On the afternoon that the House cast its historic vote in favor of gay marriage — completely monopolizing attention at the Capitol — the Senate quietly debated a bill overhauling the state’s campaign finance rules. Most notably, the bill would significantly increase caps on spending and contributions for political campaigns.
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Higher ed finance bill clears Senate with bipartisan support
The Senate passed a higher education finance bill that includes $250 million in additional funding and a tuition freeze at the state's public colleges and universities by a 44-22 vote on Friday. Six Republicans joined all DFLers in voting for the measure.
Read More »Dayton signs marriage bill
With a quick swipe of his pen, Gov. Mark Dayton made Minnesota the 12th state in the nation to allow same-sex marriages as a crowd of more than a thousand watched on the front steps of the Capitol Tuesday.
Read More »Campaign finance bill clears Senate
The Senate passed legislation increasing campaign spending and contribution limits. The House is yet to take up companion legislation on the floor by a 36-28 vote on Thursday.
Read More »Take two: Senate defeats, then passes, its tax bill
In an embarrassing misstep, the Senate’s omnibus tax bill was initially defeated on a 34-32 vote Monday. But after a brief caucus meeting, DFLers returned to the floor and passed the bill on a 35-31 vote.
Read More »Senate tax bill runs into trouble on the floor, but ultimately passes
**UPDATED** In an embarrassing misstep, the Senate’s omnibus tax bill was initially defeated on a 34-32 vote on Monday. Seven DFLers joined all but one GOP legislator in voting against the bill, which raises $1.9 billion in additional revenue.
Read More »Senate’s Mayo bill aligns with House version
A revamped proposal to help the Mayo Clinic build a "destination medical center" was vetted at the Senate Taxes Committee on Monday. The legislation now largely parallels the House version of the bill, with the state's share of the $5.5 billion project shrinking considerably.
Read More »Revamped Mayo deal appears set
It was hardly a secret that the Mayo Clinic’s plan to create a “destination medical center” in Rochester was never going to make it through the House Taxes Committee as originally conceived. Rep. Ann Lenczewski, DFL-Bloomington, the influential chair of the committee, was extremely blunt about the problems she saw with the proposal.
Read More »Rochester wants $585M TIF plan, with Mayo
A few Minnesota lawmakers are experiencing déjà vu this session as they take up a bill to help pay for a $6 billion project to build up Rochester and boost the Mayo Clinic.
Read More »Minority blues: Senate GOP staff takes deep cuts
Senate Republicans will have 38 slots to fill when the Legislature convenes on January 8. That’s down from the 43 staffers that DFLers were able to employ while serving in the minority over the past two years.
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