Bluestem Prairie

More cowbell : Rocks & Cows to protest Walz's State of the State address at Mankato West High

The St. Cloud-based political non-profit Rocks and Cows has created a Facebook event to Celebrate the State of the State with Gov Walz, beginning at 4:45 p.m. Those wishing to attend are asked to:

Bring your TRACTORS, noise makers (cow bells, base drums, whistles) and Rocks and Cows flags and gear.

The final items can be purchased at the group's online shop.

They also have a heavy agenda of demands to deliver.

Since it's a peaceful protest, we don't anticipate any Qnon Shaman types occupying the halls of Mankato West or Proud Boys running their tractors into the classroom where Governor Walz is scheduled to be live streaming his State of the State address. 

Here's the press release from the Governor's office about the address:

Governor Tim Walz to Deliver State of the State Address on March 21

March 5, 2021

[ST. PAUL, MN] – Governor Tim Walz today announced he will deliver his third State of the State address on Sunday, March 21, 2021, beginning at 6:00pm. The address will be delivered live from the Governor’s former social studies classroom at Mankato West High School.

“Over the past year, Minnesotans have made extraordinary sacrifices to save lives and change the course of this pandemic,” said Governor Walz. “I look forward to the opportunity to speak directly to Minnesotans and young people across the state as we look toward brighter days ahead.”

Media outlets can carry the Governor’s address using a LiveU pool feed. It will also be streamed live on the Governor’s YouTube page here.

We're most curious to see whether any Minnesota legislators show up for the peaceful protest, rather than watch the address. And how big their cowbells are.

Image: From Rocks and Cows Facebook page.

Related post:

 On Election Day, Rocks & Cows of MN filed articles of incorporation with Secretary of State

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MN Reformer: Shelter reports assaults, harassment linked to Line 3 pipeline workers

One of our concerns about the now-halted Keystone XL pipeline here in South Dakota was the sexual assault and harassment that can accompany the workers. In Minnesota, our friends at the Minnesota Reformer report that this problem appears to have manifested itself with the construction of Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline.

Shelter reports assaults, harassment linked to Line 3 pipeline workers

By Rilyn Eischens  March 8, 2021

 

Multiple people allegedly assaulted by workers on Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline in northern Minnesota have sought help from a nonprofit shelter near the construction, according to state government documents obtained by the Reformer through a public records request. 

Violence Intervention Project in Thief River Falls has seen an increase in calls for service and heard reports of sexual harassment at local businesses since pipeline construction started in December, according to the documents.

“We can all agree everyone should be treated respectfully and expect that they can live and work in a safe environment. We are taking these claims very seriously and have an investigation underway,” Enbridge wrote in a statement provided to the Reformer.

The assaults and reports of harassment were described in a request for reimbursement from Enbridge’s public safety fund, submitted last month by the anti-violence and anti-human trafficking nonprofit Violence Intervention Project. State permits for pipeline construction stipulated that Enbridge had to create the fund to cover some law enforcement costs and anti-human trafficking efforts associated with the project.

Violence Intervention Project requested roughly $250 for hotel rooms for two women allegedly assaulted by pipeline workers. The nonprofit offers hotel rooms for victims when its emergency shelter is full. Finding hotel rooms has been increasingly difficult as pipeline workers fill up local lodging, said Staci Reay, executive director. The cost of hotel rooms has doubled in recent months, she wrote in the reimbursement request.

In addition to the assaults, Violence Intervention Project staff members’ daughters have reported being sexually harassed at a gas station near the “Enbridge campground” — where some pipeline workers stay — and receiving sexually explicit messages on their phones when they’re near the gas station, Reay wrote in the request. At a local restaurant, women workers have been moved to the kitchen to avoid harassment from men during their shifts, the request says.

“When any type of mobile workforce like this comes to town, I think there’s always going to be an increase in violent situations,” Reay said. “(Enbridge) has been supportive of our organization. They gave us donations and some gift cards a couple months ago.”

