Capitol Letter for March 28

IN THE NEWS: Kelsey Waits, President of AAUW-MN, and Michelle Witte, LWVMN Executive Director, published an important and timely commentary in the Minnesota Star Tribune - Try as the Trump administration might, it can’t erase women

Local Advocacy: LWV Duluth members joined Hundreds to rally in support of Duluth EPA lab from threat of closure, which would cost nearly 150 jobs and decades of research to protect our environment. See the Duluth News Tribune for coverage!

Executive Order on Elections: On Tuesday, President Trump signed an executive order seeking greater control of federal elections, including requiring voter proof of citizenship. LWV issued an immediate response to this shameful attack on American voters—particularly women voters—saying that they will pursue all avenues in fighting against this dangerous order that threatens Americans’ freedom to vote and tramples states’ authority to run elections.

Minnesota Response: In writing for the Minnesota Reformer, Max Hailperin explained that this executive order won’t change how Minnesotans register and vote. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon issued the following statement and Attorney General Keith Ellison stated that it is obviously illegal and will be opposed and he suspects defeated (WCCO).

Learn more: Join a panel of voting experts with the Brennan Center for a webinar on the executive order, the SAVE Act, and what we all must do to protect our elections - April 1 at 2 pm, Register Here

For more upcoming actions and resources to Defend Democracy, please visit our Take Action page:

April 5th at the MN Capitol—Hands Off! National Day of Action - On April 5th, LWV and organizations nationwide are coming together to demand accountability and will not be silent as our democracy and our freedoms are threatened by the current administration. With over 700 events planned worldwide, join us and find an event near you!
“SAVE Act” Vote Expected Week of March 31: Send a pre-formed message to your US Representative to vote "NO". Dial 833-346-1779 to be connected to your Representatives office and leave them a message about your opposition. Mobilize voters nationwide by joining a Common Cause Phone Bank.

State Advocacy Opportunities: Join the Rise and Repair Coalition on April Non-Fools Day at the Capitol for several committee hearings and organizing opportunities for climate justice including issues supported by LWVMN! - April 1 from 12:15pm - 3:15pm

