Timberwolves lose. Rematch tonight in OKC.
How is Bailey Ober prepping for the Twins season. WCCORADIO: https://fluence-media.co/4gWDAtS
Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey’s first reelection ad of the year featured footage of Denver instead of Minneapolis. MINNPOST: https://fluence-media.co/4i2tR6q
The Department of Justice is investigating Medicare billing practices at UnitedHealth. WSJ: https://fluence-media.co/4k8NcVl
AP News has sued the Trump Administration over First Amendment concerns after reporters were barred from attending certain official events. AP: https://fluence-media.co/3EKAonN
A YouGov survey finds that 67% of Americans don’t trust the media to cover Donald Trump truthfully, but 51% of Americans don’t trust the Trump Administration to be truthful, either. POLL: https://fluence-media.co/416t2CG
DFL Sen. Judy Seeberger was on Sunday Take to discuss Minnesota’s current needs, the race for an open Senate seat, pushback against DFLers and more. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4idQkxd
Montgomery National golf course will open tomorrow.
Happy National Tortilla Chip Day!
Blois
tips/feedback bloisolson@gmail.com
Adam Schwarze, a former congressional candidate in the 3rd Congressional District, was the guest on Sunday Take this week. Schwarze declared his candidacy for the open Senate seat on Thursday. LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4gNCzUW
Sponsorships available – to reach over 25,000 readers per day on Fluence’s tip sheet and website www.TheDailyAgenda.com – email BloisOlson@gmail.com
2026: Via St. Cloud Live, GOP Rep. Tom Emmer has officially confirmed that he will not be running for Minnesota governor or senator in 2026. Previously, on the day DFL Sen. Tina Smith announced she will not seek reelection, Emmer shared on social media that he is “focused on doing the job I was elected to do” as House Majority Whip. READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XgcXcm
MORE: GOP state Rep. Kristin Robbins confirmed that she is “considering” a 2026 Senate run during an interview with WCCO-TV, although she said she would rather discuss it “on a different day.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4bg3Xtu
MEDICAID: Late last week, 14 Republicans in the state legislature signed a letter addressed to Pres. Donald Trump, all four Minnesota Republicans in the U.S. House, and Stephanie Carlton, acting administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. The letter asks the recipients to reconsider proposed cuts to federal Medicaid spending. EXCERPT: “Drastic reductions to Medicaid funding have the potential to impact the 1.4 million people we serve and place incredible pressure on our overall state budget. … Reductions in already-too-low reimbursement rates would not only limit access but would also reduce pay and services, hugely impacting rural economies and the rapidly growing aging population. … Simply cutting the budget is not going to take away our responsibilities.” LETTER: https://fluence-media.co/41u50Dc
MORE: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Untangling the myriad requirements for [Medicaid] services is a common frustration for people too physically damaged to fully work — and yet not poor enough to fully tap state and federal assistance, advocates say. Not only is the system to qualify for Minnesota’s Medicaid program, called Medical Assistance, difficult to navigate for thousands of Minnesotans with disabilities, it can take years to qualify for the aid. … Minnesota is reworking its Medicaid waiver system, used by roughly 70,000 people with disabilities to cover vital services, to simplify it.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3CSLh6H
LAWSUITS: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “Every day, Attorney General Keith Ellison and his staff print out the Trump Administration’s latest executive actions and page through them to see if there’s anything they feel he should respond to. Over the past month, there’s been plenty. … Nationally, Democratic attorneys general have formed teams to split up the work to respond to [Donald] Trump’s actions. Ellison, who serves as vice chair of the Democratic Attorneys General Association, is leading a team focused on workers' rights. … [But] there could be more limitations and roadblocks for Democrats than during the first Trump Administration. The federal judiciary now has many Trump-appointed members, including on the U.S. Supreme Court.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ENUBZU
MORE: via Office of the Atty. General, VERBATIM: “Attorney General Keith Ellison today joined a coalition of 16 attorneys general in issuing a joint statement ahead of a court hearing in Commonwealth of Massachusetts v. National Institutes of Health. … Ellison [also] joined a coalition of 18 attorneys general in filing an amicus brief in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland supporting [LGBTQ advocates] in their lawsuit against the Trump Administration.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3D5azOU https://fluence-media.co/41famk2
