Politics Friday: Minnesota lawmakers reach a session-ending deal, now race to get it through

Minnesota lawmakers are filling in the details of a legislative budget agreement struck this week and will have to hustle to pass the bills needed to enact it.

If they do, Minnesotans will see reductions in their vehicle registration, help with rising property taxes, continuation of a lead pipe replacement push and more. A key hospital in Minneapolis would get a lifeline and counties would get money to replace old technology that makes running programs difficult and fraud more of a risk.

The Legislature was tasked with a compact agenda and it looks like that is what will result. Items that were seen as politically problematic were kept to the side in favor of proposals that could get bipartisan buy-in.

MPR News politics editor Brian Bakst talks with the Minnesota’s four caucus leaders about how a session-ending agreement came together — two DFLers and two Republicans.

Then, a check-in with our state Capitol team, and what they’re picking up on, as the Legislature inches closer to its conclusion.

Guests:

Rep. Lisa Demuth, of Cold Spring, is a Republican and the speaker of the Minnesota House. Rep. Zack Stephenson, of Coon Rapids, is the DFL caucus leader for the Minnesota House. Sen. Erin Murphy, of St. Paul, is the DFL Senate majority leader. Sen. Mark Johnson, of East Grand Forks, is the Republican Senate minority leader. Dana Ferguson is a political correspondent for MPR News. Peter Cox is a politics reporter for MPR News.

Use the audio player above to listen to the full conversation or subscribe to the Politics Friday podcast on: Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or RSS.