Virtual hearings provide inside look at Minnesota lawmakers

The Minnesota Legislature is set to return to work this week after a brief holiday break, with expected in-person floor votes (as required by law).

April 12, 2020 at 1:26AM
Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman wears a face mask at her desk as lawmakers met, Tuesday, April 7, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn., to pass a bill to assure that first responders and medical workers will qualify for workers compensation if they get sick with COVID-19 and won't have to prove they contracted the disease on the job. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more
Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman wears a face mask at her desk as lawmakers met, Tuesday, April 7, 2020, in St. Paul, Minn., to pass a bill to assure that first responders and medical workers will qualify for workers compensation if they get sick with COVID-19 and won't have to prove they contracted the disease on the job. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Minnesota Legislature is set to return to work this week after a brief holiday break, with expected votes on an insulin affordability proposal and coronavirus response measures.

With remote committee hearings and working groups up and running (and partisan tensions rising), it's starting to feel more like business as usual, albeit from afar.

At the same time, the "new normal" of virtual hearings and Zoom news conferences is giving the public a peek into the personal lives — and personalities — of their state lawmakers. House Speaker Melissa Hortman spoke to the press from a home office, framed degrees hanging on the wall above, while GOP Sen. Karin Housley built a tower of laptops and iPhones on a dresser to facilitate her many Zoom, meetings. Some lawmakers also used virtual green screens offered by the remote conferencing software for a personal touch: Days before Easter, GOP Rep. Peggy Scott joined a committee hearing "from inside Jesus' tomb."

Legislators aren't immune to the tech hiccups many have encountered in the new work-from-home world. Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka beamed into one working group upside-down, while Sen. Dick Cohen struggled to get his entire face into the camera view, showing colleagues just the top of his head.

Bigger Biden presence

Joe Biden's presidential campaign has so far had little on-the-ground presence in Minnesota. That's about to change, now that the former vice president is the presumptive Democratic nominee. DFL Party Chairman Ken Martin tells Hot Dish he has talked with the campaign and anticipates more investment "coming very quickly here in the next couple of weeks."

"They'll start expanding out their state-based operations in the battleground states ... and really putting all the pieces in place for the general election," Martin said. "Minnesota is one of their top targets, as it is for Trump, so we expect investment here within a very short order."

The Trump Victory Campaign has been ramping up operations here for months, part of the president's effort to flip the state he narrowly lost in 2016. The campaign, which has dozens of paid staffers, has been staging online meetups for supporters during the pandemic.

Top Senate race takes shape

The race for a suburban swing district expected to be a battleground in the fight for control of the State Senate is taking shape.

Former TCF Bank executive Greg Pulles announced plans to run for the western suburban seat represented by Sen. Paul Anderson, R-Plymouth.

"I am now retired with plenty of zip, energy, and vision for what our future holds," he said in a statement.

Anderson, who opted not to run for another term, narrowly won the seat in 2016. The close margin, combined with recent victories for Democrats, forecast a competitive race this fall.

Ann Johnson Stewart, a civil engineer and teacher, is running for the DFL nomination. Another GOP candidate recently withdrew.

FILE - In this March 12, 2020, file photo, Democratic presidential candidate former Vice President Joe Biden speaks in Wilmington, Del. Alaska Democrats are deciding their choice for the party's presidential nominee, as just one major candidate, Biden, remains actively campaigning. Results are expected Saturday, April 11, in the party-run primary, which became an exclusively vote-by-mail affair after concerns with COVID-19 scrapped plans for in-person voting sites and pushed back the original pr
Joe Biden’s campaign will be ramping up in Minnesota with staff and ads, the state’s DFL Party chair says. (The Minnesota Star Tribune)
State senators keep their social distance in the gallery, other meeting rooms and the Senate chamber floor as the Minnesota State Senate met Thursday, March 26, 2020 at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn. to take up bills related to the coronavirus in the state. Due to social distancing, the gallery and other rooms were used for the lawmakers with the Senate floor limited to members. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and
State senators keep their social distance in the gallery, other meeting rooms and the Senate chamber floor as the Minnesota State Senate met Thursday, March 26, 2020 at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn. to take up bills related to the coronavirus in the state. Due to social distancing, the gallery and other rooms were used for the lawmakers with the Senate floor limited to members. The new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms for most people, but for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness or death. (Associated Press/The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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Torey Van Oot

Politics and Government

Torey Van Oot reports on Minnesota politics and government for the Star Tribune.

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