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Week in Review: April 6-10

By Lisa Kaczke
House Speaker Lisa Demuth visits with the week’s high school pages at the rostrum in the House Chamber April 9. (Photo by Andrew VonBank)
House Speaker Lisa Demuth visits with the week’s high school pages at the rostrum in the House Chamber April 9. (Photo by Andrew VonBank)

With the Easter/Passover break and the first two bill deadlines in the rearview mirror, the House returned Tuesday for its final six weeks — or less — of session. The Legislature must complete its work by May 18.

Some committees opted to meet fewer times this week, but agendas were full.

Work started on a potential rescue plan for the Hennepin County Medical Center when the House Taxes Committee heard HF4841 amid a capacity crowd. In part, the bill would channel some proceeds from a Hennepin County sales tax earmarked for public infrastructure at Target Field to grants for the medical center and two North Memorial Health hospitals.

Outside the committees, House DFL and Republicans filed ethics complaints against each other’s members and House Republicans announced a budget proposal, several initiatives of which failed to garner DFL support on the floor Thursday. House Republicans also unsuccessfully attempted procedural motions Tuesday to bring several bills to the floor addressing transgender athlete policies in Minnesota.
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Recent Dailies

Medical Assistance coverage of weight loss drugs can continue for now
By Winter Keefer
Rep. Danny Nadeau What costs more money: Medical Assistance coverage of weight loss drugs or future coverage for comorbidities that stem from obesity? As names like Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounja...
Digital ads would be tax-free no more under bill
By Rob Hubbard
Eric Harris Bernstein, coalitions director for We Make Minnesota, testifies before the House Taxes Committee March 25 on a bill sponsored by Rep. Liz Lee, left, that would impose an advertising service tax. (Photo by Andrew VonBank) Once upon a time, the main place you’d find advertising was in a newspaper. But then billboards became ubiquitous, followed by commercials on radio, then television. Today, it’s...
Small-business carveout for paid leave fails, opponents say it would strip benefits from many
By Margaret Stevens
Lauren Richards, co-owner of independent bookstore Tropes & Trifles, testifies March 25 against HF2113 to exempt employers with 15 or fewer employees from the Minnesota Paid Leave Law. Rep. Kristin Robbins, left, is the sponsor. (Photo by Michele Jokinen) Megan Horsager farms with her father in western Minnesota. Her mother is an employee and could take off any time for any reason. But implementing Minnesota’s new Paid Family and...
Commanders Task Force seeks statutory codification after 38 years of activity
By Mike Cook
Barry Henriksen, state adjutant/quartermaster and legislative chair at the Department of Minnesota VFW, testifies in support of HF4492 that would codify the Commanders Task Force in statute. Rep. Matt Bliss, left, is the sponsor. (Photo by Michele Jokinen) Created in 1988, the Commanders Task Force has advised the Legislature, governor, Department of Veterans Affairs and others on veteran-related issues.  Nearly 40 years later...
Support given to no permit fees for home upgrades to accommodate veteran with a disability
By Mike Cook
Mark Foster, vice president of legislative and political affairs at Housing First Minnesota, speaks for a bill sponsored by Rep. Kari Rehrauer to waive permit fees for home upgrades to accommodate veterans with a disability. (Photo by Michele Jokinen) Local permit fees can be barriers to critical home improvement projects. That expense could be nixed for people who served our country, but have a disability because of that...
Effort to expand campus firearm restriction authority fails in committee
By Margaret Stevens
Inter Faculty Organization President Jenna Chernega testifies March 24 before the House higher education committee in support of HF4362, sponsored by Rep. Nathan Coulter, right. (Photo by Michele Jokinen) Rep. Nathan Coulter (DFL–Bloomington) paused Tuesday as he recalled being 12 years old when the Columbine High School shooting occurred. This year’s first-year college stude...
Public safety panel fails to advance bill prohibiting possession of ‘ghost guns’
By Tim Walker
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O'Hara testifies March 24 before the House public safety committee in support of HF3407. The bill to prohibit the sale and possession of ghost guns is sponsored by Rep. Dave Pinto, right. (Photo by Michele Jokinen) So-called “ghost guns” are firearms lacking serial numbers that can be 3D printed or assembled at home from kits sold online. HF3407, which would ban the sale and possession...
Not enough committee appetite to prohibit SNAP purchases of chips, candy and Coke
By Winter Keefer
With tasty props, Pat Garofalo, president of the Minnesota Grocers Association, testifies in opposition to HF3603, a bill sponsored by Rep. Bjorn Olson, right, that would prohibit the purchase of certain items with SNAP benefits. (Photo by Andrew VonBank) It turns out a lot of candy contains wheat. Legislators learned this as testifiers poked holes in a bill that attempts to prohibit the purchase of candy, chips and pop with ...
House Education stalls over funding for anonymous reporting system bill
By Graham Johnson
Rep. Danny Nadeau House Education Policy Committee members across the aisle agree on the importance of anonymous reporting systems. The devil is in the details, however, or in the case of the...
Skilled trades classwork could equate to student grants and scholarships
By Graham Johnson
Trevor Quesnell, who attended Dunwoody College of Technology, testifies March 24 before the House Education Finance Committee in support of HF1791, sponsored by Rep. Peggy Scott. (Photo by Michele Jokinen) When Erik Trost started his manufacturing class in 2017, his goal was to be able to pay students for the work they did in class. In Trost’s industrial technology class at St...
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