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By Ryan Faircloth

The Minnesota Star Tribune

Good morning. Starting June 1, most state government employees will have to work in the office at least half the time under a policy change announced Tuesday by Gov. Tim Walz. My colleague Briana Bierschbach writes that state agencies currently employ hybrid policies that give employees flexibility on which days they work from the office. There will be exemptions in the new mandate for employees who live more than 75 miles away from their main office.

“This approach balances the flexibility of telework with the workplace advantages of being in office,” Walz said in a statement. “Having more state employees in the office means that collaboration can happen more quickly and state agencies can build strong organizational cultures more easily.”

Many private-sector employers have called their workers back to the office since the pandemic, and the federal government has ordered its employees back five days a week.

The governor's office said the change would bring more foot-traffic back to downtown St. Paul. In an email to state employees announcing the change, Walz said it’s also “about maintaining good stewardship of state resources, including office space.”

The Minnesota Association of Professional Employees (MAPE) and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 5 denounced the change. Together, they represent nearly 40,000 state workers in Minnesota.

MAPE President Megan Dayton said the policy change was a “shock” and that the union was not included in the decision.

“Five years ago we all went home and we completely changed our lives to accommodate the new reality of the workplace, which is hybrid,” Dayton said. “People don’t have day care. They’ve gone down to one car.”

In a statement, AFSCME Council 5 Executive Director Bart Andersen said "the Administration’s decision to impose sweeping workplace policy changes without engaging our union and labor partners first is not just unacceptable — it’s an act of blatant disrespect." Read more.

Walz called a special election Tuesday to replace former state Sen. Justin Eichorn following Eichorn's arrest in an underage prostitution sting. The special election will be held April 29, following a special primary on April 15, Briana writes. Candidates have until 5 p.m. April 1 to file to be on the ballot. More than a half-dozen Republicans have already announced they will run to represent the district, which includes portions of Cass, Crow Wing and Itasca counties. They include former Minnesota Republican Party Chair Jennifer Carnahan, Keri Heintzeman, Josh Gazelka, Angel Zierden, Steve Cotariu, John Howe and Doug Kern.

On the Democratic side, Pequot Lakes resident and substitute teacher Nicky Hardy and former state House candidate Emily LeClaire are also running for the Senate seat. Read more.

Forest Lake native and U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth is facing calls for his resignation just months into his tenure. Hegseth is under fire after his text chain that divulged national security plans was shared with a journalist, my colleague Sydney Kashiwagi reports. Hegseth and other national security leaders discussed plans to bomb Houthi rebels in Yemen on the encrypted messaging app Signal. Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic magazine was somehow looped into the text chain.

Minnesotan Ken Martin, who now leads the Democratic National Committee, called for Hegseth's resignation, as did Democratic U.S. Reps. Kelly Morrison and Ilhan Omar. Omar called Hegseth “an embarrassment to Minnesota” who should step down.

President Donald Trump and other Republicans indicated Tuesday that they would stand by Hegseth and move on. Former Minnesota U.S. Sen. Norm Coleman, who helped usher Hegseth through a tough Senate confirmation process, rebuffed calls for Hegseth to quit.

“I think the calls for resignation are foolishness. Ultimately, people serve at the pleasure of the president,” Coleman said in an interview. “What you got here was, in the end, a public reveal of some very good policy and thoughtful policy discussions. So, no downside in that.” Read more.

Everyone at the Minnesota Capitol agrees there's a housing shortage that's driving up rents and home prices, but there isn't as much consensus on how to fix it. My colleague Greta Kaul writes about the “Yes to Homes” package, a bipartisan-backed set of housing measures that would require cities to permit more types of housing in more places, among other things. Changes include more zones mixing residential and commercial, and allowing more accessory dwellings, townhomes and duplexes across the state.

“The status quo isn’t working. We currently are not building enough homes that Minnesotans can afford,” said Rep. Michael Howard, DFL-Richfield. Read more.

Walz has a packed schedule today. He'll speak at a Red Lake Nation event, join federal workers to discuss the impact of the Trump administration's firing of VA employees, meet with Marshall Mayor Bob Byrnes, hold a briefing about the state's bird flu response, meet with Municipal Legislation Commission mayors and speak at an SEIU event.

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At 12:45 p.m. — Walz, Agriculture Commissioner Thom Petersen and other state leaders will hold a briefing about Minnesota's bird flu response.

At 4 p.m. — Walz and DFL Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy will join SEIU members for a rally at the Capitol that includes striking nursing home workers, according to a news release.