Good morning. The plow has been dropped as we hit slowdown season in the Legislature. 

It’s Friday! Which means we’re one week closer to the end of session and you can listen to Politics Friday on our airwaves. Brian talks with Rep. Fue Lee, the chair of the House Capital Investment Committee, about the construction financing plan. And we’ll hear from a former member of the Senate on what Tuesday’s Senate Ethics Committee hearing may look like. You’ll also hear Ellie’s conversation with from some conservative Gen Z voters and learn how they are feeling about this year’s election and our overarching political landscape. 

Controlled substances are not involved in DFL. Sen Nicole Mitchell’s burglary case. Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald told the Star Tribune he incorrectly stated in a court filing this week that suspected controlled substances were tested as part of a felony burglary case against DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell. The erroneous disclosure further stirred up those seeking Mitchell’s ouster. McDonald said he used a boilerplate form that included language about controlled substances, but that part of the form and the language shouldn’t have been included in the court filing. “I’m sorry for the confusion I created,” he said. Meanwhile, Carol Mitchell, the stepmother whose house Sen. Mitchell is accused of breaking into in early morning hours, told KSTP-TV that she still gets goosebumps thinking about the encounter that led to the arrest.

The Minnesota House voted yesterday to approve a bill that would set new restrictions on the way firearms are stored. Dana reports that the DFL-led chamber moved the proposal along after lengthy debate. The measure has a less-certain path through the Minnesota Senate. Before adjourning after midnight Friday, the House also unanimously approved a bill ramping up penalties for swatting of public officials and straw purchases.

The proposed Equal Rights Amendment will get a hearing in the Minnesota House on Monday. DFL House Majority Leader Jamie Long said supporters of the bill in the House don’t have a firm agreement from sponsors in the Senate. But he’s still hopeful they can land on one before session adjourns. 

An encampment that had been set up at the University of Minnesota has come down after school officials agreed to meet certain conditions. The pro-Palestinian protestors had been there for about a week. They wanted the university to break off investment ties from Israeli interests or companies aiding in the military offensive in Gaza. The university agreed to take stock of its holdings and allow the students to make a case to the Board of Regents. The deal also includes leniency for students and faculty who had been arrested or who faced sanctions for violating school policies. Expect the topic to come up during debates over higher education legislation due for action today in the House, where Republicans say the university leadership caved to pressure and only enabled similar showdowns.