Minnesota Legislature's budget plans differ on how to address racial inequality Jessie Van Berkel, Star Tribune In the days after George Floyd's death, Minnesota legislators on both sides of the aisle said the state was at a critical moment. "I believe that Minnesota needs to lead the nation in race reconciliation. We have an opportunity. This is an opportunity that comes around once in a generation. And what are we going to do with that?" Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka said the week after Floyd died in police custody. For legislators, the answer to that question lies, in part, in the hundreds of pages of budget plans released this week.