MPR News PM Update
June 23, 2021

We'll see increasing clouds in the forecast tonight with a chance of thunderstorms. Lows in the mid-50s to lower 60s north, to lower 70s south. There's a continued chance for more showers and thunderstorms Friday and through this coming weekend, with high temperatures remaining in the 70s and 80s. Find the latest on Updraft.

Major pieces of the next state budget are starting to fall into place at the Capitol, as lawmakers work to hammer out an agreement by the middle of next week to avoid a government shutdown.

Republican and Democratic leaders have reached a massive accord to fund schools in the state.

The bipartisan agreement will put about one billion dollars more into schools over the next four years. Republican Roger Chamberlain of Lino Lakes, who chairs the senate education committee, says the per-student funding formula will rise 2.5 percent for the coming year and 2 percent the year after.

Democratic leaders say they hope the boost will help avert teacher layoffs that some districts were planning because of the pandemic.

Lawmakers have also agreed to a $250 million bonus program for Minnesotans who worked on the front lines during the COVID-19 pandemic.

House Speaker Melissa Hortman, a Democrat from Brooklyn Park, says a panel of nine people will decide by Labor Day how to divvy up the funding. She says seven of the nine panel members would have to agree on who should get money.

Known, active COVID-19 cases in the state have dropped below 900. On May 1, Minnesota had more than 15,000 active cases. Hospitalizations are also way down.

The only downside in the data is that the vaccination rate continues to sputter. It will now likely be mid-August before the state reaches its goal of getting at least one shot into 70 percent of residents 16 and older.

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