Category: State Issues

Minnesota AG says utilities mismanaged natural gas price spike in February

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The state’s gas utilities are seeking to recover $800 million for a huge February price run-up; AG says they shouldn’t be able to collect $380 million of that.  

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison’s office has concluded that the state’s utilities mismanaged natural gas procurement after a historic winter storm in the South, leading them to overbill their customers for $380 million in wholesale gas costs.

The office said Wednesday it is recommending the state Public Utilities Commission (PUC) allow utilities to recover only 53% of the roughly $800 million in costs they are trying to pass down to consumers, saying the companies could have reduced their wholesale gas bills during the run-up — but failed to do so.

“While Minnesota utilities did not cause Winter Storm Uri or the run-up in natural gas prices, they should have reacted forcefully to the pricing emergency and used every tool at their disposal to reduce costs,” Ellison said in a statement. Continue reading.

From corporate America to conspiracy theory promotion: How a Minnesota man made a career out of anonymously amplifying dark plots

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STILLWATER, Minn. — Sean G. Turnbull displays many of the hallmarks of a successful upper-middle-class family man, a former film producer and marketing manager for one of the country’s largest retail corporations who lives in a well-appointed home in this Minneapolis-St. Paul suburb. Former colleagues describe him as smart, affable and family-oriented.

But for more than a decade, the 53-year-old has also pursued a less conventional path: anonymously promoting conspiracy theories about dark forces in American politics on websites and social media accounts in a business he runs out of his home. His audience numbers are respectable and his ad base is resilient, according to corporate records and interviews.

Turnbull has identified himself online for 11 years only as “Sean from SGT Reports.” He has amassed a substantial following while producing videos and podcasts claiming that the 9/11 attacks were a “false flag” event, that a “Zionist banker international cabal” is plotting to destroy Western nations, that coronavirusvaccines are an “experimental, biological kill shot” and that the 2020 election was “rigged” against President Donald Trump, according to a Washington Post review. Continue reading.

Senate DFL End of Session Review: July 9, 2021

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Minnesota Senate DFL
End of Session Review

Following the murder of George Floyd and coming amidst the unprecedented public health emergency of the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 Legislative Session opened with the opportunity to deliver the transformative change Minnesotans were demanding. Despite the promise of these changes, the 2021 Legislative Session ended with much of this work, and the completion of the two-year budget, undone.

Instead of focusing on the needs of Minnesotans, Senate Republicans focused on hyper-partisan and extreme legislation that would restrict voter access, discriminate against trans youth, reopen schools and businesses without safety plans or resources, and pushed to roll back clean air and water protections. Senate Republicans also continued to push the big lie that our elections were not free and fair, which is a cornerstone to our democracy.

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Minnesota halts school lunch shaming over student debts

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Federal program covers free meals to June 2022. 

State leaders hope to put a halt once and for all to incidents of lunch shaming in Minnesota schools by making clear which actions will not be tolerated when students fall behind on lunch payments.

No pulling back of meals, no affixing of stickers or pins, and certainly no in-your-face throwaways.

The details are part of a new state education finance bill passed last week that put a finer point on 2014 legislation saying schools could not “demean or stigmatize” students over unpaid lunch debts. Continue reading.

DFL Debrief: Masks Are Off, Barbecues Are On

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DNC Senior Advisor Brad Woodhouse joins the podcast to talk about the incredible progress that has been made in combatting COVID-19 and getting life back to normal – all thanks to President Biden and the Democrats. The crew also discusses how to get that message out to your community and why that’s so important.

Click to listen here.

Senate DFL Leader Susan Kent statement on Senate Republicans refusing to adjourn sine die in order to consider commissioner confirmations

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Today, the Senate Republicans refused to adjourn the special session, even though the House adjourned sine die, and all 2of the budget bills have been signed by the governor, including the tax bill. On the Senate floor this morning, it was confirmed that the Republican Majority is planning to take up commissioner confirmations next week and extend the special session indefinitely. 

In response to this news, Senate DFL Leader Susan Kent (DFL-Woodbury) released the following statement:

“The Senate has been in session consistently over the past 18 months. Our members and staff worked tirelessly to create and pass a $52 billion budget for the people of Minnesota and were ready to adjourn sine die, as the House did early yesterday morning. We were surprised to hear that the Senate Republicans plan to keep the Senate in session indefinitely to consider confirmations of commissioners from the Walz administration.” 

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MN Senate stays in session to review Walz commissioners

The Minnesota Senate is back in action Tuesday to consider the job status of several agency leaders — potentially voting on removing commissioners from Gov. Tim Walz’s administration.

Rather than adjourn a special session as the House did last week, GOP Senate leaders extended their stay to conduct performance reviews.

Majority Senate Republicans said the reason they did not end the special session was that they wanted to be sure Walz would sign the budget and tax bills passed during the marathon days leading up to the July 1 start of the new fiscal year. Continue reading.

Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: July 2, 2021

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Governor Tim Walz Delivers Minnesota’s COVID-19 Recovery Budget

Gov. Walz Singing COVID-19 Recovery Budget


As Minnesota emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, Governor Tim Walz signed Minnesota’s COVID-19 Recovery Budget—Minnesota’s state budget for the next two years. The bipartisan budget includes Governor Walz’s priorities to invest in small businesses and drive economic recovery, ensure students catch up on learning to succeed for years to come, and support essential workers and working families.

“Together, we made it through this pandemic, we got the vaccine, and now, with Minnesota’s COVID-19 Recovery Budget, we are on our way back, stronger than ever,” said Governor Walz.

Continue reading “Gov. Walz and Lt. Gov. Flanagan Update: July 2, 2021”

DFL Party Statement On The Signing of Minnesota’s COVID-19 Recovery Budget

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SAINT PAUL, MINNESOTA – Today, following Governor Walz’s signing of Minnesota’s COVID-19 Recovery Budget, DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin
released the following statement:

“Thanks to the hard work of Governor Walz, Lieutenant Governor Flanagan, and the DFL members of our legislature, Minnesotans can rest easy knowing that this budget will help our state build our economy back stronger than it was before this crisis. This budget provides historic investments in our students and educators, in our frontline workers, in our state’s economic recovery, and will ensure our small businesses have the support they need to thrive. Under impossible circumstances, Governor Walz and our DFL leaders in the legislature have stepped up to protect our state and now they have ensured our state can rebuild better than ever.” 

Some of the budget highlights include:

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