♪ ♪ >> ERIC: NEARLY A YEAR AGO, HOUSE SPEAKER EMERITA MELISSA HORTMAN AND HER HUSBAND MARK WERE ASSASSINATED IN THEIR HOME, AND MANY OTHER LAWMAKERS WERE LISTED AS TARGETS.

AS THE ANNIVERSARY NEARS, "WHAT WE CAN DO WEEK" RETURNS TO BRING PEOPLE TOGETHER ACROSS THE POLITICAL DIVIDE.

MAJORITY IN THE MIDDLE'S SHANNON WATSON JOINS US NOW TO PREVIEW NEXT WEEK'S EVENTS.

WHAT IS "WHAT AN WE DO WEEK"?

>> SO IT IS AN ANSWER TO THAT QUESTION THAT EVERYBODY WAS ASKING AT THIS TIME LAST YEAR WAS, YOU KNOW, THERE ARE ACTS OF POLITICAL VIOLENCE.

THERE'S SO MUCH DIVISION.

WHAT CAN WE DO?

SO WE CREATED SORT OF AN UMBRELLA TIME FRAME WHERE PEOPLE CAN FOCUS ON THINGS THAT THEY CAN DO TO OVERCOME DIVIDES, TO GET ALONG WITH THEIR NEIGHBORS AND JUST TRY TO PAY ATTENTION TO THE FACT THAT, YOU KNOW, LITTLE THINGS MATTER.

SOMETIMES BIG THINGS MATTER, BUT LITTLE THINGS MATTER TOO.

SO THIS IS A TIME TO REALLY FOCUS ON THAT.

>> Cathy: LOT OF US DEALS WITH BEING CIVIL.

>> YEAH.

>> Cathy: WHICH A LOT OF PEOPLE DON'T KNOW HOW TO DO.

WHICH IS A SKILL THAT CAN BE LEARNED.

IS THERE A WAY THAT YOU HELP PEOPLE LEARN THESE SORTS OF VERY IMPORTANT SOCIAL SKILLS?

>> YOU KNOW, WE HAVE FOUR ZOOM CONVERSATIONS, YOU KNOW, THIS IS A STATEWIDE INITIATIVE, AND SO WE WANT IT TO BE ACCESSIBLE FROM ACROSS THE STATE.

AND ACTUALLY ONE OF THE CLASSES IS ON MEDIATION SKILLS FOR NONMEDIATORS.

>> Eric: I SEE ONE OF THE CO-CHAIRS OF THE CIVILITY CAUCUS, REPRESENTATIVE FEIST IS LEAVING THE LEGISLATURE.

>> SHE IS, YES, S IS KRISTIN ROBBINS WHO IS THE THER CO-CHAIR.

>> Cathy: WHAT OES THAT MEAN?

>> I THINK IT MEANS AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SOME OTHERS TO STEP UP.

THOSE TWO HAVE DONE GREAT WORK OVER THE YEARS AND THEY'VE BEEN THE FACE OF THIS FOR A LONG TIME.

SO, YOU KNOW, JUST AN OPPORTUNITY FOR SOMEBODY ELSE.

>> Eric: THERE AS HOPE THAT WHAT I CALL THE HORTMAN HOFFMAN SPIRIT WAS GOING TO PLAY A ROLE IN THE LEGISLATURE E SESSION.

DID IT?

>> I THINK IT DID, NOT NECESSARILY IN THE WAY THAT WE ALL SORT OF EXPECTED.

I THINK THE REMINDER OF WHAT WE LOST WAS VERY PREVALENT.

I REALLY ENJOYED ATCHING SENATOR HOFFMAN THIS YEAR, AND BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, HE HAS HAD SOME EXTRA CLARITY AND EXTRA SENSE OF PURPOSE FROM DOING THIS WORK.

BUT HE ALSO -- HE AS SHOULDERED AN EXTRA BURDEN.

AND IN TRYING TO, YOU KNOW, ADVOCATE FOR THAT CIVILITY, FOR THE, YOU KNOW, NOT USING DEHUMANIZATION -- DEHUMANIZING LANGUAGE, AND SO SHE'S BEEN SORT OF OUT FRONT OF THAT.