Observer Reports from the State Capitol

LWVMN Observer & Lobby Corps Member Gwen Myers
Background: Quite by surprise, in Feb. of 2024, helium gas was discovered in NE Minnesota. Minnesota has no regulatory framework for mining gas. The legislature directed the DNR to form and lead the Gas Resources Technical Advisory Committee (GTAC).
The hearing reported here is SF 2530 authored by Sen. Grant Hauschild (DFL-Hermantown):
Chair Foung Hawj called the meeting to order, and Sen. Hauschild reported the above information and noted that it followed the recommendations of the GTAC. SF 2530 includes an expedited rule-making process and Sen. Hauschild noted the many important roles helium plays, as noted below. Mike Liljegren, DNR Lands and Minerals, was on hand to help answer questions.
Enthusiastic support came by letter from Iron Range Exploration (IRE), a technology-advanced natural hydrogen exploration company that has identified the presence of significant hydrogen reserves here in the United States.
Support also came from Michael Sturdy, Pulsar Helium, a multi-project helium development company focused on Minnesota, and from Allyyz Kramer, Stuart, Elliot, Hendrickson (SEH), who has worked w/ Pulsar on environmental issues, avoiding wetland contamination and keeping its footprint to one acre.
The MN Chamber of Commerce also supported SF 2530, noting countless applications: Semiconductors, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation pumps, MRI scanning technology, electric vehicles, arc welding, transportation, and more. They also noted that, since MN has never developed a gas resource, it is imperative to establish a system to ensure we can responsibly develop those resources. They testified that SF2350 does that, creating a system with transparency and certainty for developers.
Testifying against the bill were Aaron Klemz of MN Center for Environmental Advocacy (MCEA), Paula Maccabee of WaterLegacy, and Sarah Mooradian of CURE. Northeast Minnesotans for Wilderness submitted a letter in opposition.
Among the many concerns regarding SF 2530 as it is drafted are the following:
1. Extensive comments provided to GTAC by five tribal governments and a number of other organizations are not reflected in the text of Sen. Hauschild's bill. These included cautions that government-to-government consultation has not taken place and assertions that an environmental impact statement (EIS) should be required.
2. SF 2530 allows a permit to be issued under a temporary set of standards, before expedited rulemaking is completed. Once issued, that “temporary” permit would be “irrevocable during its term,” and would remain valid after rules are established.
3. In addition, there is no fixed term for permits in statute, despite the Minnesota Supreme Court clearly stating in a recent case that “term” means “a fixed period of time covering a precise number of years.”
4. SF 2530 would allow fracking and oil wells. There is language that would require consideration of hydraulic fracturing in rulemaking and would allow “fracking” if rules were adopted to permit it.
Committee response:
Sen. Steve Green (R-Fosston) confirmed that the cost of permits had been reduced.
Sen. Jennifer McEwen (DFL-Duluth) offered two amendments: 1) Remove language on fracking, which should be forbidden - adopted 5-2; 2) include language that prohibits construction of oil wells - accepted by Sen. Hauschild.
SF 2530 as mended was moved to Judiciary and Public Policy without recommendation. It has five committees to go through.
The Judiciary and Public Policy Committee on Monday, March 24 considered primarily the power of the DNR Commissioner to grant or deny a contested case hearing. Testimony from Aaron Klemz wanted that language removed. The committee laid the bill over for its next meeting.
LWVMN opposes this bill as introduced based on LWV Positions on Natural Resources: Promote an environment beneficial to life through the protection and wise management of natural resources in the public interest. See LWVMN Program for Action, p. 14. LWVMN supports the testimony Environmental organizations presented on March 20 before this committee.
LWVMN Observer & Lobby Corps Member Sherry Hood
This bill (SF 1690 - Kupec, DFL - Moorhead) is intended to allow for the recovery and proper management of abandoned covered products (circuit boards, batteries, etc.that are e-waste). Testifying for this committee’s approval was Tom Johnson of the MPCA. He said there are a few different actions that can be taken to recover these materials. An order can be issued to the person responsible for abandonment and disposal. If that does not work, then contact the Product Stewardship Organization (made up of manufacturers of the products that pay a fee for the end-of-life of their products). The organization then manages the waste that fails. That Stewardship Organization would be able to maintain a civil action and be entitled to damages up to twice the cost of recovery and also includes the cost of reasonable attorney fees. There is a 60 day lag time when the plaintiff would then enumerate which potential producers are not complying. After that, action would commence. For producers not participating, there is this 60 day time period to come into compliance. Also if there is non-compliance with a contract from a producer, then there are a number of actions that can be taken including voiding of the contract. The Attorney General then could pull back any unlawfully obtained money. Also testifying in favor was Maria Jensen, co-director of RECA, recycling electronics organization, who said that all companies in her organization are in favor of this bill because there will be much more to recycle and currently their equipment is using only 25% of capabilities. Motion was approved to accept the bill as currently presented and was referred on to the Commerce Committee.
LWVMN Supports this bill based on our Waste Management position.
LWVMN Observer & Lobby Corps Member Marti Micks
