Ewald at the Capitol

Second Committee Deadline

Last Friday, this Friday and next Friday mark the first, second and third committee deadlines for the Minnesota legislature. Today, committees must act favorably on bills, or companions of bills that met the first deadline in the other body. Expect a flurry of budget activity in the House next week before the third committee deadline next Friday, where committees must act favorably on major appropriation and finance bills. Gov. Walz hosted another negotiation session on Monday with leaders from the House and Senate, but they have yet to reach a deal on front-line worker bonuses or unemployment insurance.

Legislators Losing Party Endorsement

So far, four sitting legislators in the Minnesota House and Senate have lost their party endorsement for re-election.

Rep. Tony Jurgens (R – Cottage Grove) lost GOP endorsement to Tom Dippel for Senate District 4. Rep. Jurgens has yet to confirm whether he is suspending his re-election campaign.
Sen. Eric Pratt (R – Prior Lake) lost GOP endorsement to first-time candidate Natalie Barnes in SD 54. Sen. Pratt has yet to confirm whether he is suspending his re-election campaign.
Sen. Jason Isaacson (D – Shoreview) lost DFL endorsement to fellow Sen. John Marty (D – Roseville) in SD 40. Sen. Isaacson confirmed he is now suspending his re-election campaign.
Rep. John Thompson (DFL – St. Paul) lost DFL endorsement to first-time candidate Liz Lee.

Some may choose to run in a primary election later this summer, but they face a difficult road if they do. Losing party endorsement means losing resources and cash for primary campaigns and those who lose their endorsement often lose their primary elections.

Russia-Belarus Divestment Passes Senate & House Unanimously

SF3928, the bill to pull state investments and terminate state contracts with Russia and Belarus passed the Senate floor unanimously on Tuesday. This comes after the House companion passed unanimously last week. The bill now heads to the governor’s desk; he has pledged his support. The bills would direct the State Board of Investment to divest state investments from Russia and Belarus within 15 months and prohibit future investments by the board and state agencies. The value of the investments was around $53 million before the invasion of Ukraine but have dwindled to an estimated $10 million since widespread economic sanctions have weakened the Russian economy. The bill also codifies Gov. Walz’s executive order to terminate state contracts with Russia, Belarus and their entities.

ALS Bill Signed into Law

On Monday, the Senate voted unanimously to pass the bill as amended by the House. Fellow Iron Range Senator Tom Bakk read a letter written by Tomassoni before the vote, “This bill has the potential to be the beginning of eradication of an insidious disease, not for me, but for future generations. That is something we can all be proud of.” The bill dedicates $5 million to assist families with caregiving for their loved ones with ALS. The bill also appropriates $20 million in grants to research ALS detection, treatment, and assistive technology.

Wednesday, Gov. Walz signed a bill into law investing $25 million in ALS research and caregiver support program. The bill's Chief Author, Sen. David Tomassoni (DFL – Chisholm) was diagnosed with ALS last year. In the first event held in the Governor’s Reception Room since the government shutdown, a large gathering of legislators, celebrities and advocates witnessed the signing. The governor told the gathering, “By investing in ALS research and caregiver support, we are moving together toward finding a cure for this disease and better caring for Minnesotans living with ALS and their families.”

Reinsurance Extended

Thursday the legislature sent a bill to the governor extending a program that helps head off rate shocks for people in the individual health insurance market. The $700 million agreement adds three more years (with an extra two authorized but not funded) to state’s reinsurance program. Under this program, the state absorbs a portion of the most expensive claims to keep health plans from dramatically raising premiums to cover costs.

Retirements

A notable number of legislators in the Minnesota Legislature have announced they will not run for re-election in 2022. Just this week, Rep. Jen Schultz (DFL – 07A) announced retirement; she is planning to run for federal office in Minnesota’s 8th Congressional district. Here is a list of what we know as of March 31, though retirement announcements are expected to continue throughout the session.

16 House retirements
13 Senate retirements
12 House members running for the Senate
1 Senator running for the House
5 House members seeking other offices
3 Senate members seeking other offices

Resources

They Said It...

“And we need to get out of this idea that compromise is somehow a vice. It is not, it's a virtue in a democracy, it requires us to do that. And I think the national narrative around, you know, just the strict divisiveness that, you know, the other folks don't just see it differently. I feel like Minnesota still has the capacity to do that. We've passed three budgets — two major and a supplemental. We passed a historic bonding bill. We've dealt with other issues that have come up, and we need to get this done. There's some things that shouldn't be that difficult.” Gov. Tim Walz