Wisconsin Gov. Evers vetoes $3B tax cut, DEI crackdowns, other GOP-backed bills
Wisconsin’s Democratic Gov. Tony Evers vetoed 41 bills passed by the Republican-led Legislature on Friday — rejecting a $3 billion Republican tax cut, political loyalty pledges for higher education employees, and a plan setting how many wolves can be hunted each year. Evers signed a bipartisan bill to provide $400,000 supporting Holocaust education in Wisconsin schools. A 2021 law requires teaching about the Holocaust in grades 5 through 12 statewide. The money approved by Evers will go to the Nathan and Esther Pelz Holocaust Education Resource Center to support that education. He also signed a bipartisan bill designed to increase the number of mental health crisis centers across the state. EVERS SIGNS NEW LAWS DESIGNED TO BOLSTER SAFETY OF JUDGES, COMBAT HUMAN TRAFFICKING During more than five years as governor with a Republican-controlled Legislature, Evers has vetoed more bills than any governor in Wisconsin history. Evers vetoed a bill that would have prohibited the Universities of Wisconsin and other higher education institutions from conditioning employment and admission decisions on diversity statements. Right now, UW doesn’t have any such spoken loyalty pledges in higher education, making the bill unnecessary, Evers said. Republicans passed the measure as part of their effort both in Wisconsin and across the country to restrict diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives on university campuses. Evers also vetoed a bill that would have allowed school boards to hire superintendents who don’t have a license from the state education department. Evers, who previously worked as a principal and school district superintendent, said he objected to not having standards for the position in charge of school operations. Republican backers pitched it as a way to help deal with turnover in superintendent positions across the state. The bill, opposed by groups representing school officials including superintendents, would have created the same exemption from the superintendent license requirement in place only at Milwaukee Public Schools, the state’s largest district. Another bill signed by Evers would allow people to be charged fees to redact recorded audio and video content provided under open records requests. Media organizations and open records advocates opposed the bill. It passed with bipartisan support and was backed by law enforcement agencies. Evers had vowed to veto the GOP tax cut bill, one of several tax cut measures passed by Republicans this session that the governor rejected. The scuttled tax plan would have dropped the state income tax from 5.3% to 4.4% for individual income between $27,630 and $304,170, and for married couples between $18,420 and $405,550. The bill would also have excluded the first $150,000 of a couple’s retirement income from taxes, which would apply to people over 67. The measure would have reduced tax collections by $3.2 billion over two years, which the governor called “fiscally irresponsible” in his veto message. He said the state would’ve been unable to meet its basic obligations like funding schools and prisons. Evers noted how earlier this month he did sign a more limited, bipartisan tax cut that will expand the state’s child care tax credit. The wolf bill Evers vetoed would have required state wildlife managers to set a firm numeric goal for the state’s wolf population. Republicans passed the measure after the state Department of Natural Resources did not set a hard cap on the state’s wolf population in its new management plan. State wildlife officials told lawmakers that a lack of a hard limit gives the DNR more flexibility to manage the species, allows local wolf packs to fluctuate and gives the population a better chance at maintaining wolf abundance for years to come. Hunting advocates support setting a population limit, saying the lack of a goal leaves both wolves and people unprotected. Evers, in his veto message, said setting a numeric goal does not consider the social, scientific, biological and legal complexities of a recovered wolf population. He also said he objected to the Legislature micromanaging the DNR.
New York City’s mayor gets baptized in jail by Rev. Al Sharpton on Good Friday
New York City Mayor Eric Adams marked Good Friday by receiving a jailhouse baptism from the Rev. Al Sharpton, joining in on the religious rite with a group of men incarcerated at the troubled Rikers Island jail complex. The ceremony came as part of a visit to the jail complex where Adams was scheduled to meet with detainees on the Christian holiday. MAYOR ADAMS ‘BREAKFAST CLUB’ INTERVIEW TURNS HEATED OVER SLAIN NYPD OFFICER: ‘THE FAR LEFT’ DISAGREES WITH ME “Having been arrested and then elected mayor, I reminded these young men that where you are is not who you are,” Adams, a Democrat, said in a statement. “For the first time in their lives, their mayor didn’t look down at them — I sat side by side with them to be cleansed and recommit ourselves to getting on the right path.” Images from the event, provided by the mayor’s office, appear to show Adams interlocking hands with Sharpton during a prayer, the reverend washing Adams’ feet and Adams being baptized. Adams and the civil rights leader have close ties through their long tenures in New York politics. Adams often calls into Sharpton’s satellite radio show and the pair have appeared together at City Hall events. Plagued by violence and neglect, the city-run jail complex, has been the subject of an ongoing legal battle that could result in a federal takeover of the facility. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP The mayor had also visited Rikers earlier this week to meet with detainees. In an interview this week on New York City radio show “The Breakfast Club,” Adams said he met with “a group of 12 young brothers who recommitted themselves to Christ.” “I’ve been on Rikers Island more than any mayor in the history of the city talking with inmates and correction officers to turn around what’s happening on Rikers Island,” Adams said in the heated radio interview, which aired Friday.