On March 25, I observed the excellent presentation for SF 1973, a grant for Sweet Potato Comfort Pie of $500,000 over two years, one of many requests for grants heard in this Committee meeting. Senator Ann Rest presented the bill, and Rose McGee, president and founder of Sweet Potato Comfort Pie, gave a catchy presentation (with the pie). Niila Hebert, SPCP Board Chair also testified in favor and LWVMN Submitted Written testimony in support. After their presentation, committee member Sen. Kunesh commented that she had been a recipient of a SPCP sweet potato pie for her work on the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Missing and Murdered African American Women task forces. About 20 supporters of SPCP were at the committee hearing (with Kay Kessel and I from LWV).
On March 27th the committee met again to vote on the omnibus legacy appropriations for the requests and the grants. I learned that Minnesota Management and Budget projects a several million dollar reduction in funds for next year. Because of this, the financial requests were reduced, including SPCP to $200,000 over one year. The Legacy Omnibus bill SF2865, which included SF 1973, Sweet Potato Comfort Pie, passed as amended and to have staff make any necessary revisions and was referred to the Finance Committee. Appropriations in the Legacy omnibus bill (spreadsheet)
Note: LWVMN joined the Minnesota Environmental Partnership letter in support of the Clean Water Fund appropriations in SF 2865
Also on the 27th, the Committee heard SF 2289, a request for stop-gap funding to give community television stations time to modernize their funding stream while still carrying out their mission of connecting communities by televising candidate forums, city council meetings, school athletic games, festivals, special events, etc. Shannon Slatton Schwartz, Executive Director of CCX Media testified in favor of this funding for Cable TV Public Education and Government Programs. CCX Media's revenue is down 35% since 2017. No vote was taken on this bill. LWV also Submitted Testimony in Support
One surprise in this hearing: Amendment #10. Sen McEwen asked to withhold funding to MN Science Museum because it did not follow the wording of the 2023 significant Legacy Fund appropriation of $7 million. The appropriation was larger to help the museum carry out debt reduction, rehire and retain employees, honor employee contracts, and carry out diversity and inclusion practices. In March 2023, the museum laid off 12 union represented employees and several of these were involved in DEI training. The museum was accused of unfair labor practices and instead of working with the union, MSM spent money on labor disputes. Because there has been some movement recently for MSM to meet with the employee's union, Sen. McEwen withdrew her amendment. She wanted the public to know that the Legacy Fund expects that recipients of funding carry out the wording of the requirements for the grants/appropriations.
LWVMN Observer & Lobby Corps Member Amy Caucutt
The bills heard in today's hearing before DFL Co-chair Howard, were all concerning FUNDING of housing programs, not policy changes like zoning controls. Most programs are already in existence and the bills represented big increases in funding levels. The testifiers all had positive stories of how the current programs, or similar programs at the local level, have been effective but were not enough. The GOP members of the committee pushed back on the dollar amounts to be allocated when "we are facing a big deficit". Authors said they recognize that this is a difficult year but wanted to impress on the committee the severity of the problem. All bills were held over for possible inclusion (in an omnibus finance bill... to be developed once targets are known).
HF2144 (Rep. Momanye-Hiltsey) and her A-1 amendment added $150M for 2 years to current base of $900,000, for emergency programs to prevent, reduce time of, and keep from recurrence family homelessness. On average, $3,500 can keep a family stable said the author. Current funds are subscribed within hours or days of becoming available. More data was supplied by MN Coalition for the Homeless and Greater Twin Cities United Way. Chair Howard added that the study commissioned by the legislature found that the need is actually $350M/yr.
HF1141 (Rep. Howard) adds $400M to MN Housing Infrastructure bonds. Author noted that the $200m over last 2 years in this innovative tool, has been oversubscribed, with 3/4 of the projects submitted not getting funding. Testifiers included SW MN Housing Partnership which said that these funds leverage other local private dollars. He and the Met. Consortium of Community Development had stories of projects and the need to refurbish as well as build new. In answer to Rep Dotseth question, the annual debt service of this ask would be $30m. Rep. Nash noted that this is truly "aspirational, given that this bonding source has had a total of $495M since 2008!
HF2480 (Rep. Howard) This was a technical fix finally approved by HUD and MMB to be able to increase federal funds for current public housing so as to preserve it.
HF2148 (Rep.Agbaje) and A-1 amendment, puts $10M into a locally controlled, revolving housing fund with $$ from MHFA. Testifiers pointed to successful programs in Dakota, Washington, and Olmsted Counties which provide workforce housing at affordable rates. These have advantages over the usual tax credits method and hugely expand (by a factor of 10 in Washington County) the HUD properties. Rep Kozlowski said she is really "jazzed by this bill". Rep. Howard agreed. Rep. Igo said on one hand we want to peel back local control (zoning) but on the other hand give locals money for housing???
HF999 (Rep. Agbaje) modifies 1st generation home-buyers Assistance and makes the pilot an ongoing fund with some small changes. Many testifiers described the "game changing " success: 700 participants at about $32,000 each for downpayment assistance at $21M. Rep Johnson thought it should be a revolving fund, but author said 'no", this is to help 'build wealth". Rep. Igo noted that this program does not lead to the building of new homes and may inadvertently raise prices.
