Unexpected power shifts and law changes mark a new year for Minnesota politics

[MUSIC PLAYING] NINA MOINI: Our top story. This afternoon, it is the start of the year. And that also means the start of a busy time at our state capital. There are several new laws that have gone into effect. But there's also some uncertainty heading into the New Year, with two special elections this month. Joining us now from our office at the State Capitol to catch us up to speed on all of this is NPR Senior Politics reporter, Clay Masters. Thanks for being here, Clay.

CLAY MASTERS: You're welcome. Glad to be here.

NINA MOINI: So, tell me about all these new laws. Let's start with the ones that people may notice right away, that are about various fees that they've been experiencing. We have the junk fees law and the law about concert ticket pricing. This has been a hot issue.

CLAY MASTERS: Yeah, right, junk fees is a term that proponents of the legislation have used to describe them. But these are the service fees, or add-on fees, on restaurants or hotel bills. The law requires prices displayed for goods and services are exactly what people will pay at checkout. It's meant to bring more transparency. So the law prohibits a person or business from advertising goods and services that do not include all mandatory fees or surcharges.

This goes into effect at the same time as some sister legislation, we'll call it. Listeners might remember, having to do with Taylor Swift tickets. The Ticketing Fairness Act, signed last year by Governor Walz, is meant to increase transparency when purchasing tickets for things like concerts and sporting events. It was inspired by the House sponsor, Democrat Representative Kelly Mueller's experience, or bad blood, in trying to secure tickets for Taylor Swift's Eras Tour stop in Minneapolis last summer.

NINA MOINI: You had to do it. I understand.

CLAY MASTERS: I had to do it. Yeah, that's right.

NINA MOINI: Well, let's talk next about the Clean Slate law, which is going to impact an estimated half a million Minnesotans. Clay, what's this about?

CLAY MASTERS: This one has to do with expunging criminal records for Minnesotans who have remained crime-free of certain low level offenses. So it applies to Minnesotans who have nonviolent misdemeanor and low level felony crimes, as you mentioned, about a half a million Minnesotans. Those who are eligible will be able to have their records automatically erased, as long as they have not re-offended for two to five years. So this law was created in 2023 to recognize Minnesotans with a criminal past who want to move forward with their lives and make it easier for employers to hire them.

NINA MOINI: Sure. And moving on to climate, over the last several years, we know there have been a lot of efforts at the State Capitol to crack down on PFAS, or what are known as forever chemicals. What's this new law that's in place now?

CLAY MASTERS: Yeah, Minnesota now bans a list of products that intentionally include so-called forever chemicals, like you said, PFAS. This includes household furnishings, like rugs and carpets, personal care items like cosmetics and dental floss, as well as some cleaning products. Some PFAS have been linked to health effects, including some types of cancer, thyroid disease. The chemicals have been found in water, soil, wildlife, and humans. A full ban of products containing PFAS won't take hold until the year 2032, though.

NINA MOINI: And the session starts in two weeks. It will be an unusual start, though, with the two special elections that are now scheduled. Clay, let's start with the election for the seat of Senator Keri Dziedzic.

CLAY MASTERS: Right, you're talking about the late Senator Keri Dziedzic, who recently died. She was diagnosed with cancer in 2023. And that led to her stepping down as Majority Leader ahead of the last legislative session for 2024. The late Senator's seat in Minneapolis is a safe one for the DFL. But it means the Senate will be tied, 33 to 33, when lawmakers show up for the first day of the legislative session, which is January 14th.

NINA MOINI: And an election as well for the Roseville area House seat.

CLAY MASTERS: Yeah, so this other chamber, Democrat, Curtis Johnson, decided not to appeal a challenge to his election regarding his residency. So there's a special election on January 28th here, too. And the Democrat, Curtis Johnson, did win handily back in November. Both elections will likely be low turnout because there are so many candidates who have filed.

We'll see a primary on January 14th to determine nominees. And we do have a list of all the candidates who are running in those special elections over at mprnews.org. And, I should say, all the new laws are up there as well. So, I always got to get the website plug in there.

NINA MOINI: Absolutely. And people can take a closer look. So you mentioned, the special elections will be on January 28th, which is actually after the start of the session, January 14th. So what does that mean for the start of the session?

CLAY MASTERS: Yeah, I mean, this is pretty uncharted territory here in St Paul. We just talked about how the Senate will be tied among the two major political parties. November gave a 67 to 67 split to the two major parties over in the House as well. And given that vacant Roseville area seat, Republicans have a 67 to 66 edge over Democrats at the session's outset. So one thing is for sure.

The Democratic trifecta has certainly broken up in St Paul. I mean, the laws that we talked about at the beginning of this conversation were all the product of all Democratic control at the Capitol. We're not entirely sure how the power-jockeying will really play out, given so much is just knotted up among the two major parties heading in.

NINA MOINI: Well, Clay, thanks for keeping us up to speed. We'll be looking forward to your reporting.

CLAY MASTERS: Thank you so much. You're welcome.

NINA MOINI: That's MPR Senior Politics Reporter, Clay Masters.