For years, pipeline opponents have raised concerns that the project would lead to an increase in human trafficking and violence — especially against Native American women — which Enbridge has denied. 

State permits required the company to develop a human trafficking prevention plan, with input from government officials and tribes in Minnesota. All workers go through mandatory human trafficking awareness training. The company says they have a zero-tolerance policy for anyone associated with their projects engaging in exploitation or abuse.

Research shows that activity by extractive industries — like oil and mining — is linked to increased crime and human trafficking. Native American women are disproportionately affected. Tania Aubid, a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, told the Reformer in January that she and other Native American women had been the targets of violent rhetoric and actions from locals and workers since the project was approved.

Last month, two Line 3 workers were arrested in a human trafficking sting in Itasca County.

Construction on Line 3 started in December, following six years of state review, permitting and litigation. Once complete, the pipeline will stretch more than 300 miles across northern Minnesota, carrying nearly 32 million gallons of crude oil each day from Hardisty, Alberta, to Superior, Wisconsin. 

Enbridge and pipeline supporters say the new line is necessary to to meet demand for oil and to replace the existing Line 3, which was built in the 1960s and they say requires increasingly intensive repairs and upkeep each year. The project has also created jobs for roughly 5,000 welders, equipment operators and laborers, half of them Minnesotans.

Opponents say the pipeline will eventually leak and contaminate Minnesota’s forests and waters with crude oil. The cultural significance of these lands and the wild rice beds near the pipeline make the risk intolerable for Native people, who say the project also violates their treaty rights.

Read the VIP Enbridge Line 3 PSA grant safe hotel reimbursement request here.

Donate to the Minnesota Reformer if you appreciate the online news project's work.

Photo: Crews worked on Enbridge's Line 3 oil pipeline near Hill City on Jan. 26, 2021. Fifty-foot paths through forest and wetland were cleared to make way for the pipeline. Photo by Rilyn Eischens/Minnesota Reformer.

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

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MN Reformer: Shelter reports assaults, harassment linked to Line 3 pipeline workers

One of our concerns about the now-halted Keystone XL pipeline here in South Dakota was the sexual assault and harassment that can accompany the workers. In Minnesota, our friends at the Minnesota Reformer report that this problem appears to have manifested itself with the construction of Enbridge's Line 3 pipeline.

Shelter reports assaults, harassment linked to Line 3 pipeline workers

By Rilyn Eischens  March 8, 2021

 

Multiple people allegedly assaulted by workers on Enbridge’s Line 3 pipeline in northern Minnesota have sought help from a nonprofit shelter near the construction, according to state government documents obtained by the Reformer through a public records request. 

Violence Intervention Project in Thief River Falls has seen an increase in calls for service and heard reports of sexual harassment at local businesses since pipeline construction started in December, according to the documents.

“We can all agree everyone should be treated respectfully and expect that they can live and work in a safe environment. We are taking these claims very seriously and have an investigation underway,” Enbridge wrote in a statement provided to the Reformer.

The assaults and reports of harassment were described in a request for reimbursement from Enbridge’s public safety fund, submitted last month by the anti-violence and anti-human trafficking nonprofit Violence Intervention Project. State permits for pipeline construction stipulated that Enbridge had to create the fund to cover some law enforcement costs and anti-human trafficking efforts associated with the project.

Violence Intervention Project requested roughly $250 for hotel rooms for two women allegedly assaulted by pipeline workers. The nonprofit offers hotel rooms for victims when its emergency shelter is full. Finding hotel rooms has been increasingly difficult as pipeline workers fill up local lodging, said Staci Reay, executive director. The cost of hotel rooms has doubled in recent months, she wrote in the reimbursement request.

In addition to the assaults, Violence Intervention Project staff members’ daughters have reported being sexually harassed at a gas station near the “Enbridge campground” — where some pipeline workers stay — and receiving sexually explicit messages on their phones when they’re near the gas station, Reay wrote in the request. At a local restaurant, women workers have been moved to the kitchen to avoid harassment from men during their shifts, the request says.

