Election 2024: Legislative Impact

You have no duty to retreat inside your home but what about in defense of another?

The people have spoken. Southern Minnesota got a little redder as 3 of the four counties that flipped to President Trump were Nicollet, Blue Earth, and Winona. Vice President Kamala Harris won the state election but with fewer votes than President Joe Biden did in 2020.

Minnesota Senate

Only one senate seat was up due to a special election. Senator Kelly Morrison (D-Deephaven) ran to fill the US Congressional seat vacated by Rep. Dean Phillips when he retired and ran for President. Morrison resigned with enough time to have her name on the ballot for this election. A Democrat former Senator won Morrison’s seat, so the Minnesota Senate remains a one-vote majority for the DFL. The entire Senate is up for reelection in 2026.

Minnesota House

The Minnesota House was up for election, with many open seats. Twenty-one members were retiring or leaving the house for other offices. The result was a 67-67 tie between Republicans and Democrats, which happened only once before in Minnesota History in 1979.

Two races are being recounted, one which fell within the statutorily required margin for a recount and the other which did on election night, but subsequently, more votes were “found” which indicated a clear winner. Due to how that result came about, the county in question, Sherburne, is paying for a recount to reassure voters. The original result for both recounts was a DFL victory. If a recount overturns the result, the House will flip to Republican control. Recounts seldom produce a new outcome, but you never know!

What does a tied house mean? It means that both the Republican and Democrat Caucuses have equal claims to leadership and that in order to do anything, they will need to broker a power-sharing agreement. In 1979, the two caucuses held hearings and made their agreement in public. DFL Caucus leader Melissa Hortman has already indicated she doesn’t want to do that, but they expect to negotiate how to run the House of Representatives through written offers. If 1979 is any indication, it would mean equal numbers on committees and splitting chairmanships between Democrats and Republicans. Rotating speakers and/or floor leaders is another possibility.

Aside from these mechanics, the legislature’s most important task in 2025 is to pass a budget. It will be difficult for Governor Walz to get any controversial items passed with a one-vote majority in the Senate and a split house. The “trifecta” is over. He has already said he wants to “protect” what was passed in 2023-24 during the “trifecta.” His challenge is that many of those items were passed, knowing they would soon require higher funding levels to maintain (not just inflationary increases). It will be essential to watch the February economic forecast to see how much of the budget surplus is even left to do that. The next session will be an opportunity for Republicans to hold the line and force the State Government to re-prioritize spending the people’s money.

For more information

Secretary of State’s 2024 General election results page

Selected precincts results in Senate District 20

House District 20A

House District 20B

Office of Cannabis management still finding its way, offers a webinar on grants

Marijuana was legalized for recreational use in Minnesota in 2023, but we are now dealing with the fallout of a poorly constructed cannabis law and a trainwreck of a new agency that is supposed to be overseeing the new legal economic activity in this area. As a result, farmers and others may have all the resources they need to start a business but still have state regulations standing in their way. In contrast, tribal governments are already poised to take advantage of the legalization of marijuana sales and use because they don’t face the same regulatory burden.

To clarify some confusion, the Office of Cannabis Management (OCM) is hosting a virtual informational listening session on the CanRenew and CanGrow grants on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024, from 4:30 to 6 p.m.

CanRenew will award grants to organizations for social equity purposes.

CanGrow will award grants to organizations to help farmers navigate the regulatory structure of the legal cannabis industry and to nonprofit corporations to fund loans to farmers for entry and expansion into the industry.

Registration is required and limited to 1,000 participants. If you want to participate in the webinar to learn more about these grants, please register at this webpage.

If you have a question about either of the grants that you would like to be considered during the webinar, please use the form at the website to submit your questions. You may also submit questions when you register for the webinar. Questions will help inform OCM's future resources, presentations, and FAQs on the webpage. OCM will post a recording of the webinar on its website at a later date.

Historical Society awards grants for Red Wing and Winona County history projects

The Minnesota Historical Society has announced two history grants in the senate district, with funding from the Legacy Amendment’s Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.

$125,000 will go to the Anderson Center for Interdisciplinary Studies in Red Wing for Masonry restoration of the historic residence at Tower View.
$6,274 will go to the Winona County Historical Society for research about the life and influence of Matilda Desnoyer Bunnell. The grant will be used to hire a qualified historian to conduct primary research. Matilda Bunnell was the daughter of a fur trader who married Willard Bunnell. The pioneer couple made their home near what today is the city of Winona, and the house still stands as a historical site.

Annual Medicare Enrollment period ends December 7

The Minnesota Hospital Association has reached out to ask us to remind you that the open enrollment period for seniors’ Medicare plans started on October 15 and the ends on December 7.

Seniors need to look at what they are selecting and, in particular, which providers, hospitals, and physicians may or may not be in network with each insurance plan. The Star Tribune highlighted the scope of this year’s changes in this recent article.

A number of hospitals and health systems have announced plans to leave the networks of major national for-profit Medicare Advantage plans. Media reports indicate this could impact nearly 60,000 Minnesotans, who may find their providers are no longer in network and may need to change plans or providers. Some insurers have reduced the amount they will pay for health care, either requiring lengthy pre-approvals or denying coverage altogether.

You won’t hear about these issues from celebrities or actors pitching Medicare Advantage plans on TV.

More than ever, Minnesota seniors need to treat Medicare plan decisions as they would any other major life investment. A recent survey found that about 70 percent of seniors don’t compare when shopping for Medicare plans, and nearly half don’t check annually for coverage changes.

The state has a resource to help consumers navigate these decisions: visit the Senior Linkage website or call 800-333-2433. The Federal site also has tools to help you compare plans.