Maine Gov. Mills proposes budget revisions for housing, childcare
Democratic Gov. Janet Mills on Friday unveiled a budget revision that includes additional one-time spending to build more housing for Maine residents, to provide grants to child care providers, and to accelerate nursing facility rate reform, among other initiatives. Included in the proposed spending is $5 million to help mobile home residents buy their mobile home parks and another $22 million to build additional housing, both of which are aimed at helping with the state’s housing crunch. MAINE REJECTS SWEEPING ELECTRIC VEHICLE MANDATE IN BLOW TO GOVERNOR’S CLIMATE AGENDA “This fiscally responsible proposal aims to address some of the most urgent challenges Maine people are facing, like access to affordable housing, child care, and long-term care,” Mills said in a statement. “And it aims to tackle these critically important items in a financially sustainable way, ensuring that, when taken with my previous proposal to save money, the State of Maine can meet its ongoing commitments in the next biennium.” The new spending increases her biennial budget proposal to nearly $10.44 billion. The proposal reflects a projection of an additional $108 million in additional revenue by the nonpartisan Revenue Forecasting Committee. The boost was attributed to strong corporate income tax revenues, which are considered volatile for long-term budgeting. The governor’s proposal sets the stage for lawmakers to finish negotiations and bring the budget to the floor for votes. They’re racing the clock because lawmakers are due to adjourn on April 17.
Manhattan DA asks for gag order clarification after Trump names judge’s daughter on social media
Manhattan prosecutors are asking a judge to clarify a gag order imposed on former President Donald Trump, following social media posts by the former commander-in-chief that criticized the judge’s daughter. In a letter dated Friday to New York Judge Juan Merchan, prosecutors asked the judge to clarify if the order protects family members of the court, district attorney’s office and other individuals. They asked the court to direct Trump to end attacks on family members after he went on a fiery rant on Truth Social and called out Merchan’s daughter by name. He suggested that Merchan was kowtowing to his daughter’s interests as a Democratic political consultant. Trump, the presumptive Republican presidential nominee, claimed the judge’s daughter, Loren Merchan, whose firm has worked on campaigns for President Joe Biden and other Democrats, had recently posted a photo on social media depicting her “obvious goal” of seeing him jailed. TRUMP SLAMS BRAGG AFTER PLEADING NOT GUILTY: ‘I NEVER THOUGHT ANYTHING LIKE THIS COULD HAPPEN IN AMERICA’ “Judge Juan Merchan is totally compromised, and should be removed from this TRUMP Non-Case immediately,” he wrote Thursday. “His Daughter, Loren, is a Rabid Trump Hater, who has admitted to having conversations with her father about me, and yet he gagged me.” The Manhattan prosecutors said that witnesses and prospective jurors could likely fear similar attacks. They asked Merchan “to make it abundantly clear” who is protected by the gag order, to warn Trump about his conduct and sanction him if he violates the gag order. MANHATTAN DA BRAGG REQUESTS JUDGE IMPOSE GAG ORDER ON TRUMP DURING HUSH MONEY CASE Trump’s legal team responded with a letter saying the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office is misinterpreting the order. “The Court cannot ‘direct’ President Trump to do something that the gag order does not require,” the letter said. “To ‘clarify or confirm’ the meaning of the gag order in the way the People suggest would be to expand it.” The gag order bars Trump from either making or directing other people to make public statements on his behalf about jurors and potential witnesses in the hush-money trial, such as his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, and porn star Stormy Daniels. It also prohibits any statements meant to interfere with or harass the court’s staff, prosecution team or their families. Judge Merchan is presiding over Trump’s upcoming trial in which he is accused of making hush-money payments during his 2016 presidential campaign. He pleaded not guilty last April to 34 counts of falsifying business records, The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Braun Senate campaign ordered to pay $159K for finance violations
U.S. Sen. Mike Braun’s Senate campaign must pay a $159,000 civil penalty to the Federal Election Commission for violating campaign finance rules during the 2018 election. The FEC posted an agreement on the penalty this week. The Indianapolis Star first reported the penalty Friday. INDIANA GOV. HOLCOMB VETOES BILL DEFINING ANTISEMITISM: ‘TOOTHLESS’ The FEC initially charged the Braun campaign with illegally accepting improper loans, but after the campaign provided documentation, the FEC determined the violation resulted from clerical errors by a former treasurer, Travis Kabrick. Braun’s current campaign treasurer, Thomas Datwyler, issued a statement saying the errors “were primarily due to the oversight of our former treasurer, Travis Kabrick.” Braun spokesperson Josh Kelley said Datwyler is exploring options to pay the fine “in light of Mr. Kabrick’s errors.” A phone number for Kabrick could not be found and he could not be reached for comment. Braun is currently running for governor.
