Good morning, and welcome to the Monday before Thanksgiving.
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy said Sunday he would strip DFL Rep. Ilhan Omar’s committee assignments if he's elected speaker in January. Omar, who represents Minnesota’s 5th District, is on the House Foreign Affairs Committee and the House Education and Labor Committee. During an appearance on Fox News on Sunday , McCarthy accused Omar of anti-semitism and said that was the reason he would make the move. Omar responded by saying McCarthy's comments are the latest example of the "fear, xenophobia, Islamophobia and racism," Republicans have used to target her since was elected.“At the same time, they have openly tolerated antisemitism, anti-Muslim hate and racism in their own party,” Omar said in a press release, noting the divisive discourse has led to “hundreds of death threats and credible plots against me and my family. Republicans will have a narrow majority in the House of Representatives in January and McCarthy is their nominee to be the speaker. A vote by the entire House in the next Congress would be required to strip Omar of any committee assignments.
Truth-in-taxation notices are starting to show up in homeowners’ mailboxes in Minnesota. MPR’s Brian Bakst reports that preliminary numbers compiled by the Minnesota Department of Revenue show that property tax levies statewide will rise by 6.1 percent at most. It’s the maximum because truth-in-taxation hearings could knock down the locally-set levy levels. Cities are proposing levy increases of 9 percent in total, aiming to bring in more than $3.2 billion. That’s $268 million above this year’s level. Counties have proposed boosting their overall levies by about 5 percent for a projected revenue increase of $175 million over this year. Township and special taxing districts also have bumps on the table. Local officials have cited rising costs of delivering services due to inflation pressures and pricier labor. The nearly 7 percent levy increases by schools are a result of successful ballot measures in various districts in November.
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison says school officials can’t offer “alternate” meals to students with unpaid lunch debt and must serve them the same food as other students.Inforum reports Ellison’s legal opinion is based on a 2021 law designed to prohibit what’s called “lunch shaming.” The Minnesota Department of Education on Friday said it ordered all school districts to create a plan to provide all students with the same meals regardless of lunch debt status. Education Commissioner Heather Mueller applauded the opinion in an announcement of her department’s new policy. She had requested Ellison to issue an opinion after advocates identified school districts with alternative meal policies. “Every student deserves to be treated with dignity and fed while they’re at school,” she said in a statement. “Differential treatment, lunch shaming or otherwise demeaning or stigmatizing the student for unpaid meal balances must not continue. We will continue to work to ensure all schools have the resources so all children have access to free meals while at school.”
As inflation squeezes family budgets, there's a sharp increase in demand for food assistance. MPR’s Dan Gunderson reports across the upper Midwest organizations that provide help are feeling the budget pinch of greater need, and the rising cost of food. Food shelf visits in the state have topped three million each year for more than a decade. Inflation is forcing more people to look for supplemental food sources, but the end of a range of federal pandemic aid programs is also contributing to the surge in food insecurity.
Legally purchased guns are increasingly being traced to crimes, reports the Star Tribune. Often the guns are stolen, the paper reports: Legally bought firearms are showing up at crime scenes in Minnesota — and nationally — faster than ever, in part a reflection of a more concerted effort by law enforcement to trace guns used in crimes back to those who, in some cases, helped deliver them to the shooters. "These are not the people who pulled the trigger, but the trigger doesn't get pulled without them," said U.S. Attorney Andrew Luger, who chairs a violent crime committee of top federal prosecutors around the country. Luger, who started his second term vowing to make violent crime and gun cases a top priority, said in an interview last week that he believed his office will now bring forward more cases against people who buy firearms for those banned from owning them — often referred to as "straw purchasers" — "than ever before." Recent federal straw purchasing cases have been linked to high-profile fatal shootings from around the metro in the past year. Federal law enforcement leaders also remain concerned about stolen firearms later being used in violent crimes.
MinnPost has a look at some of the newly-elected Minnesota senators and what they hope to do: One newly elected DFL state senator beat her opponent in the east metro by just 321 votes. Another squeaked by a well-known GOP rival endorsed by an influential Iron Range lawmaker. A third held a district including Moorhead many thought would flip to the GOP. And another suburban Democrat was the only one to oust a Republican incumbent senator. The DFL owes its new one-vote majority in the state Senate and its narrow control of Minnesota government to just a handful of candidates who won close elections last week. And when the Legislature convenes in January, those newly elected lawmakers will be critical to the party’s agenda, because the DFL will need to band together to pass most major legislation.
The DFL majorities in the Minnesota House and Senate named the chairs of their committees for the new session which starts in January. “Our committee chairs and our caucus reflect the diversity of Minnesota and represent the entire state — from rural communities to the suburbs to Minneapolis and St. Paul, said House Speaker Melissa Hortman in a statement listing the House chairs. ”We are ready to work hard, work together, and work quickly to meet the needs of Minnesotans.” In the Senate, incoming DFL Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic said the Senate committee structure will consist of 20 committees chaired by 20 members from the majority DFL Caucus. “The new Senate DFL majority has created a committee structure for the 2023 session that will allow the Senate to do the work that Minnesotans elected us to do," Dziedzic said . "Each committee will be led by a strong member of the DFL Majority, who will serve as chair as we press to achieve the important priorities of families and communities across our state." Here’s the Senate lineup: Agriculture and Rural Development Committee: Chair: Sen. Aric Putnam (St. Cloud) Housing Committee; Chair: Sen. Lindsey Port (Burnsville) Capital Investment Committee; Chair: Sen. Sandy Pappas (St. Paul) Commerce and Consumer Protection Committee; Chair: Sen. Matt Klein (Mendota Heights) Education Finance Committee; Chair: Sen. Mary Kunesh (New Brighton) Education Policy Committee; Chair: Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (Eden Prairie) Elections Committee; Chair: Sen. Jim Carlson (Eagan) Energy, Utilities, Environment and Climate Committee; Chair: Sen. Nick Frentz (North Mankato) Labor Committee; Chair: Sen. Jennifer McEwen (Duluth) Finance Committee; Chair: Sen. John Marty (Roseville) Health and Human Services Committee; Chair: Sen. Melissa Wiklund (Bloomington) Human Services Committee; Chair: Sen. John Hoffman (Champlin) Jobs and Economic Development Committee; Chair: Sen. Bobby Joe Champion (Minneapolis) Higher Education; Chair: Sen. Omar Fateh (Minneapolis) Judiciary and Public Safety Committee; Chair: Sen. Ron Latz (St. Louis Park) Legacy and Natural Resources Committee; Chair: Sen. Foung Hawj (St. Paul) Rules and Administration Committee; Chair: Sen. Kari Dziedzic (Minneapolis) State and Local Government and Veterans Committee; Chair: Sen. Erin Murphy (St. Paul) Taxes Committee; Chair: Sen. Ann Rest (New Hope) Transportation Committee; Chair: Sen. Scott Dibble (Minneapolis) Tell MPR News: What do you hope lawmakers accomplish this session? | 