Good morning and welcome to another hard-earned Friday. Happy St. Patrick's Day.
Today on the radio I’ll be talking about the marijuana legislation moving at the Capitol with Rep. Zack Stephenson and Rep. Kristin Robbins and the bill to provide school meals to all students with Rep. Sydney Jordan and Sen. Heather Gustafson. The governor plans to sign that bill this afternoon. Tune in to MPR News at noon.
Republicans in the Minnesota Senate Thursday voted down a $1.5 billion capital investment bill, arguing that it should be tied to tax cuts. MPR’s Dana Ferguson reports the move sent Democrats, who hold a narrow majority in the chamber, back to the drawing board, and it irked local leaders and labor groups who’ve waited three years for lawmakers to approve a capital investment bill. Republican support was needed because the threshold for passing the bill is higher than usual — a three-fifths majority — because it would incur debt by issuing bonds to pay for construction projects. And GOP lawmakers exerted their unique leverage to stall out the proposal, at least for the moment. “We want to help you. Senate Republicans want to get these projects done in the state of Minnesota. We had one simple request,” Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson, R-East Grand Forks, said. “Let's get this done. But let's ensure Minnesotans are taken care of as well, make sure that they have tax relief.” Capital Investment Chair Sandra Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, said her committee would now pivot to a cash-only bill. Because it wouldn’t use bonds, it would not require GOP support to pass. And Pappas hinted that Republicans might not get projects in their districts included in a cash-only bill. “It's going to be very difficult to replace the $1.5 billion in bonds, and fund all these projects that are in these two bills for all of our communities all over the state,” Pappas said. “And frankly, it breaks my heart. I have heard these bills, I have visited these communities. I know how desperate they are for assistance from the state. I know they can't afford it.”
Gov. Tim Walz tweaked his state budget proposal Thursday to add funding for replacing lead water pipes, local public safety expenses and a new tax credit to encourage electric-vehicle purchases. MPR’s Brian Bakst reports: The adjustments came after a revised economic forecast in late February predicted state leaders would have slightly more money to work with as they set the next two-year budget. Walz didn’t move away from key elements of the package he announced earlier in the year, which called for a nearly $4 billion tax rebate, substantial increases in education spending and big changes to climate and health policy. Walz requested $250 million more be sent to local and tribal governments to use for public safety expenses, bringing the total increase he wants to $550 million. The DFL governor said it will leave a lot of decisions to local leaders on how to address specific public safety needs. “Minnesotans’ expectations around public safety are high and need to remain high. Minnesota has traditionally and will continue to be one of the safest states in the country,” he said at a news conference. “But as we've seen upticks in crime, especially crimes on person, there's a need to make sure we're reinvesting.” A newer feature in the Walz plan is $240 million for programs to replace lead service lines connected to drinking water supplies. The money would supplement newly authorized federal funds. The state dollars would go toward local grants where lead lines are being dug up, disposed of and replaced.
The nuclear power plant in Monticello leaked 400,000 gallons of water contaminated with radioactive tritium, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency and Xcel Energy revealed Thursday. MPR’s Matt Sepic reports the leak was stopped and the company is monitoring the groundwater plume through two dozen wells. Xcel Energy is also pumping contaminated groundwater through extraction wells. The pumped water is being stored and some is being reused on site, the MPCA said, adding that there is no evidence at this time to indicate a risk to any drinking water wells in the vicinity of the plant. Though both state and federal regulators knew about the leak around the time Xcel staff discovered it, state officials did not inform the public about it for nearly four months. The NRC’s November public notice was not in a news release, though it can be seen online at the bottom of a list of “non-emergency” event notification reports. Both state and company officials said they did not notify the public when the incident occurred because the tritiated water was not moving toward toward drinking water wells and did not pose a danger to people near the plant. “If at any time, we had felt that there was any threat to Minnesotans, their health or their safety, we would have notified people immediately,” said assistant Minnesota Health Commissioner Dan Huff.
Gov. Walz signed a couple of bills Thursday. One targets people who steal, sell or buy catalytic converters. Under the law, only registered scrap metal dealers are authorized to buy the emissions devices. It also increases the penalty for illegal possession or sale of catalytic converters. The other bill signed by Walz puts protections in state law for Native American families. The Supreme Court is considering a case that could overturn the federal law that aims to keep Native children with Native families. Minnesota lawmakers moved to codify the provisions in state law in an effort to help Indigenous kids maintain their culture. The measure had broad bipartisan support.
Vowing that Minneapolis will be ready “the next time something goes down,” Mayor Jacob Frey trumpeted the progress he said city departments have made to address deficiencies in their response to civil unrest since George Floyd was murdered by a police officer in 2020. MPR’s Jon Collins reports that of 27 recommendations identified in an after-action report released last year, Frey said city departments have fully addressed 17. Some of the most important changes, Frey said, have been tied to the “reset” of the city’s National Incident Management System planning, which is intended to coordinate emergency responses. Frey said the changes are being made through training, exercises and a capstone course he expects to launch by 2024. “This is about learning from our mistakes, this is about how we’re prepared when an emergency strikes,” Frey said. “This is making sure that the channels of communication and direction are live and open from the very beginning, so no matter what happens, we as a city are ready.”
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