Minnesota GOP endorses Jim Schultz for AG, Kim Crockett for Secretary of State
The Republican convention is set to endorse a candidate for governor on Saturday.
Peter Callaghan
Peter Callaghan covers state government for MinnPost. Follow him on Twitter or email him at pcallaghan(at)minnpost(dot)com.
Bipartisan plan for housing support for seniors, disabled and veterans still may not make it out of the Minnesota Legislature
The purpose is to help move people out of homeless shelters and to help transition people being released from treatment facilities.
Both Republicans and DFLers are proposing to change how Social Security is taxed in Minnesota. That’s where the similarities end.
Some lawmakers argue that Minnesota’s taxation of Social Security benefits contributes to retiree flight to states like Arizona and Florida.
One of Minnesota’s two cannabis legalization parties plans to police ‘bogus’ candidates in 2022 election
The push comes in response to the 2020 election, when Republican operatives recruited candidates to file for office under the banner of one of the state’s two marijuana parties — moves that likely siphoned votes away from some DFLers.
How the Legislature’s deal on pandemic worker bonuses and unemployment insurance got done
The deal appropriates $500 million to distribute bonuses to up to 667,000 frontline pandemic workers in Minnesota. But it also spends $2.7 billion to repay a federal loan and refill the state’s unemployment insurance trust fund.
Walz vows to protect access to abortions in Minnesota; calls potential overturning of Roe v. Wade ‘dangerous,’ ‘dystopian’
The Minnesota Supreme Court has found that the state Constitution provides a right to abortion, but that could be reversed either by a future court or via a constitutional amendment.
Senate Republicans say they won’t try to remove more Walz commissioners. For now.
On Thursday, Senate Leader Jeremy Miller took commissioner confirmations off the table for the rest of the 2022 regular session, which is set to end on May 23.
Legislative leaders agree to deal on unemployment fund, bonuses for frontline workers
Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and Senate Majority Leader Jeremy Miller confirmed the deal at the MinnPost Festival on Thursday morning.
Should Minnesota have a full-time Legislature?
For the first time since 2003, a bill has been introduced that would ask Minnesota voters to remove a 120-day limit and required May adjournment date from the state’s Constitution.
Even as more lawmakers criticize their use, omnibus bills continue to be how things get done at the Minnesota Legislature
Complaining about the trend is often the domain of those in the minority party. Yet there are examples of unhappiness even among those members in the majority in the House and Senate.
Housing advocates want lawmakers to restart and replenish Minnesota’s halted rental assistance program. That’s gonna be a tough sell.
Senate Republicans have been critical of the Minnesota Housing Finance Agency, which operated RentHelpMN, the nearly $600 million federally funded rental assistance program along with the larger counties in the state.
Walz touts return to normalcy, calls for unity in State of the State address
The governor used his to argue that the state is succeeding — but that his legislative agenda is needed to keep things that way.
Liquor industry deal would create council to recommend booze law changes in Minnesota
One group especially unhappy with the proposals: grocery and convenience stores, which were not only left out of negotiations that led to the latest efforts around changing liquor laws, but would also not have a place on the new advisory council.
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.
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.
