Minnesota News Network

“A little disappointed”, says Governor Tim Walz about President Trump commuting the prison sentence of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, who served eight years of a 14-year term for political corruption. Governor Walz says there was extensive prosecution and a jury rendered verdicts, plus he never heard Blagojevich say he’s sorry. “Elected officials need to be held to a very, very high standard, and anything that is corruption while in office, I think the bar to commute something like that is almost impossibly high,” Walz says.

President Trump tweeted that Blagojevich “did not sell the Senate seat” vacated in 2008 by then President-elect Barack Obama. Prosecutors say they arrested Blagojevich to thwart his plan to make an appointment to the Senate seat in exchange for campaign contributions.

“If that bill gets to my desk, I would probably sign it,” Governor Walz says about the latest push to legalize firecrackers and aerial fireworks in Minnesota. His comments come as firefighters converge on the State Capitol for “Fire Service Day”, and Burnsville Fire Chief B-J Jungmann says they’re concerned about people’s safety. “Only licensed professionals are the ones that are able to make sure that the fireworks that leave the ground go in a safe direction,” Jungmann says.

The governor contends prohibition doesn’t necessarily work. “We all know that our neighbors… are going to Wisconsin,” he says. Walz argues legalizing firecrackers and aerial fireworks in Minnesota would give the state the ability to regulate fireworks that end up being used here anyway.

State officials are urging Minnesotans in areas where there’s any chance of flooding to make sure they have flood insurance. Homeland Security and Emergency Management Director Joe Kelly says, “It’s important for people to remember: You go buy flood insurance, it has to be in effect for 30 days before you’re fully covered…. Now is the time for people to buy flood insurance.” Kelly says Minnesotans should also make sure their regular homeowner’s insurance covers water and sewer backup.

As officials await spring flood forecasts, Governor Tim Walz is asking the legislature to add 30 million dollars to the state’s Disaster Assistance Fund. That money is to assist local governments with infrastructure repairs, but is *not* available to homeowners or businesses.

Air monitors, filter masks, better ventilation and more safety reminders — among many options discussed Tuesday at the State Capitol as lawmakers focus on the recent spate of grain bin accidents and deaths on Minnesota farms. Plato farmer Brian Thalmann, past president of Minnesota Corn Growers Association, predicts more problems in 2020 because farmers were forced to put wetter-than-usual grain in their bins. Thalmann says, “You put that on top of a farmer who is depressed because of low prices and because of all the other challenges, and they’re probably working too-long hours, they’re tired and so on. So that’s where the education piece I think really comes into play, to keep reminding people not to forget about the safety issues.”

Stu Lourey with Minnesota Farmers Union says there will be lots of talk this session about funding for the Rural Finance Authority. “A lot of those programs go to rebuild on-farm infrastructure. When folks are reinvesting in their equipment, of course they’re using the newest and safest ways of building that for the next generation,” Lourey says.

This is “Grain Bin Safety Week” in Minnesota.

Governor Tim Walz says he cannot understand why the legislature has not claimed seven million dollars in election security funding from Washington D-C — as G-O-P and D-F-L lawmakers continue their long-standing argument over checking voter eligibility at the polls. Walz says, “We get very little back from the federal government. When we do, we should get it, and the experts are telling us this is what we need to do, so… should be the simplest thing we do.”

Previous years’ debates about requiring photo I-D at the polls have now redirected to a related issue. Some Republicans want ballots of those who register to vote on election day held aside, until it’s determined whether those people are eligible to vote. Democrats say adequate verification measures are already in place.

A bipartisan group of state lawmakers wants state funding to clear the backlog of untested “rape kits” — evidence that medical professionals gather from victims of sexual assault which can be used by prosecutors. Republican Representative Marion O’Neill from Maple Lake says it means justice for thousands of women in Minnesota. O’Neill says, “We have an issue of serial rapists out among us, and the reason we do is because we’re not testing all the kits and connecting all the dots.”

Democratic Representative Kelly Moller from Shoreview says rape victims who undergo an examination — often a grueling and difficult process — deserve to have their kits tested. Bill sponsors say they don’t yet have an estimate of cost.