Good morning. Somebody who helped start this morning news digest, back when it was called Polinaut, turns 5-0 today! (Last name rhymes with "heck")
Among the batch of new laws that took effect on Jan. 1 are a slate of renter protections. MPR’s Mark Zdechlik writes here about the changes . Some highlights: Landlords must provide renters with 14 days notice of eviction filings. They must also give tenants a 24-hour notice before entering the property they rent out. Landlords must clearly disclose mandatory fees in rental advertising and on page one of all leases. The rules also entitle residents to a minimum thermostat temperature of 68 degrees during cold-weather months. The lawmakers who helped usher them in held a news conference yesterday alongside Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, who said, “Renters should feel confident in predicting their monthly expenses, their ability to maintain their space and that the heat and water will turn on each day.”
Minnesota’s paid family and medical leave program is still two years from going live, but the infrastructure is being put into place now. This week, Minnesota’s Office of Information Technology put out a call for a tech provider to sign a multi-year contract to help build out an employer leave administrator portal, as well as what they’re calling the “orchestration layer” that will be the “brain” for this aspect of the paid leave management system. It’s a big and important endeavor given that the program is slated to provide leave benefits to more than 2.5 million Minnesota workers. The Department of Employment and Economic Development is the lead agency for the leave buildout, but the IT agency will also have a large hand in it. Prospective vendor proposals are due Feb. 1.
A fourth House DFL lawmaker has announced that he'll hang it up after 2024. Rep. Michael Nelson, of Brooklyn Park, announced yesterday that he isn’t seeking re-election this fall. Nelson said he was ready to pass the torch after more than two decades in the Legislature. He currently chairs the House Labor Committee and has previously led the Government Operations Committee and State Government Finance and Elections Committee. He is the sixth House member to announce plans to leave after the current term, including three other DFLers and two Republicans. All 134 House seats are up next year.
Former President Donald Trump is reveling in the endorsements he’s getting from elected officials who he’s bedeviled. Paging, Tom Emmer. The New York Times has a story on the unflinching hold Trump continues to have over the GOP and the hesitation some leaders of the party have about crossing the Republican presidential race frontrunner. Of Emmer, whose House speakership bid was sunk following criticism by Trump, the Times has this quote: “They always bend the knee,” Trump said privately of Mr. Emmer’s endorsement, according to a person who spoke to him.
Rep. Dean Phillips faces a campaign finance complaint tied to his run for president. In the complaint filed Tuesday , a group called the Campaign for Accountability alleged that the presidential campaign of Phillips illegally coordinated with a Super PAC called Pass the Torch. The Super PAC was set up by Phillip’s former campaign adviser Steve Schmidt. The complaint alleges that Pass the Torch has spent over $450,000 on communications advocating for the election of Dean Phillips. Super PACs (or independent expenditure-only committees) are prohibited from making contributions to candidates and their authorized committees. The Phillips campaign told the Star Tribune the complaint was “baseless” and said it does not cite a “single specific example of coordination.”
A Minnesota state agency responsible for the state’s clean energy transition is increasing its staff by nearly two-thirds.Energy News Network reports the Minnesota Department of Commerce’s Division of Energy Resources has added an additional 64 new positions to its staff of 90. This agency is responsible for some of the state’s clean energy transition programs, funded in part through new state and federal legislation. One notable hire is Pete Wyckoff, U.S. Sen. Tina Smith’s former senior policy advisor for energy, climate and environment. The Washington Post included him in a list of six congressional staffers from 2022 “who have played a big role in crafting and negotiating climate policy this year.”
A cosmic story to start off your day. Thousands of people have been participating in a trend on TikTok where they share out of this world connections and coincidences — often with people who have passed. Becky Gilbert from Minneapolis posted a viral video sharing a story of a tattoo she got to honor her late grandmother. Gilbert had decided to get a tattoo of her grandmother Jean’s beloved car - a green Subaru Forester. She booked an appointment with a tattoo artist she found on Instagram. When she arrived at the appointment, a green Subaru Forester was parked outside. Listen to Minnesota Now’s Ellen Finn to hear what happened next. It’ll give you tingles. | 