Ethics panel deadlocks on complaint against Minnesota Senate President
The two Democratic-Farmer-Labor and two Republican members of the Senate Subcommittee on Ethics deadlocked on whether there was probable cause that Champion broke ethics rules when he helped obtain millions in state funding for a nonprofit whose founder he had done free legal work for.
They also tied in a 2-2 vote on a DFL-backed motion to dismiss the complaint. The lack of action comes after the subcommittee asked Champion to disclose any potential conflicts of interest at an April 24 meeting but made no other rulings.
Champion initially asked for an advisory opinion from the Senate Subcommittee on Ethics after his pro bono work for a Minneapolis violence prevention organization had come to light earlier in April. He temporarily stepped down as chair of the Ethics Subcommittee and Sen. Sandy Pappas, DFL-St. Paul, took over the position as the panel handled the matter.
Champion faced allegations about potential conflicts because he carried a 2023 bill that helped the Minneapolis violence prevention nonprofit 21 Days of Peace obtain $3 million in funding. In 2025, he sponsored another bill to help provide another $1 million.
Republicans in their complaint argued Champion's pro bono work for the nonprofit's founder, Rev. Jerry McAfee and his parent group, Salem, Inc., harmed public perception of the Senate by giving the impression of a conflict of interest.
'Due to the relationship Salem Inc. had with Sen. Champion, it is difficult for the public to have faith that the projects selected by the Legislature for public funds are being chosen based on merit,' said Sen. Michael Kreun, R-Blaine, who brought the complaint against Champion.
Champion has maintained that his pro bono work for McAfee ended in 2022 and did not coincide with his sponsorship of the bills. He and his lawyer also argued that his ties to the nonprofit do not violate Minnesota Senate ethics rules because there was no financial interest.
'I thank the members of the ethics subcommittee for their work. As I have maintained since the beginning of this discussion, I have followed the rules of the Senate,' Champion said in a statement. 'I did not introduce or advocate for legislation on which I had a conflict of interest and I'm grateful that the subcommittee did not find probable cause.'
Minnesota's ethics rules for legislators are not particularly expansive. Current law bans members from voting on matters that result in a direct financial gain for themselves or their business disproportionate to others in the same field.
Political observers and lawmakers of both parties have noted that Minnesota's part-time 'citizen legislature' naturally lends itself to members voting on issues directly related to their work and communities. Teachers, nurses and business owners often back or carry bills directly related to their lines of work.
Champion's backers have argued that his work with nonprofits and religious leaders in his district is the mark of an effective state representative.
In response to DFLers' unwillingness to join GOP members in backing the ethics complaint Monday, Kreun said it was 'disappointing that partisanship won out.'
Letters: 'Let's not make it harder to learn,' Walz wrote. A private school principal responds.
Debate on unemployment benefits for school workers derails key MN budget piece
St. Paul, MN Wild trim Xcel Center's state request from $400M to $50M
Minnesota loosens distance exemption on state employee return to office order
Minnesota Senate OKs liquor bill with 'social districts' provision
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
25 minutes ago
- USA Today
Heritage Foundation founder Edwin Feulner dies at 83
Edwin Feulner, founder and longtime president of the influential U.S. conservative think tank the Heritage Foundation, has died, the foundation announced in a statement. He was 83. Feulner, a Chicago-born political scientist, founded Heritage in 1973 and became its president in 1977, a position he held until 2013. Republican President Ronald Reagan awarded him the Presidential Citizens Medal in 1989. The foundation's statement, released on July 18, did not specify when Feulner died or the cause. Current Heritage president Kevin Roberts and Board of Trustees Chairman Barb Van Andel-Gaby, wrote in a joint statement that Feulner founded Heritage to plant "a flag for truth in a town too often seduced by power." "What started as a small outpost for conservative ideas became - under Ed's tireless leadership - the intellectual arsenal for the Reagan Revolution and the modern conservative movement," they wrote. Heritage continues to deeply impact American conservatism - including being the institution that created Project 2025, widely considered the policy blueprint of President Donald Trump's quick-moving second term. Senator Mitch McConnell, a longtime leader of Congressional Republicans, wrote on social media that Feulner "was a great man" and that "his dedication to promoting peace through strength at the end of the Cold War offers a particularly enduring lesson." Representative Steve Scalise, a Republican and majority leader in the House of Representatives, wrote on social media that Feulner "was one of the architects who built the conservative movement in this country." The Excerpt: Trump, Project 2025 and the plan to remake government (Reporting by Brad Brooks in Colorado; Editing by Christopher Cushing)
The Hill
25 minutes ago
- The Hill
We can't win the fight to end HIV if we cut funding and access to medication
