Good morning. Hurry up and get here for good, spring!

We covered a lot of ground on where major items stand in the 2026 session on Politics Friday with House leaders Harry Niska and Jamie Long. If you cut away at the areas where agreement seems impossible, you’ll find a very tidy to-do list from here to the end. Both say they’re intent on passing some kind of construction projects bill, known as a bonding bill. Confidence is high that an Office of Inspector General bill will get buttoned up to set up the new fraud-fighting unit. School safety funding seems to be a lock, although the companion gun restrictions probably won’t get by. Productive discussions are occurring on Medicaid work requirements due to a new federal requirement. HCMC is drawing plenty of internal deliberation on a path forward for stabilizing the region’s main trauma hospital, which both Long and Niska called a “state asset.” Some assistance for the St. Paul arena and convention center redo could still materialize, although the scope and amount don’t appear to be near settled. Niska said we shouldn’t expect an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink bill that wraps the final product into one package. Nor is he expecting many giant omnibus bills; he’s referring to the categorical packages for the year as “a few minivan bills.”

The pinch points are getting a lot of attention this year at the Minnesota Capitol, but there are some measures chugging along thanks to cross-party backing. The Senate voted last week to ban virtual currency kiosks, so-called crypto ATMS, and the House could soon follow suit. A slate of eight bills is up for passage today in the House and will most likely pass without much opposition. Peter Cox writes about the buddy system that makes things work, essentially finding sponsors from across the aisle even if it sometimes makes for some very strange bedfellows. Bills dealing with emerging technology seem to be one place where the bipartisan unease is attracting cooperation.

But, but, but … this is still a building where politics and partisanship flourish, and look no further than an impeachment resolution on a committee docket this week. The proposal that will go before a tied House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee would order another committee where Republicans do have a partisan edge to conduct an impeachment investigation into state “officers” and report back by May 1. It’s no doubt aimed at Gov. Tim Walz and Attorney General Keith Ellison, both DFLers. Formal resolutions seeking the Walz and Ellison impeachment were introduced by a pair of House Republicans and signed on by about 20 of their GOP colleagues. It’s likely to be cast as a session distraction and the tied committee provides a quick route to shutting it down. Remember, voters will get to decide in November who sits in those statewide offices, and Walz has already said he’d leave his chair open. 

Also on Politics Friday: State Sen. Eric Pratt discussed his campaign for Congress. He’s one of two Republicans seeking the party backing at the May 2 Second District convention. Tyler Kistner, who has sought the office previously, is also running for the seat that will open with Democratic Rep. Angie Craig’s departure. Pratt voiced support for the U.S. war in Iran, saying “I’m going to trust that the intelligence was right and that we needed to eliminate Iran’s ability to produce a nuclear weapon.” He said he would “certainly be open” to added defense spending to support the Iran effort if he had a vote in Congress right now. He said there were “mistakes made” in the ICE operation in Minnesota, but put more of the blame on the lack of cooperation at the state and local levels as well as inadequate training of newer federal agents. Pratt said he hasn’t asked President Donald Trump about an endorsement — “I’ll take any endorsements I can get” — but Pratt expects the president will weigh in on the race at some point. Listen to the full interview in the second part of last week’s episode.

An adviser to the Minneapolis Federal Reserve Bank and professor at the University of Minnesota is a leading contender to be President Donald Trump’s new chief economist. Politico reports that Chris Phelan is a frontrunner to be the next chair of the Council of Economic Advisers. Stephan Miran left the role earlier this year after he was confirmed to a seat on the Federal Reserve. Phelan received his Ph.D in economics from the University of Chicago. Neither the White House nor Phelan confirmed whether reports of Phelan’s consideration for the post are valid, per the Politico report.

A right-wing lawyer and frequent social media poster has been appointed to an immigration judge position at Fort Snelling. Madison McVan, a reporter with the Minnesota Reformer, reports that the office responsible for immigration cases within the U.S. Department of Justice has hired Nathan Hansen . Hansen has shared debunked conspiracy theories on his social media accounts and has recently said he supports the federal government’s immigration surge in Minnesota. He previously ran for a district court judge position but lost to the incumbent.