ENVIRONMENT.

♪ ♪ >> Mary: WE SAW THEM IN ACTION.

THEY GOT THE OFFICE OF INSPECTOR GENERAL BILL UNSTUCK AFTER BEING STUCK FOR SOME TIME AND LOTS OF OTHER THINGS MOVING THROUGH STATE GOVERNMENT.

CO-CHAIRS, REPUBLICAN JIM NASH AND DEMOCRAT GINNY KLEVORN.

FIRST OF ALL, REPRESENTATIVE NASH, LET'S TALK ABOUT YOUR SENATOR.

IT WOULD NOT BE NEWS OVER HERE IN THE HOUSE JUST TO TALK ABOUT THE IFFERENCES.

BUT SENATORS CAN NOW BRING CHILDREN.

FIRST IT WAS WATER THAT WAS ALLOWED.

AND NOW CHILDREN.

>> YEAH, I THINK THAT IT'S COMPLETELY GOOD THING TO HAVE DONE.

I THINK THAT WE HERE IN THE HOUSE HAVE HAD THIS FOR A VERY LONG TIME.

NOTHING CHANGED A CATACLYSMICICALLY AND FAMILY IS SO MUCH A PART OF WHO WE ARE.

MY WIFE AND I HAVE SIX KIDS AND IT'S AN IMPORTANT OF WHAT WE DO THAT BRINGS US DOWN HERE AND HAVING YOUR KIDS COME DOWN HERE FROM TIME TO TIME, EITHER BECAUSE THEY WANT TO OR OUT OF NECESSITY IF YOU'RE A YOUNG MOM, WHO WOULDN'T DO THAT?

I'M GLAD THAT THE SENATE HAS BECOME A LITTLE MORE ENLIGHTENED.

>> OR THE YOUNG DADS.

>> Mary: THERE WAS BIPARTISAN OPPOSITION AND BIPARTISAN SUPPORT.

BUT WHAT ABOUT THE POWER OF THOSE YOUNG WOMEN IN PARTICULAR STANDING TOGETHER TODAY?

>> WELL, I THINK THAT'S WHY IT'S SO IMPORTANT THAT SO MANY YOUNG WOMEN RUN FOR OFFICE TODAY.

AND THE MORE WE CAN MAKE THE CAPITOL THE HUMAN PLACE THAT IT NEEDS TO BE, THE MORE WELCOMING IT BECOMES.

AND MELISSA HORTMAN WAS ALL ABOUT THAT.

>> Mary: WE'LL TALK ABOUT HOTTER HOTTEHORTMAN, BUT FIRST THE BIG NEWS YOU TWO MADE.

WHAT HAPPENED BEHIND THE SCENES TO FINALLY GET THAT INSPECTOR GENERAL BILL GOING?

>> DID WE MAKE NEWS?

>> Mary: YES, YOU DID.

>> SPEAKING FOR ME, DEADLINES ARE REAL, AND THE BILL HAS TO GET MOVING.

THE WORKING GROUP HAS BEEN MOVING THINGS THROUGH AS WELL.

BUT I THINK HAT REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN SAYING, THIS IS SO IMPORTANT, WE WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE BIPARTISAN, BICAMERAL WORK THAT WAS DONE IN THE SENATE IS KEPT IN THE FORM THAT IT SHOWED UP AS, WHEN IT WAS TRANSMITTED AND THAT WE BELIEVE STRONGLY THAT THE GUBERNATORIAL APPOINTMENT THING HAS TO STAY THE WAY IT WAS WRITTEN AND THAT THE LAW ENFORCEMENT PIECE HAS TO STAY WRITTEN.

AND I WOULD JUST POINT OUT, ANY BILL THAT HAS BOTH JOHN MARTY AND STREEIVE [ DRAMATIC MUSIC ] STEVE DRAZKOWSKI VOTING FOR IT IS SOMETHING WE HAVE TO TAKE VERY SERIOUSLY.

>> Mary: YOU STILL AD SOME CONCERNS.

