>> MARY: SPORTS BETTING, PROTECTING CHILD STARS ONLINE AND UPDATES TO NEW MARIJUANA LAW, ALL THE WORK OF ONE OF THE BUSIEST LAWMAKERS AT THE CAPITOL.

REPRESENTATIVE STEPHENSON JOINS US BEFORE THIS FRIDAY'S DEADLINE.

OKAY, LET'S TALK WITH THE ONE THAT'S JUST MAKING NEWS.

YOU GOT ONE OF THE GROUPS WHO WASN'T SO EXCITED ABOUT YOUR BILL EXCITED ABOUT YOUR BILLS.

CHARITIES AND SPORTS BETTING, TELL ME ABOUT THE DEAL.

>> YEAH, WELL, YOU KNOW, PASSING A BILL ABOUT GAMBLING IN THE LEGISLATURE IS REALLY HARD.

YOU HAVE TO WORK ACROSS THE AISLE AND FIND A COALITION AND BRING IT TOGETHER AND ONE OF THE BIG GROUPS THAT E'VE BEEN WORKING WITH ARE THE CHARITIES WHO, YOU KNOW, WE PASSED SOME BILLS LAST YEAR ABOUT E-PULLTABS, THEY HAD SOME CONCERNS ABOUT THAT BUT WE WORKED TOGETHER TO FIND A SOLUTION THAT EVERYONE COULD LIVE WITH AND THIS WEEK HAD A BIG BREAK-THROUGH WHERE WE RESOLVED NOT ONLY THAT E-PULL TAB ISSUE BUT GOT THEM BEHIND THE SPORTS BETTING BILL.

>> Mary: WHAT ABOUT THE TRACKS?

EVERYBODY IS SAYING THAT'S THE LAST OUTSTANDING ISSUE.

>> >> WE STILL HAVE WORK TO DO WITH THE TRACKS, AND OTHER THINGS.

I MEAN, THERE IS A BIG ISSUE ABOUT PROBLEM GAMING THAT WE NEED TO TAKE REALLY SERIOUSLY.

MOST PEOPLE CAN GAMBLE WITHOUT A PROBLEM BUT NOR A SMALL SET OF THE POPULATION, IT IS DEVASTATING.

>> Mary: AND THAT'S WHERE YOU LOSE DFL VOTES ON THAT.

>> YEAH, AND REPUBLICANS, TOO, AND I'M CONCERNED ABOUT IT, TOO.

WHEN THE LEGISLATURE IS NOT IN SESSION, I WORK AS A PROSECUTOR, I'VE SEEN PEOPLE RUIN THEIR LIVES.

>> Mary: SO ARE YOU THERE YET ON THAT ARTS, DO YOU NEED TO WORK OUT -- >> I THINK THAT WILL ALWAYS BE A THING THAT WE NEED TO FOCUS ON BECAUSE IT'S SUCH A SERIOUS PROBLEM.

>> Mary: PARDON THE PUN BUT WHAT'S THE ODDS IT GETS DONE?

>> I THINK 50-50, STILL A -- >> Mary: STILL ONLY 50s-50.

>> A REALLY DIFFICULT BILL.

YEAH.

>> Mary: ANOTHER DIFFICULT BILL, YOU HAD MARIJUANA ELECTION STATION.

SOME UPDATES AND CHANGES, WHAT'S GOING ON.

>> IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT WE GET HE LEGAL MARKETPLACE UP AND RUNNING AS FAST AS MOBILE TO -- >> Mary: IT LETTER BEEN FAST.

>> NO, NO, AND THAT'S OKAY BECAUSE WE NEED -- IT NEEDS TO BE DONE RIGHT, WE NEED TO MAKE SURE WE'RE PUTTING IN ALL THE RIGHT CONSUMER PROTECTIONS, PUBLIC HEALTH PROTECTIONS ALL THAT STUFF AND THAT TAKES TIME TO DO THAT RULE-MAKING, TO MAKE YOU ARE HHH THE PUBLIC'S VOICE IS HEARD AND WE'RE FOLLOWING THE PROCESS.

SO IT DOES TAKE TIME BUT WE DO WANT TO TRY AND SPEED THINGS UP AND THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS WE'LL TRY AND WORK ON THIS YEAR.

>> Mary: DO YOU HAVE MANY BILLS ON THAT, ONE BIG BILL?

WHAT ARE YOU THINKING YOUR PROCESS IS BECAUSE WE HAVE COMMIT' DEADLINES THIS TRIPE.

>> COMMITTEE DEADLINES COMING UP AND WE'LL HEAR SEVERAL BILLS ABOUT CANNABIS THAT MEMBERS HAVE BROUGHT AND WE'LL PROBABILITY PUT TOGETHER A PACKAGE OF BILLS ON THE SUBJECT.

>> Mary: THE OTHER ISSUE REALLY INTERESTING, GETTING SOME NATIONAL ATTENTION, PROTECTING THE ONLINE CHILD STARS AND THEIR RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR PARENTS AND THE MONEY, KIND OF EXPLAIN WHAT YOU'RE TRYING DO IN YOUR BILL.

>> YEAH, SO THERE'S THIS THING THAT I THINK PEOPLE ARE AWARE OF SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCING WHERE PEOPLE GET PAID MONEY FOR THE CONTENTS THEY PUT ON Facebook AND INSTAGRAM.

