Good morning. How many of you are going to play hooky today? 

Enhanced traffic safety is one area that could attract bipartisan consensus at the Capitol this year. Lawmakers of both parties appear intent on cracking down on bad or just dangerous driving. Bills to toughen penalties for roadway violations — ranging from extreme speed to fleeing police to driving drunk — are all on the table. Peter Cox has a look at some of the ideas under consideration to make things a bit less treacherous out there. Related: A pair of DFL lawmakers in St. Louis Park will outline a DWI bill they’ll push to address repeat offenders. A news conference is at the Park Tavern later today where there was a deadly incident last year.

The Minnesota House — in its waning days of GOP control — debated a pair of bills aiming to walk back legal changes related to abortion. Both failed to get the 68 votes needed for passage. The proposals would reinstate funding for what are referred to as crisis pregnancy centers and restore an abortion-related policy spelling out required medical care changed in 2023. Republicans said the state should again fund the centers that advocate for abortion alternatives while Democrats said the centers often provide misleading medical information. 

Minnesota’s retired state flag could get a new life under a bill receiving attention at the Capitol. The House State Government Finance and Policy Committee considered a bill Thursday that would designate the retired flag as Minnesota’s “historic state flag” and require its display in certain situations. Supporters say it should get the respect it’s due while opponents raised concerns about promoting a flag with troubling representations of Indigenous people. It could get rolled into a broader state government bill later on. Dana has more here.

The Minnesota Subcommittee on Ethics deadlocked on a pair of complaints filed against a member facing burglary charges. Nicole Mitchell is Woodbury DFLer facing two felony counts of burglary for allegedly breaking into her stepmother’s Becker County home last year. The committee heard two ethical complaints against her —first, being accused of a felony and second, taking part in a procedural vote that could have led to an expulsion vote. For the first time in months, Mitchell fielded questions from members and defended herself against the complaints. "I have a growing district, and my district population is estimated now at almost 87,000 people. They have asked me to stay and keep working for them, and they deserve representation,” she said. “So again, I ask that you follow the course that you have already taken, the course of Senate custom, and delay a decision until the appropriate time." Democrats say that time is after her trial is resolved, which will happen after the legislative session concludes in May.

Gov. Tim Walz is headlining events in other states this weekend opposing President Donald Trump and Republicans in Congress. The former Democratic candidate for vice president will headline a pair of town hall talks in Des Moines and Omaha. Local Democratic parties are asking interested parties to RSVP for the events and requesting donations. Walz said he wants to hold listening sessions in congressional districts where Republicans haven’t held public meetings. Republicans in Minnesota called out the governor for taking the tour rather than getting to work on a budget or other issues at the Capitol.

Finally, Minnesota doesn’t allow former lawmakers and candidates to personally cash in on leftover campaign money. Sometimes, those balances sit there for years as those candidates consider other offices. But to close an account, it must be empty. Candidates will often unload their money to parties or charitable causes. Former DFL Rep. Gene Pelowski chose the latter route when he needed to dump $12,336 in a campaign fund he first opened in 1984. He put it toward a near-and-dear cause: He turned the money over to the Winona State Foundation for its “Model Legislature Fund.” Pelowski was a big promoter of the Model Legislature for its civics-lesson approach to government. Pelowski retired from the House this year after 38 years in office.