Minnesota Lawyer

For the second time in a week, Gov. Mark Dayton met behind closed doors Tuesday with state and local officials over the stalled plans for the Southwest Light Rail Transit project.

Minnesota lawmakers have been trying for decades to foster so-called distributed generation of electricity, in which small renewable wind and solar energy producers operate as a counterpart to big power plants. But after a jumpstart last legislative session, solar energy policies in Minnesota could get their biggest makeover in 20 years.

In all, the LCCMR received 192 proposals that totaled approximately $111.5 million. The LCCMR, which will have a total of $29.6 million at its disposal from the Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund, is scheduled to make its funding recommendations to the 2014 Legislature at its meetings next Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Minnesota Vikings and the public owners of their future stadium in downtown Minneapolis have reached agreement on lease and financing terms. The two sides also reached an accord on a controversial provision to sell personal seat licenses to help the Vikings cover their $477 million share of the $975 million stadium's cost.

As the federal government shutdown entered its second day, Gov. Mark Dayton’ s administration told reporters they are piecing together information about state government functions that could become affected.

The resolution of the 2011 Minnesota government shutdown produced one of the main talking points that DFLers rode to control of the Legislature in the 2012 elections. Despite DFL Gov. Mark Dayton’s hand in agreeing to the budget solution, House and Senate DFLers hammered the Republican legislative majorities for delaying aid payments to schools as part of the negotiated fix to a $5 billion deficit that led to the impasse.

Starting later in October, Minnesota schools will start seeing some more of the money that state lawmakers in 2011 delayed to plug a multi-billion dollar budget deficit. Improved tax collections and less spending than anticipated allow for the state to pay $636 million to schools that were delayed to address a $5 billion budget deficit.

After months of controversy at the state Capitol about Legacy funding, a citizen/legislator panel has arrived at an apparent compromise to recommend outdoors projects paid for with dedicated sales tax dollars.

The Lessard-Sams Outdoor Heritage Council last week wrapped up a hard-fought round of hearings on Legacy funding by making $102 million in recommendations for the 2014 Legislature. There are three items in particular that hung on to receive funding despite staunch opposition from some of the 12 members on the citizen/legislator panel.

After taking a pounding from Congressman Tim Walz in the 2012 general election, Republicans in the 1st Congressional District appear to be dusting themselves off and getting serious about preventing the Mankato Democrat from winning a fifth term.