Minnesota Legislature
Session Daily Archive
A compendium of Session Daily articles dating back to 2004
Results:
Week in Review: March 9-13
By Lisa Kaczke
While caucuses continued to focus on their priorities of fraud and immigration with bills in committees, bills on other topics were able to break through to garner attention thi...
House passes bill to rename community solar program in Hortman’s honor
By Rob Hubbard
The late Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman was an avid advocate for “green energy.” She regarded her work promoting the increased use of renewable resources to be among her most i...
Bill to expand crossbow hunting heads to House Floor
By Tim Walker
Participation in deer hunting in Minnesota is experiencing a long-term decline due to an aging demographic and fewer young people entering the sport.
The Department of Natur...
Lawmakers support their access to full Optum report, but not the public
By Winter Keefer
Legislators are one step closer to uncovering what’s under the black lines of a heavily redacted third-party audit of the state’s Medicaid system.
However, the public would ...
Bill would extend in-state tuition to families relocating for full-time jobs
By Margaret Stevens
When a family relocates for a new job, the financial math can be complicated — especially when college-aged children are involved.
At the University of Minnesota Twin Cities...
Briefings highlight workforce strengths, areas of possible concern
By Margaret Stevens
Minnesota’s workforce remains relatively stable, but lawmakers heard Thursday that several emerging trends may shape the state’s long-term competitiveness.
In a series of in...
Bill to ban corporate campaign donations stalls in commerce committee
By Lisa Kaczke
Corporate donations to candidates in Minnesota have increased exponentially since the U.S. Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010.
The court found that corporation...
‘Melissa Hortman State Office Building’ gets overwhelming committee approval
By Mike Cook
When House members and staff return to the renovated and expanded State Office Building, one well-loved legislator will not be there but her name could be.
Amid some watery ...
Will livestreamed government proceedings be coming to your Facebook feed?
By Tim Walker
More citizen engagement in government affairs is a good thing, right?
Rep. Jimmy Gordon (R-Isanti) thinks so. He sponsors HF3295 that would authorize a public body to live b...
Tax panel considers expanding refunds for big property tax hikes
By Rob Hubbard
Sure, your property taxes may have gone up last year. But did they go up enough to earn you a special refund?
Minnesota tax law has something called “targeting,” which direc...
Public safety committee rejects bill to increase penalties for misconduct by public officials
By Tim Walker
Under current law, a public officer or employee who commits certain misconduct is guilty of a gross misdemeanor.
Because Rep. Walter Hudson (R-Albertville) sees those penalt...
Pair of bills take aim at banning neonicotinoid insecticides, paraquat herbicide
By Tim Walker
No one denies that agricultural pesticides and herbicides can be effective in keeping crop yields up, but two House members posit the cost of that benefit is too high a price to...
Youth bill of rights would outline standards for foster care
By Winter Keefer
Vivian Dudley said a foster bill of rights would have changed her childhood for the better.
Before she aged out of the foster system, Dudley said she was denied access to ac...
Education committee lays over governor’s policy bill
By Lisa Kaczke
Addressing the underlying reason for a student bullying another student, providing clarity to schools on lockdown and active shooter drills, and adding transparency for charter ...
Transportation panel approves plan for a Metro Transit takeover of suburban routes
By Rob Hubbard
On Feb. 18, the House Transportation Finance and Policy Committee learned about the Twin Cities area’s most expensive transit routes. The members heard about 28 bus lines that h...
