A collection of news and stories from around the state of Minnesota.
Most of the money is aimed at one stubborn issue plaguing cities across Greater Minnesota: workforce housing. And the aid got wrapped up in debate over helping Minneapolis rebuild in the wake of riots after the murder of George Floyd.
Some sheriffs who opposed the red flag law could be more hesitant to file petitions to remove guns. When it comes to carrying out gun seizures ordered by a judge, the organization representing sheriffs across the state expects they will comply.
DFL legislators have thrown around the word “historic” for quite a lot of their bills this year. But two infrastructure bills definitely were.
DFL Gov. Tim Walz called it “the most successful legislative session, certainly in many of our lifetimes and maybe in Minnesota history.”
An indictment in the case of the purloined pumps is just the latest twist in a saga of celebrity, obsession, and innocence lost.
That means significantly more money will be available for upgrades to things like water treatment plants, college buildings, roads, bridges, parks, trails, police departments, ice arenas and more, and the deal ensures the infrastructure plan is spread more evenly across Minnesota.
The spending follows two other consequential energy bills adopted earlier in the legislative session: a law requiring a carbon-free electric grid by 2040 and a $115 million fund to match federal dollars for climate and energy projects in Minnesota.
Those fees are part of a larger package of legislation that includes a massive $670 million infusion of new state spending from Minnesota’s general fund for the environment and natural resources.
Sen. Sandra Pappas, a St. Paul DFLer who chairs the Senate’s Capital Investment Committee, last week said “it’s only fair that we focus on funding the projects for members that are willing to be partners and that are voting for the bill.”
DFL lawmakers who control the Minnesota Legislature have cleared their toughest obstacle for approving two major gun regulations, paving the way for new limits on firearms to reach the desk of Gov. Tim Walz and become law.
The possibility of pesticides spreading PFAS across Minnesota and permeating soil, water and food has captured the attention of DFLers who control the state Legislature. And it’s behind a new effort to regulate the products.
The EPA’s new regulations propose reducing the 800 lbs. of mercury the taconite processors in Minnesota and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula produce each year by 462 lbs.
Legislators agreed to a moratorium last week as they hashed out differences between major environmental bills passed earlier this year by the House and Senate.
With two DFL senators opposed to legalized sports betting, sponsors have tried to get a few Republicans on board. It’s a tough sell without support from the horse racing tracks.
Even as Democrats coalesce around a series of tax cuts and credits, the child care credit is one of a few significant differences the House and Senate will need to reconcile. It’s also one of few major DFL tax plans to benefit middle class residents.
A proposal earlier in the legislative session called for stateside ranked choice voting in time for the 2026 election. What’s still alive now is a task force that would consider it among a variety of election issues.
Democrats are resting their hopes on just two gun bills. But do they have the votes?
House and Senate leaders also agree on a partial rollback of the state’s tax on Social Security benefits.
DFL Senate leaders say they are mostly aligned with DFL House leaders on the size of the Social Security tax cut.
In November, the federal Fish and Wildlife Service issued a rule to put the northern long-eared bat on the endangered species list.