FED GRANTS: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “The Trump Administration has locked Minnesota out of $200 million in federal grants awarded to the state last year for community-based climate projects, leaving projects in limbo. … Last July, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded the money for initiatives to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including climate-friendly farm practices, peatland restoration, energy efficiency, vehicle electrification and more. … Now, the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency says the Trump Administration has locked them out of those funds, and projects that had been planning on using the funding to get off the ground are scrambling to find alternatives.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Xg37Ya
MORE: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “A Minnesota nonprofit that works with the National Park Service to maintain and improve the Mississippi River corridor in the Twin Cities is asking for help from the public after the Trump Administration froze federal funding already allocated to the group. Ellen Reed, executive director at Mississippi Park Connection, said her organization already completed about $200,000 of a more than $2.5 million, four-year project. … Reed said despite court orders directing the White House to release the funding allocated by Congress, her group still can’t access that money.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41tmsaK
NATL PARKS: via a Sen. Tina Smith press release, VERBATIM: “U.S. Senators Tina Smith (D-MN) and Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) sent a letter to the Secretary of the Interior, Doug Burgum, expressing deep concern about his decision to abruptly fire more than 2,000 employees at the Department of the Interior (DOI). Reporting indicates that these mass layoffs came at the behest of Elon Musk. … The Senators highlighted the risks that these mass firings could have on the ability of the National Park Service (NPS) to maintain public safety and demanded transparency about the seemingly random criteria NPS used to determine who was fired.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3ESgU0D
FED JOBS: via New York Times, VERBATIM: “Elon Musk deepened the confusion and alarm of workers across the federal government Saturday by ordering them to summarize their accomplishments for the week, warning that a failure to do so would be taken as a resignation. … The [email] simultaneously hit inboxes across multiple agencies, rattling workers who had been rocked by layoffs in recent weeks and were unsure about whether to respond to Mr. Musk’s demand. Officials at some agencies [and unions], including the F.B.I. and the State Department, told their employees to hold off on responses to the email.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3D47grc
MORE: MPR News interviewed four federal workers based in Minnesota who were recently laid off, noting that “many fired workers are not speaking publicly, but here are four Minnesotans who did.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4k4I9Fz
RESPONSE: DFL Sen. Tina Smith went viral on social media this weekend for her response to Elon Musk’s plan to fire federal workers who don’t send emails explaining “what they got done last week.” Their exchange is in chronological order below:
SMITH: “This is the ultimate dick boss move from Musk — except he isn’t even the boss, he’s just a dick.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4haYIgp
MUSK: “What did you get done last week?” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/3Qy4Nby
SMITH: “Elon Musk, I hate to break it to you, but you aren’t my boss. I answer to the people of Minnesota. But since you bring it up, I spent last week fighting to stop tax breaks for billionaires like you, paid for by defunding health care for moms and babies.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4h2xvMQ
MORE: DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar also had a viral response to Elon Musk, listing “five things I did last week” in the Senate. KLOBUCHAR: “1. Successfully asked you to rehire 300 nuclear and avian flu workers you ‘accidentally’ fired. 2. Pressed you to pay attention to rising household costs. 3. Stood up for vets. 4. Fought against your tax cuts for the rich. 5. Stood with [Ukraine] instead of [Russia].” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/4hW5xU3
MORE: via a Rep. Tom Emmer post, EMMER: “The left’s tantrums about DOGE are unfounded and delusional. The American people voted for transparency and accountability on the spending of their hard-earned money. That is what Democrats are really taking issue with.” TWEET: https://fluence-media.co/43eKxnb