LWVUS position on Housing Supply (over 1 full page) states: "Government at all levels must make available sufficient funds for housing-assistance programs. When families or individuals cannot afford decent housing, government should provide assistance in the form of income and/or subsidized housing."
LWVMN Election and Redistricting Policy Coordinator Paul Huffman
SF 1812, Preventing election-related bribery (Sen Westlin); This bill was initially limited to changes in candidate filing requirements, however the Author’s Amendment added language making it a felony to give or “provide a chance to win” money or other items of value to either encourage someone to register to vote or in return for a registered or eligible voter to sign petition “materially related to and election”. The legislation would apply during the election period from the start of absentee voting until election day. An oral amendment was made to the author’s amendment to change “materially related” to “directly related.” This change was made partly in response to feedback from LWV MN.
Sen Westlin stated that the change to the bill is an anti-bribery bill. She specifically referenced the activities of Elon Musk in Pennsylvania in 2024 and in the current Wisconsin special election. 83% of Republican and 80% of Democratic voters believe that people and groups that donate large money to campaigns have too much influence on decisions made by elected officials. A key aspect of the bill is that it allows county attorneys and the Attorney General to pursue civil as well as criminal penalties. Much of the author’s discussion of the need for the legislation and the subsequent discussion focused on the issue of “dark money” in elections.
LWV MN (Paul Huffman - written testimony) and Clean Elections MN (Mary Hartnett) testified in support of the bill.
Challenges to the bill primarily came from Sens Koran and Lucero. Sen Koran stated that he was not sure it is a problem and stated that this was a “knee-jerk reaction to something happening in WI.” He also noted that Democrats are great beneficiaries of dark money. Sen Koran proposed a bill banning “Zucker-bucks” (donations to local election officials during COVID to support elections). He also noted that of the $73 million of independent expenditures in WI and questioned how much was from conservative and legal expenses. Sen. Westlin responded that “Dark money is dark money” and that it is a bad idea for billionaires to bribe people. She noted that it is a bad idea to be reactive rather than proactive. Chair Carlson noted that the donations from Mark Zuckerberg were to support election administration and not to a specific voter, candidate, or party. In response to this, Sen Koran stated that most of the money went to Democratic cities and city governments. In conclusion, Sen Koran said he would be happy to work on something about dark money but “this isn’t going anywhere.”
Sen Lucero stated that he hears from voters about the intellectual dishonesty of the DFL and that this is not different from “Zucker-bucks.” He also mentioned the DFL perspective (from MN DFL chair Ken Martin) that there are “good” billionaires and “bad” billionaires. Sen Lucero challenged that the DFL was OK with a billionaire influencing elections to help them and should be considered with funding coming from any billionaire influencing elections. Sen Carlson noted that no strings attached to “Zucker-bucks” and no money went to individuals.
Sen Marty provided a final comment that this bill makes no mention of billionaires, that is simply a bill banning a form of election bribery. The bill is not related to dark money and should be approved by all.
Roll call vote was announced as 7-4 in favor, however in the hearing recording only Sens Koran, Lucero and Mathews voted against the bill and Sens Bahr and Limmer voted in favor. This indicates that the final vote was 8-3 in favor of the bill. The was bill referred to the Senate Judiciary Committee.
SF 2021, Plain Language Lobbying Handbook (Sen Westlin): This bill was introduced based on recommendations from Minnesota Government Relations Council (MGRC, the association of Minnesota lobbyists) based on feedback from new lobbyists that the lobbying changes passed on 2023 were confusing. The bill specifically required that the Campaign Finance Board (CFB) “must consult individuals who are registered lobbyists but who are not full-time professional lobbyists, including lobbyists for nonprofit organizations, small organizations, and organizations led by individuals who are Black, Indigenous, and people of color.” During the discussion of the bill, Sen Cwodzinski noted that the CFB stated that they could produce this document with their existing resources without additional funds. On its face, this bill should have been straightforward to approve.
MN Council on Nonprofits (Marie Ellis), Clean Elections MN (Elillii Ebisso) and MGRC (Kate Klossner, Legislative Chair) testified in support of the bill. The primary focus of their testimony was to provide a resource for new and small nonprofits and lobbying groups, especially with respect to what requires someone to register as a lobbyist, and how to do register.
Sen Lucero noted that he is a strong proponent of freedom from discrimination and referenced the MN Human Rights Act. He challenged the proposed statute’s requirement to solicit input from lobbyists from organizations that are led by Black, Indigenous and people of color. He questioned whether this was a violation of the state human rights act in that it does not include and is therefore discrimination against people who are not persons of color. Sen Lucero stated that specifically calling out people of color the bill discriminates against those who are not people of color.
Sen Koran questioned how often the handbook would be updated. He also echoed the concerns of Sen Lucero that some groups are excluded from those being consulted to develop and update the handbook. For example, experienced lobbyists should be explicitly included and not excluded from providing comments and suggestions. In response to both Sen Lucero and Sen Koran, Sen Westlin stated that no one is being excluded from providing input to the handbook.
