As dozens of lawmakers closed out the legislative session for the last time, they reflected on their years in office – some with sentimental memories and others with jokes. Here’s a sprinkling of some of the remarks from those who said, “Goodbye.”
“I was elected in 2013 and I sat right there and I thought to myself, ‘How hard can it be?’ said Rep. Ron Kresha, R-Little Falls. “This is one of the most challenging, emotional, exhausting, disappointing, and rewarding endeavors I've ever taken on.”
“We saw the best of Minnesotans over the last year, even though there were so many horrible things,” said Rep. Kelly Moller, DFL-Shoreview, pointing to the assassination of the late House DFL Leader Melissa Hortman, Annunciation School shooting and federal immigration surge. But she said Minnesotans — and elected officials from both parties — stood up for each other. “Let's continue to muster that courage in the months and years ahead.”
Rep. Paul Torkelson, R-Hanska, who played a key role in negotiating agreements between leaders over the last two sessions, left his colleagues with this message: “One of the most important things we, as legislators, must do if we're going to serve our constituents, serve the state of Minnesota well. We have to be willing to learn, to learn from each other, to learn from the lobbyists, to learn from our colleagues, to learn from our staff, both partisan and nonpartisan, to find the best path forward.”
“In almost the 30 years I've been here, I've never taken it for granted. I have always appreciated and respected what it's meant to serve, why it's important. Losing Melissa reminded me that you can't take it for granted, you have to appreciate every single moment,” Rep. Cedrick Frazier, DFL-New Hope, said. “I always appreciated that when times got tough, we did things together for the betterment of Minnesota.”
“To the staff of this institution, the committee administrators, the researchers, the legislative assistants, council pages, sergeants, fiscal staff and all those whose work is too often unseen, please know how deeply appreciated you are,” said Sen. Jeff Howe, R-Rockville. “You have been teachers, guides, and steady hands, and I am profoundly grateful.”
Sen. Sandy Pappas
, DFL-St. Paul, joked that each retiree gets to speak for one minute for every year served. “So that’s 42 minutes,” she said. Pappas thanked her colleagues, and with emotion in her voice said, “Please take care of our democracy. And I just want to say that I love you all and I’ll miss you.”
For those who want to see their name in lights — or just on a ballot — this is your moment. Candidate filing is open on Tuesday
for a range of state and federal offices. The filing period will remain open for two weeks until June 2. There is a second-thoughts period for withdrawal that lasts for a couple of days after the filing deadline. The venue for filing depends on what office a person is running for and there is a candidate fee that differs by the job. A petition in place of the fee is an option. For governor and U.S. Senate, it’s 2,000 signatures; for legislative office, it’s 500 valid signatures.
A proposal to ban prediction markets like Kalshi and PolyMarket is headed for a rapid replacement. A first draft was signed into law yesterday; a revision will be signed into law soon.Rep. Emma Greenman, DFL-Minneapolis, sponsored the bill and said last-minute feedback led lawmakers to do a last-minute repeal and rewrite as part of a broader public safety bill. If signed into law by the governor, it would make it a felony to host or advertise a prediction market in the state. Greenman said last-minute changes were aimed at tightening up the language and preventing unintended impacts on other areas. “The changes are just making sure that what we are regulating here in Minnesota is protecting Minnesota from this explosion of gambling, and not digging into the places that there's always been long-term interest derivatives, and all the financial instruments that
sophisticated actors and market actors have been using for decades,” she said. Minnesota is the first state to pass such a ban and is expected to face legal action.
Minnesota’s upcoming run in the pro golf spotlight will come with a tax perk.
The tax bill passed on Sunday includes a sales tax exemption for “championship golf tournament admission.” It’s specifically for events sponsored by the Professional Golfers Association and runs through 2030. Next month, the KMPG Women’s PGA Championship will be played at Hazeltine National Golf Club in Chaska — although the sales and purchase exemption doesn’t kick in until July 1. Hazeltine is also hosting the 2029 Ryder Cup, just as it did in 2016. The proposal is expected to result in $2 million in tax exemptions through the end of the 2029 budget year, according to a spreadsheet from the tax-writing panels that struck the agreement.
Firefighters continue to try put out the Stewart Trail Fire near Two Harbors, where Gov. Tim Walz visited Monday to thank first responders and local officials. MPR News reporter Dan Kraker reports as of Monday afternoon, the fire was 62 percent contained, at around 355 acres, as cooler, rainier conditions moved in. By Tuesday morning the blaze was 100 percent contained.
Walz spoke to officials in the area while visiting the incident command center at the Two Harbors Fire Department. “These are days we don’t ever want to happen, but when they do, the response we’ve seen so far up here is one that we should all be very proud of,” said Walz He highlighted the role that first responders in small, rural communities have played in keeping people safe. “I appreciate listening to the stories and understanding what it takes for volunteer firefighters and a small sheriff's department to evacuate people in a very dangerous situation, and to do so with no injuries, no death. That’s an amazing story,” Walz said.
A GOP-endorsed candidate for the Minnesota Senate was arrested for domestic assault in 2009. According to a story in the Star Tribune
, Aaron Brutger of Eden Lake Township was arrested “after his former fiancee told police he had slammed a car door on her legs and strangled her until she lost consciousness during an argument.” The story said Brutger received a suspended sentence of 90 days if he remained law-abiding for a year, which he did. He sent a statement to the Star Tribune that called it an “incredibly difficult and painful chapter for our family.” Brutger is the endorsed Republican candidate for the Senate District 13 seat. The Star Tribune says it’s not clear if party leaders or delegates knew about the charges prior to the endorsement. He’s running for the seat of retiring GOP Sen. Jeff Howe.
Support trusted news and information from our team of experienced journalists with your donation today. MPR News relies on your support to deliver free and accessible news to our whole community.
