Ben Johnson fired as Gopher MBB coach. Timberwolves win.
Wild host Rangers tonight. Girls High School BBall kicked off yesterday.
More today in Sports Take, coming out this afternoon.
A lunar eclipse will turn the moon red tonight. NPR: https://fluence-media.co/4iLqDo7
U.S. inflation rose less than expected in February, but most economists expect inflation to remain elevated this year due to tariffs. AP: https://fluence-media.co/4iNcaYM
A CNN poll finds Donald Trump’s net job approval is -9% (45% for, 54% against) and a majority of Americans dislike his handling of every polled issue except immigration. His net economy approval is his worst ever at -12% (44% for, 56% against). POLL: https://fluence-media.co/4iqPiP3
Nearly 47,000 people died of gun-related injuries in the United States in 2023, according to the latest available statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). While the number of gun deaths in the U.S. fell for the second consecutive year, it remained among the highest annual totals on record. PEW: https://fluence-media.co/41KFacL
Be a Good Samaritan today on National Good Samaritan Day!
Blois
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All Fluence Media tip sheets are now available to read and share online at our website, The Daily Agenda:
Today’s morning take with VIneeta Sawkar on WCCO Radio. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4ih9WB4
GOP Rep. Brad Finstad was on Sunday Take to discuss tariffs, the Farm Bill, the federal deficit and more. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3FgLa5G
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Medicaid Supports Health Care for All of Us. It keeps Minnesota’s hospitals strong and ensures communities across the state have access to care. Policymakers must protect Medicaid so every Minnesotan—regardless of income or health status—can get the care they need, when they need it. LEARN MORE: Medicaid in Minnesota – Protect MN Patients (SPONSORED: Minnesota Hospital Association)
WALZ TOUR: via CNN, VERBATIM: “Tim Walz is headed back out on the road – this time, for a tour of House districts represented by Republicans who have stopped holding in-person town halls. … [Walz] will start on Friday in Iowa, in the district represented by Rep. Zach Nunn, then head across the border to Nebraska, for the district represented by Rep. Don Bacon – both of whom won tight races for re-election last year. Walz’s team is already planning stops in Wisconsin, Minnesota and Ohio for the coming weeks, with more stops expected to be added. … Walz said he felt obligated to step up [because] his staff has been sifting through what an aide told CNN was hundreds of invitations from local party leaders and candidates.” WALZ: “Republican representatives [are] recognizing this stuff’s really unpopular, so they’re going to quit the town halls. These folks need to be heard…and to be candid with you, Democratic leadership needs to hear them.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hAxUGd
MORE: Via social media, the Iowa Democratic Party has shared a post advertising Gov. Tim Walz’s first stop on his national town hall tour. The event is at 3:00 p.m. Friday in Des Moines, IA. SEE: https://fluence-media.co/4irGXuo
MORE: Gov. Tim Walz was interviewed on MSNBC’s “All In with Chris Hayes” last night to discuss his national town hall tour, his thoughts on Pres. Donald Trump and more. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4ioow9T
PAID LEAVE: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “Rep. Isaac Schultz (R-Elmdale Township) believes Minnesota’s [paid leave] law, enacted in 2023, is unworkable for too many employers, results in higher property taxes and overburdens small businesses who could choose to locate elsewhere. Seeking to make the program more flexible, Schultz sponsors HF1325. … It was laid over as amended by the House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee Wednesday. … [The bill] would exempt those covered to exclude workers under age 18, part-timers who work fewer than 25 hours per week, 20 weeks per year, or 520 hours per year [and] offer a narrower definition of family, excluding adult children, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles and in-laws.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43HdJmI
IMMIGRATION: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “A proposal in the Minnesota Legislature would require local governments to work with federal immigration officials. … The GOP-backed bill would mandate that county attorneys report people without legal status who are arrested on suspicion of violent crimes to the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, regardless of whether they're ultimately charged. It would also override cities and counties that choose to implement policies or ordinances the limit or prohibit cooperation with federal immigration officials. … Chief author Rep. Max Rymer, R-North Branch, noted that Minneapolis officials and police recently doubled down on their policy forbidding officers from asking about immigration status.” The bill was sent to the House Elections Finance and Government Operations Committee. READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4irFmoo
SMITH: via HuffPost, VERBATIM: “Sen. Tina Smith (D-Minn.) on Wednesday defended her blunt message to Elon Musk last month, when she declared that “he’s just a dick” and made the “ultimate dick boss move.”… On CNN on Wednesday, Keilar, playing devil’s advocate, asked if there was a way for the senator to reflect her constituents’ outrage without “the limited vocabulary of curse words.”
