Daily Digest: Real ID and immigrants
Good morning and happy Thursday, which some people consider the best day of the week. Gov. Mark Dayton is scheduled to undergo surgery this morning at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester for prostate cancer. Here's the Digest.
1. Minnesota Senate Republicans say Gov. Dayton is playing politics with legislation that would ensure Minnesotans have the proper ID to board flights when new federal security requirements kick in next year. Minnesota is one of the few states that has not yet upgraded its drivers’ licenses. Republicans say Dayton is working with Senate Democrats to prevent passage of Real ID if the bill doesn’t allow unauthorized immigrants to obtain licenses. Dayton contends he has been upfront about the issue all along, and the Legislature has failed to meet federal deadlines. (MPR News)
2. A plan to move Minnesota’s primary election from August to June is again in the mix at the Capitol, surviving an early attempt to stop it in its tracks Wednesday. The House Government Operations and Elections Policy Committee left Rep. Kelly Fenton’s bill in consideration for a broader elections bill. Fenton, R-Woodbury, said the goal is to have “more people have their voice heard in these primary elections.” The change has the backing of Gov. Dayton, who won’t be on next year’s ballot even though the governor’s job will. (MPR News)
3. Sheriffs issued more than 71,000 permits to Minnesotans in 2016 allowing them to carry a firearm in public, a record one-year total and a sharp increase from 2015, state officials said Wednesday. As of Wednesday, the total number of valid permits in Minnesota was 265,728, the highest total ever reported in the annual release from the Department of Public Safety’s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. About a year ago, that total was 217,909. (Star Tribune)
4. A legislative resolution that calls for the diversion of nearly $1 billion in federal funds from the Southwest light-rail line to Minnesota road and bridge projects is currently barred by law, according to the Federal Transit Administration. Republican legislators introduced a measure at the State Capitol last week asking the U.S. Department of Transportation to funnel $929 million intended for the Southwest light-rail line to a “block grant that can be used for other transportation projects” in Minnesota. (Star Tribune)
5. Former Sen. and now Attorney General Jeff Sessions met twice with the Russian ambassador during the 2016 campaign, and did not disclose the meetings when questioned during his confirmation hearings. The disclosure could add to congressional calls for the appointment of a special counsel to investigate Russia’s alleged role in the 2016 presidential election. At his Jan. 10 Judiciary Committee confirmation hearing, Sessions was asked by Sen. Al Franken (D-Minn.) what he would do if he learned of any evidence that anyone affiliated with the Trump campaign communicated with the Russian government in the course of the campaign. “I’m not aware of any of those activities,” he responded. He added: “I have been called a surrogate at a time or two in that campaign, and I did not have communications with the Russians.” (Washington Post)
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