(The Center Square) – Two Minnesota state lawmakers who are members of the Democratic-Farm-Labor Party were shot early Saturday by a person posing as a law enforcement officer just north of Minneapois, according to multiple reports.

Law enforcement issued a shelter-in-place order for an area around Edinburgh Course early Saturday while they continued to search for a suspect believed to be wearing blue pants, a blue shirt, body armor, and reportedly driving a dark SUV with lights.

State Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Brooklyn Park, and his wife were reportedly shot around 2 a.m., and DFL Floor Leader Melissa Hortman was reportedly shot in Champlin, along with her dog.

The shootings happened seven miles away from each other, and law enforcement officials have called both shootings “targeted.”

The conditions of the Hoffmans and Hortman have not been released by law enforcement.

Law enforcement was dispatched to the homes of several other state lawmakers – both Democrats and Republicans – in the Twin Cities area for protection overnight.

“I’ve activated the state emergency operations center. Local law enforcement in Champlin and Brooklyn Park have the full resources of the state of Minnesota behind them. We are monitoring the situation closely and will share information soon,” Gov. Tim Waltz said on social media.

Hoffman was first elected to the Senate in 2012 and currently chairs the Human Services Committee.

Hortman was first elected in 2002 and was elected as speaker of the house in 2018.

(The Center Square) – Florida legislative leaders have reached a deal for the state’s budget and a vote could be scheduled for Monday.

In a letter to members, House Speaker Daniel Perez, R-Miami, said the 72-hour review period will begin Friday evening and lawmakers will convene three hours on Monday before the vote is to take place. 

Budget conferees will hold a final meeting on Friday to complete work on the conforming bills, including the tax relief package, and the budget implementation bill.

Rep. Lawrence McClure, R-Dover, is the House Budget Committee chairman and said the aim was to put the state’s revenue situation on a positive trajectory with this year’s budget.

“The House is is very thankful for the Senate’s collaboration on on reimagining or recalibrating the spending practices of the state of Florida, and that isn’t ever an easy conversation, no matter in government or in business or, you know, in homes across the state, choices have to be made, right?” McClure said. “And we all come from different corners of this state with different experiences and different situations. And so that conversation took a little bit longer than expected.”

Senate Committee on Appropriations Chairman Ed Hooper, R-Palm Harbor, said no one in the capitol building wanted a government shutdown and that lawmakers worked, 12-, sometimes 16-hour days to ensure the state would get “responsible, balanced budget in front of the two bodies.”

According to the state constitution, a 72-hour “cooling off” period is required before a budget can be voted upon by both chambers. 

Lawmakers will appropriate $50 billion for general fund budget, which only includes state tax revenues such as the 6% sales tax.

Tax relief in the budget package could add up to about $2.25 billion that includes the elimination of the business rent tax ($900 million) and permanent sales tax exemptions ($350 million). 

Lawmakers adjourned on May 23 without a budget after 90 days of work in Tallahassee and had to reconvene in special session to come to a deal after a tentative agreement fell apart. The state’s new fiscal year begins on July 1. 

With federal and dedicated funds, such as the Florida Lottery, the total budget is likely to be about $119.8 billion.

(The Center Square) – The Supreme Court of Georgia has received the direct appeal involving Fulton County District Attorney Fani Willis’ attempt to squash a Senate committee subpoena.

The Senate Special Committee on Investigations subpoenaed Wills to testify about her office’s prosecution of President Donald Trump and others. Willis fought the subpoena, but Fulton County Superior Court Judge Skukura L. Ingram denied Willis’ effort to quash it.

The Senate committee last met in March and decided to ask Willis’ attorney, former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, for some dates when Willis could appear.

“Let’s be nice guys again first,” said Chairman Bill Cowsert, R-Athens, said at the meeting. “Let’s reach out to her counsel and suggest either a Thursday or Friday beginning the last week of April, the first two weeks of May. And if they agree to a date, then we will issue a subpoena. And I believe they will honor their word.”

Willis has still not appeared before the committee.

The committee also instructed Josh Belinfante, an attorney representing the committee, to request that Willis be responsible for any of the attorney’s fees charged to the committee after May 10.

“Make her comply if she won’t, make her pay for your fees, make her do what the judge has already told her she’s got to do,” Cowsert said.

Willis was disqualified from the Trump case because of her personal relationship with the lead prosecutor. She is also appealing that decision.

Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill last month that would allow defendants to receive “reasonable court costs” if the prosecutor was disqualified from the case. Democrats said the bill was filed at the behest of Trump because of the Georgia case but Republicans denied it.

“There is absolutely nothing in this bill that focuses on a single county nor does it have a sunset for a single issue,” said Rep. Chuck Martin, R-Alpharetta, who presented the bill in the Senate.