Smith continued to defend her language in the posts, “I know that my constituents, sometimes they swear, sometimes they don’t swear.”…READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FqYQuW
MORE: Here’s the CNN Interview with Sen. Tina Smith. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3FBQgcB
EDUCATION: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Gov. Tim Walz said cuts to the Department of Education could have a big impact on funding for Minnesota’s schools. … Walz visited an elementary school in Fridley on Wednesday. He and first lady Gwen Walz read a book to a 2nd grade class and said federal funding and staffing is needed for public school systems. … State officials said it’s unclear what agencies would distribute [academic] funding if the Department of Education is cut down. Minnesota Department of Education Commissioner Willie Jett said the state filed a formal request with the federal government for clarity on that question; federal officials have yet to respond. … Walz said he’ll work with state leaders to make sure money goes towards special education and other services for students, [but] ‘states cannot backfill for this.’ … Minnesota got about $2.2 billion in federal funding for education last year.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FEbsPa
RESPONSE: via FOX 9, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Republicans say they’re not especially concerned about the Department of Education [layoffs]. They don’t think it means funding cuts will follow. BENNETT: ‘The various funding streams can be shifted to other agencies or given as a block grant,’ said Rep. Peggy Bennett, (R-Albert Lea), also a retired teacher. ‘They can figure that out at the federal level. They know education's important.’” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3DCmaFr
GOTTFRIED: DFLer David Gottfried, the new representative-elect in House District 40B, spoke to WCCO Radio about his win this week. Gottfried is expected to be sworn in Monday, restoring a 67-67 tie — and a power-sharing agreement — in the chamber. GOTTFRIED: “We really need to turn a new leaf. … That tied environment [is] procedurally going to force us to act in a bipartisan way if we really do want to fulfill the expectations of Minnesotans to provide legislation that helps them out. … I think I have a skill set from my policy analyst training, as well as a drive towards public service, that fits very well in this role.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/3Drt4xl
MORE: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “DFL Leader Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) said she had a ‘good conversation’ on Wednesday with House Speaker Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) and hopes there’ll be a shift from bills favored by only Republicans to more bipartisan bills next week. ‘I think we’re both ready to turn the page and start working together,’ said Hortman. … House Majority Leader Harry Niska (R-Ramsey) hopes the conflict Republicans and DFLers have overcome so far in session will lead to a smoother finish in May.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41JQENF
ESSENTIA HEALTH NURSES ARE A VALUED PART OF OUR PATIENT CARE: Acute care nurses in the Duluth area earn $100,000 on average, working just four days a week. In fact, 94% of these nurses choose to work part-time because Essentia Health offers full benefits starting at 24 hours a week. Our nurses overwhelmingly choose to remain at Essentia Health, bucking national turnover trends. To join our team at Essentia Health, search for openings HERE: https://fluence-media.co/3D5rO2s (SPONSORED: Essentia Health)
SHUTDOWN: via NBC News, VERBATIM: “Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said Wednesday that Democrats would reject a government funding bill that Republicans wrote and passed through the House, leaving it uncertain whether Congress can avert a shutdown before Friday night's deadline. … Schumer [called] for a one-month funding bill that provides more time to negotiate a deal. … Still, some Democrats fear that a shutdown would be worse than accepting the [GOP] bill. … Sen. Tina Smith, D-Minn., said Democrats ‘are unified in not wanting to shut down the government, and what we need to do is vote on the short-term’ bill for one month. But Republicans have little appetite for the one-month measure.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4htIrTF
TARIFFS: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Senator Amy Klobuchar said she’s concerned about the consequences the tariffs imposed by the Trump Administration may have on the country’s standing with international trade partners. … The Trump Administration imposed a 25 percent tariff on steel and aluminum [Wednesday]. … The European Union responded with retaliatory tariffs on U.S. industrial and farm products. President Donald Trump has plans to also tax imports from the European Union, Brazil and South Korea by charging ‘reciprocal’ rates starting April 2. … Klobuchar said the higher tariffs are stoking anxiety.” KLOBUCHAR: “Ninety-some percent of our potential customers live outside of our borders. … Volatility is a really, really big concern right now.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FohUd3