“When any type of mobile workforce like this comes to town, I think there’s always going to be an increase in violent situations,” Reay said. “(Enbridge) has been supportive of our organization. They gave us donations and some gift cards a couple months ago.”

For years, pipeline opponents have raised concerns that the project would lead to an increase in human trafficking and violence — especially against Native American women — which Enbridge has denied. 

State permits required the company to develop a human trafficking prevention plan, with input from government officials and tribes in Minnesota. All workers go through mandatory human trafficking awareness training. The company says they have a zero-tolerance policy for anyone associated with their projects engaging in exploitation or abuse.

Research shows that activity by extractive industries — like oil and mining — is linked to increased crime and human trafficking. Native American women are disproportionately affected. Tania Aubid, a member of the Mille Lacs Band of Ojibwe, told the Reformer in January that she and other Native American women had been the targets of violent rhetoric and actions from locals and workers since the project was approved.

Last month, two Line 3 workers were arrested in a human trafficking sting in Itasca County.

Construction on Line 3 started in December, following six years of state review, permitting and litigation. Once complete, the pipeline will stretch more than 300 miles across northern Minnesota, carrying nearly 32 million gallons of crude oil each day from Hardisty, Alberta, to Superior, Wisconsin. 

Enbridge and pipeline supporters say the new line is necessary to to meet demand for oil and to replace the existing Line 3, which was built in the 1960s and they say requires increasingly intensive repairs and upkeep each year. The project has also created jobs for roughly 5,000 welders, equipment operators and laborers, half of them Minnesotans.

Opponents say the pipeline will eventually leak and contaminate Minnesota’s forests and waters with crude oil. The cultural significance of these lands and the wild rice beds near the pipeline make the risk intolerable for Native people, who say the project also violates their treaty rights.

Read the VIP Enbridge Line 3 PSA grant safe hotel reimbursement request here.

Donate to the Minnesota Reformer if you appreciate the online news project's work.

Photo: Crews worked on Enbridge's Line 3 oil pipeline near Hill City on Jan. 26, 2021. Fifty-foot paths through forest and wetland were cleared to make way for the pipeline. Photo by Rilyn Eischens/Minnesota Reformer.

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

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NEW: I'm now on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

Tim Walz's beloved Mankato could lose evil metro status as feds double definition threshold

It is a truth universally acknowledged among Minnesota Republicans that their Democratic Farmer Labor colleagues care only for the Evil Metro.

We see this lodestone reflected in articles like Ricardo Lopez's Debate about who pays the freight divides an already polarized state in last week's Minnesota Reformer.

But that constellation of the universe may get scrambled as federal statistical agencies and the Office of Management and Budget change Mankato, Minnesota's definition. Walz may no longer be a governor with origins in a metropolitan area.

In Mankato among cities that could lose metro-area status, an Associated Press article published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Mike Schneider reports:

Bye-bye, Bismarck. Move over, Mankato.

Those cities in North Dakota and Minnesota are two of 144 that the federal government is proposing to downgrade from the metropolitan statistical area designation, and it could be more than just a matter of semantics. Officials in some of the affected cities worry that the change could have adverse implications for federal funding and economic development.

Under the new proposal, a metro area would have to have at least 100,000 people in its core city to count as an MSA, double the 50,000-person threshold that has been in place for the past 70 years. Cities formerly designated as metros with core populations between 50,000 and 100,000 people, like Bismarck and Mankato, would be changed to “micropolitan” statistical areas instead.

A committee of representatives from federal statistical agencies recently made the recommendations to the Office of Management and Budget, saying it’s purely for statistical purposes and not to be used for funding formulas. As a practical matter, however, that is how it’s often used.

Several housing, transportation and Medicare reimbursement programs are tied to communities being metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, so the designation change concerns some city officials. ...

Heaven know what this could do to Fergus Falls or Ortonville as the metropolitan Mankato area could grab rural funding. Schneider reports:

Rural communities are concerned that more micropolitan areas would increase competition for federal funding targeting rural areas. The change would downgrade more than a third of the current 392 MSAs.

