Six things that could get done at the Minnesota Legislature before the end of the 2022 session
Some big issues might still get addressed — or go down as lost opportunities.
Peter Callaghan
Peter Callaghan covers state government for MinnPost. Follow him on Twitter or email him at pcallaghan(at)minnpost(dot)com.
Who’s running for the Minnesota Legislature in 2022
See who’s running in each of Minnesota’s House and Senate districts.
Is bipartisan compromise possible in a pivotal election year? The Minnesota Legislature has five weeks to find out.
The main issue: how and how much of Minnesota’s surplus money — along with unspent cash from the federal American Rescue Plan — the state should spend.
Why the Page Amendment can’t get a hearing at the Minnesota Legislature
Opposition to the amendment by the state’s teachers union, Education Minnesota, has led many DFL members, and nearly all DFL leaders, to oppose the measure.
Elephants in the room? Bill language would ban private clubs for lawmakers, lobbyists proposed by GOP campaign committee
The bill, which now has GOP support, came in response to a mysterious request made to the state Campaign Finance Board in September about charging membership dues for a club that would provide access to Capitol decision-makers.
Fare trade: Minnesota Senate DFLers propose summer transit fare holiday
The bill, which would order the Met Council to charge no more than $1 for bus and transit fares in July and August, was offered in the wake of a proposed gas-tax holiday, which many DFLers oppose.
Legislature looks to get money from national opioid settlement moving to Minnesota cities and counties
The legislation would clear the way for the settlement money to begin flowing, the latest development in a years-long battle over how hold drug makers and distributors accountable for the opioid crisis.
‘De facto agents of the state’? GOP lawmakers want to keep a sharper eye on nonprofits that get most of their money from Minnesota
The move comes amid allegations against the Twin Cities-based Feeding our Future, which is being investigated by the federal government for misusing millions of dollars intended to help feed children during the pandemic.
Latest effort to change Minnesota liquor laws would leave grocery stores high and dry
By giving all the players in the state’s liquor industry — with the significant exception of grocery stores — something they want, the bill that surfaced last week in the state House might actually have a chance of passage.
Citing climate concerns, some progressives look to change the conversation about nuclear power in Minnesota
The St. Paul-based organization Generation Atomic argues that substituting coal and natural gas with nuclear power is a way to provide electricity without producing greenhouse gasses.
The $500 million question: Where exactly is the Met Council going to come up with the money to cover Southwest LRT cost overruns?
“It is not tenable for Hennepin County taxpayers to continue to be solely responsible for completing the largest infrastructure project in Minnesota history,” said Hennepin County Commissioner Marion Greene.
The most boring issue at the Minnesota Legislature is also one of the most consequential
What to do about the state’s reinsurance program — at what cost — is once again expected to be a contentious source of end-of-session negotiations at the Capitol.
The messy fight over Minnesota’s unemployment insurance trust fund, explained
What to know, why it matters — and what it portends for the rest of the 2022 session.
Minnesota Senate committee moves bill to retroactively cancel rent control measures passed by voters in Minneapolis, St. Paul
While the bill is unlikely to pass the DFL-controlled House, it speaks to the concerns among Senate Republicans about ordinances passed in each city last year.
The politics of a gas tax holiday, explained
Six DFLers in the Minnesota House have proposed legislation to stop collecting the state’s 28.5 cent per gallon tax from Memorial Day to Labor Day. Here’s why.
The art and science of forcing ‘bad votes’ at the Minnesota Legislature
A look at how some votes at the Legislature are meant not to legislate but to campaign — to prepare for the upcoming election by providing fodder for the mailers and social media ads that will be delivered to voters in battleground districts.
State Senate bill aimed at halting grants to local elections officials part of national GOP effort
Minnesota’s top election official, Secretary of State Steve Simon, called the bill “part of a broader campaign of disinformation to corrode confidence in the election system.”
Will Cory Hepola’s bid for Minnesota governor matter in the November election?
The state DFL party seems to think so.
Five ways of looking at Minnesota’s $9.25 billion surplus
With the February forecast, released Monday, legislators now have a number to work with this as they tweak the state’s budget this session. And what a number.
Make that $9.25 billion: Minnesota budget forecast increases an additional $1.5 billion
The increase in the surplus for the current two-year budget grew from $7.75 billion to $9.25 billi0n.
