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Minnesota House Research Department
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About Minnesota House Research Department

Minnesota House Research Department was established by the Minnesota House of Representatives in 1967 to provide research and legal services to the Minnesota House and its members and committees. The work of the department focuses on services for legislative decision-making, helping House members and committees develop and evaluate government policies and laws. The department is an agency of the House of Representatives as a whole.

House Research Mission

Minnesota House Research Department is nonpartisan: its services are available to all members of the House. The department strives to be politically neutral and impartial on issues.

Our Mission:

  • To help legislators and committees make informed legislative decisions, by providing information and analysis that is credible, accurate, and useful for legislative decisions.
  • To help legislators and committees develop legislation that carries out their legislative decisions, by providing expert and experienced help in developing and drafting legislation and in evaluating and understanding the effects of legislation.
  • To advise the House on legal matters arising from the conduct of House business. Attorneys in House Research serve as legal counsel to the House as a government agency.

How House Research Delivers Services

  • We handle requests from individual House members, ranging from answering research or policy questions to drafting bills and amendments. We treat all such requests as confidential, meaning that in fulfilling a request for services, the request, the member making the request, and the response will not be revealed to individuals outside House Research. House Research will occasionally cooperate with House Fiscal staff and the Office of the Revisor, on a confidential basis.
  • We provide legal and research staff support for each House committee as well as conference committees. House Research staff are present at committee hearings and are available to answer questions, investigate policy issues, and provide amendment drafting services.
  • We summarize pending and enacted legislation:
  • We create publications and other materials that provide information and analysis for use by all members of the House, legislative staff, the executive branch, and the general public.

Legislative Ethics

Minnesota House Research Department serves as counsel to the Ethics Committee. The department also maintains publications related to ethics issues.

The Minnesota Constitution assigns responsibility for the disciplining of a member of the House of Representatives to the body of members, acting together. The Ethics Committee receives complaints about member behavior from the members, under oath. The Committee deliberates and may recommend actions to be considered by the House, as a body.

The Minnesota House Research Department role as committee counsel prevents House Research from working with other members or the public on complaints regarding member behavior. The Ethics Committee deliberations are confidential, as is any advice given by a House Research staff member.

Staffing

Contact Information

Office email (Recommended during the interim)
Phone: 651-296-6753

Fax: 651-296-9887

House Research Department
155 State Office Building
St. Paul, MN 55155