Biden admin authorizes billions of dollars in bombs, warplanes for Israel: report
The Biden administration has authorized the transfer of billions of dollars in bombs and fighter jets to Israel despite concerns from Washington about a probable military operation in southern Gaza. The weapons package includes more than 1,800 MK84 2,000-pound bombs and 500 MK82 500-pound bombs, Pentagon and State Department officials familiar with the matter told The Washington Post. A State Department official told Fox News Digital that “fulfilling an authorization from one notification to Congress can result in dozens of individual Foreign Military Sales cases across the decades-long life-cycle of the congressional notification.” FOX NEWS POLL: VOTERS SIDE WITH ISRAELIS OVER PALESTINIANS BY 31 POINTS, DOWN FROM 50 POINTS IN OCTOBER “As a matter of practicality, major procurements, like Israel’s F-35 program for example, are often broken out into several cases over many years,” the official added. Fox News Digital has reached out to the White House and the Pentagon. Gen. Charles Q. Brown Jr., chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said Thursday that Israel hasn’t received all the military arms it has requested as its fight with Hamas intensifies. “Although we’ve been supporting them with capability, they’ve not received everything they’ve asked for,” he said. “Some of that is because they’ve asked for stuff that we either don’t have the capacity to provide or not willing to provide, not right now.” News of the military assistance to Israel comes as the Biden administration has voiced concerns over Israel’s managing of the war, which has killed thousands and displaced many of the residents of the Gaza Strip, which is governed by Hamas. CRITICS CHARGE BIDEN WITH ABANDONING ISRAEL, HOSTAGES AMID GROWING TENSIONS WITH JEWISH STATE “We have continued to support Israel’s right to defend itself,” a White House official told the Post. “Conditioning aid has not been our policy.” Some Democrats have called for Biden to withhold aid without an Israeli commitment to put measures in place to limit civilian casualties in Rafath, a Hamas stronghold in southern Gaza. The issue has caused a rift in U.S.-Israeli relations. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu canceled a visit by a delegation to Washington this week after the U.S. refused to veto a United Nations Security Council resolution that called for a temporary cease-fire in Gaza and the release of hostages. The resolution did not condemn Hamas. Meanwhile, progressives angry with Biden’s support for Israel have voiced their displeasure with him at every turn. During his multi-million dollar fundraiser in New York City on Thursday, pro-Palestinian protesters gathered outside Radio City Music Hall to call for an end to Israeli aid. Inside the venue, several protesters interrupted the festivities.