THE PROBLEM IS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN HE PERSON MAKING THE CONTENTS IS UNDER THE AGE OF 18 OR EVEN AY YOUNG -- >> Mary: IT HAPPENS.

>> FROM BIRTHS, RIGHT, AND, YOU KNOW, THAT SOMETIMES IS AN OKAY THING BUT THERE IS A REAL DARK SIDE TO THIS WHERE SOME PEOPLE ARE TAKING ADVANTAGE OF THEIR KIDS, PUTTING THEM IN HIGHLY SUGGESTIVE SIGNIFICANCES, SKIMPY CLOTHING, FOLLOWED BY PREDOMINANTLY OLDER MEN.

THE LEGISLATURE NEEDS TO STEP IN AND PUT UNSOME GOURDS RAILINGS AND PARTICULARLY IF YOU'RE UNDERSTAND THE AGE OF 14, JUST LIKE YOU CAN'T WORK ANY OTHER JOB, YOU'RE TO YOUNG TO BE DOING THIS JOB?

TERMS OF SEXUALITY PLIGHT EXPLOITATION, EVEN THINGS LIKE SEX TRAFFICKING.

WE'VE BEEN WORKING ACROSS THE AISLE ON THAT ONE.

>> Mary: IS THERE A BILL YOU SPONSOR THAT DOESN'T NEED BIPARTISAN SUPPORT?

I MEAN, THIS IS KINDS OF YOUR WORK, ISN'T IT?

>> WELL, YOU KNOW, THE TRUTH IS, THE LEGISLATURE IS NARROWLY DIVIDED AND IT MAKES SENSE TO TRY TO WORK ACROSS THE AISLE TO FIND CONSENSUS.

>> Mary: ALL OF YOUR BILLS IN PARTICULAR TEND TO NEED OR GAIN SOME BIPARTISAN SUPPORT.

THAT'S A YOU EXT SKILL SET.

>> YOU HAVE TO WORK REALLY HARD AT EVERY DAY, THANK YOU AND YOU HAVE TO BE WILLING IS TO LISTEN MORE THAN YOU TALK AND TRY TO FIND SOMETHING THAT WORKS FOR EVERYBODY AND WE'VE BEEN SUCCESSFUL AT THAT MORE OFTEN THAN I THINK PEOPLE EXPECT.

>> Mary: FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO GEEK OUT AND WATCH LEGISLATIVE TV ALL DAY, IF YOU'RE NOT CHAIRING A COMMITTEE OR PRESENTING A BILL IN FRONT HAVE OH US, RECORD AMOUNTS OF BILLS, 5,000 BILLS INTRODUCED, HOW MANY DO YOU THINK UP THIS SESSION?

>> I THINK I'M NOTICE 60s, WHICH IS A LITTLE BIT HIGH, A LITTLE BIT HIGH FOR THE AMOUNT OF BILLS THAT WERE NTRODUCED BUT I THINK WE HAVE A CHANCE TO DO REALLY GOOD WORK FOR THE PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA HERE AND THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.

>> Mary: EXPLAIN HOW YOU MANAGE IT, HOW YOU ACTUALLY HAVE A LIFE AND HAVEN'T BURNED OUT QUITE YET.

>> WELL, YOU HAVE TO HAVE A GRIT TEAM AROUND YOU.

I HAVE PHENOMENAL STAFF HERE AT THE CAPITOL WHO WORK REALLY HARD AND ARE REALLY CAPABLE OF BOTH PARTISAN AND NONPARTISAN, BY THE WAY, AND THEN I HAVE A PHENOMENAL FAMILY THAT'S WILLING TO PUT UP WITH ME BEING GONE, MAYBE THEY SEE IT AS A FEATURE, NOT A BUG FOR ME NOT TO BE ARRANGED SO MUCH BUT IT'S A RARE OPPORTUNITY THAT I FEEL LIKE I HAVE RIGHT NOW AND I'VE JUST WANT TO SQUEEZE EVERY LITTLE BIT OUT OF IT.

>> Mary: DO YOU THINK SOME OF YOUR APPROACH COMES OUT OF YOUR DISTRICT?

YOU COME FROM A COMPETE DID I HAVE DIRECT.

>> IT IS A BIT OF IT, WHEN I WAS FIRST ELECTED, IT WASN'T CLEAR TO E I WOULD E HERE FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS AND I THOUGHT I'M GOING TO THROW EVERYTHING I HAVE INTO IT FOR THOSE TWO YEARS AND, I DON'T KNOW, IT'S JUST THE RHYTHM I'M IN.

IT'S BEEN THE SAME WAY EVER SINCE.

>> Mary: HOW DOES IT LOOK IN YOUR DISTRICTS AND FOR ALL DFL-CONTROL IN THE LEGISLATURE?

>> I THINK WE'LL GOT A GREAT STORY TO TELL ABOUT WHAT WE WERE ABLE TO DO OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS FOR THE PEOPLE OF MINNESOTA, FROM UNIVERSAL MEALS TO PULLING A THIRD OF KIDS OUT OF POVERTY, TO EXPANDING HEALTH CARE, TO PROTECTING OUR ENVIRONMENT.

WE HAVE A REALLY GREAT CASE TO MAKE TO THE VOTERS THAT WE