♪♪ >> MARY: HERE WITH US NOW, RETIRING DFL JUDICIARY COMMITTEE CHAIR JAMIE BECKER-FINN.

THANK YOU FOREJOINING US AND COMING UP, IT WASN'T A LONG JOURNEY TONIGHT FROM THE FLOOR.

>> NO.

[Laughter] >> HOPEFULLY YOU WON'T GEL A ROLL CALL VOTE.

>> I'VE GOT SOMEONE COVERING FOR ME.

>> >> Mary: WHICH YOU'RE ALLOWED DO IN THE HOUSE, WE'LL TALK ABOUT THAT LATER WITH OUR NEXT GUEST.

I'M GOING TO HAVE YOU PUT ONLY YOUR LAWYER HAT FIRST.

YOU SAW THE PART, WITH THE SENATOR COMING BACK.

THE LAWYER KNEW, WHAT DO YOU WANT TO SAY ABOUT HER SITUATION AND HOW IT SHOULD BE HANDLED?

>> YEAH.

WELL, I THINK, FIRST, I MEAN YOU HAVE TO HAVE COMPASSION FOR ANYONE WHO'S GONE THROUGH A LOT OF GRIEF, YOU KNOW, I THINK THAT'S A LOT OF, YOU KNOW, ALWAYS PUTTING THE PERSON FIRST IS SOMETHING THAT I THINK A LOT OF US DO BUT I THINK, YOU KNOW, WE'VE GOT TO LET THE PROCESS PLAY OUT.

I MEAN, I'VE BEEN A PROSECUTOR, INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY.

>> Mary: BUT YOU'LL SEEN A LOT OF POLICE REPORTS AND SO THAT ARE THE INNING-1-1 DON'T LOOK GREAT FOR HER.

>> I MEAN, THAT MAY BE TRUE, FINISHING UPON, YOU KNOW, THE SITUATION BUT I ALSO KNOW THAT A LOT OF TIMES POLICE REPORTS DON'T HAVE EVERYTHING AND IT'S ALSO NOT MY JOB AS A JUDICIARY CHAIR AND HOUSE MEMBER TO DETERMINE WHAT HAPPENS IN THE SENATE AND SO THE SENATE GONNA SENATE.

[Laughter] SO, YOU KNOW -- >> Mary: THAT'S A WHOLE OTHER SEGMENTS.

>> YEAH, YEAH.

SO I THINK THERE'S STILL A LOT WE DON'T KNOW AND THERE'S TIME FOR IT TO PLAY OUTS.

>> Mary: OKAY.

NOW THE CHAIR AND THE LAWMAKER KNEW AND HOW THAT ALL PLAYS OUT, BECAUSE DEMOCRATS NEED THAT VOTE.

SESSION PRETTY MUCH DERAILS IF SHE'S NOT THERE, THAT'S FAIR, RIGHT?

HOW MUCH DO YOU NEED HER AND EXPLAIN WHY YOU STILL THEY WOULD HER TO GET THE REST OF THE WORK ONE.

>> WELL, WE NEED HER BUT WE NEED EVERY SINGLE DFL SENATOR.

I MEAN THAT HASN'T CHANGED AT ALL.

YOU KNOW, THIS WHOLE BIENNIUM, WE'VE KIND OF TALKED ABOUT, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE SO MANY SENATORS OVER THERE WHO AM THINK THEY'RE THE GUY, YOU KNOW.

THERE ARE SO MANY POTENTIAL JOE MMANSIONS IN OUR MINNESOTA SENATE THAT IF IT WASN'T HER, YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN OTHER TIMES THROUGHOUT SESSION WHERE SOME OTHER MEMBER HAS A HEALTH ISSUE OR, YOU KNOW, IS DEALING WITH SOME OTHER KIND OF CRISIS OR IS JUST LIKE REALLY STUBBORN ABOUT THEIR POSITION ON SOMETHING AND SO THAT REALLY ISN'T NY DIFFERENT, AT LEAST FOR US IN THE HOUSE, THAN IT HAS BEEN IN OTHER POINTS IN SESSION.

>> Mary: LET'S TALK BOUT WHAT HANGS IN THE BALANCE AND THINGS YOU AND YOUR CAUCUS WANT TO GET DONE.

LET'S TALK ABOUT GUN CONTROL BECAUSE EVEN WITH 34 VOTES OVER THERE, DO YOU EVER SOME OF THE VOTES FOR THOSE NEW MEASURES THIS YEAR?

>> I'M VERY OPTIMISTIC THIS IS THE YEAR ESPECIALLY NORTH SAFE STORAGE BILL WHICH IS A BILL I CARRY.

I KNOW THAT WE HAVE THE VOTES IN THE HOUSE.

YOU KNOW, IT'S ALWAYS SORT OF -- HOPEFULLY IF YOU'RE DOING THIS RIGHT, YOU HAVE A GOOD SENATE CO-AUTHOR WHICH I DO IN SENATOR GUSTAFSON, WHERE SHE'S DOING EVERYTHING SHE CAN WITHIN HER BODY, I'M DOING EVERYTHING I CAN ON THE HOUSE SIDE BUT I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT THAT MINNESOTANS KNOW WHERE THEIR LEGISLATORS ARE ON THIS ISSUE, SORT OF REGARDLESS OF WHETHER IT MAKES IT TO GOVERNOR WALZ' DESK OR NOT.

