Matthew Blake

Chicago, Los Angeles, Minneapolis

State Government Reporter at MinnPost

Print Reporter at Freelance

State government reporter at MinnPost, evident NBA fan

Articles

Minnesota lawmakers fear for safety

5 days ago | minnpost.com | Matthew Blake

It was two days after Melissa Hortman was assassinated that state Rep. Erin Koegel felt compelled to flee her home. “Somebody thought it would be a really funny joke to send a bunch of pizzas to my house,” said Koegel, DFL-Spring Lake Park. “A Domino’s pizza guy pulls into my driveway with two cop cars parked there. So, I went to my mom’s house. No one knows where she lives.”Police later told Koegel that pizzas kept getting delivered to her residence Monday night.
Speaker Lisa Demuth remembers Hortman's strength, experience

1 week ago | minnpost.com | Matthew Blake

Melissa Hortman became Minnesota Speaker of the House on Jan. 8, 2019, the same day Lisa Demuth started in the Legislature. “The first day when we were sworn in, she became speaker, and then gave her speech. I remember her pointing out her family specifically in the gallery, and mentioning them,” Demuth, R-Cold Spring, and the current House speaker said in an interview Monday. “And I don’t remember anything else she said.
Remembering her determination, humor

1 week ago | minnpost.com | Matthew Blake

The last time Melissa Hortman spoke at a Minnesota Capitol press conference she cried. Speaker Emerita of the Minnesota House, Hortman had cast the lone DFL yes vote on a bill to remove undocumented immigrant adults from a reduced cost state health care plan, a move she said was necessary to get Republican support on completing a state budget. Asked what it felt like to approve legislation she personally did not support, Hortman first rolled her eyes in anguish before tearing up.
Lawmakers grit teeth, pass budget in crammed special session

2 weeks ago | minnpost.com | Matthew Blake

An incensed Minnesotan took to the state’s House floor Monday night to rail against a bill to fund transportation. “I just kind of want to get this off my chest here a little bit first. This bill is a result of a broken deal.”Another speaker pointed out holes in legislation outlining spending for the environment and natural resources. “There is no happiness in this bill.
How the Minnesota Legislature’s budget struggles stack up

3 weeks ago | minnpost.com | Matthew Blake

In the prior legislative session, a governor and lawmaking majority of the same political party banded together to triumphantly enact their signature policy proposals. But this year, the Legislature was forced to debate spending cuts after the state budget office issued a pessimistic forecast. Lawmakers adjourned from their regularly scheduled legislative session without a budget deal. This scenario could describe Minnesota, but it is also what happened in Iowa.
Legislature defers on education cuts, spares private schools

4 weeks ago | minnpost.com | Matthew Blake

Lawmakers tasked to write Minnesota’s E-12 education budget had a really hard job. An agreement between Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders called for $420 million less in education spending in fiscal years 2028 and 2029 compared to the state’s budget forecast. But it was up to an E-12 Education Finance working group to make the wrenching decisions about what exactly would be cut.
Angie Craig, DFLers at town hall: Hang on to what we've got

4 weeks ago | thefacts.com | Matthew Blake

Minneapolis, MN (MinnPost)Craig says an announcement on a possible Senate run is forthcoming. kAm%@H2C5 E96 6?5 @7 2 E@H? 92== :? {2<6G:==6[ |@?52J ?:89E[ 2 BF6DE:@? 7C@> vC68@CJ :? r@EE286 vC@G6 DEF>A65 E96 A2?6= E92E :?4=F565 s6>@4C2E:4 #6A] p?8:6 rC2:8 2?5 D:I su{ DE2E6 =2H>2<6CDik^AmkAmQ(92E 2C6 D@>6 @7 E96 >@DE 6I4:E:?8 AC@;64ED E92E 2C6 @? E96 9@C:K@? 7@C FD C:89E ?@H :? |:??6D@E2nQk^AmkAmu@C E96 @?=J E:>6 :? E96 9@FC\=@?8 D6DD:@?
Minnesota's next Human Services budget will curb nursing home, disability payments

4 weeks ago | eplocalnews.org | Matthew Blake

The Minnesota Legislature is nine days late and several dollars short in completing a budget that will fund the state government over the next two years. But lawmakers and Gov. Tim Walz say they have hit upon a deal to fund the Department of Human Services (DHS), which pays for the health care of nearly a quarter of Minnesotans. Assuming that deal holds, it's a huge step in getting the budget done because it accounts for over 40% of state spending, once federal Medicaid money is included. Sen.
Legislature moves to curb nursing home and disability payments

1 month ago | minnpost.com | Matthew Blake

The Minnesota Legislature is nine days late and several dollars short in completing a budget that will fund the state government over the next two years. But lawmakers and Gov. Tim Walz say they have hit upon a deal to fund the Department of Human Services (DHS), which pays for the health care of nearly a quarter of Minnesotans. Assuming that deal holds, it’s a huge step in getting the budget done because it accounts for over 40% of state spending, once federal Medicaid money is included. Sen.
The Minnesota Legislature never really adjourned. It just went behind closed doors

1 month ago | eplocalnews.org | Matthew Blake

Addressing a boisterous crowd at the Capitol rotunda from her wheelchair, Jillian Nelson, policy director for the Autism Society of Minnesota, laid out the case for Minnesota not cutting disability services in its biennial budget. "We cannot and will not allow this state to balance its budget on the backs of disabled people," Nelson said. "You are cutting into our life.