Author: MinnPost

As Minnesota Democrats move quickly to adopt a bill that would cement the right to an abortion in state law, Republicans have accused them of allowing late-term abortions, up until the moment of birth. It’s an argument the DFL has painted as hyperbolic and misleading. Democrats say the Protect Reproductive Options Act — or PRO Act — only reinforces existing standards in the 1995 Minnesota Supreme Court ruling that established abortion rights and does not address time limits for the procedure. State data also suggests late-term abortions are rare. The Minnesota Department of Health reported one abortion after 24 weeks of gestation in 2021…

The bill legalizing marijuana in Minnesota is 243 pages plus appendices. While it relies on a dozen existing state agencies, it also creates a new one with sweeping authority and perhaps unrealizable marching orders. It would make Minnesota the 22nd state to go down this path since the first ones acted a decade ago. And, according to its sponsors, it is likely to pass before this Legislature adjourns in May. It is House File 100 and here is a walk-through of its provisions as introduced earlier this month. When could the program take effect? That is the most-asked question from those interested…

Minnesota may have a staggeringly-large $17.6 billion budget surplus this year, but as the first week of the 2023 legislative session draws to a close, the biggest and most controversial issue in front of lawmakers so far has been abortion. Top DFL leaders say moving fast to cement abortion access in state law — as a backstop to a 1995 state Supreme Court ruling establishing rights in the Minnesota Constitution — is a top priority for the nascent Legislature, showing urgency driven less by any sort of deadline than a desire to capitalize on an issue Democrats believe is the…

DFL Gov. Tim Walz was sworn in for a second term on Monday, and the Minnesota Legislature will hold swearing-in ceremonies and gavel into session on Tuesday afternoon. Here are seven things to keep an eye on as the 2023 session of the Minnesota Legislature convenes. A surprising DFL trifecta will take power for the first time in a decade. But that has both positives and negatives for Walz and legislative leaders. Will anything pass early? It is one of the great clichés of the Minnesota Legislature that certain issues can pass in the opening weeks and provide “early wins.”…

The state agency that is the closest thing to a regulator of newly legal hemp-based edibles wants out of the business. The state Board of Pharmacy, a small agency not often in the news, repeated Monday that it lacks the people, the budget and the expertise to regulate the manufacturing and sale of hemp edibles – gummies, vapes and seltzers included. Without licensing or taxation, the small board with just five inspectors doesn’t even know the size or scope of the business it is charged with overseeing. “We’re limited in what we can do,” board executive director Jill Phillips. “These are…

The Minnesota revenue surplus is now $17.6 billion. That’s a lot for a state that spends about $2.16 billion a month and sets up Gov. Tim Walz and the DFL-controlled Legislature to increase spending and reduce taxes. “Strong collections and lower-than-projected spending add to the fiscal year 22-23 surplus,” Minnesota Management and Budget reported Tuesday morning. “Economic headwinds lower expected growth but (a) large leftover surplus and healthy net revenues in fiscal years 24-25 create estimated $17.6 billion available for (the) budget.” Prior to this update, the state was officially sitting on a $12 billion surplus for the final six…

In Gov. Tim Walz’s first term, DFLers in Minnesota produced lots of official reports on climate change and had plenty of grand plans meant to address the issue. But nearly all of those proposals stalled in the Republican-held Senate, or failed to even pass the DFL-led House. With the Legislature now fully in Democratic hands after the November election, leaders are promising an ambitious climate agenda aimed at shrinking carbon emissions. “Because of the rising awareness of climate change I think there’s more momentum than ever,” said Sen. Nick Frentz, a DFLer from North Mankato who will chair the Senate’s Energy, Utilities…

WASHINGTON — Gov. Tim Walz has made a last-minute pitch for Minnesota to become an early primary state as a key panel of the Democratic National Committee is set to make recommendations on a new presidential primary calendar later this week. In a letter sent Monday to the DNC’s Rules and Bylaws Committee, Walz, Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Majority Leader-elect Kari Dziedzic said the DFL’s electoral victories in this month’s elections guarantee the state can move up the date of its presidential primary. “We are now writing to inform the Committee that if Minnesota is chosen as an…

Minnesota Republicans were confident that their campaign message would reverse recent trends toward the DFL in the vote-rich but swingy suburbs. Gas prices and a fear of crime flowing out of the cities would be enough to overcome concerns that the June overturning of Roe v. Wade in a case known as Dobbs put abortion rights at risk. “When you can’t afford to buy your kids soccer shoes, that becomes a top priority,” said Stillwater Sen. Karin Housley, who co-chaired the Senate GOP campaign committee. “The public is much more concerned about public safety and affording their lives.” Of abortion, Housley said…

Voters in Hennepin County chose Mary Moriarty as their next county attorney by a wide margin Tuesday night, handing her a nearly 16 percentage point victory over opponent Martha Holton Dimick. The race was an early call in a night of slow results around the state. Moriarty declared victory in a speech around 9:40 p.m., entering her election night watch party at a downtown Minneapolis restaurant to dozens of supporters chanting her name. In her victory speech, Moriarty said that in the aftermath of Floyd’s murder, the focus needs to be on examining how the legal system has failed many.…