Peter Callaghan covers state government for MinnPost. Follow him on Twitter or email him at pcallaghan(at)minnpost(dot)com.
State officials released the latest forecast for revenue and spending on Tuesday, and it offered better news for a governor and state Legislature seeking ways to help those hurt by the latest pandemic-related closures.
In its appeal, the ACLU restates its claim that voting is a fundamental right — and that the state has not provided a rational reason for denying that right to those who’ve been released from incarceration.
Whether the proposals will lead to actual legislation is unclear, but both sides were hopeful that a special session to hammer out a deal could be held as early as next week.
The 2020 election’s anomalies are the first place the parties will look when planning for the next election.
Of the $200 million appropriated to a special COVID-19 fund by the Legislature, only $18.565 million remains. And of the $1.87 billion sent directly to the state under the congressional CARES Act, just $208,527 is left to be appropriated.
Minnesota has a relatively non-gerrymandered legislative map. And with Minnesotans once again voting for divided government as the state heads into redistricting next year, things are likely to stay that way.
Meanwhile, even as COVID-19 cases surge across Minnesota, the state Senate was talking about … who would be the president of the state Senate.
The biggest question for Gov. Tim Walz and legislative budget writers is whether Congress will more help to the states, and if so, how much.
The request is one of a dozen made to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for reimbursement under federal disaster declarations for the pandemic.
In response to the explosion of new coronavirus cases in Minnesota, the governor walked very close to saying the state could announce earlier closing times — not a shut-down of the industry — later this week.
For two more years, Minnesota is likely to have the distinction of having the only divided Legislature in America.
The DFL is expected to retain the state House, while close races in St. Cloud, Rochester and Austin could determine whether the GOP retains its slim majority in the Minnesota Senate.
From bellwether Legislature races to congressional district vote totals, here are the things MinnPost writers will be paying attention to as Minnesota starts counting votes Tuesday.
The data offers a look at the state of the races that are likely to determine control of the Legislature, particularly the state Senate.
The most recent reports show money raised and spent between September 15 and Oct. 19.
At stake in the 2020 election is control of the Minnesota Senate — and a role in deciding what congressional and legislative districts will look like for the next decade.
Most polls show majority support for Gov. Tim Walz’s handling of the pandemic. But there are big differences when it comes to how the response is viewed among Twin Cities voters and how it’s seen in the suburbs and Greater Minnesota.
A campaign mailer opposing a GOP state senator ties the lawmaker to eliminating protections for those with pre-existing conditions. The evidence? Tweets sent by the Republican Party of Minnesota.
The state’s Office of Management and Budget says actual tax collections have been better than initially predicted when COVID-19 hit Minnesota.
The Senate’s approval of the $1.9 billion legislation on Thursday marked the end of a strange, months-long process, one that involved five special sessions and a lot of discussions over things that had very little to do with public construction projects.
