Requests from the University of Minnesota and MnSCU far exceed Gov. Mark Dayton's recommendation.

Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona, plans to introduce legislation that would cut down on the need to call the Legislature back to the Capitol to deal with the nearly annual occurrence of damaging storm systems that rip through the state.

Republicans plan to beat the tax drum once again when the Legislature convenes to pass $5M in local storm aid

It was four minutes to midnight on the final day of session when the Minnesota Senate passed the omnibus tax bill that wrapped up the Legislature’s work on the state’s $38 billion budget for the 2014-15 biennium. The down-to-the-wire finish followed a contentious final two weeks of negotiations between House, Senate and the governor’s office over the terms of final budget and policy deals.

The bill passed the House by a tally of 68-66, with the entire House Republican caucus joined by five moderate Democrats who voted in opposition.

The House passed a higher education finance bill that increases spending by $250 million and freezes tuition for two years on 76-56 vote on Friday. Just three Republicans voted for the bill, sponsored by Rep. Gene Pelowski, DFL-Winona.

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.

The vote in the House will come just six months after voters rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. House Speaker Paul Thissen has repeatedly said he will not bring the bill to the floor until he has the necessary 68 votes to pass the measure. The Senate is expected to take up the bill after the House, with Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk expressing confidence in its passage there.

Rep. Gene Pelowski's calls for greater accountability have been praised by DFL and GOP legislators alike.

The state House has introduced a higher education bill that seeks to freeze tuition at the state’s two public higher education systems by increasing their funding. The House’s higher education budget bill increases funding for 2014-2015 by $150 million and gives most of the money to the University of Minnesota and the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system.