I DO THINK THE BIGGEST THING THAT WE LOST WITH SPEAKER EMERITA HORTMAN THIS YEAR WAS HER SPIRIT OF COLLABORATION, AND HER EXPECTATION THAT MEMBERS OF HER CAUCUS WOULD WORK TOGETHER WITH REPUBLICANS AND GET THINGS DONE.

AND WITHOUT THAT SORT OF CONSTANT REMINDER FROM HER AND THAT EXAMPLE, I THINK THAT'S WHERE THEY ALTERED A LITTLE BIT THIS YEAR.

>> Cathy: SO ACCIDENT THEN THAT THIS EVENT IS KIND OF KEYED AROUND THE FIRST YEAR ANNIVERSARY IS COMING UP, OH, MY GOODNESS, ON JUNE 14TH, I THINK.

>> YEAH, ABSOLUTELY, SO WHAT WE CAN DO WEEK IS RUNNING MONDAY THE 8TH THROUGH SUNDAY THE 14TH.

WE'RE NOT DOING ANY PROGRAMMING THAT DAY.

WE WANT TO LEAVE PLENTY OF SPACE FOR THE FAMILY AND PEOPLE WHO WERE CLOSE TO THE HORTMANS TO RECOGNIZE THAT DAY HOWEVER THEY WANT TO AND HOWEVER THEY FEEL COMFORTABLE.

THE ONE THING WE ARE GOING TO DO IS PUBLISH THE LIST OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE SIGNED THE CIVIC PLEDGE FOR A TRONGER MINNESOTA WITHIN THIS LAST YEAR.

WE HAVEN'T DONE THAT YET, AND SO WE THOUGHT THAT WAS A GOOD WAY TO MARK THE ANNIVERSARY.

>> Cathy: AND WHO'S PARTICIPATING IN THIS?

MOSTLY MODERATE INDIVIDUALS?

ARE YOU ABLE TO GET TO THOSE INDIVIDUALS THAT ARE ON BOTH POLARIZING ENDS OF EACH PARTY?

>> I THINK SO.

I THINK A LOT -- VIOLENCE TURNS HEADS.

AND IT SORT OF UNDERSCORED THE REASON THAT SOME PEOPLE NEED TO DO THIS WORK AND NEED TO BE SORT OF MORE ACCEPTING AND MORE WELCOMING OF OTHERS BECAUSE WHEN PEOPLE ARE SORT OF PUSHED TO THE FRINGES, THAT'S GENERALLY WHERE THEY START FEELING DISCONNECTED, AND SO THE MORE WE CAN BRING PEOPLE IN, PARTICULARLY INSTEAD OF CALLING PEOPLE OUT, THE BETTER.

>> Eric: WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THE BIPARTISANSHIP REPORT?

>> YEAH, WE'RE WORKING ON THAT NOW.

THAT'S GOING TO BE RELEASED IN A COUPLE OF WEEKS.

>> Eric: ANY INKLING WHERE IT'S HEADS?

>> IT'S KIND OF ALL OVER THE BOARD.

THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR -- THIS IS OUR FOURTH REPORT, AND SO THIS IS THE FIRST YEAR WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO COMPARE A COMPLETE BIENNIUM TO A COMPLETE BIENNIUM.

AND THEN OF COURSE LOOKING AT EVERYTHING CONTEXTUALLY, THAT FIRST BIENNIUM, YOU HAD THE D.F.L.

TRIFECTA AND DFLerS ALL IN CONTROL OF THE AGENDA AND HAVING ALL THE VOTES.

THIS YEAR WITH THE TIES, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, THE SENATE WAS TIED FOR A LITTLE BIT FOR THE FIRST PART OF THAT YEAR, THAT HAS ADD AID SOME DIFFERENT DIMENSIONS TO THE WORK AND HOW DIFFERENT PEOPLE, YOU KNOW, IF THEY REALLY WANTED TO GET THINGS DONE, HOW THEY NEEDED TO APPROACH THEIR BILL AUTHORSHIP.