Despite their minority status in both the state House and Senate, the DFL caucuses significantly outperformed Republicans in fundraising from the beginning of January until the end of July.

The redrawn Senate District 17, which includes the Willmar area in west-central Minnesota, looks substantially different from its previous incarnation.

On Tuesday hundreds of labor unions, business groups, lobbying shops and other independent political organizations submitted reports detailing how much money they’ve raised so far this year, what they’ve already spent and how much they have in the bank.

As promised, Gov. Mark Dayton has vetoed a key GOP education bill to repeal the state's so-called "last in, first out" law, which protects teachers with the most seniority when school districts are hit with layoffs.

The House moved to eliminate state law that directs school districts to terminate teachers with the least seniority during rounds of teacher layoffs.

Last year the House Republican majority introduced wide-ranging and comprehensive proposals to overhaul the teaching profession and diminish the power of teachers unions to set education policy.

Labor unions contributed just over $300,000 to the House and Senate DFL caucuses in 2011 -- or nearly 20 percent of their total donations, according to year-end campaign finance reports. The Senate raised $164,000 from organized labor, while the House took in $138,000 from such groups.

Education Minnesota GOPers on Wednesday will meet at the party headquarters with GOP organizer Pat Healy in an effort to form an education caucus within the House and the Senate. The event is organized by several Republican union members, not the union as a whole.

Gov. Mark Dayton says he will sign a bill into law that opens up alternative pathways to teacher licensure. In a letter addressed to Education Senate and House Committee chairs, Rep. Pat Garofalo and Sen. Gen Olson, Dayton said he and Education Commissioner Brenda Cassellius do not agree with every provision in the legislation, but have worked out a bill he is willing to sign in hopes to close the achievement gap.

With Republicans now officially in control of the Minnesota Legislature, a proposal that would make it easier to license teachers who lack education degrees is likely to pass, and some say a bill could drop during the second week of session.