State Government
Well, that happened: Making sense of Minnesota’s 2019 legislative session
The 2019 session of the Minnesota Legislature was one of conflicting expectations.
Peter Callaghan
Articles by this author:
State Government
Special session adjourns after Minnesota Legislature passes $48.3 billion budget
There will be no general tax increase, and no gas tax hike. But there will be a cut in the income tax rate for middle-income earners while a tax on medical providers will continue.
State Government
How we got here: As the Legislature heads into special session, a look at what will (and won’t) get done
This year, legislative leaders promised to do things differently. And they did, in that the 2019 session was marked by new and different ways of making decisions behind closed doors.
State Government
After ending ‘with a whimper,’ Legislature leaves plenty of work for special session
Legislative leaders want a Thursday special session, and they want it done quick. Not so that members can enjoy the Memorial Day holiday, but also because leaders fear they will hear from lobbyists and activists.
State Government
‘It was a draw’: State budget deal includes extension of provider tax, no gas tax increase
Announced Sunday evening, the deal triggers a frantic week — or perhaps longer — for Minnesota lawmakers.
State Government
Special session looms as budget impasse continues at the Legislature
Each hour that passes without a deal makes it more difficult to go through the tasks needed to consider and adopt legislation in time — and increases the possibility that a special session will be necessary.
State Government
How big an issue is the cost of prescription drugs? So big that the 2019 Minnesota Legislature actually managed to pass a bill addressing it
The bill sets up regulations on Pharmacy Benefit Managers, which serve as a middlemen between drug makers and insurance companies.
State Government
The Legislature’s big opioids bill suddenly looks like it’s in serious trouble
In recent days, the legislation’s fee structure — especially how fees on opioid makers would sunset should the state win settlement against the companies — have emerged as the main threat to the bill.
State Government
How Senate Republicans’ ‘no new taxes’ stance became the driving force of the 2019 Legislature
DFL leaders continue to expect Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka to meet them somewhere between zero and the billions in tax increases they’ve proposed. Gazelka has refused to do that.
State Government
In a divided Legislature, the push to make issues ‘bipartisan’ has become increasingly popular
The approach has become so common — if so far unsuccessful — that when someone says “this shouldn’t be a partisan issue,” at the Capitol, it usually means the issue has already become just that.
