March 26, 2026 · Press Conference: Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy Media Availability · 3,567 words · 5 speakers · 44 segments
Thank you all for making a little time here on Thursday as we get ready to head into a break. You will see our members now working today and tomorrow. I think the Judiciary Committee has another very full hearing tomorrow as they try to get all of the work done that they need to get done in the committee before the first committee deadline. And I want to say I'm very proud of the Senate and of my colleagues in our caucus for bringing the work that we need to do and their work ethic to the session that I have found to be fast paced, intense and challenging. We have a number of issues that we are moving on. You've heard me talk about these issues before. We are determined to get an independent inspector general proposal onto the governor's desk, and we're really grateful that the House Democrats and Republicans are now finally moving that proposal to get us into a position to pass it. There are other proposals related to fraud, whether it is the transparency, accountability, and making sure that people who have defrauded the government pay the price. You'll see more of that come through this session. I want to flag the work of Senator Kupek, in addition to Senator, excuse me, Gustafson on this issue. They're both taking, I think, important steps in leading on those issues. Family budgets are an issue and we're continuing to hear about that. The latest, of course, is the exceedingly quick rise in fuel prices. We've already had issues with, like heating in our homes and cooling in our homes as a relation as it relates to the federal government. But the war in the Middle east has spiked fuel prices for Minnesotans, and they're feeling that. We're all feeling that. And it draws our attention to the need to take the steps necessary to do what we can to ease the cost pain for people in their family budgets. And you'll see more of our work on that, whether it is housing support, the work that Senator Bolden is doing on manufactured homes and protecting people's home ownership from private equity, the work that we're seeing on surveillance pricing that we talked about yesterday with ufcw. But more importantly, influx of funding for rental assistance. You'll see heating assistance, energy assistance. We hope to do work for small businesses, more work in health care, more work in food support. We know that people are experiencing significant increases in their family budgets, much of it coming from Washington, D.C. and this president who really doesn't give a rip about people, but we do. And we're going to do what we can to make life more affordable for them. We have put together now packages on gun violence prevention and in response to Metro Surge. The Metro surge package will take up when we come back after the break. There are, I think, 11 bills packaged together, many that were heard in multiple committees. Masks and the prohibition on masks, essential spaces, making sure we're rendering aid. Federal agents be responsible for rendering aid if they have shot somebody. The civil right of action, the Bivens work and making sure that the BCA is able to participate fully in investigations that come as a result of Metro surge. That will come to the floor, I think early when we get back. Gun violence is a proposal that was also put together now that includes school safety, mental health, a ban on assault weapons, a ban on high capacity magazines that awaits action in the Finance Committee. We should soon take that up when we return as well. So we have done a lot of work to get us into position to move an agenda that we committed to for the people of Minnesota. And it is important that we keep our word. And we are working very hard to, to get that done for the people of Minnesota. And we're glad for a break, glad to spend a little time with our families. I will say I will spend time in Rochester and Duluth. We're going to do town hall in the district I represent and many of our members. We'll do town halls, roundtable discussions, et cetera. I think in this moment in America, in this moment in Minnesota, it is very important to stay in touch with the people of Minnesota. They are responding and I think profoundly to what we've experienced together. They're very invested in what we're accomplishing or what we're trying to accomplish. And we should do our work with them in partnership. So you'll see lots of us with the people of Minnesota over the break. I look forward to that as well before I get to go see my family and Bruce Springsteen.
What are your must pass bills when you guys get back from break? What are the ones that you as a leader feel need to get done before you guys are comfortable adjourning signing day?
You know, there are a suite of things that I think from a supplemental budget perspective that I think are must do. We do have to pay for the security that we have put in place for this building and for the, for the Senate building. And most of those costs are in personnel costs as we've had many more people and many working overtime. So we need to make sure that we are accounting for that in this budget and into the future. I do think it is important that we take action on hcmc, on the hospital but from my perspective, what we're seeing at HCMC is a bit of a canary in the coal mine. And I think we have to take a short term step with HCMC and make sure that they are able to withstand the financial pressure that they're experiencing. It is a statewide asset and it is a critical asset when we think about the suite of hospitals across the state of Minnesota. But many of our hospitals are going to experience a lot of difficulties as a result of HR1. And I think we have to think about HCMC in relationship to those other hospitals. So I do think that we need to take a short term step on financing but a longer term approach in making sure our hospital and healthcare delivery system is stable. I hope and believe we need to take action on gun violence prevention. I made a commitment to the families when I met with them after the shooting and annunciation. That's critically important to me. And we should do a bonding bill this session. We should absolutely get that done.
On guns and ice, we know that those measures are likely to get tied up in the House. Do you expect just those kind of to come through end of session and maybe some compromises or how do you expect those priorities, DFL priorities to shake out?