Good Lord. Will no one stop the madness?

Screengrab: Blue dots represent cities that would be taken down to “micropolitan” designation. Via Associated Press article, Mankato among cities that could lose metro-area status. 

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

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Tim Walz's beloved Mankato could lose evil metro status as feds double definition threshold

It is a truth universally acknowledged among Minnesota Republicans that their Democratic Farmer Labor colleagues care only for the Evil Metro.

We see this lodestone reflected in articles like Ricardo Lopez's Debate about who pays the freight divides an already polarized state in last week's Minnesota Reformer.

But that constellation of the universe may get scrambled as federal statistical agencies and the Office of Management and Budget change Mankato, Minnesota's definition. Walz may no longer be a governor with origins in a metropolitan area.

In Mankato among cities that could lose metro-area status, an Associated Press article published in the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Mike Schneider reports:

Bye-bye, Bismarck. Move over, Mankato.

Those cities in North Dakota and Minnesota are two of 144 that the federal government is proposing to downgrade from the metropolitan statistical area designation, and it could be more than just a matter of semantics. Officials in some of the affected cities worry that the change could have adverse implications for federal funding and economic development.

Under the new proposal, a metro area would have to have at least 100,000 people in its core city to count as an MSA, double the 50,000-person threshold that has been in place for the past 70 years. Cities formerly designated as metros with core populations between 50,000 and 100,000 people, like Bismarck and Mankato, would be changed to “micropolitan” statistical areas instead.

A committee of representatives from federal statistical agencies recently made the recommendations to the Office of Management and Budget, saying it’s purely for statistical purposes and not to be used for funding formulas. As a practical matter, however, that is how it’s often used.

Several housing, transportation and Medicare reimbursement programs are tied to communities being metropolitan statistical areas, or MSAs, so the designation change concerns some city officials. ...

Heaven know what this could do to Fergus Falls or Ortonville as the metropolitan Mankato area could grab rural funding. Schneider reports:

Rural communities are concerned that more micropolitan areas would increase competition for federal funding targeting rural areas. The change would downgrade more than a third of the current 392 MSAs.

Good Lord. Will no one stop the madness?

Screengrab: Blue dots represent cities that would be taken down to “micropolitan” designation. Via Associated Press article, Mankato among cities that could lose metro-area status. 

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

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Joe Boever was killed, but Ravnsborg's attorney claims client suffering is the worst thing ever

We last wrote about the lonesome death of Joe Boever in Boever death: Ravnsborg didn't see face coming through glass, flashlight like beacon in grass.

South Dakota Governor Kristi Nowm called for Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg's resignation, while articles of impreachment were filed in the South Dakota legislature.  The latter went nowhere.

For the Rapid City Journal on Friday, Arielle Zionts reported in Ravnsborg's lawyer criticizes Gov. Noem for releasing information in AG's criminal case, that the Attorney General's attorney suggests that his client is the victim here:

The lawyer for Attorney General Jason Ravnsborg says his client has been unfairly judged and treated as a result of Gov. Kristi Noem and the public’s desire for transparency in the investigation and criminal case.

“He’s been treated worse in all of this than anybody else would have been, just by virtue of his position,” Rapid City lawyer Tim Rensch said this week. “What in the world is going on here? Why is this person being treated unfairly and being treated differently than anybody else?”

“There is a process in place that secures people’s rights, and that most basic right is presumed innocence,” he said.

Oh the injustice. Our friends are such cads that they believe that if they read news on their phone while driving, wandered on to the shoulder, and struck a man walking on the shoulder with a flashlight with such force that his glasses ended up in their car's front seat, they'd be in jail or prison right now.

