Minnesota Lawyer

During the last two years, organized labor has largely sought to preserve the status quo at the Capitol. Republican legislative leaders repeatedly pushed proposals that were vehemently opposed by unions, most notably “right to work” legislation that would have prohibited requiring individuals to pay union dues as a condition of employment.

In December, a court-ordered task force directed the Legislature to create “less restrictive alternatives” to civil commitment for potentially dangerous sex offenders. The order stems from a class-action lawsuit contesting the terms of confinement for nearly 700 individuals detained at prison-like facilities in Moose Lake and St. Peter.

The Minnesota AFL-CIO wants to boost the minimum wage to $10.55 an hour and index it to inflation moving forward. That would be an increase of nearly 50 percent over the current rate of $7.25 an hour.

Legislation that would tax and regulate "little cigars" the same as cigarettes will get its first hearing in the Senate on Wednesday.

January is generally not the time of year for four-hour committee hearings at the Capitol. But Wednesday’s gathering of the House Commerce and Consumer Protection Finance and Policy Committee nearly reached that dubious mark.

Republican political operative Michael Brodkorb was hospitalized after a one-car accident on Interstate 35E in Mendota Heights on Wednesday evening.

The budget released by Gov. Mark Dayton’s administration on Tuesday proposes to spend $37.9 billion over the next two years. That figure represents a 6 percent increase over the $35.7 billion deal ultimately reached with a Republican-controlled Legislature following the 2011 state government shutdown.

Gov. Mark Dayton proposed an overhaul of the state's tax system, including $2.1 billion in additional revenue, in his budget for the next biennium released on Tuesday. As expected, Dayton's budget includes raising income taxes on the state's wealthiest 2 percent of residents, bringing in $1.1 billion.

On New Year’s Eve day, a group of experts on mental health issues gathered to discuss goals for the looming legislative session. The meeting was spurred in part by urging from DFL legislators to draw up ideas for tackling the issue in the wake of the mass shooting in Newtown, Conn.

Legislation to establish an insurance marketplace for an estimated 1.3 million state residents cleared its first hurdle on Wednesday. The health care exchange bill passed out of the Senate Committee on State and Local Government on a 7-5 party-line vote.