Daily Digest: Sunday sales are upon us
Good morning and happy Friday, the last one of June, which means 2017 is somehow already half over. Let's take a look at the Digest.
1. Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon says he’s not sure he’ll turn over the data requested by a White House panel for a study of voter fraud. The Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity asked all states this week to supply publicly-available voter roll information. The request includes voters’ names, addresses, dates of birth, recent voting history and details about military status and felony convictions. Simon, a Democrat, is hesitant. He said he views the commission with “great suspicion” and believes it has a predetermined outcome. Simon said he needs time to decide what to do. (MPR News)
2. This weekend Minnesota liquor retailers will be allowed to sell alcohol on a Sunday for the first time in the state's history. The Legislature debated the issue for years before finally voting this year to overturn the ban on Sunday sales. Supporters argued that the prohibition was outdated, and customers want the convenience of buying alcohol any day they choose. But many smaller liquor retailers fought back against the law change, arguing that being open an extra day a week isn't worth the extra staffing costs. While most cities in the state will allow Sunday sales, not all liquor store owners will choose to open on Sundays. (MPR News)
3. The House and Senate authors of the bill passed this year to allow stores the option of opening on Sundays between 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. say they expect efforts as soon as next session to expand the hours. Sen. Jeremy Miller, R-Winona, said he’s been hearing from local store owners who want to be able to open earlier. “They feel like there’s going to be an early morning rush on Sundays that they’re going to miss out on, whether they’re camping or boating, fishing, hiking, whatever that might be,” Miller said. “We want liquor stores really to have that flexibility.” The 11:00 a.m. open was part of Miller’s Senate bill last session, and that’s what made it into the bill that was ultimately signed into law. A previous House version, sponsored by Rep. Jenifer Loon, R-Eden Prairie, called for a 10:00 a.m. open on Sundays. (MPR News)
4. Crime across Minnesota dipped in 2016, hitting its lowest statewide rate in 50 years. The numbers, released by state police Thursday, show that a long trend of diminishing crime rates is continuing in Minnesota — even in urban areas — despite high-profile incidents of violence that have fueled concerns that crime could be on the rise. Factoring in the rate of 10 serious types of crime — known collectively as “index crime” — the state saw a roughly 4 percent decline from 2015, according to the data, which is collected by the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension and reported to the FBI annually. (Star Tribune)
5. During the legislative session Gov. Mark Dayton requested $125 million to make the state government’s systems more secure. Part of the money was to go toward updating some of the state’s computer systems, which are so old they are incompatible with any modern operating systems or security functions. Another $74 million would have gone into various IT security improvements, including adding more cybersecurity staff, as well as new software that blocks hackers. But the funding was competing with tax cuts, transportation funding and other priorities. During the special session, cybersecurity funding got caught up in bargaining between the governor and Republican legislative leaders. Republicans said they offered about $22 million in cybersecurity funding to the governor. But they say instead of using it for that purpose, Dayton used the money to maintain current staffing levels for state agencies. (MinnPost)
The Digest is going to take a break to celebrate every American's favorite holiday, Independence Day. Be back on Wednesday.
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