Good morning, and welcome to another Monday.
Minnesota legislators are getting a pay raise. MPR’s Dana Ferguson reports: Minnesota lawmakers are set to get a 7.25 percent pay hike starting this summer under a proposal approved Friday by an independent panel. Members of the Minnesota Legislative Salary Council voted unanimously to increase salaries from totals last set in 2021, noting that inflation has since ballooned and lawmaker pay hasn't kept pace. Legislator salaries now sit at $51,750. Annually, that’ll mean about a $3,500 increase from their current rate. Per diem, health insurance and retirement benefits aren't factored into that total. Overall, costs will increase about $894,000 a year for taxpayers. Members of the panel said they wanted to raise legislator pay to attract more candidates and to keep sitting legislators interested in running again. But they also raised concerns about boosting pay higher than a rate that taxpayers would accept. Initially they discussed increases of 8 or 9 percent compared to current levels. But that pitch was ultimately trimmed down.
The debate over taxes is underway at the Minnesota Capitol. MPR’s Brian Bakst has a look: The legislative session will almost certainly produce tax reductions of some kind. DFL Gov. Tim Walz and party leaders in the Legislature all say they’ll include tax relief in the final agreement on a two-year budget. “There will be tax cuts,” said Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic, DFL-Minneapolis. “That money does need to start making its way back to Minnesotans,” House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, said of the surplus. The debate comes down to who will get the tax breaks and how much. A few proposals appear to have the most traction. There is considerable interest among top legislative DFLers to offer extra dependent credits for low-to-middle income families, particularly those with young children. The argument is it would help offset child care expenses. Credits might be higher for children younger than five but there would be some allowance for those up to age 17. Walz is back with another rebate proposal to provide tax givebacks of up to $2,600 per family making $150,000 or less in taxable income, with lesser amounts for single filers making $75,000 and below. His administration estimates that nearly 2.6 million households would share in about $3.9 billion in rebates. He’s had trouble getting DFL lawmakers to bite, but he’s found allies in Republican lawmakers who favor a rebate-style proposal. Also high on the list are broader exemptions around income from Social Security benefits. All of the major Capitol players are pushing some version of that.
That proposal at the Capitol to legalize marijuana is going to get rewritten this week. Peter Callaghan from MinnPost reports: “You’re seeing the cannabis bill being rewritten in real time, committee-by-committee, which is what people have been asking for, to not do things in the dark of night,” said Rep. Zack Stephenson, the Coon Rapids DFLer who is the sponsor of House File 100. He acknowledged significant issues surrounding hemp products, and he and Senate lead Lindsey Port, DFL-Burnsville, “are very close” to revisions. “We have a lot of great hemp businesses out there that are doing great things, and we do not want to shut them down,” Stephenson said. Port said Thursday she has a draft of a lengthy amendment and hopes to discuss it next week when her bill — Senate File 73 — is before the Senate State and Local Government committee. It can’t come soon enough for businesses making and selling low-potency hemp-derived edibles and beverages boosted by last year’s legalization. Many in the industry are spooked by how the bills so far treat their businesses.
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey and his wife are speaking out against death threats they have been receiving. They told Dave Orrick of the Star Tribune the threats and vandalism, which lately have come from left-wing extremists and often target their home where they live with their 2-year-old daughter, have gone beyond any acceptable bounds of what a political family should expect, reaching deep into their private personal lives, even whether they should try for a second child, the couple said in an interview. They emphasized that they believe the vitriol, which has come from far-right extremists as well, is emanating from a small number of people. They decided to speak publicly about it because they want to see stronger condemnation from leaders across the political spectrum — because it's taking its toll not just on his family but on colleagues. "Taking a position against this kind of thing should not be hard," Frey said. "It should be a prerequisite for entering public service. Part of what we uphold is the institution of democracy. This is an attack on our ability to exercise democracy. On more than one occasion, I've known public officials to change their positions out of fear for themselves or their family."
Sen. Torrey Westrom, R-Alexandria, was hospitalized after a snowmobile accident Sunday. A statement from Senate Republicans said Westrom was a passenger on a snowmobile driven by a relative that struck an ice chunk left from a fish house. Westrom fell off the machine and was hurt. The driver was not injured. Emergency responders took Westrom to the hospital. He thanked first responders for their fast response and their care.
Tell MPR News: What do you hope lawmakers accomplish this session? | 
