Minnesota Legislature
House committee advances proposed doubling of public campaign reimbursement
By Mike Cook
Since 1990, a political contribution refund program has permitted Minnesotans to reclaim some or all of their contribution to a candidate or political party if the candidate has signed an agreement to limit spending during the election cycle.
But for many people the hassle for a minimal return has not been worth it.
Advocates for a bill to double the returnable dollars are optimistic a change would encourage more smaller donations and help reduce the perception that politicians are beholden just to big money donors.
Sponsored by Rep. Nathan Coulter (DFL-Bloomington), HF1489, as amended, would change the annual maximum amount of the political contribution refund from $50 to $100 for an individual and $100 to $200 for a married couple filing jointly. Limits would be adjusted for inflation in future years.
Recent Dailies
Transportation bill could update license fee collection, distribution in effort to better match customer needs
By Margaret Stevens Changing technology, COVID-19 and the advent of REAL ID have changed the way driver’s licenses and identification cards are issued. The fee structure and how those fees are allo...House lawmakers OK bill to help people retrieve property from towed vehicles
By Margaret Stevens At a minimum, having a vehicle towed is an inconvenience. However, for people without a permanent address, losing that access could also mean losing everything they own – winter...House passes $50 million in funding for homeless prevention program
By Tessa Pieper
What was requested initially ended up being cut in half. Still, it would help provide a roof over the head of many Minnesotans.
Originally, Rep. Michael Howard (DFL-Richfiel...
Bill would direct health department to analyze costs, benefits of universal health coverage
By Tessa Pieper Americans pay more to die sooner. We pay an average of $12,318 per person on health care annually, yet our life expectancy is only 76.1 years. Whereas other comparatively we...Lawmakers hear plan to fund, provide American Indian education to all Minnesota students
By Steve Abrams
Education for and about Indigenous Minnesotans has been lackluster for years, say advocates who’ve long pushed the Legislature to make improvements in curriculum and investments...
Scholarship program proposed to address Minnesota’s persistent police staffing shortage
By Rob Hubbard Police forces are shrinking, and Rep. Dan Wolgamott (DFL-St. Cloud) would like to do something about that. “Our law enforcement agencies are experiencing dire workforce shor...Committee OKs $40 million to replenish the state’s disaster contingency account ahead of spring flood season
By Tim Walker
Spring is a time of rebirth, and a time to replenish our northern souls after a long winter.
It’s also the time to replenish the state’s disaster assistance contingency acco...
Transportation panel greenlights bill that could charge developers for street improvements
By Margaret Stevens
Each new home built in a community adds an average of 10 vehicle trips per day. According to Prior Lake City Manager Jason Wedel, that could mean 66,000 new trips every single d...
Public safety panel advances bill to prohibit no-knock warrants
By Tim Walker
Andre Locke spoke from the heart about his son, Amir, to a hushed committee room Wednesday evening.
“Amir was a beautiful 22-year-old man with his whole life to be lived and...
Could environmental bill be swan song for lead sinkers in some Minnesota lakes?
By Margaret Stevens Trumpeter swans are the protagonists in one of the most remarkable comeback stories of the animal world, going from fewer than 100 in the country in the 1930s to approximately 2...Session Daily Home
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Walz, legislative leaders announce budget targets for 2023 session
By Jonathan Mohr
With the session’s final committee deadline exactly two weeks away, legislative leaders announced an agreement Tuesday on how much new money they plan to spend in 2023 and the f...
Gov. Walz's proposed budget largest in state history, includes $8 billion in tax cuts
By Steve Abrams
Make Minnesota the best state in our country for kids to grow up.
It’s a lofty goal but that was Gov. Tim Walz’ mantra Tuesday during the unveiling of his proposed budget fo...