>> SO IF YOU'RE GOING TO START A NEW AGENCY AND YOU WANT IT TO BE SUCCESSFUL, YOU HAVE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT'S REALLY FUNCTIONAL.

AND ALWAYS IN LEGISLATION, THE DEVIL'S IN THE DETAILS.

SO WE WANT ACCOUNTABILITY, WE WANT TRANSPARENCY.

JIM AND I BOTH AGREE ON THE INDEPENDENCE ISSUE OF THAT OFFICE.

IT HAS TO BE INDEPENDENT TO BE ABLE TO DO THE WORK THAT THE PUBLIC EXPECTS.

BUT I'M REALLY GLAD THEY FIXED THE CONSTITUTIONALITY ISSUES.

I THINK IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT.

>> Mary: IS THIS GOING TO HAPPEN NOW?

>> WELL, YOU'VE BEEN AROUND THE CAPITOL FOR A LONG TIME.

THERE'S STILL 101 THINGS THAT CAN GO COMPLETELY WRONG.

IT'S GOING TO JUDICIARY TOMORROW.

AND THEN IT WILL GO TO WAYS AND MEANS, AND THEN IT HAS TO GO TO THE FLOOR.

AND THEN BECAUSE THIS LANGUAGE WILL BE DIFFERENT THAN WHAT WAS TRANSMITTED IN THE SENATE, THERE'S LIKELY GOING TO BE A CONFERENCE COMMITTEE.

SO THERE'S STILL A LONG WAY TO GO.

>> BUT I WOULD LIKE TO ADD, IN JUDICIARY TOMORROW, I HINK IT'S TOMORROW THAT IT GOES TO JUDICIARY?

>> TODAY'S WEDNESDAY, I BELIEVE, SO YES.

>> THERE WILL BE A LOT OF PIECES THAT WILL BE FIXED IN THE BILL.

WE WERE VERY WORRIED ABOUT THE DUPLICATIVE NATURE OF SOME OF THE REQUIREMENTS.

AND SO TOMORROW THE O.L.A.

PIECES WILL BE FIXED SO THAT IT MAKES THE BILL MUCH BETTER AND AT EACH STOP IT GETS BETTER.

AND I'VE BEEN PART OF THE WORKING GROUP FOR ALMOST -- SINCE THE BILL WAS INTRODUCED.

TALKED ABOUT, RIGHT?

EVEN BEFORE IT WAS INTRODUCED.

AND TO MAKE SURE THAT IT AT EVERY STOP IT GETS BETTER AND BETTER.

>> AND I WAS ON THE WORKING GROUP CALL THE OTHER NIGHT.

AND I MADE SURE THAT WE ADDRESSED THE CONCERNS THAT HAVE BEEN EXPRESSED ABOUT THE BRIGHT LINE OF DI LIEN EDUCATION BETWEEN O.I.G.

AND O.L.A.

AND THAT'S A VERY IMPORTANT PIECE -- >> Mary: WE HAVE AN INSIDE BASEBALL AUDIENCE.

WE HAVE TO TELL THEM, OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE AUDITOR.

>> SORRY, MARY, YES.

AND MANY OF THEIR REPORTS HAVE BEEN SPLASHED ALL OVER THE NEWS.

THEY DO FANTASTIC.

SO IF WE'RE GOING TO MAKE SURE THAT OFFICE OF LEGISLATIVE AUDITOR CONTINUES O DO THEIR THING UNHINDERED, UNIMPEDED WITHOUT OVERLAP, THAT WAS AN IMPORTANT PIECE, AND I AGREE THAT THAT WAS SOMETHING WE REALLY NEEDED TO GET DONE, AND I THINK THE SENATE FINALLY AGREED, AND THE WORKING GROUP'S RECOMMENDATION IS GOING TO BE ENGROSSED IN AN AMENDMENT TOMORROW IN JUDICIARY.

>> Mary: YEAH, AND QUICKLY, WILL THE GOVERNOR SIGN THIS BILL?

