The Daily Digest
The Senate HHS committee and the Senate Taxes Committee will continue taking up their respective budget bills today. The committee chairs hope to move the bills out of committee by he end of the day.
Committees in the House have all approved the respective budget bills and moved them on to the House Ways and Means Committee.
DFL House Minority Leader Paul Thissen and DFL Senate Minority Leader Tom Bakk will be on MPR's Midmorning at 9am.
MPR finds that Republicans say they won't raise taxes but are raiding other dedicated funds to balance the state's budget.
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Iron Rangers are crying foul that the GOP is taking money from the Doug Johnson fund to balance the budget.
Democrats mocked the GOP budget proposals by putting forward an amendment for the state to book $300 million in lottery winnings from this week's Mega Millions.
The House Health and Human Services budget bill was changed to include a rate cut to hospitals. The bill moved out of committee later in the day.
Dayton defended LGA and blasted the GOP budgets during a speech to city officials. Listen to his speech (and a GOP response) here.
Minnesota rent aid programs are on hold over anticipated cuts.
School funding issues, in particular a tax tuition credit, are an issue in the Senate Tax bill.
A push for private prisons in the House Public Safety bill draws fire.
The Pi Press says the House Environment budget bill also added a provision that would require the state to sell walnut trees grown in two state parks for revenue.
Minnesota opens an Inter-Agency flood information center.
Dayton's new dog, Mingo, meets the press. Watch video of the poocher here.
Congress
NATO will take the lead on military operations in Libya.
The White House is defending its response to Libya.
DFL Rep. Keith Ellison says he supports the No-fly zone in Libya buts wants Congress to have a role in defining further action.
DFL Sen. Al Franken, DFL Reps. Betty McCollum and Keith Ellison and Health Commissioner Ed Ehlinger will hold a news conference this morning to celebrate the federal health care law.
Former Vice President Walter Mondale calls a push to exempt the St. Croix bridge from the U.S. Wild and Scenic Rivers Act a dangerous precedent. Gov. Dayton, DFL Sen. Amy Klobuchar and GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann are pushing for the exemption.
Banks lean on the Federal Reserve and Congress to drop the debt card "swipe fee."
The Tea Party in Mankato is sending a message to DFL Rep. Tim Walz that it wants him to cut government.
McCollum's son was living in Japan when the earthquake hit.
Special Election SD66
Education Minnesota is backing DFL Rep. John Lesch in the special election.
Lesch, Democrat Mary Jo McGuire and Republican Greg Copeland have all either mailed or dropped off campaign literature in the district.
Race for President
An adviser to GOP Rep. Michele Bachmann says she's likely to enter the race.
Bachmann appeared on Fox News' "On the Record with Greta" last night. Watch the interview here.
Bachmann's Facebook Townhall was a flop.
Former MNGOP Chair (and former Bachmann Chief of Staff) Ron Carey says he's backing Pawlenty.
Finally
The Digest is taking a break next week. We'll fire it back up on April 5th.