D.C. judge’s comments on Trump in hush money case ‘inappropriate’ and ‘unseemly,’ experts say
A federal judge from Washington, D.C., is facing criticism for what experts are calling “inappropriate” comments about former President Trump in a media interview as Trump faces a federal trial in the judge’s district. Senior U.S. District Court Judge Reggie Walton for the District of Columbia appeared in an interview with CNN’s Kaitlan Collins Thursday after Trump criticized the daughter of New York Judge Juan Merchan, who is presiding over the hush money case scheduled to go to trial April 15. Walton, in a rare media appearance for a sitting judge, sat for the interview Thursday and criticized Trump’s comments, calling them “very disconcerting.” But legal experts tell Fox News Digital that Walton’s comments were “inappropriate” because Trump is a defendant in Walton’s district in a separate case brought by special counsel Jack Smith’s case. NEW YORK JUDGE IMPOSES GAG ORDER ON TRUMP IN BRAGG HUSH MONEY CASE “Judge Reggie Walton is a sitting federal judge in a district where Donald Trump is currently a criminal defendant with an active case. He should not be publicly commenting in media interviews on anything related to him, full stop,” said Kerri Kupec Urbhan, former counselor to Attorney General Bill Barr and Fox News legal editor. “This is yet another example of a lack of regard for the appearance of fairness when it comes to Donald Trump, which, whether you like Trump or not, flies in the face of what judges and the justice system are supposed to be about.” TRUMP HUSH MONEY TRIAL TO BEGIN APRIL 15, JUDGE RULES, DENYING MOTION TO DELAY Merchan this week imposed a gag order on the former president and 2024 GOP presumptive nominee ahead of the trial next month. In a Truth Social post Thursday, Trump referenced the judge’s daughter by name and called her a “Rabid Trump Hater” for her associations with a firm that’s consulted Democratic candidates and causes, suggesting that “totally compromised” her father and calling for his removal from the case. Merchan issued the gag order against Trump Tuesday, pointing to his “prior extrajudicial statements,” saying they establish “a sufficient risk to the administration of justice.” Merchan ordered that Trump cannot make or direct others to make public statements about witnesses concerning their potential participation or about counsel in the case — other than Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg — or about court staff, DA staff or family members of staff. Trump also referred to a Twitter account formerly owned by Merchan’s daughter that features a picture of Trump behind prison bars as the profile image. Walton, who has also presided over Jan. 6, 2021, cases in his district, told CNN he was “concerned” about Trump’s comments. “We have had judges who’ve lost their lives or family members who’ve lost their lives as a result of individuals who have been litigants in their courtroom. And I think it’s important in order to preserve our democracy that we maintain the rule of law,” he said. MANHATTAN DA BRAGG REQUESTS JUDGE IMPOSE GAG ORDER ON TRUMP DURING HUSH MONEY CASE “The rule of law can only be maintained if we have independent judicial officers … and that the law is applied equally to everyone who appears in our courthouse. “I think it’s important that, as judges, we speak out and say things and reference to things that conceivably are going to impact on the process, because if we don’t have a viable court system, we have tyranny.” Walton’s office declined to comment when reached by Fox News Digital. John Shu, a constitutional attorney who served in both Bush administrations, told Fox News Digital Walton’s comments were “unseemly.” “It’s unseemly for Judge Walton to publicly discuss Trump or a Trump case, regardless of which one, because one of Trump’s active criminal cases is in Judge Walton’s court, the federal district court in D.C.,” he said. Shu added that “it seems that the interviewer wrongly conflated Trump’s harsh social media critiques about Judge Merchan and his daughter – which probably fall within First Amendment protections – and the awful, actual threats that Judge Walton and his family faced, which are considered criminal behavior and thus not protected speech.” “Just like the awful, actual threats that Justices Alito, Coney Barrett, Gorsuch, Kavanaugh, Roberts and Thomas and their respective families had to deal with after the Dobbs draft opinion leak,” Shu noted. Following the leak of the Dobbs v. Jackson Supreme Court opinion, which eventually overturned Roe v. Wade, crowds of protesters swarmed the homes of several of the justices in the majority opinion for several days. One man was charged with plotting an assassination attempt on Justice Brett Kavanaugh. Carrie Severino, the president of Judicial Crisis Network (JCN) and former clerk for Justice Clarence Thomas, said ensuring the safety of judges and their families is critical for the rule of law. But, she said, “it’s surprising that some of the people who have praised Judge Walton for his comments weren’t speaking out when there was an attempted assassination of Justice Kavanaugh, or when left-wing groups doxxed six of the justices and illegally protested at their homes after the Dobbs opinion leaked.” Merchan announced Monday that the trial will begin April 15. Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg indicted Trump on 34 counts of falsifying business records in the first degree. Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Bay Area city to install 480 surveillance cameras in anti-crime bid, Newsom announces