Related posts:

• Justice for Joe Boever: Governor Noem calls for AG Ravnsborg's resignation; articles of impeachment filed in South Dakota House
•  Attorney General Ravnsborg charged with 3 misdemeanors in crash that killed Joe Boever
• Twitter memorials: 5 months ago, South Dakota Attorney General Ravnsborg killed Joe Boever
• Daily Beast: Ravnsborg killed a man. Family members fear Joe Boever has been forgotten
• Sioux Falls Argus Leader: Noem supports using grand jury to speed up Ravnsborg killing probe
• States attorneys looking into killing of Joseph Boever by AG Ravnsborg not talking to Noem
• Rapid City Journal: After 4 months, still no decision on whether AG Ravnsborg will be charged for killing Joseph Boever
• AP: Prosecutors waiting on debris testing in SD Attorney General killing of Joseph Boever 
• Governor Kristi Noem takes off her positive pants, given pace of Ravnsborg investigation
• Well, that's illuminating: South Dakota Highway Patrol’s accident report on Boever killing 
• South Dakota News Watch: Crash experts question Ravnsborg’s car-deer explanation
• SD News Watch: State's criminal & civil traffic laws favor drivers over pedestrians in collisions
• UPDATED: Joe Boever's tragic death on Hwy 14: news digest about Ravnsborg's fatal accident

Photo: Ravnsborg's Taurus, via Rapid City Journal. From the New York Times' transcription:"“We know that his face came through your windshield,” one investigator said. The vehicle also had an imprint from at least part of the man’s body on the hood, an investigator said, adding that “at some point he rolls off and slides into the ditch.”

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

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Nevertheless, she persisted: despite doxxing, state rep Becker-Finn gets bunch of bills heard

 

I did it! 10 bills heard and moved forward this week! pic.twitter.com/7MPaJ1EG3N

— Jamie Becker-Finn (@jbeckerfinn) March 5, 2021

On Monday, we posted Mort gave followers colleague's personal phone number, but no bill number to call about, expanding a bit on Ricardo Lopez's reporting for the Minnesota Reformer Shakopee GOP lawmaker doxxes DFL colleague in Facebook post, could face ethics complaint.

That Democratic colleague was Roseville's Jamie Becker-Finn. Her colleague's bullying doesn't seem to have slowed her down, as the tweet at the top of this post suggests. 

Those ten bills illustrate the depth and breadth of Becker-Finn's abilities as a lawmaker. She started Tuesday with HF1234, a student loan tax credit provision, by Thursday presented the DNR Lands bill, HF1250 in the House Environment committee and Friday, moved HF1403, the Healthy Start Act.

The latter bill included moving testimony about the fate of incarcerated pregnant women and the babies they give birth to while imprisoned. A few tweets to tell the story:

You love to see the all-female-team that has signed on to the Healthy Start Act! Up today at the #mnleg. pic.twitter.com/1hpDCugoJV

— Ellen McDaniel (@edmcdaniel14) March 5, 2021

Passed out of Public Safety committee with unanimous support! Now on its way to #mnleg House General Register. https://t.co/3mglWNwQ3e

— Jamie Becker-Finn (@jbeckerfinn) March 5, 2021

Powerful to Chair Comte hearing HF1403 Healthy Start Act authorizing incarcerated new moms be placed in community programs upon giving birth

Early bonding so vital for child growth/well being!

Thx Rep ⁦@jbeckerfinn⁩ for this humane MN bill & 1st all-women authored#mnleg pic.twitter.com/KgukLGfI5O

— Carlos Mariani (@Cmarianirosa) March 5, 2021

Learn more about the bill in Conditional release for inmates who give birth heads to full House by Session Daily's Tim Walker.

But Becker-Finn's week of service didn't end having ten bills heard in committee and moved forward. 

On Saturday morning, she helped a community organization hand out free food boxes:

Volunteering with @KeystoneMN this morning handing out free food boxes! #DungeonStrong pic.twitter.com/UYNtZz4ZWD

— Jamie Becker-Finn () March 6, 2021

The next bit of community building was a bit more fun: tacos for a Fill The Boot fundraiser sponsored by the Roseville Fire Department:

Get some tacos today and 10% goes to Roseville Fire’s Fill the Boot fundraiser for @MDAorg ! 🌮🧑‍🚒🚒 https://t.co/rK0nlTBaYN https://t.co/Q3N5evzmvA

— Jamie Becker-Finn (@jbeckerfinn) March 6, 2021

Follow the link to Becker-Finn's donor's page in the tweet, and you'll learn:

As many of you know, my brother has Muscular Dystrophy, so raising these funds and finding a cure are personal to me. Please make a donation. Thank you!