The fight to end HIV in our lifetimes just received a game-changing innovation. In June, the FDA approved Yeztugo (lenacapavir), a groundbreaking HIV prevention treatment that requires just two injections per year — and scored 99 percent effectiveness in trials. This monumental scientific breakthrough is poised to transform the lives of people who have found it hard to keep up with daily oral pre-exposure prophylaxis, providing an option that fits better into their everyday lives. But as exciting as this development is, it could be undermined by the Trump administration's proposal to cut nearly $1 billion from federal HIV prevention programs. Innovations like lenacapavir could be a key tool to ending the epidemic, but only if we have the resources and policy to deliver it directly to those who need them most. Although lenacapavir's efficacy is groundbreaking, access remains another story. With a price tag hovering around $28,000 a year, this medication risks being out of reach for the very communities who need it most. We're still waiting to see how programs managed by Gilead Sciences, which developed the treatments, and the broader insurance markets will step up. And it's not just the cost of the drug itself. It's the labs, the provider visits, the follow-ups — each one a potential roadblock for someone trying to stay safe. Federal leadership is essential to ensuring this new HIV prevention tool reaches the communities who need it most. This includes updating clinical guidelines, funding support services and supporting the infrastructure that makes access possible. Unfortunately, the Trump administration and the Republican majorities in Congress are putting access to lifesaving innovations at risk. The administration's attacks on HIV prevention, including its proposals to eliminate the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's HIV budget and efforts to dismantle public health systems, threaten progress. The Republican budget reconciliation bill that President Trump signed over the July 4 weekend includes deep cuts to Medicaid — the largest payer for HIV care in the U.S. Without strong federal investment and coordination, expanding access to new tools and ending the HIV epidemic is at serious risk. Despite the real strides we have made in HIV prevention, those of us in the lesbian, gay, and transgender community — especially non-white Southerners in rural areas or navigating poverty — know that not every prevention strategy reaches us, works for us, or is built with us in mind. Our realities demand options that reflect the full truth of who we are and how we live. Lenacapavir offers real, powerful hope, but let's be clear: Science alone won't save us. What will make the difference is equitable and intentional policies that center our communities and a public health infrastructure that doesn't leave us behind. These numbers don't shift on their own. Yes, we have made progress over time. But the hard truth is that Black Americans still account for 43 percent of all new HIV diagnoses in the U.S., despite being just 13 percent of the population. The data is even more stark for Black transgender women: 44 percent are living with HIV, and their lifetime risk remains unacceptably high. And we cannot ignore the geography of this epidemic. The South accounts for 52 percent of all new HIV diagnoses in the U.S. That's not a coincidence — it is the result of systemic failures: limited access to healthcare, persistent stigma, lack of comprehensive sex education and the absence of strong non-discrimination protections. These barriers don't just prevent care — they trap people in cycles where prevention tools are out of reach. Among gay and bisexual Black men, the risk of contracting HIV is still 50 percent over a lifetime. Prevention tools like pre-exposure prophylaxis and lenacapavir hold promise, but they only matter if people can actually access them, without fear, shame or coercion. Ending this epidemic means creating environments where people are safe to make informed choices about their own health. The fight to end the HIV epidemic is not just about what happens in labs — it's about how we make these innovations real for our communities. Science is doing its part. Now is the time to urge Congress to reject any cuts to CDC HIV prevention efforts and to fully fund the HIV response. We have the tools to end this epidemic, but not if we dismantle the very systems our communities rely on to survive. The promise of lenacapavir, and the hope it represents, is too great to let fall through the cracks of policy neglect. The question is, will we make the choice to ensure that this breakthrough reaches all of us? Science has given us the tools. Now, we must ensure that everyone has the opportunity to use them.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
4 Blue States Where Energy Costs Could Go Up the Most Under Trump's ‘One Big Beautiful Bill'
The 'One Big Beautiful Bill' (OBBB), signed into law on July 4, contains policies that will increase oil and gas leasing and repeal clean energy tax credits. This will result in higher energy costs — costs that will be passed on to consumers. Wholesale electricity prices are expected to increase 25% by 2030 and 74% by 2035. Electricity rates paid by consumers are expected to increase between 9%-18% and household energy costs are anticipated to go up $170 annually by 2035. Find Out: Read Next: Many Republican-led states are expected to bear the brunt of higher energy costs primarily because, unlike some Democrat-led states, they generally don't have their own policies to develop renewable energy. But a few blue states should brace for impact. A new analysis by the Energy Innovation Policy & Technology, LLC found that four majority Democrat states will be among the 20 to see the biggest annual increases to household energy costs by 2035. 4. Colorado Annual energy cost increase per household by 2035: +$310 Learn More: 3. California Annual energy cost increase per household by 2035: +$320 2. Maryland Annual energy cost increase per household by 2035: +$350 1. Minnesota Annual energy cost increase per household by 2035: +$410 More From GOBankingRates 3 Reasons Retired Boomers Shouldn't Give Their Kids a Living Inheritance (And 2 Reasons They Should) This article originally appeared on 4 Blue States Where Energy Costs Could Go Up the Most Under Trump's 'One Big Beautiful Bill'
