Goodwin shared memories of working toward the Safe at Home legislation and of her time on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

A state task force will discuss adjusting sentencing guidelines or probation practices, building more jail cells or leasing an empty private prison in Appleton.

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.

Legislation that would allow child care providers and personal care assistants to join labor unions was sent to the Senate floor on a 12-10 vote Wednesday evening. The bill cleared the Senate Finance Committee without a recommendation of support, the third committee it has advanced out of without explicit backing from its members.

As the first committee deadlines of 2013 loom, Minnesota legislators have spent the week holding hearings on high-profile legislation ranging from the legalization of same-sex marriage to state funding for a Mayo Clinic-driven “destination medical center” development push in Rochester.

Members of the Senate Judiciary Committee passed the bill on a 5-3 party-line vote after nearly three hours of discussion on Tuesday. The hearings attracted families, couples, religious leaders, children and business executives from around the state to testify for or against the bill. The bill is now ready for a likely late-session vote on the floor of the upper chamber.

A ten-member conference committee has been named to hash out differences between the House and Senate versions of the health insurance exchange bill.

In recent years there has been little interest at the Capitol in proposals to curtail the availability of guns. Most bills that have been introduced have made little progress.

An unusually large number of legislators and prominent Minnesota politicos are opting to run in county commissioner races across the state.

The Senate Finance Committee turned the Vikings stadium political situation upside down by inserting the controversial revenue source of allowing slot machines at two Minnesota racetracks. The Senate's chief author immediately vowed to have the so-called racino removed from the bill tomorrow in the Taxes committee.