I think the House is a bit of a question mark for us this year and I will say we had dinner last night together, the four leaders, which was a chance for us to start talking a little bit about the work going forward. But they are moving at a different pace. And as we are putting policy bills together, they might not have a corresponding partner, but they may have people pieces of those bills. So we've got an uneven path in terms of just how are we matching things up. I do think that we will find in some cases some common ground on some of the issues related to gun violence and related to ice. Though I don't expect to receive Republican votes on the assault ban or on high capacity magazines. But it's important for Minnesotans to know that we're willing to take that action and I think we should take that vote.
That dinner you had last night, anything all the leaders agreed about, anything that you think there is consensus on?
I think the one thing that I felt good about leaving that dinner was that we are all committed to getting some work done for the people of Minnesota, but we did not go into specific issues. It's the first time we've been together really I think since the end of last session, the four of us.
But when you talk about pieces of bills coming through the House, I mean just hearing you Say that compared to what you're talking about wanting to pass in the Senate, that sounds like a train wreck.
Well, when you look back at what happened when we were in a tight legislature decades ago, the second year of the biennium was a bit of a train wreck. And I think Leader Stevenson and Speaker Daymuth are not interested in that. So we have our members working with their members, tracking their bills and hopefully as we come through our process, we're able to discern and put together the necessary pieces to move an agenda for the people of Minnesota. I wish I could have control over the House. I don't. So I'm going to focus here in the Minnesota Senate and do our very best and continue an open line of communication with individual members and with the leadership over there. Do you feel like having a week
away from each other will help cool things down here?
I do. And I really appreciated a couple of weeks ago when you asked me the question, does it feel like everybody's angry? It has felt like this has been a more angry period of time for us and I can understand why because people have been through a lot and I think we've experienced a lot of loss and grief and trauma together. But we don't talk about that very much. We talk about bills and legislation. So yeah, I hope time away with a little more time to sleep and people that we consider our family, people we love in our communities will help us come back and focus.
Can you see what's going on with the Senate Jobs Committee kind of end it out and rough it out the other day?
Yeah. I think Senator Champion is contemplating what he does next. It did end in a rough way and it I think there's some conversation that needs to happen between the chair and Senator Mohamed.
Similarly, Senator Mohamed and two other members voted to send Ellison's anti fraud bill on a more roundabout committee path. That was not the path that you had chosen initially. So what are the prospects for that at this point?
I think that we are going to come back. There are a number of pieces of legislation that we're contemplating regarding fraud and this piece has had detractors in our caucus and the Attorney General has been working to earn their support and I think he's made a lot of headway there. So I've let him know that that piece of legislation, if necessary, can get a late hearing in rules and keep on its way. Especially because the U.S. attorney has lost so many of their prosecutors. I think it's going to be important for us to invest in the Attorney General's office to make sure that as people are committing fraud or other crimes, there are adequate prosecutors in place to deal with that.
What have they expressed to you, as you said, detractors and trucks? What have they said their issues are with that?
Bill?
I think there are people who want to focus on prevention when it comes to fraud and people who want to focus on program integrity when it comes to fraud and people who want to focus on prosecution when it comes to fraud. All of those things are necessary for us to solve the problem in front of us. And I think we just have to be straightforward with Minnesotans that we've had a real problem and it is wrong that people would break into government programs and steal. It separates us from the people and their faith in what we accomplish together. It separates people from services that we intend for them to get. It is a complex problem. And if you think about the report that we got from the administration, his report goes all the way back to 1960. So it is, I think, wrong to think that we're going to solve the entire problem in one session. And it's going to take multiple efforts and a lot of vigilance on our part going forward in our role in oversight. And it's going to take a lot of vigilance on the part of whoever becomes the next governor to make sure the administration and the agencies are doing their job.
On the note of Rod, since OIG is moving through the House committees now, how do you feel, members of your caucus, what's the vibe you're getting on the changes that are being made in that community process earlier?
I'm glad to see they're making moves and I'm glad to see that they are showing what their concerns are or what their interests are. You have to put your cards on a table in order to be able to find a conclusion in a negotiation. And that's what they're doing. I think what they're expressing, no surprise over there and we will come to a conference committee, I hope, and negotiate those things out and get a a bill to the governor's desk when that does.
Conference. Do you think that will be a slow process? Do you think it's going to take a long time? I mean, this has been. You guys passed this last year. You've been waiting in the House for a while here.
So the good news about the way that Senator Gustafson moved that bill was that she was very methodical and she's done a lot of work in the Senate, both sides of the aisle. That's why we got that Strong vote. But she's done as much work in the House with, with members, both sides of the aisle there as well. There are differences. We can figure that out, but people should be well versed in the proposal and the ideas. So hopefully when we get to a conference committee, it is a committee that comes together and can resolve those differences and get something to the governor's desk.
