Daily Digest: Pressure builds for ‘hands-free’ bill

Good morning, and welcome to Friday. Here's the Digest.

1. Families of victims make full court press for hands-free cell phone law. They call themselves a club — one they'd rather not belong to — with a laser-focused mission of keeping new members at bay. They're the parents, spouses, siblings, friends and other loved ones of people killed by drivers who were texting, talking on or otherwise distracted by their phones. And this year, they are on the verge of passing a new law that would place tight restrictions on phone use behind the wheel.  "We are done. We have already lost our loved ones. We are not doing it for us. We are doing it for you," said Vijay Dixit, who is among the people applying pressure on Minnesota lawmakers to get a bill through. Dixit lost his daughter in a crash involving a distracted driver nearly 11 years ago. He said it's a no-brainer for the Legislature to pass the hands-free requirement, and said he and others who are grieving will continue to push for a vote. While the bill is on track for a vote in the House, Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka has said the issue may have to wait another year. As he left the Senate chamber, Gazelka spoke briefly with the family members who were hoping he would promise an up-or-down vote. He gave no assurances. Later, he told reporters that he understands the passion and appreciates the aim of the advocates. "Years ago I was negative and I've moved to neutral, so it's not like I'm trying to stop it," he said. Gazelka said if the House passes the hands-free bill, it would improve the odds of getting it done this year. "We'll see. You saw the passion of the people." (MPR News)

2. Senate votes to charge drug makers a fee to help with the opioid crisis. Minnesota is a step closer to raising revenue from pharmaceutical companies to fund addiction treatment and prevention to address the state’s opioid crisis. With a 60-6 vote the Minnesota Senate overwhelmingly approved an opioid stewardship bill Thursday. The legislation would raise $20 million a year from licensing fees on drug manufacturers and distributors to help communities, addicts and their children deal with the fallout from the crisis. Lawmakers gave emotional speeches ahead of the vote, detailing their frustration with pharmaceutical companies they say refuse to take any true responsibility for the crisis that has killed tens of thousands nationwide. “These companies amassed a fortune off the opioid epidemic…” Sen. Julie Rosen, R-Vernon Center, who is chief sponsor of the bill, said during her closing remarks. “They have never once been at the table to say, ‘I may have a solution.’ I’m trying to make them accountable and be part of the solution.” (Pioneer Press)

3. Proposed transportation constitutional amendment divides organized labor. The debate at the Minnesota Capitol over a proposed constitutional amendment on transportation funding has created an unusual divide within organized labor.  The proposal asks voters to decide in November whether to constitutionally dedicate sales tax revenue from auto parts and repairs to pay for road and bridge projects and put a lot of people to work. That's why building trades support it. But the money would be taken out of the state’s general fund and could no longer be used for other budget needs. That’s why teachers, state government workers and other public employee unions that rely on general fund money oppose it. The amendment disagreement has put some DFL lawmakers, who rely on support from both sides, in an uncomfortable position during the final days of the 2018 session. (MPR News)

4.  Abortion issue influences regent selection. Minnesota lawmakers chose Worthington entrepreneur Randy Simonson to fill a vacancy on the University of Minnesota’s governing board Thursday — a pick Republican leadership said was informed in part by what they saw as his conservative, anti-abortion bona fides. A joint session of the Legislature backed Simonson, a graduate of the U’s veterinary microbiology doctoral program, over two Board of Regents candidates a committee recommended for a First Congressional District opening. Republicans rallied around Simonson, who received 104 of 191 votes cast, defeating Rochester Community and Technical College interim President Mary Davenport and Mayo Clinic cardiologist Brooks Edwards. “Randy Simonson matched up with the values of being conservative and pro-life; those are important to members,” said Bud Nornes, R-Fergus Falls, who co-chaired the committee that recommended Davenport and Edwards. “But the main reason is that his résumé is really strong.” Nornes said news that the U had posted an opening for a medical school fellowship in partnership with the Reproductive Health Access Project — a nonprofit that promotes access to abortion and contraception — “strikes a nerve” with Republican lawmakers, though the university took down the posting. Rep. Gene Pelowski, of Winona, the DFL lead on higher education and a Davenport backer, called the vote evidence of an increasingly partisan process for selecting U regents. (Star Tribune)

5. GOP Liberty Caucus to meet at mosque. The idea for a smattering of Republican activists to hold their annual convention at Dar al-Farooq, a Twin Cities mosque, started with two guys simply talking to each other. Abdulahi Farah and Zavier Bicott are both in their 30s. They met through a civic initiative called One Bloomington; both live in the Minneapolis suburb. Bicott, who chairs the Republican Liberty Caucus of Minnesota, told Farah he would love for his group to have an event at the mosque. And Farah, who runs programs at al-Farooq, was game. "I said, 'As a neighbor, definitely. This is one of the amenities. You guys are more than welcome to use here,'" Farah said. "And that's how the idea came up." Sensible as the idea seemed to them, it set off a firestorm of controversy within the party, particularly on social media. One woman commented on Facebook that it was "pure stupidity." Another said it was "disgusting" and was enabling those who want to destroy the country. Bicott and Farah acknowledged a virulent strain of anti-Muslim rhetoric within the Republican Party, but Bicott said he's gotten more support than criticism for the decision. (MPR News)

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