>>Klobuchar Introduces Bill to Limit Presidential Tariff Actions
(Washington, DC) — U-S Senator Amy Klobuchar is sponsoring bi-partisan legislation that would require the president to get congressional approval for new tariffs. Under the Trade Review Act of 2025, the president must notify Congress within 48 hours of imposing a tariff on imported goods, any new tariff will expire in 60 days, and Congress may terminate any tariff through a joint resolution. Klobuchar says,” President Trump’s tariff tax is raising costs for Americans and creating economic uncertainty.” Co-sponsors of the bill include Republican Senator Chuck Grassley of Iowa and Washington Democrat Maria Cantwell.
>>AG Ellison Sues Trump Administration over NIH Funding
(St. Paul, MN) – Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison is joining 16 other states in suing the Trump administration for disrupting grant funding issued by the National Institutes of Health. The lawsuit challenges Trump’s intentional delays in reviewing N-I-H grant applications and terminating hundreds of already-issued grants. Ellison’s press release says the N-I-H has already awarded tens of millions of dollars to institutions like the Mayo Clinic and University of Minnesota, and without them, it will disrupt valuable research in health and medicine. The lawsuit was filed in U-S District Court in Massachusetts.
>>Permitting Reform Bill Passes Senate Committee Vote
(St. Paul, MN) – One by one, testifiers in several industries explained why Minnesota needs to reform the permitting process so the state doesn’t continue to lose business. D-F-L Senator Grant Hauschild of Hermantown has a bill that would improve the process by reducing the red tape and accelerating business development in Minnesota. A report by the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce found that the permit process in Minnesota is up to six times longer than in neighboring states. Hauschild says his bill modifies the review process by allowing businesses to address issues during the application process, not waiting until the end. The Environment, Climate and Legacy Committee voted unanimously to forward the bill to the State and Local Government Committee.
>>Minnesota House Considers End of Life Bill
(St. Paul, MN) – A bill in the House could pave the way for Minnesota to become the 11th state to empower patients to make decisions about their own care at the end of life. The Minnesota End of Life Options Act would give mentally capable, terminally ill adults the chance to request medical aid to end their lives. Becki Sinks lost her husband to suicide during his battle with terminal brain cancer. She told lawmakers, “please listen. Listen to the families like mine and give Minnesotans this choice.” This bill is modeled after the Oregon Death with Dignity Act that has been around for 25 years.
>>DFL to Hold Series of Town Hall Meetings
(St. Paul, MN) — House and Senate Democrats plan to host a series of town hall meetings around Minnesota. They say the town hall meetings will center on how the Trump administration is hurting our state. They also want to update constituents on the state budget along with programs like Paid Leave and free school meals. The town halls will be held during the legislative spring break. The first meeting is April 12th in St. Paul. Other locations include the South Metro, Duluth, Moorhead and St. Cloud.
>>Brainerd Paving Company Agrees to Pay $1.2 Million to Resolve False Claims Allegations
(Minneapolis, MN) — A Brainerd asphalt contractor will pay more than 1.2 million dollars to resolve allegations it violated the False Claims Act and Minnesota False Claims Act. The U-S Attorney’s Office says Anderson Brothers Construction Company routinely and knowingly falsified test results to make its paving material appear to be higher quality than it was from 2017 through 2022. Prosecutors say Anderson Brothers was required to perform quality tests as a condition of payment for federally funded road paving contracts in Minnesota. Under the settlement, the U-S will receive 660 thousand dollars and the state will get 634 thousand.
