Minnesota Legislature
Session Daily Archive
A compendium of Session Daily articles dating back to 2004
Results:
Digital equity the objective of proposed state broadband office expansion
By Tim Walker
If you were to think about which areas of the state do not have access to high-speed internet, you might think of rural areas, where laying fiberoptic lines to homes in sparsely...
Elections panel considers tighter rules for handling absentee ballots
By Brian Basham
It is widely accepted that Minnesota voters, the Legislature and the secretary of state would all like to see elections in the state run with more ease, while still maintaining ...
Minnesota farmers could see a clean water tax break
By Rob Hubbard
Keep it clean.
That’s the idea behind the Minnesota Agricultural Water Quality Certification Program. And now efforts at keeping the water clean on the state’s farmland coul...
Stopgap funding proposed for local community television stations
By Todd Abeln
As more and more people cut the cord with their cable provider and move to streaming services, it’s not just affecting big media companies but also their local community televis...
Minnesota lawmakers target 'claim sharks' exploiting veterans
By Mike Cook
An assistant county veteran service officer in Goodhue County, Marissa LaCourt shared a story about an 87-year-old veteran she worked with and whose wife was in a care facility ...
House, Senate hearing recommends candidates to serve as U of M regents
By Todd Abeln
While the University of Minnesota athletic department is searching for a new men’s basketball coach, a joint meeting of the Senate Higher Education Committee and the House Highe...
Minnesota legislators consider new funding to stabilize funding for victims of crime
By Tim Walker
Since 1984, the federal government has had a crime victims fund seeded with money from fines and penalties from federal convictions. Dollars are doled out to states to support c...
Landlords could be required to warn tenants of nearby water hazards
By Margaret Stevens
Nearly half of children with autism tend to wander or bolt from safe settings, according to research cited by the National Autism Association. Many will seek out water.
Las...
Bill seeking to expand college grant program faces funding challenge
By Todd Abeln
With the goal of making higher education more accessible to everyone, a new scholarship program was presented to the House Higher Education Policy and Finance Committee on Tuesd...
Facing late Labor Days, legislation would allow districts to start school year early
By Lisa Kaczke
Minnesota has a long-standing tradition of school starting after Labor Day. But in 2026 and 2027, a late Labor Day means students won’t head back to school until a week into Sep...
Making Minnesota a 'Silicon Valley of clean energy' goal of House bill
By Rob Hubbard
“A kind of Silicon Valley of clean energy.”
That’s how Rep. Larry Kraft (DFL-St. Louis Park) envisions Minnesota Energy Alley. Its name is inspired by the Medical Alley cons...
Bill supporters say confidentiality critical to success of restorative justice programs
By Tim Walker
Restorative justice programs are an increasingly used option in the criminal justice system that allow juveniles convicted of a crime to forgo paying a court-ordered fine if the...
Left on cutting room floor in ’24, tax committee dusts off omnibus bill provisions for another look
By Rob Hubbard
Let’s see. Where were we?
The last time the DFL held the House Taxes Committee chair, it was May 2024 and marathon conference committee negotiations with the Senate reached ...
Workforce bill seeks to expand access to skilled trades training
By Margaret Stevens
Natalie Pilrain left high school at 17 to raise her newborn. Determined to build a better future, she returned to school in 2023 and, seeking a career to support her family, she...
House lawmaker pushes for county-level technology upgrades across state
By Todd Abeln
Unlike new roads and bridges, information technology investments don’t create the ribbon-cutting photo ops that are shown on the local news.
However, they are essential to t...
