Republicans in the Minnesota Senate hold hearings tomorrow on turmoil at the state Human Services Department: top management resignations, fraud and possible cover-up, and overpayments to Native American tribes. Governor Tim Walz is pushing Republicans to also have hearings and move ahead with anti-gun-violence legislation. Walz said last week, “I do know now it’s possible. We’re doing a D-H-S hearing, so we’re coming back. We’re gonna pay some per diem. We’re gonna pay some salaries. We can do a D-H-S hearing. I support ’em in that. Why not just piggyback on an insulin and a piece of gun control or gun safety legislation?”
Senate Republican Majority Leader Paul Gazelka responds every time they’ve had gun hearings, usually hundreds of people on both sides show up. “It makes it more difficult, frankly, to have dialog about it, because people are passionate on both sides of that issue,” he says.