GOP legislators began sounding the constitutional amendment drumbeat even before the start of Session 2012.

If Sen. Dave Thompson has his way, the road to the 2012 election will feature many scenes like the one that unfolded early Monday morning at the Capitol.

On Tuesday, the group announced it would run television and radio ads targeted at handful of Republican senators.

For Republican Sen. Dave Thompson, time is running short. The freshman from Lakeville has spent the last six months readying a ballot initiative that would enshrine so-called “right-to-work” language in the state’s Constitution.

The bill is the first such proposal from a member of the GOP majority that rode into power on a mantra of "no new taxes."

The complaint filed with the Office of Administrative Hearings says Senate Republicans used public funds to print partisan literature that was distributed at Republican precinct caucuses last week. State law prohibits using taxpayer money for any campaign purposes.

Sen. Carla Nelson and Rep. Mike Benson proposed Monday to bump up taxes on a pack of cigarettes from $1.29 to $2.52, a move they estimate could bring in $320 million in new revenues for the state. It's the first move from freshman GOP members to impose a tax increase in the state.

The Minnesota Senate Republican caucus is in disarray after a tumultuous few days that saw Majority Leader Amy Koch suddenly step down following allegations of an “inappropriate relationship” with a direct subordinate on the Senate staff.

Attorney Ken Moen of Rochester will challenge first-term GOP Sen. Carla Nelson for the District 30 seat in 2012. Moen, a DFLer who filed his candidacy Thursday with the Campaign Finance Board, has not held office before, but his days as an activist and campaign worker began during the first Paul Wellstone for U.S. Senate campaign in 1990.

Last fall, workers who were repairing the state Capitol’s roof and dome noticed cracks and fissures on the building’s marble cornice. In the months that followed, an urgent analysis has been done by a team with expertise in structural engineering, architecture and masonry that has looked at the cornice and most parts of the building that project outward.