroid problems and low birth weight.
It’s not just Biden and Trump. The Associated Press reports:Documents with classified markings were discovered in former Vice President Mike Pence's Indiana home last week , his lawyer told the National Archives in a letter — the latest in a string of discoveries of confidential information in private residences. The records "appear to be a small number of documents bearing classified markings that were inadvertently boxed and transported to the personal home of the former vice president at the end of the last administration," Pence's lawyer, Greg Jacob, wrote in the letter shared with The Associated Press. He said that Pence “engaged outside counsel, with experience in handling classified documents, to review records stored in his personal home after it became public that documents with classified markings were found in President Joe Biden's Wilmington residence.
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