Hoffman, a freshman lawmaker from Vergas, drew the ire of DFLers when she posted to her Twitter account that DFL Sen. Barb Goodwin had "just called people with mental illness- idiots and imbeciles- while debating HHS bill."

Several high-profile Republican pet projects have faded amid a particularly contentious budget battle, including a repeal of the nuclear construction moratorium, pension reforms, corporate income tax cuts and slots at racetracks.

With a liberal Democrat in the governor’s office and a young crowd of firebrand conservatives in control of the state Legislature, a collision was bound to occur sooner or later.

DFL Sen. Barb Goodwin may file an ethics complaint over a tweet from GOP Sen. Gretchen Hoffman during a debate on the Health and Humans Services budget bill.

The Senate passed legislation on Monday that would prohibit abortions after 20 weeks and ban the use of public dollars to pay for the surgical procedures. Both measures previously passed the House and will be sent to Gov. Mark Dayton for consideration.

Republican Rep. Steve Drazkowski and others say they have accepted the $34 billion number. But in their eyes, this means that they have already “compromised” on the budget — even if it’s only with other Republicans.

There are more costs associated with being an elected official than Republican Rep. Deb Kiel realized. The first-term legislator from Crookston said she didn't anticipate the money she would have to spend on things like travel and communications. She has been able to save some money by living with her son, who is a student at the McNally Smith College of Music in St. Paul, but said she still needs to tap the per diem payments that she and every other legislator are allotted to help cover the costs.

The scene was unusual for most Capitol regulars. At an early-session press conference, newly minted House Republican leaders Kurt Zellers and Matt Dean introduced the first symbolic bills of their newfound majority. Standing at their side were the bill authors - two first-time legislators just a few weeks removed from their swearing-in.

Senate Government Innovation and Veterans Chairman Mike Parry, R-Waseca, has sidestepped the traditional route for pension legislation - which runs through the Legislative Commission on Pensions and Retirement (LCPR) - and placed on the fast track a proposal to shift more of the cost of pensions onto workers. His move seems all the more bold in light of the fact that the House has not introduced a companion measure, and at least one influential House Republican on pension issues has expressed significant reservations.

Lobbyists who have been waiting on pins and needles for the House and Senate to release their committee rosters got an early holiday present on Wednesday, when the Senate GOP sent out a final list of Republican names that will make up the majority in the chamber's 16 committees next year.