Good morning and happy Tuesday. 

A proposed club that would make it easier for Minnesota lawmakers and lobbyists to privately mingle is unlikely to go forward. State campaign regulators gave conditional advice last month that would seem to allow for the club to be established. The entity that sought the opinion remained private, but the Minnesota Reformer reported last week that Senate Republicans were seeking the clearance. Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller distanced his caucus from the idea during an interview with MPR News Monday.  “I'm not familiar with the advisory opinion,” Miller said. “I have not read it, and we don't have any plans to pursue any sort of club like that through the Senate Republicans.”  Under the campaign finance board opinion, dues would be regarded as donations. Government watchdogs have warned that the concept would allow for undue influence and create too cozy of a relationship between lobbyists and elected officials. 

Miller also confirmed that he spoke on the phone with Gov. Tim Walz on Friday and that Walz did not tell him he planned to send a public proposal for a special session or mention that he was going on an overseas trade mission. Miller also expressed a willingness to hold a special session on frontline worker pay.  He didn’t rule out a vote on the confirmation of Health Commissioner Jan Malcolm, whom he said he has never met. Miller said he would reach out to Malcolm. “I'm gonna keep trying to make progress with the governor and hope that he starts working together with the legislature toward positive solutions,” Miller said. “I'm going to reach out to Commissioner Malcolm, we're going to try to make some progress there. I'm committed, Senate Republicans are committed to working together to get good things done.” Walz has said he won’t call a special session without an agreed-upon agenda that also leaves his cabinet intact.

As I mentioned yesterday, DFL Attorney General Keith Ellison announced a run for a second term.MPR’s Tim Pugmire has the story : Ellison said he wants another four-year term to continue fighting for fairness in wages, drug prices, housing costs and other areas of the economy. During a remote campaign announcement, Ellison said his goal remains to help people afford their lives.“We’ve done a lot. We’ve done all we can, and we’re going to do more,” Ellison said. “But that’s why I’m running for re-election, to continue this fight for people all over the state of Minnesota.” Ellison is the first Black Attorney General and the first Muslim elected to statewide office in Minnesota. He previously served a dozen years in Congress representing Minneapolis and the rest of Minnesota’s 5th District. 

State law enforcement officers are getting body cameras.MPR’s Brian Bakst has the story : More than 600 state troopers will be assigned the cameras to record hundreds of thousands of annual interactions with the public – from traffic stops to semi-truck inspections to civil disturbances.  So will almost 200 DNR conservation officers along with hundreds more Capitol Security officers, BCA agents and other state-level law enforcement. In all 1,100 cameras are on order – slightly more than the number of officers who will wear them to keep some spares on hand. Under a directive from Gov. Tim Walz, which will be reflected across the agency policies, the footage from the state officer cameras will be subject to a more formalized release process than has covered local police departments.

A date has been set for that recount for a Minneapolis City Council seat . It’s Friday, reports MPR’s Jon Collins:  Candidate Yusra Arab lost the 2nd Ward race to Democratic Socialists of America candidate Robin Wonsley Worlobah by just 19 votes in the final round of ballots. The Green Party's Cam Gordon came in third. He'd represented the ward since 2006.  The results from the recount will be presented to the city's Municipal Canvassing Board for acceptance.  Arab has said she wants to make sure that all votes are counted. Wonsley Worlobah has said she is confident of her win.  

Anoka has banned hopscotch, along with any writing with chalk that the city doesn't like on city property.  Tim Harlow of the Star Tribune has the story: The ordinance regulates flags, murals, memorials, banners and even chalk art displayed on buildings, light posts, flagpoles, streets and sidewalks, parks and other city infrastructure. It's designed to allow the city to protect and maintain aesthetics of city-owned property. Only items that illustrate "governmental expression of the city of Anoka" will be allowed. Displays, memorials or artwork commissioned or solicited and approved by the city and those that celebrate and portray Anoka in a positive fashion also are OK...The issue of chalk art dominated the discussion at the Nov. 1 meeting where the ordinance was passed 4-1. Council Member Erik Skogquist, who cast the dissenting vote, said he agreed with 95 percent of the ordinance but was concerned about its far-reaching impact. "I don't want to make it illegal for a kid to draw on the sidewalk with chalk, which is what we are saying," he said. "I am not OK with that."