The Daily Digest, Happy Monday Edition (Jobs and tax bills in Minnesota, guns and immigration week in the U.S. Senate)
A very happy Monday to everyone. I'm MPR's Washington-based reporter and I'm taking over the Daily Digest for the next week. Please feel free to send any comments, suggestions and tips to me at bneely at mpr dot org or you can follow me on Twitter at @brettneely.
In Minnesota
The House and Senate will take up budget bills this week. The House will take up the omnibus jobs and economic development bill today. The Senate will take up the omnibus State Government Finance bill.
House tax priorities: The public will get a closer look at where Democrats in the Minnesota House intend to raise revenue to balance the budget and spend more for schools and property tax relief. The House tax bill is expected to be released today. It will include an income tax hike on top earners and will flesh out a state subsidy to make improvements in Rochester for a proposed expansion by the Mayo Clinic. Senate Democrats will release their tax bill next week.- Tom Scheck
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Even though Gov. Dayton dropped the idea, the Senate is pushing ahead with a plan that would extend sales taxes to clothing and personal services. (MPR News)
The Star Tribune says the DFL is still a long way from a budget deal.
After 20 months, locked out workers at American Crystal Sugar sign a contract with management to return to work. It's the same contract they rejected on four previous votes. (MPR News)
Gov. Dayton, Sens. Al Franken and Amy Klobuchar and Rep. Tim Walz toured storm damage in southwestern Minnesota over the weekend, (MPR News)
Budget sequestration in Washington is cutting into federally-sponsored research at the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic. (Star Tribune)
In Washington
News coverage from the Capitol is likely to alternate between the gun control bill and the immigration bill, both in the Senate. The U.S. House will consider a cyber-security bill.
A smaller gun rights group has endorsed a bipartisan compromise on background checks. (Washington Post)
But the New York Times notes that both parties have internal rifts that could prevent some members from supporting extended background checks for gun buyers.
After weeks of going back and forth, Republican Senator Marco Rubio (and likely 2016 presidential candidate) comes out strongly supporting the Senate immigration bill. He did seven (!) Sunday show interviews touting his support. (New York Times)
President Obama's nominee for Labor Secretary, Thomas Perez, is getting criticized by Republican lawmakers for persuading the city of St. Paul to withdraw from a housing discrimination lawsuit. (NPR)
It's Tax Day and just 55 percent of American polled said their taxes were fair, the lowest level since 2001. Like many things in American life these days, the biggest divisions were between Republicans and Democrats. (Politico)
Michele Bachmann puzzled CIA Director John Brennan during a hearing last week and may even have broached classified topics with some of her questions. (Mediaite)
Today is the deadline for congressional campaigns to file their first quarter fundraising numbers with the Federal Election Commission. So far, U.S. Reps. John Kline and Collin Peterson have filed. Kline, Republican, raised $257,000 and has more than $750,000 on hand as Democrats hope to give him a run for his money next year. Peterson, a Democrat, raised $165,000 and has $160,000 in the bank.
U.S. Sen. Al Franken's campaign announced last week that the Democrat had raised $2 million.