Good morning. We're tired.

Sometimes the Legislature can surprise you in pleasant ways. After getting into a habit of busting deadlines this year, lawmakers breezed through a special session  that had most of the state budget up for consideration. Leaders had afforded themselves 21 hours to complete the job but got it all done within 15 or so hours. Gov. Tim Walz has a stack of bills headed his way and now doesn’t have to send out thousands of layoff notices to workers who had been left in limbo by the incomplete budget. There was a tense debate over immigrant health care but otherwise it was … rather harmonious. Sure, there were gripes about what money was or wasn’t being spent on, but it moved rather smoothly all things considered.

Here is the bill by bill vote scorecard: 

• MinnesotaCare insurance change for undocumented immigrants — House 68-65; Senate 37-30
• Data center bill — House 85-43 ; Senate 40-26
• Higher education budget bill — House 95-36; Senate 36-31
• Environment and natural resources budget bill — House 105-26; Senate 38-29
• Energy budget bill — House 90-41; Senate 35-32
• Human services budget bill — House 96-31; Senate 35-32
• Health and children and family services budget bill — House 73-58; Senate 34-33
• Education budget bill — House 97-36; Senate 35-32
• Commerce budget bill — House 112-19; Senate 48-18
• Capital improvements (cash bill) — House 96-34 ; Senate 37-30
• Capital improvements (borrowing bill) — House 116-15; Senate 57-10
• Workforce, labor and economic development budget bill — House 96-37; Senate 40-27
• Transportation finance bill — House 78-55; Senate 35-32
• Tax bill — House 93-39; Senate 34-33

There are some new law enforcement buildings that will grow out of the state budget deal that is about to become law. The Minnesota State Patrol will get a new central headquarters. The transportation budget bill sets aside $97 million to design, construct, remodel, equip and furnish the building. Sen. John Jasinski, R-Faribault, called it “theft” to use money from the gas tax-fed Highway User Distribution Fund to pay for the new headquarters. He said borrowing for the facility was a better option. Meanwhile, the capital improvements bill known as the bonding bill includes $67 million to build and equip a new Bureau of Criminal Apprehension regional office and laboratory in Mankato.

Minnesota is ready to send a new statue to Washington. One of the bills approved in the special session allocates $325,000 to replace the Henry Mower Rice statue in the U.S. Capitol with one of Hubert H. Humphrey, a former senator and vice president. It has been in the works for years. Each state is given two places in Statuary Hall. Minnesota’s other display is Maria Sanford, an educator who died in 1920. The money will allow for the removal and transportation of the Humphrey statue, which will be a recasting of the one now on the state Capitol Mall. The Henry Mower Rice statue has been there since 1916. The bill requires the governor to submit a replacement request to the Architect of the Capitol no later than Jan. 1, 2028.

The Minnesota Department of Health announced layoffs and reductions in public health services in late March due to cuts in federal funding, but some of the layoff notices have now been rescinded. Erica Zurek reports ongoing legal challenges in a federal court case have allowed state and local public health departments to continue to access COVID-19 related funds. A proposal to the state budget for the next two years does not include significant cuts to the health department. The recission of layoff notices does not apply to temporary staff or contracts immediately laid off in the spring. 

Sen. Nicole Mitchell appeared remotely in court for a brief hearing in her burglary trial Monday while taking part in the special session.  Mitchell allegedly told police that she broke into her stepmother’s house last year to retrieve some of her late father’s belongings. Judge Michael Fritz says he’ll rule today on a motion to toss out a burglary tools count. Mitchell’s attorneys say prosecutor Brian McDonald added in the charge in retaliation for a request to delay the trial, but McDonald says the defense has no evidence of vindictiveness and waited months to file the dismissal motion. The defense also wants the state to hand over Mitchell’s stepmother’s medical records — Mitchell says she was concerned about her stepmother’s cognitive state during the break-in. Jury selection in the burglary trial is on track to start next week in Detroit Lakes. 

Former state Sen. Justin Eichorn argues that the Minnesota U.S. Attorney's office is singling him out for prosecution for attempted sexual solicitation of a minor.  Investigators say that in March, Eichorn exchanged explicit messages with an undercover officer posing as a 17-year-old girl. He pleaded not guilty. Eichorn was among 14 men arrested in a sting operation in Bloomington, but so far only he and another man have been charged federally. They face 10-year mandatory minimum prison sentences. In a filing, defense attorneys say that because Eichorn has no criminal history, he'd likely face only probation if convicted in state court. They argue Eichorn is being targeted because he was a public official, but they're not accusing federal prosecutors of partisan bias. To note, one defendant nabbed in the sting pleaded guilty to state charges in exchange for probation and no more than 90 days in jail.

Some Minnesota cannabis business operators who won a state lottery for licenses last week had a bummer of a start to their week. The Office of Cannabis Management, which regulates the nascent industry in Minnesota, mistakenly told them they had been rejected. An email that went out was quickly corrected but was a shock to some of the winners. Nicole Ki runs down what happened and how at least one retail license applicant’s faith in the regulators is shaky.