Two months left of legislative session

Welcome back to Capitol Notebook, your weekly round-up on the happenings in the Minnesota statehouse.

There are two months left of the 2024 session and legislators were busy sending bills through committee and debating hot button issues like gun rights, sports betting, and the budget. Here’s what you need to know.

● Monday, Gov. Tim Walz announced a $226 million supplemental budget prioritizing child welfare, emergency services and water quality. The update is seen as a scaled-back proposal after last year’s $72 billion two-year budget.

● Purchasing a firearm for someone who is not lawfully allowed to obtain one is already illegal, but Democratic Rep. Kaela Berg of Burnsville wants to make the punishment harsher. Berg presented her bill to the House Public Safety Committee to increase the felony of a “straw purchase” of a firearm from a gross misdemeanor to a felony. Last month, a man who had lost his gun rights in 2008 held eight people, seven of which were children, hostage and killed three first responders. Berg noted in the committee hearing that the assailant’s girlfriend purchased the firearm for him. The bill would also prohibit the use of a “binary trigger” device that doubles the rate of fire, which, according to the federal indictment, was used in the shooting.

● Attorney General Keith Ellison joined the Department of Justice lawsuit against Apple with 15 other State Attorneys General. The suit claims Apple has an unjust monopoly over the smartphone industry and is seeking “equitable relief” for any damages caused by the company’s “anti-competitive conduct”.

Walz signed two bills into law on Thursday that will move programs currently in the Department of Human Services to new state agencies for child and family services and health care sites.

— What are you interested in hearing more about from Capitol Hill?