What do you think about overall productivity? Not in the Senate, but in the legislature as a whole, compared to other sessions, do you think it's pretty normal? Does the session feel a little slower paced? You said fast paced earlier, but I don't know if you were referencing just the Senate.
I can only speak for us. We've moved a lot of policy through committees. I think there are 27 bills that are going to be heard this afternoon in the various committees that are meeting today. We are moving a lot of policy and we will continue on pace when we come back. I think that's what Minnesotans expect us to do. They want us to come here and do the work of the people and not just sit on our butts. And we're not gonna. We're not gonna do that here in
the Minnesota Senate, I have priority is bonding this year, especially given that you guys were able to get one done last year. Is it still like we really need to get this done or is there
kind of like a we can let
this slide if we need to?
Oh, I think it's a high priority for. It's certainly a high priority for our caucus, but I think it's a priority for all four caucuses. That's what I've heard over and over again. And if you listen to Minnesotans and people who represent different communities, they are in need. So I don't think it is a political question. I think it is a question of can we meet the needs of the people of Minnesota and we should.
Can you tell us what's going on with the. We still hear about the sports gambling thing. There was a hearing, I think, a couple weeks ago. Is that pretty much on the back burner, something you'll have to revisit next year?
That is a really good question for Senator France. And I think that, you know, we heard it. We had a procedural hearing actually in rules. We haven't actually heard the bill this session, but there are two other bills related to gambling. Senator Rasmussen is carrying a bill dealing with sweepstakes. Senator Marty is dealing. Is carrying a bill dealing with prediction markets, and I think we'll see action on those as well.
You had A conversation this morning about
legislator safety and threats coming to all of you. You had a comment about coming in from a new member every week. I wonder if you can just speak
to how prevalent and serious an issue
this is and whether there's a pathway and an interest to do something different this year. I think that in a way that I have not experienced before, and really every week there's a member either side of the aisle that is sharing that they've received some sort of threat, many of it, much of it coming through social media, but phone calls or threats at people's homes. And I take it very seriously. It is an obligation that I believe is one for all of us, but I feel a special responsibility there for the safety of our members. I am working with Council on the question of the intersection between our First Amendment rights and the threats that emanate from social media that seem to put people in precarious positions and what we could use as a remedy here or a way to resolve or explore those differences. Because the handshake agreement that we had after June 14, which is let's all rein it in, isn't solving that problem. And I don't think we fully understand or appreciate the problem and the risk in order to be able to bring it into focus and do something about it. But I am really committed to that as well.
In Judiciary, a couple weeks ago, the bill that would have banned guns at the Capitol failed. What do you make of that issue? And also what do you make of legislators openly carrying? I heard a couple different feelings and thoughts from legislators. Feeling uncomfortable, but also people want to protect themselves.
I think that conversation about people carrying in the Capitol and people carrying in the chamber is emblematic of the division that people feel about guns. Some people feel like they need them to protect themselves. Other people feel threatened by their presence. I'm a little frustrated by some who I think are using it as a tool to perhaps trigger emotion. And I think it is an issue that we're going to deal with if we have majority power again. But for now, the safety inside this Capitol reflects the laws that we've put in place. And if someone has a permit to carry, they can bring it in. They can bring their weapon in with that, but they have to go through
screening time for one more. Governor Walz had a supplemental budget presentation recently where he talked about expanding child tax credit, a bunch of other provisions. I noticed you didn't mention the child tax credit. Is that something that you think the Senate will take up when you come back? And more generally, how closely or not closely are you kind of working with the governor this legislative session?
I think members, you know, have seen the governor's budget proposal. We don't have language yet. There are provisions that some members really like and others that I think are will be left behind in part because we can't afford them. So we'll see. We'll see what happens to the Tax committee.
Really quickly, what if you had to describe the session? In a word, would you go with the angry answer?
I think I would. You know, there's a pretty good dose of anger, and I think. How do you describe it? Traumatized, perhaps, but determined. Right behind that set of emotions that come from, you know, the combination of political assassination, children being killed in a church, Minnesotans being killed on the street, civil rights, human rights being taken away, watching, neighbors being torn apart, matched with the response of Minnesotans to the shooting in a school, an assassination of our colleagues, and Metro surge. Their response to all of those things have been profound. And America has noticed and the world has really noticed in taking, taken heed of what we stand for here. And I hope that we lean more into this is who we are as Minnesotans and pick that up from the people of Minnesota and bring that here into our work and back to the people of Minnesota. They deserve that.
We'll have to leave it there, folks.
Thank you.
Happy Spinach Day. Really.
Wow.