♪♪ >> JOINING ME NOW REPRESENTATIVE KRISTIN ROBBINS, YOU SAW HER IN THE STORY OPPOSING THE MARIJUANA BILL BUT SHE'S ALSO CHAIR OF THE CIVILITY CAUCUS WHICH WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT MUCH THIS SESSION, WE'RE HERE TO TALK ABOUT BOTH OF IT.

LET'S START WITH THE ISSUE HERE.

MARIJUANA WAS BIPARTISAN SUPPORT AND BIPARTISAN OPPOSITION.

YOU TALKED ABOUT HOW COMPLICATED THIS ISSUE.

THIS ISN'T NECESSARILY A PARTY ISSUE, IS IT?

>> IT REALLY ISN'T I WOULD SAY MINNESOTANS WHEN YOU ASK THEM THE SMALL MAJORITY SUPPORT IT, I THINK THE POLL WAS 53% SUPPORT IT BUT WHEN YOU REALLY DIG DOWN AT THE NUANCES OF THE BILL I'M NOT SURE PEOPLE ARE SUPPORTING WHAT THIS BILL DOES.

>> IT WAS THE DETAILS.

IS THERE A BILL THAT YOU THINK YOU OR MORE MEMBERS OF YOUR CAUCUS COULD OR WOULD SUPPORT?

>> I THINK SO.

THERE WAS A LOT OF SUPPORT WE OFFERED AN AMENDMENT FOR JUST DOING EXPUNGEMENT AND THAT GOT A LOT OF SUPPORT ON THE FLOOR YESTERDAY SO I THINK, YOU KNOW, THAT WOULD BE A GOOD FIRST STEP.

BUT I UNDERSTAND THE ARGUMENT IS THAT, YOU KNOW, IF WE HAVE THIS REGULATORY FRAMEWORK IT WILL MAKE IT SAFER AND THAT'S WHAT THE MAJORITY'S GOAL IS.

I WOULD JUST SAY THAT THE STRUCTURE OF THE BILL DOESN'T REALLY ADDRESS SOME OF THE PUBLIC SAFETY CONCERNS, CERTAINLY NOT ENOUGH LOCAL CONTROL, AND THEN THE SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER CONCERNS, ESPECIALLY FOR YOUNG PEOPLE.

>> AND YOUR CAUCUS HAD A LOT OF CONCERNS ABOUT AGE.

ORIGINALLY THIS WAS WRITTEN FOR 18, IT'S MOVED TO 21 BUT YOUR CAUCUS WANTED 25.

WHAT'S SPECIAL ABOUT THAT NUMBER?

>> YOU KNOW, THERE'S BEEN A LOT OF SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH SHOWING THE BRAIN CONTINUES TO DEVELOP UNTIL AGE 25 AND THAT SECONDARILY THE WAY THAT CANNABIS INTERACTS WITH THE BRAIN SYNAPSES REALLY AFFECTS PEOPLE'S BRAIN DEVELOPMENT IN A WAY THAT ALCOHOL DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME REACTION.

AND SO I WOULD SAY IF WE'RE REALLY WANTING TO FOLLOW THE SCIENCE AND BEST PRACTICES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE WHO ARE ALREADY REALLY DISPROPORTIONATELY STRUGGLING WITH MENTAL HEALTH FOR A VARIETY OF REASONS THAT THAT'S WHY KEEPING THE AGE LIMIT TO 25 I THINK WOULD BE IN THE BEST INTEREST OF THE YOUNG PEOPLE.

>> WHAT ABOUT YOU IN AND YOUR CAUCUS AND PARTY HAVING A SAY GOING FORWARD FOR PEOPLE WHO DON'T KNOW, IT HELPS TO VOTE FOR A BILL SO YOU CAN GET ON THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE BECAUSE THE SENATE IS TAKING THIS UP FRIDAY.

NEXT STEP IS CONFERENCE COMMITTEE.

DO YOU EXPECT YOUR MEMBERS WILL BE AT THE TABLE AND BE ABLE TO MAKE ANY CHANGES?

>> YOU KNOW, I DO THINK THAT NOLAN WEST WHO VOTED FOR THE BILL FROM OUR CAUCUS WILL LIKELY GET ON THE CONFERENCE COMMITTEE AND I KNOW, YOU KNOW, THE SENATE HAS SOME DIFFERENT APPROACHES SO I'M OPTIMISTIC THAT SOME OF THE THINGS WE'VE BEEN TRYING TO WORK ON IN THE HOUSE WILL GET ADOPTED.

I KNOW THERE IS TALK ALREADY BEHIND THE SCENES THAT MORE LOCAL CONTROL PROVISIONS WILL BE INCLUDED, SO I KNOW CITIES AND COUNTIES REALLY ARE LOOKING FOR THAT OPPORTUNITY TO HAVE MORE SAY ABOUT WHAT GOES ON IN THEIR COMMUNITIES.

