Daily Digest: Internet privacy provision disappears
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Good morning and welcome to Tuesday. Here's the Digest.
1. Both the Minnesota House and Senate voted this year to limit what internet service providers can do with their customers’ data. But those provisions were dropped from a compromise bill unveiled Monday. Lawmakers say the language could still be added back into the bill in the three weeks remaining before this year’s legislative session ends. The internet provider privacy language was included as part of a much larger bill: the $378 million budget for jobs, commerce and energy programs. State Sen. Ron Latz, DFL-St. Louis Park, authored the Senate version of the privacy language, and said he was “shocked” that it had been removed from the bill. (Pioneer Press)
2. Minnesota's new Republican party chair is denouncing an anti-Muslim post that appeared on the 7th Congressional District GOP Facebook page. The post — which was up for several hours Monday — targeted DFL U.S. Reps. Keith Ellison and Collin Peterson, who represents the 7th District. It includes a picture of Ellison from a 2015 a turkey hunting trip he took with Peterson. An anti-Muslim slur is superimposed over the photo. Ellison, who is Muslim, represents Minneapolis in the U.S. House. State Republican party chair Jennifer Carnahan called the message repugnant hate speech. (MPR News)
3. House Republicans on Monday released their plan to borrow $600 million for public works projects around the state, including repairs to roads, local water systems and state-owned facilities. The bonding proposal, offered exactly three weeks before the end of the legislative session, is far smaller than the $1.5 billion plan DFL Gov. Mark Dayton offered in January and is likely to prompt significant debate between GOP leaders and the governor. An approximately $1 billion bonding plan collapsed in the final minutes of the 2016 session over dispute related to light rail funding. (Star Tribune)
4. DFL U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan is still trying to make up his mind whether to run for governor or for re-election to the House. “I’m going to do wherever I think I can do the most good. If I had a crystal ball, the answer would be easy,” Nolan said. “But I don’t have a crystal ball, so I’m going to take the time I need.” Nolan said he spoke with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi last week. He said they discussed the importance of the once-a-decade redistricting on the power balance in the U.S. House. The next Minnesota governor will play a critical role in that process, especially if both state legislative chambers remain in Republican hands. While the 73-year-old lawmaker said he’s up to the job of being governor, he’s not completely sold on a campaign yet. “I’ve said jokingly that the one thing that’s holding me back is the prospect that I might win. You know that’s a big commitment — two years of campaigning, four years of serving. If I did, I’m confident I could do a good job, which might mean another four years. So you’re looking at a 10-year commitment.” (MPR News)
5. After two false starts on President Trump’s promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Trump administration officials ratcheted up pressure on the House on Monday to vote on a revised version of the Republican repeal bill this week, even as support may actually be eroding. The president complicated his pitch with a jumble of statements that indicated he did not fully understand the content of the measure he was pushing. He insisted that the repeal bill would protect Americans with pre-existing medical conditions, as the Affordable Care Act does. But a host of medical groups and disease advocacy organizations said it would not. (New York Times)
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