FRAUD: via Pioneer Press, VERBATIM: “With Minnesota House Republicans in the majority — for now, at least — they’re moving forward with a slate of legislation and other moves they say will better address waste, fraud and abuse in state government. … While at least one proposal shows signs of traction, DFLers aren’t eager to let the GOP use the opportunity to blame their leadership for major government fraud. … Even if Republicans can get any of their fraud measures to the House floor, they face another hurdle: Republicans have 67 seats — short of the 68 needed to pass any bills. No matter what, they need one Democrat. … The DFL also has a one-seat majority in the Senate. In that chamber, the only anti-fraud measure that has gained any serious traction so far is a measure to create an Office of Inspector General.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4gW1Mgf
MORE: GOP Rep. Kristin Robbins, chair of the House committee on fraud prevention and oversight, spoke to WCCO-TV on Sunday about the committee’s efforts and goals. ROBBINS: “We’re kind of laying out, in sort of a methodical way, the oversight process. … There’s a pattern of people using fraud as a business model to take advantage of the taxpayers in Minnesota. … We have to know how to recognize the pattern, and we have to be able to have the tools to shut it down.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4bg3Xtu
PAID LEAVE: via Minnesota Reformer, VERBATIM: “Minnesota’s new paid leave program will launch with a 0.88% payroll tax in January 2026, which is 25 percent higher than what was originally proposed two years ago when the Legislature passed the law. The Reformer first reported on the need for a higher rate last year, and the Department of Employment and Economic Development confirmed Friday that paid leave remains on track to launch in 2026 with a 0.88% payroll tax. The [DFL] originally passed the bill in 2023 with a 0.7% payroll tax. … DEED will do rate adjustments each year after receiving an annual actuarial analysis to investigate the solvency of the program…[but] the paid leave law states that DEED cannot raise the payroll tax above 1.2%.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41eWF4I
RESPONSE: via a GOP Rep. Dave Baker statement, BAKER: “Minnesota’s one-size-fits-all paid family leave program is not ready to launch on January 1, 2026. … These are real dollars coming out of Minnesotans’ paychecks and cutting into the razor-thin margins of family-owned businesses struggling to stay afloat. It’s time to take a step back, delay PFML implementation, and find a practical solution that supports both employees and job creators.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3QxiFTK
MORE: The House GOP noted in a statement that a “lower cost option” for paid family and medical leave will be unveiled “in the coming weeks.”
RAIL: via a Rep. Jon Koznick press release, VERBATIM: “House Transportation Finance and Policy Chair Jon Koznick (R-Lakeville) is leading the charge to discontinue NorthStar Commuter Rail operations after 18 years of huge financial losses and now near-zero ridership. … His [bill] formally requests federal approval to shut down the NorthStar line. … If the FTA grants the request, MnDOT and the Met Council will be required to submit a detailed plan to wind down NorthStar operations within 90 days. The bill is expected to be passed out of the Transportation Finance and Policy Committee on Monday and move to the general register for consideration on the House floor.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4k9DpON
SCHOOLS: via Bring Me The News, VERBATIM: “A company that operates private Montessori schools is closing multiple locations across the country, including its two schools in Minnesota. The pages for Guidepost Montessori schools in Roseville and White Bear Lake have been scrubbed from the company's website, with an email to families confirming both will be closed by the end of March. The letter also confirmed Guidepost is abandoning its plans to open new schools in Eagan and Apple Valley.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41qMYSe
MORE: GOP Sen. Zach Duckworth and DFL Sen. Erin Maye Quade both appeared on FOX 9 on Sunday morning to discuss Pres. Donald Trump’s ultimatum for schools to cease diversity, equity and inclusion efforts or risk losing federal funding. WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4hMU60X
BRINGING SAFETY TO ‘THE NEXT LEVEL’: As part of Enbridge’s work on the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa Reservation in northern Minnesota, Enbridge has brought in family-owned and Indigenous-owned Northern Lights Family Outfitters to fully outfit project workers right on the job site with personal protective equipment (PPE) from its 48-foot mobile trailer. “Enbridge really brings safety to the next level,” says Patti, a project liaison for Enbridge and the Fond du Lac Band. “It’s really helpful to have a mobile unit, especially for this kind of work.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/3OQYmjn (SPONSORED: Enbridge)
JOINT CHIEFS: via New York Times, VERBATIM: “For the second time, the killing of George Floyd by a police officer has brought about a breakage between Pres. Donald Trump and the U.S. military’s most senior leader. In abruptly firing Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, [Trump] did not publicly give a reason. … But privately, Trump advisers point to a video that Brown recorded in [June 2020] where Brown reflected on his experiences as an African American pilot in the Air Force. The killing of Floyd also blew up the relationship between Trump and Brown’s predecessor, Gen. Mark Milley.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4ieUa9D
