♪♪ >> ERIC: JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT GOVERNORS PAST AND PRESENT AND, OF COURSE, ALL THINGS POLITICAL, A PAIR OF EXCELLENT POLITICAL REPORTERS.

BRIAN BAKST IS A VETERAN AT OUR STATE FAIR SHOWS.

HE'S PART OF THE STELLAR MPR NEWS CAPITOL REPORTING TEAM.

AND WE WELCOME DANA FERGUSON ANOTHER KEY MEMBER OF THE MPR NEWS CAPITOL TEAM.

EXCELLENT REPORTERS.

ANYTHING CATCH YOUR EAR WITH THE GOVERNOR'S SEVEN MINUTES WITH US?

>> I WAS PAYING ATTENTION TO THE QUESTION YOU GAVE HIM AT THE END.

HE'S BEEN ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE ASKING WHAT HE'S UP TO.

OBVIOUSLY THERE IS AN INCUMBENTS PRESIDENT, HE'S NOT RUNNING FOR THAT.

BUT WHAT'S NEXT IS STARTING TO FILTER ON HIS RADAR AND THE FACT THAT HE'S OPEN TO SOME OF THESE THINGS, EITHER A THIRD TERM OR A CABINET POST WAS KIND OF INTERESTING TO ME.

>> Eric: OKAY.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE REACTION OF THE LEGISLATURE AS THEY GO DOOR-KNOCKING, OF THE VOTERS, WHAT HAVE YOU HEARD AFTER THIS VERY ACTIVE SESSION THAT WE HAD?

>> YEAH.

IN TALKING TO LEGISLATORS GETTING OFF THE 2023 LEGISLATIVE SESSION, THEY'RE ALL SAYING, FOLKS ARE KIND OF OVERWHELMED WITH THE AMOUNT OF POLICY THAT GOT PASSED, THE HUGE BUDGET THAT THEY PASSED THIS YEAR, AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE STILL JUST TRYING TO UNDERSTAND ALL OF IT.

AS WE ALL REMEMBER, IT WAS A FAST AND FURIOUS SESSION.

THERE IS A LOT BUILT INTO THE BUDGET BILLS THAT WE MAYBE DIDN'T KNOW RIGHT AWAY WAS IN THERE, AND THE SCHOOL RESOURCE OFFICER QUESTION THAT YOU ASKED ABOUT WAS REALLY AN ISSUE THAT WE'RE STILL TRYING TO UNDERSTAND IN SCHOOL DISTRICTS, TRYING TO ADOPT OR ADAPT, FIND A WAY TO MAKE IT WORK FOR THEM.

>> Cathy: SOUNDS AS THOUGH THE GOVERNOR IS NOT INTERESTED IN CALLING A SPECIAL SESSION TO TWEAK THAT BILL OR THE MARIJUANA LAW OR ANYTHING, REALLY, UNTIL NEXT YEAR, RIGHT?

>> WELL, AT THE END OF SESSION, THERE WAS SOME TALK THEY MIGHT HAVE TO COME BACK TO DEAL WITH THE MERGER OF SANFORD AND FAIRVIEW.

WELL, NOW THAT'S OFF THE TABLE SO THEY DON'T HAVE TO DO THAT.

THEY'RE ALREADY BUILDING TOWARD NEXT SESSION, YOU'RE STARTING TO HEAR SOME OF THE TASK FORCES PUT TOGETHER AGENDAS.

THE BONDING BILL IS GOING TO BE THE BIG CENTERPIECE NEXT YEAR, THERE'S $7 BILLION WORTH OF REQUESTS ALREADY ON THE TABLE SO THEY DON'T COME BACK UNTIL FEBRUARY BUT THEY'LL HAVE A LOAD TO DO BETWEEN NOW AND THEN.

>> Cathy: DANA, GETTING BACK TO MARIJUANA FOR A MOMENT, THIS WEEK, THE REVENUE DEPARTMENT SAID, SO FAR, THE STATE OF MINNESOTA TOOK IN ABOUT $500 MILLION IN GUMMY MONEY, AS IT WERE.

>> 600,000.

>> Cathy: EXCUSE ME, $600,000.

IS THAT CONSIDERED DECENT OR ARE WE EXPECTING MORE MONEY?

I WOULD ASSUME MAYBE THIS MIGHT BE SOME PRETTY BIG MONEY COMING DOWN THE PIKE.

>> I MEAN, I THINK IT'S SORT OF REVEALING.

WE DIDN'T HAVE A SENSE BEFORE OF JUST HOW BIG OF A CASH COW THE THC GUMMIES WERE.

YOU CAN SEE, ANECDOTALLY, PEOPLE WERE BUYING THEM, THEY ARE EVERYWHERE SO NOW IT'S NICE TO KNOW, AND FOR THE STATE TO HAVE SOME OF THAT MONEY TO USE FOR OTHER EDUCATION, OTHER PURPOSES, AND IT'S JUST KIND OF INTERESTING THAT $6 MILLION WENT TOWARD GUMMIES.

>> Eric: LET ME ASK YOU ABOUT AN ISSUE THAT MIGHT BE BUBBLING UNDER THE SURFACE AS A POLITICAL POINT.

ARE THE DEMOCRATS AT ALL THINKING OF SCALING BACK THE STATE OFFICE BUILDING RENOVATION AND EXPANSION?

I JUST -- I GOT A SENSE THE REPUBLICANS COULD MAKE SOME HAY WITH THAT.

>> THEY ARE NOT.

IN FACT, I SPOKE WITH SOME OF THE DEPARTMENT OF ADMINISTRATION OFFICIALS LAST WEEK AND I'LL HAVE SOMETHING FOR YOU NEXT WEEK, CATHY.