As for Erik Mortensen, the colleague who doxxed her, he enjoyed an excused absence from the Minnesota House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law committee. The Erik Mortensen Fact Checker Facebook page looked into it and found out what he was doing instead. 

Today we have a Special Edition for Representative Erik Mortensen. Fact Check: Your district is Shakopee MN and its...

Posted by Erik Mortensen Fact Checker on Friday, March 5, 2021

Jeepers, we think the Fact Checker has a point. 

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

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Private prison prohibition heads to House floor

Bluestem Prairie has opposed private prisons for many years and reopening the Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton in particular. When we read All quiet on the western front concerning the Appleton prison facility in the West Central Trubine on Monday, we were not particularly pleased. 

Tom Cherveny reported:

. . .  Don’t mistake the lack of activity for a lack of interest. The reopening of the vacant, 1,600-bed private prison remains a priority for the Appleton community as well as area legislators. The facility has not held inmates since 2010.

State Sen. Andrew Lang, R-Olivia, and Rep. Tim Miller, R-Prinsburg, said the possibility of someday reopening the facility remains very much at play. It’s just not going to be a topic for this legislative session for a number of reasons, according to the legislators.. . .

Apparently not. Today, Tim Walker reports for Session Daily in Private prison prohibition heads to House Floor:

Privately owned prisons are bad for so many reasons, says House Majority Leader Ryan Winkler (DFL-Golden Valley), but foremost is a business model that incentivizes keeping prisoners incarcerated longer.

That model “is a thing of the past,” he said, and not in line with the state’s rehabilitation model.

Winkler sponsors HF1074 that would require state prison and local jail inmates to be housed only in publicly owned and operated facilities.

By a 15-3 vote, the House Public Safety and Criminal Justice Reform Finance and Policy Committee approved the bill Friday and sent it to the House Floor. There is no Senate companion.

The legislation is aimed at the Prairie Correctional Facility, built by the city of Appleton.

The 1,600-bed, medium-security prison opened in 1992 and was purchased in 1997 by the Nashville-based Corrections Corporation of America, now called CoreCivic. It has been vacant since closing in 2010.

William Pharr, now a corrections officer at the state-run Lino Lakes prison, worked at the Appleton facility for more than a decade.

The owners of the facility, he said, had a “perverse incentive” to encourage recidivism and they lobbied for laws that would incarcerate more people. They also tried to keep only the healthiest prisoners, he said, as a way to save on expenses.

“We cannot risk the inadequacies which the private prison industry will undoubtedly bring to our state,” he said. “It’s a sham and should be kept out.”

Rep. Brian Johnson (R-Cambridge) doesn’t want privately owned and operated prisons in the state, but does not support the bill because it would prohibit renting space to temporarily house inmates during times of prison overcrowding.

The state should have a lease-to-own option to rent space in such facilities, he said, provided it was operated with Department of Corrections employees.

Not having that option, he said, “puts a real hardship on counties.”

Here's the Minnesota House Information Services YouTube of the discussion:

We're guessing the bll will pass in the  House, but go nowhere in the Senate.

Related posts:

• One "pod" of CoreCivic's closed Appleton prison could become Tri-County Covid Medical Center 
• Disconnect: town hall attendees want prison repurposed as inmate mental health care facility
• MN Sen. Andrew Lang and Rep. Tim Miller to hold Dec. 11 town hall on Appleton's private prison
• MN Republican Senate & House federal PACs took $5000 from CoreCivic PAC in 2018
• #Mnleg ordered study: Appleton private prison bed rent more expensive than county jail cell.
• Opposition to CoreCivic bid to re-open Appleton Prison as ICE detention center meet to Tuesday
• Land Stewardship Project: LSP member leaders oppose ICE detention facility at Appleton prison
• West Central Tribune coverage of opposition to possible use of Appleton CoreCivic prison by ICE
• Bill Ingebrigtsen wants to convert closed Appleton Prison into a mental health facility

Photo: An aerial view of the private prison at Appleton. Submitted to Minnesota Lawyer by Swift County.