UKRAINE: via MinnPost, VERBATIM: “President Donald Trump falsely accused Ukraine of starting its war with Russia and called President Volodymyr Zelensky a dictator, echoing Moscow’s efforts to discredit the Ukrainian leader. … ‘The Ukraine community is truly baffled by those statements,’ said Maria Doan, the advocacy director for the Minneapolis-based Ukrainian American Community Center. ‘Ukraine was invaded by Russia and [Vladimir] Putin is both the invader and the dictator.’ … She also said Trump’s Ukraine policy is ‘damaging to the image of the United States abroad.’ According to the U.S. Census Bureau, about 23,000 Ukrainians or people of Ukrainian descent live in Minnesota.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41qM8F4
ELECTIONS: via States Newsroom, VERBATIM: “The Trump Administration has begun dismantling the nation’s defenses against foreign interference in voting, a sweeping retreat that has alarmed state and local election officials. The administration is shuttering the FBI’s Foreign Influence Task Force and last week cut more than 100 positions at the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. President Donald Trump signed the law creating the agency in 2018. … Bill Ekblad, Minnesota’s election security navigator, [said] he finds it disheartening to see the federal government stepping back, and worries that he won’t have access to intelligence about foreign threats. But after five years of working with the federal government, he is hopeful that his state has built resiliency.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XhGB18
IMMIGRATION: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “As President Donald Trump’s administration works to dramatically expand immigration detention, dozens of noncitizens jailed in rural Minnesota are videoconferencing each week into the Fort Snelling Immigration Court for hearings that determine whether they’ll be set free or sent to their native countries. Such hearings offer an early glimpse into how the push for mass deportation is playing out in Minnesota. … Minnesota had 214 people in ICE detention before Trump took office, mainly in the jails of Kandiyohi and Freeborn counties, and the numbers are growing.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41qNXBU
MORE: Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty, Attorney General Keith Ellison and Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley recorded a video message together proclaiming a shared commitment to supporting rights for immigrants regardless of their documentation. MORIARTY: “Thank you to [Ellison] and Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley for joining us in a unified message of support to our immigrant communities. Our steadfast commitment to serving all of our constituents will never waver.” WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4k4HhRj
988 CALLS: via WCCO Radio, VERBATIM: “Recent staffing cuts at the federal Mental Health Services Administration could impact 988 crisis call centers nationwide. … More than 10% of the staff working for the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration were fired this month as part of the government-wide cuts to recently hired federal workers ordered by Elon Musk. … Minnesota's National Alliance on Mental Illness executive director, Sue Abderholden, says there is a specific threat to specialized crisis lines like those for Spanish language speakers.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4gPWrXG
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)
PRISONS: via an OBFC press release, VERBATIM: “The Office of the Ombuds for Corrections (OBFC) has released an update to a February 2024 report that urges Minnesota to invest in safer environments for corrections staff and incarcerated people by updating infrastructure and replacing obsolete prisons. The updated Crumbling Conditions Create Crisis in Minnesota Prisons contains supplemental recommendations to address increasing deterioration of our state prisons. The updates include recommendations for infrastructure updates that would allow for the eventual closure of Minnesota Correctional Facility (MCF)-Stillwater, which needs such significant updates that investments may not be realistic.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/41q0cyy
POLICE UNIONS: via a Rep. Pete Stauber press release, VERBATIM: “Today, Congressman Pete Stauber (MN-08) and Congresswoman Nikki Budzinski (IL-13) re-introduced the bipartisan Public Safety Employer-Employee Cooperation Act to ensure labor rights to all public safety officers. Specifically, this legislation will allow public safety officers to form a labor union, collectively bargain for hours and wages, and provide resolution mechanisms for impasses during negotiations.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XeT7OF
