By Rich Larson, News Director
As the second half of the legislative session gets into full swing, budget talks are beginning to get a little more serious. With proposals already
introduced by the Governor and the GOP caucuses, the House DFL has finally released its budget proposal. Representative Todd Lippert said the details of the proposal show a budget that will “work for all Minnesotans,” particularly students, families, workers and small businesses, all of whom have been hit the hardest by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The DFL budget allocates $20.8 billion dollars for education, an increase of $721.7 million dollars. Much of that increase is in early learning, but, Lippert said, that the proposal is also meant to keep school funding ahead of inflation. The goals for the legislative democrats are to help students who have fallen behind during the pandemic get caught up, support teachers, and close the achievement gaps that are spread across race, class and geography.
Another highlight, Lippert said is increased funding for childcare.
“Minnesota is behind the national recommendation, by a long way, in the childcare reimbursement rate. So, we have $60 million dollars for early learning scholarships for families and $300 million dollars for support for providers to make sure that childcare is accessible for families. And we know that’s foundational, not just for families but for rural communities, too.”
The DFL plans to partially fund these increases by introducing a fifth-tier tax bracket that would increase taxes on individuals earning more than $500,000 dollars a year or couples or couples who earn more than $1 million dollars. It also proposes a new tax on corporate income earned overseas that would generate approximately $400 million.
Representative Lippert has called the budget is a moral document, and he said the House proposal accurately reflects the values of the DFL party. Meanwhile, Republicans in both the house and the senate have drawn a line on taxes for this biennium, saying any tax hike in the next budget is unacceptable.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with Representative Todd Lippert can be heard here.
Fossum looks toward jury trials in May
The Rice County courthouse has been closed since November when State Supreme Court Chief Justice Lorie Gildea put a moratorium on all in-person trials in the State of Minnesota due to the Covid-19 pandemic. When Gildea’s ban was lifted on March 15th, the three Rice County District Court judges decided to extend the moratorium for the county. The plan now is to re-open the County Courthouse and resume jury trials on May 3rd. Rice County attorney John Fossum is eager to get things going again.
Fossum said his staff has been working remotely for over a year, with periods of time when people would be coming in one day a week. This is despite the special accommodations the county has made during the pandemic, including the construction of a special courtroom in the government center that would allow for all the necessary people in a courtroom, including a 16-person jury, to keep a safe physical distance.
Pre-trial hearings have been going on during the pandemic through video applications like Zoom and Skype. And while Fossum said he does expect video hearings to now become a permanent part of the criminal justice system, there are some things that cannot be done in a virtual environment.
“When a person is testifying, judges like to have the person in front of them and be able to judge their credibility. And when you’re doing direct and cross-exam, it’s a lot easier to look at somebody, and we know how to get documents or items into evidence with a live person in front of us. Doing by Zoom has been a challenge.”
Fossum said the county currently has a backlog of more than 200 jury trials that will have to be dealt with. And while the vast majority of those cases will be resolved before they reach a courtroom, it will still take a substantial amount of time to get through all of them.
Jeff Johnson’s full conversation with County Attorney John Fossum can be heard here.
NH&C continues to expand vaccination opportunities
And in what has now become a weekly ritual, Northfield Hospital & Clinics has once again expanded its vaccination program, reducing the age
requirement of those receiving vaccine, as well as reducing the age of those eligible to sign up on the hospital’s waiting list, and offering that waiting list in five different languages.
In a statement issued on Friday, NH& C said the program is now focused on vaccinating people age 44-64 with health conditions and essential workers, then people 16 and older with health conditions prioritized by the state.
NH&C is encouraging everyone age 16 and older to sign up on their vaccine waiting list. The statement said the list is now available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Somali and Mandarin Chinese.
As has become the norm, the hospital is asking that people not call the clinic for a vaccination appointment unless they have been contacted first. The statement also read that joining the waitlist does not guarantee an appointment and encouraged those wishing to be vaccinated to seek other options as well.
The waitlist can be found on the NH& C website at northfieldhospital.org.