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

Or you can contribute via this link to paypal; use email sally.jo.sorensen@gmail.com as recipient.

NEW: I'm now on Venmo for those who prefer to use this service: @Sally-Sorensen-6

Forever Green Initiative crop development program would get $10 million under HF661

We've been impressed with the work of the Forever Green Initiative , from the kernza propagation we saw on a field day in 2017to its  work on new perenial oilseeds like  winter camelina and pennycress.

HF661, sponsored by Rep. Ginny Klevorn (DFL-Plymouth), would dedicate $5 million in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 from the Clean Water Fund to the Forever Green Initiative, Session Daily reports.

Nate Gotlieb writes in Crop development program would get $10 million under approved bill:

Legislators are considering whether to provide extra funding to a University of Minnesota program that develops new crops, cropping systems and supply chains.

HF661, sponsored by Rep. Ginny Klevorn (DFL-Plymouth), would dedicate $5 million in fiscal years 2022 and 2023 from the Clean Water Fund to the Forever Green Initiative.

It was approved 9-0 with four abstentions Wednesday by the House Agriculture Finance and Policy Committee and referred to the House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee. Its companion, SF1506, is sponsored by Sen. Scott Dibble (DFL-Mpls) and awaits action by the Senate Agriculture and Rural Development Finance and Policy Committee.

The Forever Green Initiative has focused on developing crops that can withstand winter, when fields are bare and most vulnerable to erosion and nutrient loss.

That has included Kernza, a type of a wheatgrass sold commercially in bread, cereals and snacks.

Gov. Tim Walz has proposed $1.94 million for the program in each year of the 2022-23 biennium. But in a letter to legislators, supporters said the additional dollars would allow the initiative to hire faculty necessary for successful plant breeding.

They also said state investment in the program has historically been leveraged many times over in federal grants and other funding.

In addition, they said Forever Green crops can diversify crop rotations and farm-income streams, protect drinking water and public health and create new economic opportunities for Minnesota family farmers.

Rep. Paul Anderson (R-Starbuck), who abstained from voting, supports the program but said he doesn't think the committee had enough discussion, adding he'd like to know about previous funding levels.

We were a bit puzzled at the three other Republican ag committee members who passed, but perhaps they'll find allies with their caucus allies in the Minnesota House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee. 

Here's the video of the Ag commitee's discussion:

Video still: Forever Green Initiative director Don Wyse. The Minnesota Crop Improvement Association recognized University of Minnesota scientist Don Wyse with its highest honor, the Achievement in Crop Improvement Award in January 2021.

If you appreciate Bluestem Prairie, you can mail contributions (payable to Sally Jo Sorensen, 600 Maple Street, Summit SD 57266) or use the paypal button in the upper right hand corner of this post. Those wishing to make a small ongoing monthly contribution should click on the  paypal subscription button.

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Minority Leader Daudt & Deputy Anne Neu Brindley on RSLC Election Integrity Commission

There's a raft of headlines similar to those on Paul Blumenthal's article for Huffpo, Republicans Are Pushing A Wave Of Voter Restrictions. Democrats’ Top Priority Would Stop Them.

HR1, the "For the People Act" passed on Wednesday on a 220-210 roll call vote. Read more in Alana Wise's report in House Approves Major Election Reform And Voting Rights Bill.

Those Minnesotans who consider such legislation to be a threat to "election integrity" can look to Minnesota House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, and Deputy Minority Leader Anne Neu Brindley, R-North Branch, who are working with a national group to make sure it's hard to vote across the country.