I THINK IT'S A REALLY IMPORTANT ISSUE TO RAISE UP AT THIS LEVEL.

>> Mary: WHAT ABOUT OMNIBUS ISSUES, THE BIG BILL, YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET EVEN THOUGH YOU ON'T TO HAVE PASS A BUDGET, YOU WOULD LIKE TO GET SOME OF THAT THROUGH, WOULDN'T YOU?

>> I MEAN, ABSOLUTELY.

JUDICIARY CHAIR, WE'RE ALWAYS SORT OF TASKED WITH WE'RE THE ONES WHO REALLY CONTROL THE THINGS THAT THIRD BRANCH OF GOVERNMENT WITH THE SUPREME COURT AND WHAT THE COURTS NEED.

OBVIOUSLY YOU WANT TO SEE THINGS GET DONE.

I'M ALWAYS BEEN VERY PRACTICAL AND FOCUSED ON, LIKE, GETTING AS MUCH DONE AS WE CAN GET DONE AND NOT -- THAT WILL CONTINUE TO BE THE CASE, YOU KNOW, I THINK A LOT OF THINGS IN OUR BILL IN PARTICULAR IN THE JUDICIALRY AND PUBLIC SAFETY SPACE CONTROVERSIAL THINGS GET THE MOST ATTENTION BUT THERE IS A LOT THAT WE AGREE ON AND THAT HAVE BEEN BIPARTISAN EFFORTS.

>> Mary: NOW LET'S REFLECT AND HAVE A LITTLE BIT OF FUN.

WITH WE'VE BEEN DOING WITH THIS RETIREES, TAKING A LOOK BACK AT A NOTABLE MOMENT IN THEIR CAREER.

LET'S LOOK AT THIS.

>> ONE THING I WISH THAT I KNEW WHEN I WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL WAS NOT NECESSARILY COOL TO BE A NERD ABOUT THINGS OR TO BE REALLY SMART ABOUT THINGS AND THOSE ARE THINGS THAT OBVIOUSLY SERVED ME WELL NOW AS A LEGISLATOR TO REALLY BE ABLE TO DIG INTO THINGS AND TO KIND OF NERD OUT ON STUFF.

>> Mary: SO NERDING OUT HAS KIND OF WORKED OUT FOR YOU, RIGHT?

[Laughter] NERDS ENDS UP COMMITTEE CHAIRS, IS THAT THE LESSON HERE?

>> YOU KNOW, AS WE'RE AT THIS POINT INCISION, TOO, THERE IS A LOT OF DISCUSSION ON THE FLOOR ABOUT THE RESULTS AND I'M LIKE ONE OF THE RULES NERDS SO I HAVE REALLY ENJOYED TODAY ESPECIALLY TEACHING SOME OF OUR NEWER MEMBERS ABOUT, YOU CAN GO GET A COPY OF THE RULES, LIKE, MY FIRST YEAR, I WAS IN THE MINORITY AND I SPENT MOST OF MY TIME SITTING DOWN THERE, JUST REREADING THE RULES AND -- >> Mary: WHICH YOU USE NOW REGULARLY.

>> YES, YES, A LOT AND I THINK A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T EACH REALLY NOTICE THINGS LIKE MASON'S APPLIES IN COMMITTEE, TOO, AND SORT OF KNOWING ALL THOSE RULES SO THAT YOU REALLY HAVE ALL THE TOOLS IN THE TOOLBOX.

>> Mary: ONE OTHER QUICK BIT FROM THE YEAR BOOK MOST LIKELY TO BE -- >> FAMOUS.

>> Mary: DID YOU FULFILL THAT?

>> I THINK THAT THE WIKIPEELED I CAN'T LISTING FOR MY HOMETOWN OF CASS LAKE HAS ME LISTED AS THE MOST FAMOUS PERSON FROM CASS LAKE BUT I GRADUATED WITH 35 PEOPLE SO IT DIDN'T TAKE MUCH.

>> Mary: LET'S TALK LEGACY.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST PROUD OF ACCOMPLISHING HERE?

>> YEAH, I THINK MY FOUR YEARS AS CHAIR OF THE JUDICIARY COMMITTEE AND ESPECIALLY GETTING THE FUNDING FOR PUBLIC DEFENSE AND CIVIL LEGAL SERVICES, I THINK WILL HAVE RAMIFICATIONS ON THE WELL-BEING OF A LOT OF PEOPLE FOR A LONG TIME, AND THAT'S REALLY SOMETHING THAT I'M THINKING ABOUT.

>> Mary: WHAT ABOUT SOME OF THE DIVERSITY, THE RACIAL RECKONING THAT YOU COME AT FROM MANY PERSPECTIVE.

>> YEAH, I GREW UP ON THE REZ, THE FIRST PERSON IN MY FAMILY TO BE RAISED OUTSIDE OF POVERTY AND AS I'M LOOKING BACK ON THE LIST OF ALL THE BILLS THAT I PASSED, A LOT OF THOSE THINGS REALLY HAVE TO DO WITH MAKING SURE THAT THOSE WITH THE LEAST STILL HAVE AN EQUITABLE SHOT IN OUR SYSTEM AND SO I HAVE BEEN REALLY PROUD OF THAT.

>> Mary: MADAM CHAIR, THANKS FOR YOUR TIME AND THANKS FOR YOUR SERVICE