The Daily Digest: Tax bill, teacher tenure and budget battles
Good morning!
In Minnesota
The Minnesota House has voted unanimously to approve about $20 million in extra tax credits and deductions that people can claim when filing forms this winter and spring. (AP via MPR News)
A Minnetonka DFL senator broke with her party to take on some its most powerful allies with a measure that could end the long-standing practice of teacher tenure, which makes job seniority the prime consideration during layoffs. (Star Tribune)
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Many Minnesota public safety workers say they are not prepared to deal with an oil train or pipeline accident, according to a new report. (Pioneer Press)
Just a few months after voting to unionize, home health care workers announced they have agreed on a contract that would raise their pay floor to $11 an hour, provide funding for training and offer pay protections, SEIU Healthcare Minnesota said. (Star Tribune)
The fatal shooting Wednesday of a young African-American man by St. Paul police is bringing attention to the department's use of deadly force. (MPR News)
The former mayor of Stillwater has pleaded guilty to tax fraud conspiracy. (AP via Star Tribune)
National Politics
President Barack Obama will ask Congress for as much as $68 billion more than current budget limits in fiscal 2016. (Bloomberg News)
Reacting to what many in the party concluded was a chaotic and ultimately costly series of debates in the 2012 campaign, Republican leaders on Friday plan to unveil new rules for presidential debates to limit the number of forums and to shape the environment for the nominating season. (Washington Post)
Americans for Prosperity, the most prominent arm of the Koch brothers' organization, put Republican lawmakers on notice, setting out a conservative agenda for Congress. AFP leaders say it will be pushed by the group's grassroots supporters in 34 states. (NPR)
The United States government on Friday will begin making it easier for Americans to travel to Cuba than it has been for more than half a century. (New York Times)
TGIF: Members of Congress can be very passionate about paintings of other members of Congress. (Washington Post)