MEDICAID: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison today joined a coalition of 17 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to affirm a lower court’s decision recognizing Medicaid recipients’ individual right to receive care from the qualified providers of their choice, including Planned Parenthood. … The coalition’s brief argues that while states have considerable discretion in implementing Medicaid programs, specific safeguards – like the free choice of provider provision – are in place to specifically counter state policies that restrict Medicaid recipients.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FqDj5r
RESPONSIBLE GAMING: Legal sports betting platforms offer responsible game tools that offshore and illegal sports betting don’t offer. In fact, age verification is not required with most offshore providers. Learn more about why legalized sports betting is more responsible. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4kgJoS4 (SPONSORED: Sports Betting Alliance)
CHILDCARE: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “[If] you rent space to run a nonprofit child care center in a building, are you eligible for part of that building’s property tax refund? Child care providers that own a building are. Child care centers that rent would be, too, under HF805. Sponsored by Rep. Cheryl Youakim (DFL-Hopkins), it would make such centers and family-based day cares eligible for a refund of 10% for rent paid during the calendar year. … On Wednesday, the House Taxes Committee laid the bill over for possible omnibus bill inclusion.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3R7bfXi
GUN CTRL: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “Protect Minnesota [and] other advocates met at the State Capitol Wednesday morning to outline their top priorities for this session. … They are pushing four new gun safety initiatives this year, including a new requirement that gun owners must notify law enforcement whenever a gun is either lost or stolen. Gun safety advocates are also pushing for Medicaid funding that would pay for violence intervention programs and also a new state office that would exclusively focus on gun violence. However, the piece of legislation that is receiving the most attention this session is a safe storage law that would require gun owners to lock their guns unloaded when they’re not being used.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3Fon48V
A chart on permit to carry permits from the MN Dept of Public Safety…
MENTAL HEALTH: via House Session Daily, VERBATIM: “Laid over Wednesday by the House Human Services Policy and Finance Committee for possible inclusion in a later bill, HF973 would prohibit county boards from charging for mental health emergency services and specify that co-payments, coinsurance, and deductibles do not apply to mobile crisis intervention services. ‘We don't want to charge the folks for calling for services because we want to help them during their time of crisis,’ said Rep. Jeff Backer (R-Browns Valley), the bill sponsor.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3DGYWhp
GAMING: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A federal district court judge has dismissed a lawsuit brought by one of Minnesota’s horse racing tracks against executives who oversee five tribal casinos in the state. Running Aces, which operates a harness track in Columbus, claimed several Minnesota tribal gaming entities were operating card games in violation of state and federal gambling laws. … U.S. District Court Chief Judge Patrick Schiltz on Tuesday dismissed the case. His order was not based on the merits of Running Aces’ claims, but rather on who was — or was not — included as defendants in the case. Schiltz wrote that the executives named in the suit did not represent the tribal nations who own and operate the casinos.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kNWgiA
PEACE: Minnesota lost a giant leader this week with the passing of Bob Hoffman of Waseca. I first met Bob at the little league field where he was cheering on his grandson. His son, John and I quickly became sports dad friends. Little did I know that Bob, was a force of nature in Southern Minnesota in his role on economic development in Mankato, and as a leader on the Minnesota State system board. His day job was with Taylor Corporation. Always positive, and encouraging he was a daily reader of morning take and listener of WCCO Radio. Peace to Bob’s family and friends. He gave much of himself to Minnesota.
