Anniversary of George Floyd’s death

and everything else happening in the Legislature this week

Minnesota observes the one-year anniversary of George Floyd’s death

Tuesday, May 25, marked one year since George Floyd was murdered at the hands of Minneapolis police officer, Derrick Chauvin, in South Minneapolis. His death brought to the forefront the global consciousness of what Black communities have known about systemic racism and policing for years. Had Darnella Frasier not been there to bear witness to and record the event, it is likely Chauvin would have never faced accountability.

Behind closed doors

Much of the work for the next two-year state budget was left unfinished at the close of the 2021 Legislative Session. With general budget spending targets not released until the last day of session, a special session will be needed to finish the work. In the meantime, working groups were assigned to negotiate which spending proposals in each budget conference committee would be included in the final bills. Working groups were expected to have these fiscal spreadsheets completed by May 28 and policy priorities agreed upon by June 4. As of Thursday, May 27, few details have emerged about the status of these negotiations.

Minnesota State Capitol building at dusk

Resources available to help consumers with past-due electric and gas bills

The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission and Department of Commerce have teamed up to encourage consumers with past-due electric and gas utility bills to apply for programs that can help them avoid having their utility service disconnected. Currently, there are roughly 360,000 household served by regulated utilities that have past-due utility bills, with approximately $135 million in unpaid bills.