Minnesota Lawyer

The growing pressure to reduce carbon emissions is refiguring energy politics from the global down to the local level — a development partially reflected in the energy bill that passed the Minnesota Legislature this year.

A panel of House and Senate members Wednesday night discussed disaster relief funding that they are expected to pass in special session on Sept. 9. The legislation will involve $4.5 million from the state that will provide a 25-percent match to assistance from the federal government. But there are unresolved questions about providing funding beyond the federal match.

After rising to speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives in the wake of the 2010 election, Rep. Kurt Zellers was stung two years later by his caucus’s demotion to minority status. The Republican from Maple Grove struck an unassuming profile at the Capitol this past spring.

The House Commerce Committee plans to probe the business climate as it exists today in Minnesota and Wisconsin, which has been a subject that has inspired rhetorical fireworks between the state's governors. The hearing will also be a draw for business lobbyists with a stake in issues concerning auto and life insurance and non-compete agreements.

The Republican fields for the 2014 governor and U.S. Senate races expanded last week. St. Louis County Board Chair Chris Dahlberg announced he’s running for U.S. Senate, and another Northlander, Rob Farnsworth, a special education teacher from Hibbing, joined the governor’s race.

The Republican fields for the 2014 governor and U.S. Senate races continued to expand this week. St. Louis County Board Chair Chris Dahlberg announced he’s running for Senate. And another Northlander, Rob Farnsworth, a special education teacher from Hibbing, got into the governor’s race.

St. Louis County Board chair Chris Dahlberg plans to run for U.S. Senate in 2014 as a Republican against Democratic incumbent Al Franken. Dahlberg doesn’t have a statewide profile, but Minnesota’s political firmament took note on Monday when Minnesota media executive and deep pocketed GOP donor Stanley Hubbard sent out an e-mail touting his candidacy.

Political newcomer Scott Honour back in April became the first Republican candidate to make official his entry into the race to challenge DFL Gov. Mark Dayton in next year’s general election. He has since been joined by three other GOP challengers, all of whom have served in the Legislature.

In conjunction with the increase in the per-pack cigarette tax that took effect July 1, the state levied a one-time tax on floor stocks of cigarettes. Most of the money from the floor stocks tax will serve as a backup source of funding for the state's share of building the new Minnesota Vikings stadium.

Rhonda Sivarajah isn’t typically regarded as the conservative lightning rod in the GOP race to succeed U.S. Rep. Michele Bachmann. But Sivarajah, who entered the race in June, has used her role as as chair of the Anoka County Board of Commissioners to push through a series of measures that could burnish her image among activists in the state’s most conservative congressional district.