WIRE THEFT: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “More than a decade ago in a city nearly 1,200 miles away, people were dying for copper wires. It was around 2006 in Houston, and police Sgt. Robert Carson [started a] metal theft unit. … That unit grew into a vital arm of the Houston Police Department, which monitors dozens of scrapyards and investigates metal thefts reported by the city’s 2 million residents. … As Minnesota works to suppress a rise in copper thefts affecting cities across the nation, recycling professionals say Houston’s metal theft unit is a shining example for cities to learn from.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hPaD4w
MORE: via WCCO-TV, VERBATIM: “The alleged ringleader charged in connection with stealing wiring from street lights in St. Paul has pleaded guilty. Kyaw Klay pleaded guilty [last week] to one count of aiding and abetting energy or telecom damage or theft of line insulate wire, cable or current of line or cable. Klay is among at least five suspects charged in connection to the copper thefts.” READ/WATCH: https://fluence-media.co/4iuxYIP
LAB TESTS: via a Rep. Brad Finstad press release, VERBATIM: “Today, Congressman Brad Finstad (MN-01) and Congressman Dan Crenshaw (TX-02) introduced the Freedom for Laboratory Innovation and Testing Act, legislation that would prevent any federal funding from being used to implement the Biden Administration’s burdensome Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) rule that inhibits the innovation of and delays access to Laboratory Developed Tests (LDTs). In addition to introducing this legislation, Representatives Finstad and Crenshaw sent a letter to U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., urging the FDA to revoke this [rule].” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3Xeilgg
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.-Elect Kari Rehauer
Rep.-Elect Wayne Johnson
Rep. Elect Julie Greene
Rep. Elect Keith Allen
Rep. Elect Peter Johnson
Follow on your favorite podcast platform, or at www.TheDailyAgenda.com/Podcasts. (SPONSORED: Minnesota Telecom Alliance)
ELKO NEW MKT: via Star Tribune, VERBATIM: “The two-story elementary school stands alone, surrounded by snow-swept fields on the edge of Elko New Market. Some of those fields were expected to sprout homes by now, according to expectations back when the school district built Eagle View Elementary two decades ago. … Elko New Market has been pegged for — and sometimes saddled with — great expectations for population growth. The Met Council and the city have even built expensive sewer and water facilities for a boom that hasn’t materialized yet. … [Currently], Elko New Market, population 5,200, is forecast to double to 10,500 people by 2050. While the city has underperformed the Met Council’s forecasts in the past, city officials say they think the new forecasts may be an undercount, and business owners say times have changed.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3XD69pJ
SARTELL: via St. Cloud Live, VERBATIM: “Only one of the Sartell-St. Stephen School District’s two Feb. 11 referendum questions were approved by voters. The district plans to work with the community to figure out its next steps, according to Superintendent Mike Rivard. … Question one asked for a $21.9 million for a new HVAC system for Riverview Intermediate School. It passed 1,663 to 1,149 votes. … Question two asked for approval to upgrade Sartell High School’s athletic facilities, which included turf fields and a 9-lane track. The measure failed with 1,709 voters saying no. Only 1,099 residents voted in favor of the measure.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/4hOqXlT
ROCHESTER: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “Agreements for fire response to four townships surrounding Rochester remain in the works, less than a year before the current 10-year agreement is set to expire. Discussions of a new agreement started last year, but the first draft was rejected by townships when some board members opposed added requirements calling for support of Rochester’s plans for city growth. The contract discussions came as Olmsted County commissioners were seeking to tweak oversight of land uses outside city limits, which reduced the city’s ability to veto requests for changes that could allow development to occur contrary to city plans.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/3D7khjR
WILD ABOUT READING: More than 500 Minnesota classrooms and 15,000 students are participating in the “Wild About Reading” program, a partnership with Flint Hills Resources which encourages students to read more using Minnesota Wild-branded posters, reading logs, and bookmarks. Teachers set weekly reading goals and give certificates to students who complete the four-week program. Fun program incentives include classroom visits from the Wild’s mascot, Nordy – and the team dog, Rookie; a pair of tickets to a Wild home game, player signed pucks and photos; and a pizza party for a classroom. LEARN MORE: Wild About Reading SPONSORED: Flint Hills Resources