Hundreds of high-tech surveillance cameras are being installed in the city of Oakland and surrounding freeways to battle crime, California Gov. Gavin Newsom announced Friday. Newsom, a Democrat, said in a news release that the California Highway Patrol has contracted with Flock Safety to install 480 cameras that can identify and track vehicles by license plate, type, color and even decals and bumper stickers. The cameras will provide authorities with real-time alerts of suspect vehicles. Opponents say the technology infringes on privacy and will lead to further police abuse of already marginalized communities. CA REPUBLICAN CRITICIZES GAVIN NEWSOM’S HOMELESS STRATEGY: ‘YOU CAN’T KEEP THROWING MONEY AT THE SYMPTOMS’ But Newsom, who has deployed state attorneys and CHP officers to assist Oakland in its crackdown on crime, said the surveillance network will give law enforcement tools “to effectively combat criminal activity and hold perpetrators accountable — building safer, stronger communities for all Californians.” Public safety remains a concern statewide, especially retail theft, forcing even liberal leaders of Democratic cities to embrace increased policing. But while crime has dropped in other big California cities, it has surged in Oakland, a city of roughly 400,000 across the bay from San Francisco. In-N-Out Burger closed its only restaurant in Oakland — the first closure in its 75-year history — due to car break-ins, property damage, theft and robberies. On Thursday, the CEOs of four major employers in downtown Oakland announced plans for a joint $10 million security program to improve public safety and protect employees. The companies are Blue Shield of California, Clorox, Kaiser Permanente and Pacific Gas & Electric. Cat Brooks, executive director of the Anti Police-Terror Project and a 2018 Oakland mayoral candidate, said Friday that money will be spent on faulty technology and placed in poor communities to further terrorize Black, Latino and other vulnerable residents. “How many people could be housed or trained into a living wage job or sent to college and get health care, things that actually keep people safe?” she said. “You’re divesting in Oakland. You are taking critical resources that this city so desperately needs to build whole, happy, safe communities and you’re putting that toward the same failed strategies.” Neither the governor’s office nor California Highway Patrol has said how much the contract will cost. Nearly 300 of the cameras will be deployed on city streets and the remainder will be deployed on nearby state highways, according to the governor’s statement. For the sake of privacy, footage will be retained for 28 days and will not be shared with third parties beyond California law enforcement, Newsom’s office said. Earlier this month, voters approved a ballot measure backed by San Francisco Mayor London Breed to grant police access to drones and surveillance cameras.
Trump appeals Georgia court order that keeps Fani Willis on the case: ‘Should have been disqualified’
Former president Donald Trump and 8 co-defendants have appealed a court order that kept embattled Atlanta prosecutor Fani Willis on the sweeping election interference case, arguing that she “should have been disqualified” for having an “improper” affair with her subordinate whom she hired. In a petition to the Georgia Court of Appeals, Trump and co-defendants argued that a court order demanding Willis to remove special prosecutor Nathan Wade or withdraw from the case didn’t go far enough, and that she should have been disqualified. Shortly after Judge Scott McAfee issued his ultimatum earlier this month, Wade resigned from his post, leaving Willis to continue leading the case. “Defendants argued in the trial court that the indictment should have been dismissed and, at a minimum, DA Willis and her office should have been disqualified from prosecuting the case,” Steve Sadow, counsel for Trump said in a statement Friday. GEORGIA ELECTION CHARGES SHOULD BE TOSSED, ACTS ARE PROTECTED BY 1ST AMENDMENT: TRUMP ATTORNEY “While the trial court factually found DA Willis’s out-of-court statements were improper and Defendants proved an apparent conflict of interest, the trial court erred as a matter of law by not requiring dismissal and DA Willis’ disqualification. This legal error requires the Court’s immediate review,” the document states. Trump and his co-defendants accused Willis of having an “improper” affair with Wade prior to his hiring in 2021 and that she financially benefited from his position as special counsel. Willis and Wade denied both claims. The defendants also accused Willis of making improper and derogatory public statements about them and the case. JUDGE RULES FANI WILLIS MUST STEP ASIDE FROM TRUMP CASE OR FIRE SPECIAL PROSECUTOR NATHAN WADE In his decision, McAfee said that “[w]ithout sufficient evidence that the District Attorney acquired a personal stake in the prosecution, or that her financial arrangements had any impact on the case, the Defendants’ claims of an actual conflict must be denied.” But he went on to say that his finding is “by no means an indication that the Court condones this tremendous lapse in judgment or the unprofessional manner of the District Attorney’s testimony during the evidentiary hearing.” “Rather, it is the undersigned’s opinion that Georgia law does not permit the finding of an actual conflict for simply making bad choices – even repeatedly – and it is the trial court’s duty to confine itself to the relevant issues and applicable law properly brought before it,” he said. TRUMP GEORGIA CASE: FIVE KEY TAKEAWAYS FROM JUDGE’S ORDER GIVING DA FANI WILLIS AN ULTIMATUM The appeal states, “[T]he public’s faith in the integrity of the judicial system, especially the criminal justice system, is critical to its functioning. Courts have an obligation to ensure that legal proceedings appear fair to all who observe them.” “[O]ur system of law has always endeavored to prevent even the probability of unfairness. …[T]o perform its high function in the best way ‘justice must satisfy the appearance of justice,’” it continues. “When the public perception of the integrity of the criminal justice system is at stake, no prejudice to defendants needs to be shown,” it goes on to state. “Nowhere are these interests more important or on display than in a high-profile case like this one that has captured the attention of the Nation,” it reads. “Crucial to the public’s confidence is that prosecutors remain and appear to be disinterested and impartial.” Fox News Digital reached out to Willis’ office for comment.
