A bill supported by Minnesota auto dealers that would essentially prevent electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors from selling directly to Minnesota consumers failed in the Senate Transportation Committee.

Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Jim Schowalter went before the House Ways and Means Committee on Monday to give an overview of the February forecast, which had cut the projected budget deficit from $1.1 billion down to $627 million over the next two years.

The Senate DFL has formalized its committee structure and appointed the chairs who will direct the flow of legislation in 2013.

The new DFL legislative majorities that will take power in January owe a lot to the rejiggering of the geographic balance within their caucuses.

Close on the heels of Tuesday’s election, members of the new DFL House and Senate majorities gathered behind closed doors on Thursday to elect their leaders. As expected, the minority leaders who helped steer Democrats back into control — Rep. Paul Thissen, DFL-Minneapolis, and Sen. Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook — were elevated to House speaker and Senate majority leader.

In a divided voice vote, the Minnesota Senate Rules Committee approved spending nearly $85,000 on legal fees related to an affair between former Senate Republican Majority Leader Amy Koch and fired chief Senate communications staffer Michael Brodkorb.

Democrats in the Minnesota House and Senate have had two choices regarding their posture heading into the 2012 campaign season: Withhold votes on key bills to set up the claim that Republicans presided over a do-nothing session, or put up the votes to ensure passage of key initiatives and cry “job creation!”

When the sun rose on Tuesday, April 17, the slow death of the Minnesota Vikings stadium bill appeared complete at last.

The swift pace at which the Minnesota Vikings stadium bill advanced through the House and Senate this week amounted to nothing short of a legislative resurrection.

Sen. Linda Higgins doesn’t want her political obituary written just yet. First off, while the five-term Minneapolis senator announced last Monday that she won’t seek re-election in 2012, she plans to serve out her term through the end of next year.