>> LET'S TALK CIVILITY CAUCUS.

YOU'RE NOT A QUIET MEMBER OF THE LEGISLATURE, YOU DO SPEAK, YOU DO PUT IN OPPOSITION.

HOW DO YOU SEEK TO SPEAK IN A CIVIL MATTER AND HOW DO YOU BRING THIS, YOU KNOW, EXPERIENCE IN THE CIVILITY CAUCUS TO BEAR?

>> YOU KNOW, I JOINED THE CIVILITY AUCUS WHEN I WAS A FRESHMAN AND THEN AT THE TIME IT WAS LED BY ON OUR SIDE WES AND WHEN E RETIRED HE HANDED IT OFF TO ME AND IT'S BEEN A GREAT EXPERIENCE.

I REALLY THINK THE INSTITUTION FUNCTIONS BEST WHEN WE KNOW EACH OTHER AS PEOPLE BECAUSE WHEN YOU KNOW SOMEONE YOU CAN NEGOTIATE IN GOOD FAITH, YOU KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON WITH THEIR FAMILY.

>> LET ME JUMP IN, HOW HARD IS THAT WITH COVID, WE'VE HAD TWO YEARS PEOPLE DIDN'T GET TO TALK ABOUT IDS AND BIRTHDAYS AND KNOW EACH OTHER AS HUMAN BEINGS.

>> RIGHT, COVID WAS A REALLY DIFFICULT THING FOR THE LEGISLATURE AS INSTITUTION, I THINK THAT'S ONE OF THE REASONS LAST SESSION FAILED BECAUSE PEOPLE WEREN'T HERE.

I THINK CIVILITY CAUCUSES PROVIDES AN OPPORTUNITY PEOPLE MIGHT NOT TAKE OTHERWISE TO GET TOGETHER, TO GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER, SORT OF ASSUMPTIONS YOU HAVE WHEN YOU'RE ALWAYS DOING BATTLE ON THE FLOOR AND I THINK IT WILL HAVE AN IMPACT.

THIS SESSION WE'VE ONLY HAD THE CHANCE TO GET TOGETHER FOUR TIMES SO IT'S A BUILDING OR REBUILDING PROCESS AFTER COVID BUT I DEFINITELY THINK IT IS HELPING THE INSTITUTION FUNCTION BETTER.

>> DO YOU THINK MOVING FORWARD IT COULD RESULT IN LEGISLATION AND BILL AUTHORS AND COAUTHORS FROM BOTH SIDES OF THE AISLE, DO YOU SEE THAT SETTING SUBSTANTIVE >> ABSOLUTELY.

ONE OF THE THINGS WE TRIED TO DO WAS HAVE WHERE LUNCHES FOCUSED EARLY IN THE SESSION WHERE PEOPLE WOULD MEET WITH CHAIRS AND PITCH THEIR BILL AND ASK OR HEARINGS AND SEEK COAUTHORS, UNFORTUNATELY THAT ONE DAY OF THE CIVILITY CAUCUS WAS THE ONE DAY OF THE SNOW DAY.

>> OF COURSE.

>> THAT ENDED UP NOT HAPPENING, WE ID HAVE DURING COVID OVER ZOOM.

I DO THINK THAT HELPS.

>> HOW DO YOU THINK YOU AND YOUR CAUCUS ARE DOING ON GETTING HEARINGS AND GETTING YOUR BILLS AND GETTING COAUTHORS?

>> I'VE ONLY EVER SERVED IN THE MINORITY SO IT'S HARD FOR ME TO SPEAK ABOUT A DIFFERENT EXPERIENCE BUT IT'S BEEN FRUSTRATING.

I GET THE MAJORITY HAS A LOT ON THEIR PLATE AND THEY HAVE THEIR PRIORITIES BUT I WOULD VERY MUCH LIKE TO HAVE SOME OF OUR PROPOSALS GET MORE HEARINGS.

>> WHAT ABOUT WHAT PEOPLE SAY -- WIN AN ELECTION THIS IS THE BALLOT ECIDING HERE, RIGHT?

>> RIGHT, NO, THE PUBLIC HAS SPOKEN.

>> WHAT DOES THE PARTY HAVE TO DO.

>> WE HAVE TO MAKE SURE THE PUBLIC UNDERSTANDS OUR CONCERNS WITH WHAT THE MAJORITY IS DOING, THE TRIFECTA IS PUSHING THROUGH THEIR AGENDA WHICH I THINK IS MORE EXTREME THAN A LOT OF MINNESOTANS THOUGHT THEY WERE VOTING FOR AND IT'S UP TO US TO COMMUNICATE THAT AND HOPEFULLY SHOW WE HAVE GOOD SOLUTIONS MIN