Details are beginning to solidify about what was finalized at the end of the regular legislative session, what remains to be finalized, and what's still completely up in the air.
The budget deal struck by Gov. Tim Walz, House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka had the leaders singing their own praises yesterday, but — as is often the case — members of each chamber's minority party were less happy.
Meanwhile, Hortman is suggesting she might soon propose changes to the Legislature's longtime calendar, which sees lawmakers meet in the spring of every year, adjourn in May, and occasionally return for special sessions to deal with other business. [Read more from Brian Bakst and Tim Pugmire]
Part of the session-ending deal split up a pot of $2.8 billion of one-time federal aid, with Walz able to direct $500 million of it, and the rest distributed by lawmakers. While lawmakers finalize their budget bills in coming weeks, Walz is already rolling out initiatives including $75 million for summer school assistance, and other funds for testing and vaccination, and the Minnesota Zoo. [Read more from Brian Bakst]
Time bomb: Spending one-time money for ongoing expenses can paper over a budget, but it sets up more clashes in two years when lawmakers have to pass a new budget without this one-time aid. Even if economic growth covers some or all of the shortfall with new revenue, that still limits legislators' ability to pass future spending, and could require either spending cuts or tax increases to pass a balanced budget 2023. Of course, the governor and both houses of the Legislature will be up for election before that (with new district maps), letting both parties hope that they'll be the ones in charge when that hard decision comes.
One of the things that was agreed upon by the deadline was a deal to exempt COVID-19 unemployment benefits and business aid from state income taxes. But the exemption hasn't yet been passed into law, creating complications for affected taxpayers since Monday was the tax deadline. The Department of Revenue said it's trying to make automatic adjustments but that some people might need to file amended returns. [Read more from MinnPost's Greta Kaul]
The security fencing around the Minnesota Capitol will finally come down, one year and one day after it first went up amid the unrest following George Floyd's killing. The security fencing stayed up all year, but lawmakers in both parties now say it's time to restore normal access to the Capitol. (COVID-19 restrictions remain in place but may also be lifted soon.) [Read more from Brian Bakst]
Firebrand lawmaker Rep. Erik Mortensen has apparently been expelled from the New House Republican Caucus. Mortensen was one of five conservative, anti-establishment lawmakers in that group. The circumstances of Mortensen's departure aren't publicly known, but his allies in Action 4 Liberty attack the New House Republicans for a decision to "kick him out of their small caucus." The caucus sent a terse, one-sentence letter to Speaker Melissa Hortman that Mortensen was no longer a member effective today, and copied the House's human resources director. The caucus also updated its website and social media page to remove Mortensen's picture.
What it means: Caucuses are the main vehicle through which lawmakers get access to taxpayer-funded staff and other offices. Traditionally the Minnesota House has two caucuses: one for the DFL and one for Republicans. Recently, a small group of conservative, anti-establishment Republican lawmakers broke off from the House Republican Caucus to form the New House Republicans, with their own dedicated staff and offices. Mortensen, a first-term lawmaker, was a part of the New House Republicans until today. Unless he joins another caucus, he may no longer have access to staff for help with research and bill-writing.
Background: Mortensen has been ruffling feathers with his colleagues since he arrived in the Legislature in January, bragging about getting an "HR complaint" on his first day. [Read more from the Minnesota Reformer's Deena Winter]
Political context: Mortensen isn't representing some blood-red Republican seat. Joe Biden and Tina Smith both comfortably won his District 55A last November, and Mortensen only won his election with help from a pro-marijuana third-party candidate. [See the election results in District 55A]
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey announced a public safety plan in North Minneapolis Tuesday, but several key City Council members aren't on board. [Read more from the Star Tribune's Rochelle Olson]
Most families with children will start getting monthly checks from the government in July, up to $300 per child. It's part of a temporary expansion of the existing child tax credit included in the recent $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan. [Read more from NPR's Vanessa Romo]
Cube roots: In most state legislatures and democratic parliaments, the number of members tends to be roughly equal to the cube root of the state's population. For example, Minnesota has 5.7 million people; the cube root of that is around 179. That's a little below the 201-person size of the Minnesota Legislature. But then there are some outliers, like New Hampshire (with 424 members and a cube-root population of 111) or California (with 120 members and a cube-root population of 340).
Of course, Minnesota has had 201 legislators for a long time. In 1970, its population of 3.8 million would have suggested a 156-person legislature, more significantly below its 201-person size.
Something completely different: Yesterday, I tweeted out a question: what is the most important 25- to 35-year period in world history? Read the whole thread here, but among the suggestions:
1914-1945: The two World Wars, the reshaping of the map of Europe, the Russian Revolution, the Great Depression, the foundations for the Cold War and decolonization, nuclear fission, consumer advances in areas like flight, motor vehicles, telephones and cinema.
1789-1815: The French Revolution, Napoleon, the drastic modernization of many European governments, the unleashing of European nationalism, the U.S. Constitution, Haitian Revolution, expanding colonization and the groundwork for British hegemony .
1492-1530: The start of the Columbian Exchange, with world-shaking impacts everywhere. Widespread use of the printing press in Europe. Martin Luther and the start of the Protestant Reformation.
221 BCE to 183 BCE: Rome defeats Carthage in the Second Punic War, then the Macedonian and Seleucid Empires in subsequent wars, establishing hegemony over the Mediterranean that will last 700 years. In China, the first imperial dynasty, the Qin, forms, then collapses, and is replaced by the durable Han Dynasty.
1989-present: Obviously it's hard, even nigh impossible, to fairly judge the historical importance of recent events. But certainly the collapse of the Soviet Union/end of the Cold War, the Sept. 11 attacks, the 2000 and 2008 economic collapses, the Arab Spring and more are all events worthy of consideration.
Lots of other great suggestions at the main thread!
Listen: Perhaps the anthem of the past 14 months of so has been The Mountain Goats' 2005 song, "This Year," not so much for its lyrics about youthful miscreance but for its anthemic chorus: "I'm gonna make it through this year, if it kills me." [Watch]