MPLS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Eight more businesses have sued the city of Minneapolis over its handling of the neighborhood where George Floyd was killed by police, alleging their businesses were damaged when officers stopped responding to the area, and activists, gangs and crime took over. … They say the city’s actions amounted to condemnation of their property without compensation. … [The] lawsuit seeks $49 million in damages and includes a claim that by not providing the area with police protection, the city discriminated against the business owners. … The city has filed a motion to dismiss this lawsuit.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4htqCnF
ST PAUL: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “In downtown St. Paul, PAK Properties and the Halverson and Blaiser Group plan to purchase the historic Commerce Building at Fourth and Wabasha streets from an affordable housing provider, in a deal that relies on the city forgiving more than $1.22 million in unpaid municipal loans. As a result, rents will likely increase, though they’ll remain within the technical definition of affordable housing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iGQptE
UMN: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “University of Minnesota officials have offered to buy Fairview Health Services’ stake in a joint venture that provides patient care inside a large outpatient clinic and surgery center (CSC) on Fulton Street on the U’s East Bank campus. The offer apparently is connected to a variety of contentious matters between the U, its physicians and Fairview, all of whom partner on services under the M Health Fairview brand. … Minneapolis-based Fairview and University of Minnesota Physicians (UMP) have been in arbitration to settle a variety of disputes that touch on operations at the CSC, although details Wednesday weren’t available.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FqUCDr
MPS: via KARE 11, VERBATIM: “On Tuesday night, district leaders in Minneapolis provided an update on its budget deficit that it says has reached at least $75 million. Minneapolis Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Lisa Sayles-Adams said to expect cuts, but couldn't confirm yet where they'll come from. That has many teachers concerned, and some of them protested ahead of that meeting.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3DGfkPh
FREE SPEECH: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Several University of Minnesota faculty members say they feel muzzled by a new Board of Regents resolution that they say could limit academic freedom and speech. A petition signed by more than 400 U academics asked the board to retract the resolution, which could be approved as early as Friday. Introduced in mid-February, it concerns who is allowed to officially speak for the U and what kinds of issues they can address. The University Senate, a governing body at the U made up of faculty, staff and students, also has passed a resolution asking the Board of Regents to rescind the resolution.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41Lnaz1
‘MY WHOLE LIFE CHANGED’ — EMPOWERMENT TRAINING OPENS PATHWAY INTO THE TRADES: Since 2019, a partnership between Five Skies Empowerment Training and Enbridge has broadened as unions, contractors and other groups look to connect Native American job seekers to meaningful careers. “They’re gonna open the door for you,” says Joel, a program graduate. “Before the 5 Skies program, I wasn’t aware there were so many opportunities,” explains Ashley. “My whole life changed,” says Melissa. Click here to submit an application, and find out more on upcoming training. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3XoPg0D (SPONSORED: Enbridge)
FEED FRAUD: via KSTP, VERBATIM: “A woman accused of orchestrating a massive federal fraud scheme took the stand in her own defense in federal court again on Wednesday. Aimee Bock founded the now defunct non-profit Feeding Our Future. … Bock on Wednesday [said] she investigated food sites she suspected of committing fraud, adding that she terminated contracts with over 50 sites and 10 vendors. … There was a question about whether Bock would actually take the stand. Bock’s attorney, Kenneth Udoibok, told reporters last week that he had advised her not to testify. Prosecutors are expected to question Bock during cross-examination on Thursday.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4kMX9YJ
MPD: via Axios Twin Cities, VERBATIM: “The latest Minneapolis police data show incidents in most major crime categories decreased in early 2025, even as city leaders admit they have a long way to go in reversing a yearslong increase in violence. Mayor Jacob Frey and Police Chief Brian O'Hara touted this year's early statistics as evidence their crime prevention efforts are working.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Fs5D7x
HOUSING: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Mid-Minnesota Legal Aid, which provides legal services to low-income Minnesotans, announced Wednesday that the federal government canceled a $425,000 grant that funds legal help for people facing housing discrimination or sexual harassment from landlords. … The grant is a fraction of the overall MMLA budget, but funds the entirety of the fair housing program, said Julia Zwak, managing attorney of the housing unit at MMLA. MMLA will use other funding sources, including donations, to pay for its fair housing work for as long as that is possible, Zwak said.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43JgRhX
METRO TRANSIT: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Despite continuing declines during weekday rush hours, Metro Transit saw an overall gain in ridership for the fourth straight year in 2024, providing more than 51.8 million rides. A jump in riders taking trips in the middle of the day and using rapid bus service wiped out losses experienced during traditional commuting periods and a late-year slump, fueling an overall 6% growth in ridership over 2023. Nevertheless, ridership last year remained well below pre-pandemic levels.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4kN34Nx
PERMITTING REFORM FOR RESPONSIBLE INDUSTRIES: Jobs for Minnesotans is committed to advancing responsible industrial projects through a predictable, timely and transparent permitting process. Broad permitting reform for all responsible industries is essential to strengthening Minnesota’s communities and advancing our state’s clean energy future. (SPONSORED: Jobs for Minnesotans)
NLRB: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Attorney General [Keith Ellison] today co-led a coalition of 21 attorneys general in filing a second amicus brief in continued opposition to President Donald Trump’s unlawful attempt to remove Gwynne Wilcox, a member of the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB). Dismissing Wilcox would leave just two members remaining on the five-member board, which cannot act without a quorum of at least three members. … President Trump attempted to dismiss Wilcox from the NLRB in the middle of her five-year term. According to federal law, board members can be removed from office only for specific reasons, such as misconduct.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Fmu9Hl
EXPORTS: via Office of the Governor, VERBATIM: “Governor Tim Walz and the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) today announced that exports increased 7% overall between 2023 and 2024, exceeding national export growth of 2% in the same period. Minnesota exported nearly $27 billion in agricultural, mining, and manufactured goods to about 200 countries, ranking 13th highest for export growth and 23rd highest in export value among all states.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/420ukka
STARTUPS: via a DEED press release, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) today announced $400,000 in grants to support 16 innovative Minnesota startups. All but two grantees are startups led by entrepreneurs of color, veterans, women or persons with disabilities, or are located in Greater Minnesota. Launch Minnesota Business Operation Innovation Grants provide up to $35,000 to promising, innovative and scalable technology businesses to use toward operational costs.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Fsda6i
FRESH15: The latest season of Fresh15 includes interviews with new Minnesota House members. So far, five new members have shared their goals, background and fun facts before they take office in a historic session this January.