>> Cathy: THANK YOU.

>> THEY'RE MOVING AHEAD.

STARTING IN DECEMBER, THEY'RE GOING TO START MOVING SOME OF THE TENANTS OUT.

THE SECRETARY OF STATE'S OFFICE IS GOING TO MOVE OUT.

PRETTY SOON THE LEGISLATURE AND THEIR STAFF WILL BE THE ONLY ONES -- THEY'RE GOING TO TRY TO GET THROUGH THIS NEXT SESSION WITH THEM IN PLACE BUT AFTER THAT, THEY'RE GOING FULL BORE.

THEY'RE GOING TO BREAK GROUND IN PROBABLY EARLY NEXT YEAR ON THAT EXPANSION WITH THE NEW WING AND THEN GO IN AND RENOVATE THE OLD ONE.

>> Cathy: SAY, DANA, I THOUGHT IT WAS INTERESTING -- OF COURSE THE TEST SCORES, WE TALKED TO THE GOVERNOR ABOUT THOSE TEST SCORES AND THAT THE FACT THAT THE ONLY 70% OF MINNESOTA STUDENTS CONSISTENTLY ATTEND CLASS I THINK WAS INTERESTING.

SO THERE WAS A WHOLE HOST OF THINGS PASSED DURING THE PAST SESSION THAT WOULD GO TO EDUCATION BUT DO WE KNOW, DID LAWMAKERS PASS ANYTHING ABOUT THIS ABSENTEEISM ISSUE?

>> I THINK THERE IS A LOT MORE OF A FOCUS ON MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT IN SCHOOLS AND THEY'RE HOPEFUL THAT BUILDING OUT SOME OF THAT SORT OF COMMUNITY SCHOOL MODEL IS GOING TO HELP.

POTENTIALLY HAVING FREE MEALS IN SCHOOLS COULD BE ANOTHER DRIVER FOR GETTING STUDENTS TO SCHOOLS MORE CONSISTENTLY, BUT NOT ANYTHING REALLY SPECIFIC ON ADDRESSING ABSENTEEISM.

YOU WOULD HAVE TO THINK IF COVID ISN'T QUITE AS BAD AS IT WAS LAST YEAR, THIS MIGHT BE A DRIVER FOR GETTING STUDENTS TO THE CLASSROOMS, TOO, BUT CERTAINLY SOMETHING THEY CAN WORK ON.

>> Eric: LOOKING AHEAD TO THE '24 SESSION AND THEN THE ELECTION, THE STATE HOUSE MEMBERS ARE UP, NOT THE SENATE.

HOW MANY SEATS IN MINNESOTA, IN THE STATE HOUSE ARE COMPETITIVE?

WHAT -- CONTROL WILL BE TOUGH.

>> IT'S A SHRINKING NUMBER.

THERE ARE ONLY A HANDFUL OF SEATS THAT DEMOCRATS STILL HOLD IN GREATER MINNESOTA AND THOSE ARE BECOMING A LITTLE MORE TENUOUS IN SOME PLACES, SO EXPECT REPUBLICANS TO FOCUS ON THOSE.

AND IN THE SUBURBAN AREAS, THERE ARE SOME SEATS THAT DEMOCRATS HAVE PICKED UP OVER THE YEARS THAT REPUBLICANS WANT TO TRY TO GET BACK.

IT WILL DETERMINE -- IT WILL DEPEND A LOT ON WHO'S ON THE TOP OF THESE TICKETS.

IF IT'S A TRUMP-BIDEN REMATCH, THAT'S GOING TO SUCK A LOT OF OXYGEN OUT AND SOME OF THESE LOCAL RACES, THEY JUST KIND OF GET SWEPT UNDER.

>> Cathy: LET ME ASK ABOUT A LOCAL RACE THAT ACTUALLY IS REALLY INTERESTING, THE DULUTH MAYORAL RACE.

SO I'M WONDERING, WHAT MESSAGE WAS SENT THAT CURRENT MAYOR EMILY LARSON LOST PRETTY HANDILY TO ROGER REINERT.

>> YEAH, I WAS UP THERE ON PRIMARY NIGHT AND I WAS TALKING TO ROGER REINERT.

HE SAID HE FOCUSED HIS CAMPAIGN ON BREAD AND BUTTER THINGS, FILL THE POTHOLES, PLOW THE SNOW.

HE REALLY WANTS CONCENTRATION ON BEDROCK THINGS AND HE SAID THAT'S GOING OVER WELL WITH THE VOTERS IN DULUTH.

OF COURSE, HE'S A FORMER DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER, HE'S NOT RUNNING WITH THE PARTY AFILLATION BUT IT HELPS IN A CITY THAT'S LARGELY DEMOCRATIC.

>> Eric: WE'VE GOT TO GO BUT I WONDER ABOUT, JUST TO FOLLOW UP ON THE BONDING STUFF, CAN THERE BE A SMALL BONDING BILL IN AN EVEN YEAR AFTER THE INCREDIBLE RECORD-SIZE BONDING BILL LAST TIME?

>> YEAH, THE BONDING CHAIRS WEREN'T GIVING US A WHOLE LOT OF SPECIFICS ABOUT JUST HOW BIG IT CAN BE.

THEY LEFT ABOUT ONE BILLION DOLLARS IF THEY NEED TO DO A CASH-ONLY BILL, SO THERE WILL BE SOMETHING.

THEY'RE DETERMINED THEY WANT TO TAKE ANOTHER BIG BITE OUT OF THOSE MASSIVE AMOUNT OF NEEDS OUT THERE BUT YET TO BE SEEN HOW BIG THAT BITE WILL BE.