Daily Digest: September special session?
Good morning and welcome to Thursday, the 75th anniversary of the D-Day invasion. Here's the Digest.
1. But they just left. The speaker of the Minnesota House wants lawmakers to return to St. Paul for a one-day special session in September to take up several bills that failed to pass in the just completed special session. Lawmakers are not set to meet again until Feb. 11, 2020, but Speaker Melissa Hortman, DFL-Brooklyn Park says there’s no reason lawmakers can’t come back before then to take up unfinished business. “When you think about it, the entire football season will have happened, the Super Bowl will have been played before we get together again. And it’s not even pre-season yet,” she said. “That seems like an awfully long time to wait to solve problems that we know how to solve right now.” Specifically, Hortman wants lawmakers to take up a $500 million bonding bill and a proposal to create an emergency insulin program that were discussed as a part of the budget deal this year but failed in closed-door negotiations. Hortman said she’s not interested in coming back for a “fig leaf” proposal on insulin. “Not a sell-out to the pharmaceutical industry, but if we do something meaningful,” she said. “And if we do a bonding bill that’s a modest sized bonding bill that takes care of some of the bread and butter issues, it will make the bonding bill conversation a lot smoother in 2020.” (MPR News)
2. Noor supporters ask for leniency. Supporters of former Minneapolis police officer Mohamed Noor — including friends, relatives, cops and a sitting state legislator — recall the times that he drove them safely home after a snowstorm or taught young people soccer. Over a span of 44 letters filed in court Wednesday, they asked the judge presiding over his case to consider Noor's contributions to the community when sentencing him Friday on third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter convictions. Defense attorneys cited the letters in asking the court to sentence Noor to probation. In April, Noor became the first Minnesota police officer to be convicted of murder for killing someone while on duty. He shot and killed 911 caller Justine Ruszczyk in July 2017 after she reported what she thought was an assault in the alley behind her home. Defense attorneys are asking Judge Kathryn Quaintance to depart from the presumptive sentence of about 12.5 years and sentence him to probation. They argue that the court should take into account his cooperation, age, conduct in court and support of friends and family. "A prison sentence would not be best for Mr. Noor and society," defense attorneys wrote in the filing. "Mr. Noor is a young man who came to this country in his early childhood years and has worked continuously to be a good citizen and a person that gives back to the community." (MPR News)
3. Minnesotans adjust to new Cuba travel rules. The first thing Julian Loscalzo did when he learned about the new travel ban this week was to get to the bank. "I talked to my travel agent. She's licensed to operate in Cuba, she's worked there for 20 years," said Loscalzo, who runs a company called Ballpark Tours, which organizes trips to ballparks around the country and in Cuba. "She said, 'listen, get those deposits in the mail, in the bank and confirm that it's all taken care of, if you get them in by June 5, they're not going to interfere.'" The travel agent was referring to new travel restrictions laid out this week by the Trump administration on how Americans are allowed to visit Cuba. There used to be 12 ways for Americans to legally travel to Cuba, including things like family visits, religious activities and what is called People-to-People travel, which was meant to "foster educational dialogue." The new rules ban People-to-People travel. They also say that American boats aren't allowed to stop there, which means cruise ships, fishing boats and private yachts are all prohibited by American law from docking there. Travelers who booked flights to the island before the June 5 deadline are fine. Those who booked cruises or other boat trips, even before the deadline, are not. (MPR News)
4. Medical device makers wary of new tariffs. The medical device industry, a big player in the Minnesota economy, is bracing for the financial fallout from tariffs on goods imported from Mexico, which are set to begin Monday. The U.S. imports more medical devices and device components from Mexico than any other country, and barring a diplomatic breakthrough, the cost of those devices could increase by tens of millions of dollars a month. The 5% tariffs that go into effect Monday are set to escalate to 25% by October unless the Trump administration is satisfied that Mexico has “alleviated” the flow of illegal immigration into the U.S. Companies affected by the tariffs include Medtronic, which is run from operational headquarters in Fridley. It has more than 750,000 square feet of manufacturing space in Mexico, roughly 8% of the $30 billion company’s global manufacturing footprint. Boston Scientific, which has major operations in Minnesota, doesn’t directly manufacture devices in Mexico, but the company will have to manage the expenses related to imported components. (Star Tribune)
5. Medical marijuana producers lose money. Minnesota’s two medical marijuana companies lost a combined $2.4 million in 2018, adding to years of losses that have largely been driven by the state’s tightly regulated program. Leafline Labs, which has never had a profitable year, reported a net income loss of $1.8 million in 2018, according to financial documents obtained by the Pioneer Press. Minnesota Medical Solutions, which turned its first profit in 2017, fell back into the red with a $610,000 loss last year. The two manufacturers invested in expanding their operations last year to meet growing demand from the more than 16,000 patients enrolled in the state’s medical cannabis program. The debt the manufacturers took on contributed to their losses. Despite their losses, the CEOs of the companies say they are hopeful for the future. “To the public, it’s going to look extremely negative that we’re still posting (losses),” said Leafline Labs CEO Bill Parker. “I think what is a positive sign is how much we’ve decreased that loss compared to previous years. … We have righted that financial ship and we are heading in the correct direction.” (Pioneer Press)
The Digest is taking Friday off. We'll catch you again next week.
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