Minnesota Legislature will return from Easter break with plenty of bills still in the pipeline
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — The Minnesota Legislature will return from its Easter break on Tuesday with plenty of bills in the pipeline. They include a myriad of low-profile proposals but several high-profile pieces of legislation are in the mix, ranging from sports betting and cannabis and sports betting, to rights for trans people, to maintaining the state’s roads and bridges. The House and Senate convened Feb. 12 with a much less ambitious agenda than what they passed during a frenetic 2023 session, when Democrats took full control of the Legislature for the first time in eight years. Now, with only a little extra money to work with, much of the focus has been on policy proposals that don’t cost much. MINNESOTA WOMAN ACCUSED OF ‘ILLEGAL BUYING SPREE’ THAT ARMED KILLER OF 3 FIRST RESPONDERS With less than two months to go before the adjournment deadline of May 20, here’s a look at the state of play: BUDGET The $72 billion two-year budget was largely set last year. While the surplus has inched up to $3.7 billion, Gov. Tim Walz and Democratic legislative leaders have agreed to spend only about $541 million more and bank the rest. The new spending includes $16 million for struggling emergency medical services in rural Minnesota, though some lawmakers say that’s not nearly enough. One problem got solved early when Walz signed a fix to an error last year that could have cost taxpayers around $350 million next year. BONDING The main task this session is a public infrastructure borrowing package known as a bonding bill. Walz proposed a combination of $982 million in borrowing and cash. The final package is expected to keep an unglamorous focus on maintaining existing infrastructure, like roads, bridges and water treatment facilities. Bonding bills require 60% supermajorities, so it will need some Republican votes. SPORTS BETTING Proponents are trying bring it across the goal line. But the politics are a tricky needle to thread. The proposal in the works would put in-house and online wagering via apps under control of tribal casinos. But Minnesota’s two horse tracks want in on the action. Backers reached a deal to share revenue with charities that depend on gambling revenues that were slashed by restrictions enacted last year on electronic pull-tab games. One version includes a ban on betting after games start to restrain problem gamblers. Nothing is likely to pass without bipartisan support. CANNABIS Lawmakers are making dozens of tweaks to last year’s law that legalized recreational marijuana. Many are technical. But there’s debate over giving “social equity applicants” harmed under the previous prohibition a head start on getting cannabis business licenses. Officials aren’t predicting when retail sales can begin statewide. Two tribes already have on-reservation dispensaries, and at least one more is in the works. POLICING Lawmakers resolved a contentious issue early in the session when they voted to give school resource officers clearer authority. Restrictions enacted last year led around 40 police departments to pull officers from schools. The bipartisan compromise that passed with support from law enforcement ensures that officers can use prone restraints on students, while requiring better training and standards. VOTING Floor votes could come soon on the Minnesota Voting Rights Act. It’s a move by Democrats to fill voids left by the courts in the landmark 1965 federal Voting Rights Act. A decision by a federal appeals court last year took away the right of individuals in seven states, including Minnesota, to sue under the federal law to challenge voting practices or procedures they believe discriminate on the basis of race. RELIGION Religious organizations weren’t exempted from protections for gender identity that were added to the state human rights law last year. In the name of religious freedom, Republicans have tried three times this year to carve out an exception. They say it’s needed to protect the rights of religious organizations and schools to govern themselves and to make clergy and personnel decisions in line with their teachings. Democrats have blocked the GOP push so far, with some calling it an attack on the trans and nonbinary communities. CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP MINNESOTA ERA Supporters are still trying to round up support for enshrining protections for abortion and trans rights into the state Constitution. A state-level Equal Rights Amendment against sex discrimination passed the Senate last year but time ran out in the House over language on abortion and gender-affirming care. Supporters have yet to introduce updated language. If it goes forward, the amendment would go on the 2026 ballot. ASSISTED SUICIDE A proposal to allow physician-assisted suicide for patients with less than six months to live has had several hearings in the House, but it’s still not expected to become law this year. While House leaders have said they’re seeing a lot of public interest in the issue, they’ve also said there aren’t enough votes, especially in the Senate, where Democrats hold just a one-vote majority and at least one Democratic senator is opposed.