Government & Politics
A default on the U.S. debt would be far worse than a government shutdown. Here’s how.
WASHINGTON — A U.S. default on its debt would have a significantly broader impact on federal operations, financial markets and the global economy than recent government shutdowns that have left ordinary Americans largely untouched. While the two have been confused frequently during debate over the debt limit, the federal government has had considerable practice with […]
Minnesota Legislature closes 2023 session by passing bills on health, infrastructure
The DFL-controlled Minnesota Legislature — once stymied by years of gridlock — was on the verge of concluding the 2023 session on Monday after passing a series of far-reaching bills during a fast-paced, momentous session. On Monday, tour groups, students on field trips and nurses union members walked the halls of the Capitol to monitor […]
Nurse staffing bill is gutted in final hours of Minnesota’s legislative session
A nurse staffing bill that passed the House and the Senate just weeks ago was gutted in the final hours of the 2023 legislative session when some senators withdrew their support because of an exemption for Mayo Clinic. Gov. Tim Walz pressured legislators to carve out Mayo Clinic after the hospital threatened to move billions […]
Mayo Clinic exemption leads Minnesota lawmakers to rethink nurse staffing bill
A nurse staffing bill that seemed destined to become law just less than three weeks ago, is now in jeopardy in the final hours of session. The Minnesota Senate on Monday afternoon was trying to hammer out a last-minute compromise on a bill that aims to increase nurse staffing levels. The bill, which has faced […]
Lawmakers tout Minnesota Legislature’s accomplishments to reduce racial disparities
The People of Color and Indigenous Caucus was formed just six years ago, but members were able to tout the passage of bills this year that further racial equity, including expanding MinnesotaCare to undocumented residents, increasing funds for affordable housing and mandating K-12 schools offer an ethnic studies curriculum. The People of Color and Indigenous […]
Minnesota to legalize possession of drug paraphernalia, even if it has residue
Minnesota lawmakers passed a mammoth public safety budget bill that included little-noticed provisions that will legalize possession of drug paraphernalia and any drug residue that might be in it.
Minnesota Legislature approves minimum wage for Uber and Lyft drivers
The Minnesota Senate passed a bill on Sunday that would set minimum pay rates for Uber and Lyft drivers and establish greater protections against wrongful termination – or “deactivation.” “Minnesota has long been a leader in protecting workers from being exploited and taken advantage of, but in the area of (transportation network companies) Minnesota is lagging […]
Bill that could doom Fairview-Sanford merger heads to Walz’s desk; Fairview, Sanford undeterred
The Minnesota Legislature on Sunday passed a bill that bans anti-competitive health care mergers, which could kill the proposed marriage of Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services and Sioux Falls-based Sanford Health. The bill also prohibits out-of-state entities from owning in whole or part University of Minnesota health care entities, as would be the case were Sanford […]
Minnesota to allow all undocumented residents to enroll in MinnesotaCare
Undocumented residents in Minnesota will be eligible to enroll in the state’s publicly subsidized insurance program for low-income people, known as MinnesotaCare, under a budget agreement released on Friday night. The proposal, which is expected to become law, will expand public health insurance access to the more than 40,000 undocumented people estimated to live in […]
GOP’s desired work requirements for federal aid would kick roughly 21M from anti-poverty programs
Congressional Republicans’ efforts to slash federal spending by tying work requirements to Medicaid and SNAP would have far-reaching consequences for people with mental health issues, chronic health problems, and some people with disabilities if enacted, policy experts on anti-poverty programs say. They say the work requirements as laid out by House Speaker Kevin McCarthy’s “Limit, […]
A breakdown of tax increases, cuts Minnesota lawmakers intend to pass
The Minnesota Legislature is on the verge of adopting a slew of tax cuts and sending tax rebate checks to 2.5 million Minnesotans. The DFL-controlled Legislature has also adopted or is on the verge of adopting tax hikes, too. A committee of House and Senate members on Wednesday night released a tentative agreement on a […]
Overhaul federal permitting as part of the debt limit deal? Not as easy as it sounds.
Congressional leaders negotiating a deal to avoid a catastrophic default on the nation’s debt are talking about including an overhaul of how the federal government reviews projects for their environmental impact. There is bipartisan support for changes to the lengthy environmental approval process among climate-minded Democrats eager to speed construction of renewable energy projects, as […]