In RSLC Election Integrity Commission Adds Leading State Officials, we learned on Monday:

Following the recent announcement of its effort to aid in restoring the American people’s confidence in the integrity of their free and fair elections, the Republican State Leadership Committee (RSLC) today released additional secretaries of state and state legislators who are serving on its Commission on Election Integrity. The RSLC is convening these leading policymakers in order to share and discuss voter-centric current laws and future reforms that make it easier to vote and harder to cheat.

“Restoring the public’s trust in our democracy may be a national debate right now, but the Constitution makes clear that improvements to our election laws need to be enacted by state leaders,” said RSLC President Dee Duncan. “We have assembled a group of strong leaders who offer a variety of perspectives on the best policies to make it easier to vote and harder to cheat, and we look forward to continuing to serve as a hub of communication for them as they guide their colleagues across the country on how to tailor critical reforms to their respective states. While state Democrats defer to the radical federal legislative changes being pushed by liberals in Washington that will do irreparable damage to our elections, state Republicans are leading on this issue and are focused on producing commonsense results for the American people.”

In the list: Minnesota House Deputy Republican Leader Anne Neu Brindley and Minnesota House Republican Leader Kurt Daudt.

The talking point of easier to vote and harder to cheat should play well among those who still resent Minnesota's same day registration, enacted in 1973, that allowed urban voters to join the 40% of Minnesota's voters--in rural areas--who used election day registration under existing law. 

This isn't the first time the Republican State Legislative Committee has taken an interest in Minnesota elections.

According to contribution data online at the Minnesota Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board, the RSLC has contributed $2,813,758.00 to political funds since 2012. In the most recent 2019-2020 cycle, the RSLC funneled $120,000 to the MN Jobs Coalition PAC.

Both legislators have another leadership role with the RSLC. Daudt and Neu Brindley both serve on the executive committee of the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee, the RSLC's legislative caucus.

The description of the committee on its webpage:

The RSLC’s largest footprint in the states is rooted in the historic work of its legislative caucus: the Republican Legislative Campaign Committee (RLCC) - the only national organization dedicated exclusively to electing Republicans to state legislatures. RLCC faces a tall order with thousands of races on the ballot every major election cycle. Since 2003, RLCC has consistently delivered positive results by targeting national resources to support state races. Republicans currently hold majorities in 61 of 99 state legislative chambers.

As for the RSLC itself:

With over 250,000 donors across all 50 states, the RSLC has been able to invest millions into state races since 2002. In the 2019-2020 election cycle alone, we spent a record $45+ million, directly contributing to Republican victories across the country. In 2020, we defended 59 of 99 legislative chambers and flipped 2 more from blue to red, with a third likely on its way. In addition, we boast 25 lieutenant governor seats, 28 secretaries of state offices, and 11 out of 12 elected agriculture officials. Because of our successes, Republicans are in a strong position to pass legislation and advocate for voters in their states.

We've looked at that funding in past posts like 2018's earnest money? MN corporate cash in Republican State Leadership Committee filing. And 2015's Merchants of Daudt revisited: Republican State Leadership Committee now less transparent. Etc. We should mosey over to the IRS political organization database to see what more recent filings tell us.

Good luck to both Daudt and Brindley in their efforts to rewrite election law to make it easier secure a Republican majority in the Minnesota House.

UPDATE 3/4/2021, 2:32 p.m.: In an email, Minnesota elections expert Max Hailperin shared election bills watcher's closer take on both leaders work on "election integrity" legislation in St. Paul :

I haven't seen any signs of Daudt playing any leadership role on "election integrity." In particular, he is not a (co-)author on any election bill. Perhaps his leadership role will be more apparent when DFL-sponsored bills reach the floor. Beyond a defensive role against them, he could be leading the offering of amendments, which would force the DFL to go on record against "election integrity."

Neu Brindley, on the other hand, has been more vocal in committee and is the lead author of a bill, HF 943. More notably, she succeeded already in deploying the amendment-offering tactic, turning that bill into a proposed amendment to HF 1160, which gave the GOP committee members a chance to go on record in support of it and the DFL committee members to have to cautiously oppose it. [end update}

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