Rep. Kari Rehrauer
Rep. Wayne Johnson
Rep. Julie Greene
Rep. Keith Allen
Rep. Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
WASH CTY: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “Township elections results in Washington County were uneventful on Tuesday night. In May Township, Town Board Chairman John Pazlar held off a challenge from Ashley Kruge. Pazlar, who has served on the town board since 1999, received 285 votes; Kluge got 28 votes. Voter turnout was 14.3 percent. … In West Lakeland Township, Chairman Phillip Moosbrugger ran unopposed and received 136 votes. The township had a 4.6 percent turnout.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4iLddIH
BROOKLYN PK/CTR: via Sahan Journal, VERBATIM: “Brooklyn Park and Brooklyn Center residents continue to oppose state plans to reconstruct Highway 252 as a freeway, which many worry will result in the state forcibly taking ownership of their homes and businesses to accommodate construction needs. … Nahid Khan, who has lived in Brooklyn Center for 29 years and participated in a MnDOT advisory committee on the project, [said] opposition to the project is growing in the area. … She’s convinced that MnDOT’s goal all along was to create a six-lane freeway that can serve as a major truck route.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/423pLFS
OLIVIA: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “A southwestern Minnesota school district is looking for answers to its massive budget shortfall, with a police investigation launched after it was revealed to be $700,000 in the hole. The Bird Island-Olivia-Lake Lillian (BOLD) district deficit was addressed during a school board meeting…with Superintendent James Menton saying that at least some of the deficit can be attributed to rising transportation costs. … But there were potential financial irregularities involved in some of the deficit as well, with a former district business manager…allegedly leaving bills unpaid, prompting the district to launch an investigation alongside the Olivia Police Department.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ilWcVK
PRODUCING THE FUELS THAT HELP KEEP MINNESOTA MOVING: Flint Hills Resources, one of the Midwest’s leading producers of transportation fuels is hiring! With openings in IT, accounting, engineering, operations, procurement and asset management, Flint Hills Resources’ goal is to match talented individuals with their passions and interests to truly shine. APPLY TODAY: Flint Hills jobs (SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources)
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
PAID LEAVE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s paid family and medical leave program is in the crosshairs even before it even gets off the ground and is shaping up as one of the legislative session’s big bargaining chips. Later this spring, a Minnesota agency will ramp up training and other outreach for a paid leave program geared toward new parents and other caregivers. That’s assuming GOP lawmakers don’t succeed in efforts to delay it or significantly change who qualifies for the benefits.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FpOECO
LAYOFFS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “A Minneapolis man has filed a legal challenge against the federal government after he was fired from his job as a top official in the Minnesota district office of the Small Business Administration (SBA) in last month’s wave of federal layoffs. Chris Wicker, the former deputy director of the SBA office in Minneapolis, filed a class appeal on Friday with the U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB), an independent, quasi-judicial agency that mediates disputes between federal agencies and their employees.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/43H8Zxr
PROTEST: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “Around 50 people, some holding signs that read ‘keep ICE out of the courthouse and protect our neighbors,’ gathered at the Hennepin County Government Center Tuesday afternoon. Attorneys and immigration advocates say they’re concerned that Immigration and Customs Enforcement, or ICE agents, are increasingly showing up to court hearings and using that time as an opportunity to arrest people before they get ‘access to justice.’” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3DBClCU
AG CREDIT: via a Rep. Angie Craig press release, VERBATIM: “This week, Representatives Angie Craig (MN-02) and Brad Finstad (MN-01) introduced the bipartisan Producer and Agricultural Credit Enhancement (PACE) Act to improve agricultural producers’ access to credit.This legislation would modernize current limits on the Farm Service Agency’s (FSA) Ownership and Operating loans, enacted through the 2018 Farm Bill.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3FppdkN
ALL THE TAKES: Every day, we’re sharing significant political, business and other news in your inbox and on our new website, The Daily Agenda. If you love morning take, sign up for the other Fluence tip sheets and share our web content with your friends. SIGNUP: https://fluence-media.co/4eZwLa7
SESSION: House floor session at 3:30 p.m. Senate floor session at 11:00 a.m. HOUSE: Commerce hears a bill allowing 17-year-olds to serve alcohol at restaurants. State Govt. hears a bill requiring pay transparency in public contracts and several state symbol bills, including a guarantee of the right to display the former state flag. Workforce, Labor & Econ. Dev. hears paid leave changes. Energy hears an end to the nuclear power moratorium. SENATE: Taxes will hear an electric cooperatives tax exemption. The Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct hears an ethics complaint on Sen. Nicole Mitchell. Housing & Homelessness will hear bills on mixed-use housing requirements and minimum parking mandate bans. CALENDAR: https://fluence-media.co/41NQ9SM
TODAY: Governor Tim Walz will attend a Minnesota Business Partnership Board Meeting.