BECAUSE HE'S AD SOME CONCERNS ALONG THE WAY -- >> I'M NOT SPEAKING FOR THE GOVERNOR AND I'VE NOT TALKED TO THE GOVERNOR -- >> Mary: REPUBLICANS HAVE BEEN CONCERNED ABOUT -- >> WE HAVE BEEN CONCERNED, BUT HE DOESN'T CALL ME, SO INTN.

>> I DON'T SPEAK TO THE GOVERNOR.

>> LET'S MOVE BACK TO FORMER SPEAKER MELISSA HORTMAN.

YOU CARRIED A BILL NAMING THE OFFICE BUILDING THAT THE TWO OF YOU WILL BE IN AT SOME POINT.

HOW IMPORTANT IS THAT TO HAVE THAT BILL HAVE HER NAME?

>> YEAH, AND THAT BILL REALLY -- PEOPLE THINK IT'S MY BILL, BUT IT REALLY IS A LEGISLATURE BILL.

THERE ARE WILL THE THERE ARE WILL T LOT OF PEOPLEO WORK AT THE LEGISLATURE AND THEY KNEW THAT SHE SPENT LONG HOURS THERE AND SHE WAS VERY FOCUSED ON MAKING SURE THAT THE WORKPLACE WAS A GOOD PLACE FOR EVERYONE AND THAT THE BUILDING WAS TRULY ACCESSIBLE FOR ALL THE PEOPLE.

AND EVEN WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE PLACEMENT OF THE WINDOWS, SHE WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WHOEVER CAME TO A COMMITTEE WOULD BE ABLE TO SEE THE CAPITOL AND REMEMBER THE IMPORTANCE OF THE WORK.

SO I HINK IT'S REALLY FITTING THAT THAT BUILDING HAVE HER NAME ON IT.

>> Mary: NO ONE SPOKE AGAINST IT, DID THEY?

>> NOBODY SPOKE AGAINST IT.

THERE'S A NUMBER OF HORTMAN RELATED BILLS THAT ARE -- ERE -G TWO TOMORROW.

THERE'S THIS ONE.

THEY ALL HAVE BEEN REFERRED TO WAYS AND MEANS.

THEY ALL HAVE COST.

THESE ARE THINGS THAT WE THINK THAT ONCE WE GET IT TO WAY AND MEANS, WE CAN ACTUALLY HAVE AN EARNEST CONVERSATION ABOUT WHICH ONES ARE GOING TO HAPPEN, WHICH ONES ARE NOT GOING TO HAPPEN AND HAVE A REALLY FRANK CONVERSATION.

BUT I WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT EVERYBODY KNOWS.

MELISSA WASN'T JUST A FRIEND TO THE DYE SIDE.

DFL SIDE.

MANY OF US HAD SOLID RELATIONSHIPS.

A VERY FUN AMENDMENT THAT SHE KNEW ABOUT THAT I HAD AND MADE ME PUT IT BACK AS A VIABLE AMENDMENT BY SIGNING ONTO IT AS WELL.

AND EVEN THOUGH WE HAVE SENATORS THAT ARE WITHIN EARSHOT, IT WAS TO MAKE MINNESOTA YOU KNOW CAPITAL RAM RALE THROUGH THE HOUSE.

WE NEED TO DO IT ONCE WE SEE HAS MADE IT THROUGH THE PROCESS AND BEGIN PRIORITIZING THOSE THINGS.

>> Mary: IS HER SPIRIT INSPIRING BIPARTISANSHIP AND BETTER BEHAVIOR?

>> I THINK ON OUR SIDE OF THE AISLE, FOR SURE.

>> UH-OH.

WOW!

[ Laughter ] THAT WAS SPICY.

>> IT WAS SPICY.

>> Mary: YOUR SIDE TOO?

WE'RE ALMOST ON OUT OF TIME.

>> I THINK E RECOGNIZE THAT MELISSA WAS AN INSTITUTIONALIST AND THERE ARE A GREAT MANY OF US THAT ARE ALSO INSTITUTIONALISTS AND WE WANT TO MAKE SURE WE STAY THAT WAY.

>> Mary: THANKS, YOU TWO.