From yesterday’s Fluence newsletters:
NETHERLANDS: via Brownfield, VERBATIM: “The Netherlands is seen as a gateway to the European Union for U.S. ag exports. Minnesota Department of Agriculture deputy commissioner Andrea Vaubel spoke to Brownfield after returning from a recent trade mission to the east European country. ‘They’re one of the largest importing countries in the EU [and] we’ve got a really strong relationship with them for U.S. agricultural products, so we really felt like this was a place that we needed to build on that EU relationship.’ She says the Netherlands is a major destination for U.S. soybeans, ethanol, beef, dairy, and animal feed.” LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4kbpEPv
INFLATION: via MPR News, VERBATIM: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates food prices will rise 2.2 percent over the course of this year, slightly below last year. If they’re correct, that increase would be way down from just a few years ago. Grocery prices jumped nearly 10 percent in 2022. They were up nearly 6 percent in 2023. Many consumers think price gouging is driving high grocery prices. But Minnesota Grocers Association President Pat Garofalo said grocery stores, just like their customers, are struggling.” GAROFALO: “This was not as a result of your local grocery stores making more money. This was just a result of a significant disruption throughout the entire worldwide supply chain.” READ/LISTEN: https://fluence-media.co/4gQXHJV
MED DEBT: via Rochester Post Bulletin, VERBATIM: “DFL lawmakers from Eagan and Rochester are teaming up with Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison again for a bill that would set aside money to buy, then forgive, Minnesotans’ medical debt. Last week, Sen. Liz Boldon of Rochester introduced the Minnesota Medical Debt Reset Act in the state Senate. Rep. Liz Reyer of Eagan sponsors the House version of the bill.” BOLDON: “Medical debt isn’t like other types of debt. No one chooses to have an extended stay in a hospital. No one plans on having their appendix burst or having a heart attack. Medical expenses shouldn’t be treated like a loan for a business. It doesn’t have to be this way.” READ: https://fluence-media.co/437XcIy
THEDAILYAGENDA: 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: Fraud Prevention & Oversight hears testimony from DHS Commissioner Shireen Gandhi on CCAP daycare funding. Ways & Means will hear a bill requiring more audit reports. Elections & Govt. Ops. will hear bills on a Bipartisan Redistricting Commission and allowing local governments to conduct background checks. Health hears five ambulance bills. Transportation hears two bills for shutting down Northstar Commuter Rail. SENATE: Education Policy hears a requirement for cardiac emergency response plans. Jobs & Economic Dev. hears an employer requirement for fraud reporting portals. Judiciary & Public Safety hears a bill establishing the OIG. Human Services will hear service dog changes. CALENDAR: https://fluence-media.co/3D7dVkv
TODAY: At 2PM, Rep. Kristin Robbins, R-Maple Grove, community stakeholders, and House Republicans will hold a press conference on House File 14, a bill to pause light rail spending until the Southwest Light Rail project is finished. HF 14 will be debated on the House floor during session today.
TOMORROW: via Minneapolis Fed, VERBATIM: “Hear how businesses from across the Ninth District say they are faring during a virtual event on Tuesday Feb. 25 from 9 a.m. to 9:30 a.m. Central Standard Time, hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis. … A total of 568 [Midwest] respondents provided survey responses and comments.” DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/4gOqChP
TOMORROW: via an IRRR advisory, VERBATIM: “A special meeting of the Department of Iron Range Resources & Rehabilitation Board will be held in the Governors 4 Boardroom (lower level) at the InterContinental Saint Paul Riverfront Hotel at 11 East Kellogg Blvd., Saint Paul on Tuesday, February 25 at 6:30 p.m.”
WEDNESDAY: Axios energy and climate reporters will host a conversation with Minnesota Sen. Tina Smith and Ohio Rep. Bob Latta for their “Powering the Electric Future” event on Wednesday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 a.m. DETAILS: https://fluence-media.co/3WY8vz0
MARCH 3: via an ISAIAH press release, VERBATIM: “Hundreds of childcare providers, parents, teachers and community members across Minnesota will be hosting or participating in Day Without Childcare events on Monday, March 3 to demonstrate how many people truly rely on childcare in our state. Several childcare centers that serve hundreds of children and families across the state will be closed to elevate the need to fund childcare and early learning.” Centers in Virginia, Bemidji, Duluth, St. Paul and Rochester, and Elk River will participate.
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)
BDAYS: attorney Jonathan Fogel, sports writer Jason Olson
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