TODAY: At 10AM, Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) Commissioner Matt Varilek and Labor Market Information Director Angelina Nguyen will be available to answer questions from the press regarding the latest employment data
TODAY: The American Heart Association is holding a Day at the Capitol on Thursday, March 13. Per a release, attendees can “learn hands-only CPR and support our efforts toward passing CERP legislation” via HF 1175 and SF 1457. The event is at 10:00 a.m.
TODAY: via an LSP advisory, VERBATIM: “Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison will keynote the Land Stewardship Project’s Family Farm Breakfast at the Capitol on Thursday, March 13, from 9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m., at Christ Lutheran Church. … After the breakfast, participants will have an opportunity to meet with lawmakers and other public officials at the Capitol to discuss issues they are concerned about.”
TODAY: via an MCEC advisory, VERBATIM: “The Minnesota Civic Education Coalition (MCEC) is launching a bipartisan effort to establish a Minnesota Civic Seal, a prestigious designation for high school students who demonstrate excellence in civics education and community engagement. … Minnesota would join eight other states in offering this.” Sen. Steve Cwodzinski and Rep. Patricia Mueller will attend. The event is at 10:30 a.m.
TOMORROW: via a MNLEG advisory, VERBATIM: “At 12:30 p.m., Representative Larry Kraft and Senator Ron Latz will join workers, advocates, families of victims, and others impacted at the Park Tavern in St. Louis Park to announce bipartisan legislation reforming Minnesota’s DWI policies. Last September, an impaired driver drove his vehicle into the restaurant's patio. Two people were killed, and nine others were injured.” St. Louis Park Mayor Nadia Mohamed will attend.
SATURDAY: via a Senate DFL advisory, VERBATIM: “On Saturday, March 15, Rochester-area legislators will join Attorney General Keith Ellison at a town hall meeting in Rochester. Senator Liz Boldon (DFL-Rochester), Representative Kim Hicks (DFL-Rochester), Representative Andy Smith (DFL-Rochester), Representative Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester) and Attorney General Ellison will be talking with constituents about protecting Minnesotans from the Trump Administration’s executive overreach, as well as continued efforts to help Minnesotans struggling with medical debt.” The event is at 1:00 p.m.
APRIL 10: Citizens League will honor Peter Bell, former Metropolitan Council chair, and Sharon McMahon at the 2025 Civic Celebration. The annual Civic Celebration is an inspiring evening, gathering hundreds of Minnesotans from diverse backgrounds, parties and ideologies to celebrate our state’s enduring civic culture, leadership, and commitment to public service. REGISTER: https://fluence-media.co/3EKmNge (SPONSORED: Citizens League)
FINALTHOUGHT: As Democrats struggle to find a message to counter President Donald Trump, including the cutting of federal funding on critical issues. Minnesota has an advantage. Minnesota is a net exporter of funds to DC, so Gov. Walz and Minnesota DFLers should leverage funds Minnesota and Minnesotans send to DC. For instance, special education which has been underfunded by the federal government for years should be that Minnesota will send DC funds only after Minnesota gets its fair share of federal education funding. Similar on roads and bridges, that Minnesota will pay federal fees when DC funds Minnesota projects. The impact of federal funds on the Minnesota budget is significant, but President Trump likes to negotiate and have leverage – Minnesota should consider a way to do the same – in messaging at minimal.
BDAYS: Senate Majority Leader and Oshkosh Titan Erin Murphy, reporter Tony Lonetree
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