Good morning and happy Tuesday. 

The Minnesota Senate passed a paid family and medical plan Monday by a party line vote of 34-33, with all Democrats in favor and all Republicans opposed. MPR’s Brian Bakst and Dana Ferguson report sponsors changed the bill before the final vote to give some employers slightly more flexibility in crafting plans while still assuring workers time off during major life events. The bill is a key priority of legislative Democrats; a version narrowly passed in the House last week. If a final measure is approved within the next few weeks, the partial wage replacement structure would take a few years to get into place. It relies on a payroll tax on employers and employees, similar to other paycheck withholdings.

Some of the things said during the debate: Bill sponsor Sen. Alice Mann, DFL, Edina:  “I mean, how dare you have a life outside of your employer? And we say these things as if leave doesn't already exist. This bill does not create a need for leave. It simply changes the way that we treat people when they take a very necessary leave from work.”  Sen. Julia Coleman, R-Waconia: “While we believe expanding access to paid family leave, is the right thing to do, we don't believe that the Democrats' one-size-fits-all mandate, a new tax, billions in spending and a massive new government bureaucracy that will crush our small businesses, hurt our teacher shortage issue and make life for Minnesota even tougher is the right way to go about it.” Gov. Tim Walz (on Twitter): “Paid family and medical leave will make it a whole lot easier to raise a child or care for a relative without losing a paycheck. When the bill reaches my desk, I’m ready to sign it into law — and show the country what it takes to be a state that works for everyone.”

The University of Minnesota Board of Regents on Monday picked former Hormel Foods CEO Jeff Ettinger to serve as interim president. MPR’s Matt Sepic reports that Ettinger is expected to lead the U on a temporary basis while the Board of Regents searches for a new permanent president. The board looked for candidates for an interim who would not seek the position permanently. Ten of the 12 board members voted for Ettinger, including Regent Mary Davenport. “Ettinger is somebody from the outside, from a different point of view, a different walk in life who comes into higher education with some base knowledge, but brings something bigger,” Davenport said. Ettinger, who has a law degree, had the least amount of academic experience of the four finalists. He told the board that his experience leading Hormel will translate well to the university. ”We had over 20,000 employees and an annual budget of over $9 billion, which are not far off from where the university's numbers are in that regard. I dealt with sensitive personnel matters. I've had lots of experience talking with the media of all different types.”

Some families would get free Minnesota college tuition under an agreement at the Capitol. The Star Tribune reports: Democratic legislative negotiators reached a higher education spending deal Monday night that would create a free college tuition program for Minnesota residents whose families earn less than $80,000 a year. If passed by the state House and Senate, qualifying Minnesotans would no longer have to take on debt to get a public college degree. Members of the Legislature's higher education budget conference committee will detail the agreement during a hearing Tuesday afternoon. "We've been seeing declining enrollment on all campuses," said Senate Higher Education Committee Chair Omar Fateh, DFL-Minneapolis. "If we don't do something quick, we're at risk of shutting down some campuses. … I see this bill as an enrollment driver." House Higher Education Committee Chair Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, said the proposed free-college program could help alleviate the state's labor shortage. "This is the type of thing that we need to do to ensure that we have a skilled labor workforce that can get into that workforce and not have to incur debt," Pelowski said.

A $1 billion plan designed to address housing shortages is near a final vote at the Capitol. The Pioneer Press reports: With a 70-61 vote, the Minnesota House approved a conference committee report Monday that will spend $1 billion of the state’s $17.5 billion budget surplus on affordable housing programs. The legislation includes a 0.25 percent sales tax increase for the seven-county metro to generate about $190 million annually for housing projects. The Senate still needs to sign off. After it does the bill heads to Gov. Tim Walz for his signature. Rep. Michael Howard, DFL-Richfield, the main sponsor of the bill, noted that stable housing is an integral part of people’s lives and impacts health, education and work. “All roads truly lead back to home,” Howard said. “This bill truly is historic and will make such a difference.” 

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