Last week, Session Daily's Jonathan Avise reported in House OKs measure to appropriate federal funds for election security:
House lawmakers passed a measure Thursday that would free up millions in federal grant funds targeted at protecting Minnesota’s election systems from bad actors.
HF14, sponsored by Rep. Michael Nelson (DFL-Brooklyn Park), would retroactively credit state expenditures on election security efforts to meet a required 5 percent state match to free up nearly $6.6 million in federal Help America Vote Act grant funds.
Passed by a 105-23 vote, the bill now goes the Senate, where Sen. Mary Kiffmeyer (R-Big Lake) is the sponsor. . . .
The Senate, unfortunately, passed a version that authorized far less money, and the House Republicans minority caucus lunched amini-filibuster when House bill author Michael offered a motion to refuse to concur to Senate amendments to HF14 and to create conference committee to hammer out the details.
At one point in the delaying tactic, Tim O-Driscoll, R-Sartell, observed that he's gotten a call from Secretary of State Steve Simon, but hadn't gotten a chance to call Simon back. He implied that Simon might want the Senate version of the bill passed.
Simon had other ideas about his own thinking.
Via email, Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon released the following statement in response to the Senate vote limiting election cybersecurity funding:
“The Senate majority today voted to authorize only twenty percent of the federal Help America Vote Act (HAVA) funds that Congress and President Trump allocated to Minnesota to spend on election security. In doing so, the Senate has authorized the construction of some new systems without any resources whatsoever to defend those new systems from attack. That makes no sense. Minnesota remains the only state in the country without complete access to our share of federal election security funds. Make no mistake – intelligence officials are warning of new and serious threats from outside forces seeking to interfere with our election system. Minnesota has a target on its back.
“Along with stakeholders and experts from across Minnesota, my office developed a detailed plan to spend the full $6.6 million of allocated election security funds. That plan was constructed over many months in coordination with elected members of the legislature, and was passed by the Minnesota House last week by an overwhelming bipartisan majority. The Senate majority is the stumbling block, declining to articulate any objection to any element of the consensus spending plan. Having heard no substantive objection, the people of Minnesota might reasonably conclude that delay itself is their goal.
“The defense of our democracy is at stake. The time for game playing is over.”
Here's a less formal legislative observer's response to the Senate vote:
For those scratching their heads and saying "I though HF14 was the good bill?". The GOP gutted the bill and replaced the contents to release only 20% of the available funding. #mnleg https://t.co/U8dqWOQgyk
— WatchYourRepsMN (@WatchYourRepsMN) February 28, 2019
Put graphically by Senator Jim Carlson:
Today, all 35 Senate Republicans voted against full federal funding to modernize and improve our election security. Clearly they’d rather use our election integrity as a bargaining chip. If not now, when will they take the action necessary to protect our elections? #mnleg #HAVA pic.twitter.com/z9UHy5xucp
— Jim Carlson (@SenatorCarlson) February 28, 2019
The changes became grounds for a minority caucus mini-filibuster when House bill author Michael offered a motion to refuse to concur to Senate amendments to HF14 and to create conference committee to hammer out the details.
Fox9's Theo Keith's thoughts:
The House just rejected a plan approved in the Senate earlier today to spend federal election security money, preferring its own version passed last week.
— Theo Keith (@TheoKeith) February 28, 2019
Once considered an "early win" for the session, the issue has turned into a partisan standoff.
#mnleg
It's pathetic for Minnesota Republicans to nickel and dime election security in an apparent attempt to create misleading headlines for press releases as well as waste time on the House floor with the sound and fury of their own voices, signifying nothing other than their defeat at the polls last November and lost of the chamber.
Photo: Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon.
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