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The Capitol Note: MMB plans to go forward with stadium bond sale
Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Jim Schowalter rejected calls from American Indian activists who were pushing for the delay of bond sales on the new Minnesota Vikings stadium, the Star Tribune reports. The activists are trying to get assurances that the word "Redskins," the' nickname for the Washington, D.C. NFL team, will not be displayed inside the stadium.
Bonding pressures mount ahead of session
For DFL Rep. Alice Hausman, next year’s bonding bill is a take-two proposition. The House Capital Investment Committee chair from St. Paul pushed for an $800 million package of construction projects last year, but watched it fail by five votes the day before session adjourned.
Medical marijuana push teed up for 2014
When a bipartisan group of legislators threw a medical marijuana bill into the hopper during the last month of the 2013 legislative session, it wasn’t intended as an 11th-hour bargaining chip. Anticipating a short session in 2014, advocates said they were trying to set the stage for convincing lawmakers that they should join a growing list of states that allow patients to use the drug to allevi[...]
Decision day: House prepares for gay marriage vote
Early this week, half a dozen offered no comment on which way they will vote the bill, which is scheduled for a floor vote Thursday.
Medical marijuana bill attracts 40 co-sponsors
DFL Rep. Carly Melin Advocates of legalizing marijuana use for medicinal purposes claim that they have 40 co-sponsors for legislation that will be introduced on Thursday.
Session ’13 politics: Let the games begin
The last time DFLers controlled all the levers of power at the Capitol, during the 1989-90 legislative session, Duane Benson was the Republican Senate minority leader. Benson recalls making a floor speech at the time comparing the dynamic to a basketball contest between the Harlem Globetrotters and the Washington Generals.
House DFL names assistant majority leaders
On Sunday, incoming House Majority Leader Erin Murphy congratulated the new assistant leaders over Twitter, naming Reps. Carly Melin (Hibbing), John Ward (Baxter), Leon Lillie (North St. Paul), Kim Norton (Rochester), John Persell (Bemidji), Diane Loefller (Minneapolis) and freshman Jacob Isaacson (Shoreview).
DEED grants: The Saints go marching in
In an announcement that brought cheers and jeers from both sides of the aisle, Gov. Mark Dayton ended more than three months of suspense Thursday by awarding $47.5 million in bonding money to nine projects.
6B House primary may turn on mining, jobs
Voters are faced with a familiar dilemma in the heart of the Minnesota Iron Range. The unexpected retirement of 26-year DFL Rep. Tom Rukavina at the end of session has left a big hole in DFL-friendly House District 6B, which stretches across cities like Virginia and Eveleth and includes some of the state’s most mining-dependent towns.
CD 8 congressional primary is a toss-up
Anything could happen in the DFL primary in the 8th Congressional District. Three challengers — Jeff Anderson, Tarryl Clark and Rick Nolan — are running credible campaigns, and turnout is expected to be extremely low for the mid-August primary.
Both parties figure to see a handful of consequential legislative primaries
A handful of August primary elections are heating up across the state thanks to the new redistricting map, an uptick in legislative retirements and widespread dissatisfaction with the job lawmakers are doing in St. Paul.
DFL primary looms in CD 8 contest
Next month DFL activists will gather in Duluth to endorse a candidate in the 8th Congressional District. The outcome is in little doubt: Former Congressman Rick Nolan is widely expected to walk away with party backing.
Top News
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Expert Testimony
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- Best at Work Insights: AI alone can’t improve your company
- Perspectives: ‘Nuremberg’ movie has Minnesota legal links