The bill was laid over for inclusion in Elections omnibus.
LWVMN Observer & Lobby Corps Member Cathy Thom
S.F. 2792 (Mohamed) - Housing challenge program modification by expanding eligible schools provision. Request is to expand the grant eligibility to more schools to receive these housing industry training grants that build actual homes within underserved communities in need of affordable housing.
TESTIFIERS: Khalique Rogers - Catalyst for Systems Change - Emphasized that there is no cost - it's just an expansion to more schools to get the same money. There were several testifiers from the GAP School, including a student, which has received and implemented several successful training grants. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion.
S.F. 2848 (Abeler) - Isuroon grant appropriation for rental assistance and eviction prevention services.
TESTIFIERS: Director of Housing at Isuroon - Isuroon is a private organization that assists low-income renters and victims of domestic violence within a particular area of the Twin Cities that is populated with many refugee and immigrant populations. It assists with language interpretation services, rental costs and negotiations to prevent eviction, wrongful eviction, and the erasure of unfair evictions from renters' records. There are about 280 people on Isuroon's waiting list for assistance. County funding is no longer adequate, and a more consistent source of funding is necessary.
MEMBER DISCUSSION: Senator Eric Lucero (R - St. Michael) - Inquired about how the flow of payments happens through the system via private organizations. Suggested that perhaps we could simplify the flow of money to increase money to entities that already receive state assistance. Fartun Weli from Isuroon replied that going through other entities who then contract with them is very inefficient. They can do the work better with money granted to them directly. Senator Rich Draheim (R - Madison Lake) - Said that Isuroon no doubt does good work, but they are not just in Minnesota - asked if this money would stay in Minnesota. Isuroon reps said that all state dollars would go to the 72 zip codes in MN that they serve. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion.
S.F. 2205 (Port - Burnsville) - Establishment of a Task force on homeowners and commercial property insurance.
TESTIFIERS: Kizzy Downie - Model Cities - Testified that there are growing concerns about the disappearance of affordable housing options due to increasing insurance costs. This task force would help dig deeply into the problem to find solutions.
Jeff Phillipich - Center City Housing - This nonprofit organization has acquired for rehab several affordable housing units and also built new ones to help preserve and increase affordable housing options in areas of need. Their insurance costs are increasing faster than they can afford, and it is jeopardizing their work. Solutions are necessary to lower insurance costs.
Julia Nerbonne - MN Interfaith Power & Light - Testified that one 20-minute hail storm in MN cost over $1.8 billion worth of damage. Events like this increase the costs of everyone's insurance, as well as decreases coverage comprehensiveness. This trend is unsustainable and solutions need to be found to the problem.
MEMBER DISCUSSION: Senator Draheim - Stated that he is supportive of the concept, but would like to see some tweaks to who is a member of the task force. He thinks that it needs to be broadened to include small business owners as well as a couple more from the "insurance world," such as an independent broker. Senator Port agreed that they are very good suggestions and said she would be happy to work with him on that. Senator Lucero echoed Senator Draheim's suggestions, especially including more insurance providers, as the task force is currently weighted too heavily towards consumer representation and providers need to be part of the solution for it to work. The bill was passed for referral to another committee.
S.F. 2742 (Port) - Affordable housing industry report requirement, low-income tax credit modification, and Minnesota Housing Finance Agency identification of avenues for potential regulatory relief to affordable housing providers, and appropriation. $50 million on the base, and $10 million annually after that. Senator Port stated that these dollar amounts could change as the bill moves through the process.
TESTIFIERS: Will Delaney - Hope Community, Inc. - This is a nonprofit organization that provides sustainable affordable housing for low-income and homelessness prevention housing, but recent and current conditions are making it very difficult for their units to be successful. The funding and the decrease in regulations in the bill would be very helpful to keeping more housing units open and stable.
S.F. 2976 (Port) - Allowable uses of funds in the Minnesota metro housing sales tax credit contribution account expansion to include funding supportive services in supportive housing.
TESTIFIERS: Ben Helvick Anderson - Beacon Interfaith Housing Collaborate - Testified that the bill would add supportive services to the list of things eligible for the MN 1/4 percent metro housing sales tax credit that was passed in the last biennium. Many people who struggle with homelessness do so because they require supportive services in order to remain in their homes or rentals. Being able to claim the credit for support services would help the most vulnerable populations find and keep stable, affordable housing that fits their needs for services as well.
MEMBER DISCUSSION: Senator Draheim - Stated that he liked the idea that the funds will go to counties, who are closest to the problem. Senator Zaynab Mohamed (DFL - Minneapolis) - Said that she could not support the bill because it diverts money away from Minneapolis that it is currently going to and allocate it to Hennepin County instead, and Minneapolis cannot currently afford to lose control of that funding. The bill was laid over for possible inclusion.
LWV Position on Fair Housing.