Sen. Katie Sieben, DFL-Newport, removed all controversial provisions from the omnibus elections bill when it came up for a vote on the floor Wednesday evening. The stripped down legislation passed unanimously.

The Senate's omnibus elections bill cleared the Finance Committee on Tuesday, but with all Republicans voting against it. The legislation is now cleared to be taken up on the floor.

If DFL majorities in the Minnesota House and Senate are to act on the brewing issue of frac sand extraction, they will first have to overcome internal differences that yawn as large as an open-pit mine.

House Speaker Paul Thissen and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk gave what Bakk called the “35,000 foot view” of their priorities this session in a news conference Wednesday afternoon, with few specific details on how they will balance a projected $1.1 billion budget deficit or find the funds to invest in their priorities.

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.

Karin Housley’s route into Minnesota politics has been anything but typical. In 2010, the real estate agent and wife of NHL hall of famer Phil Housley ran a close race against incumbent DFL Sen. Katie Sieben in Senate District 57, losing by only 606 votes.

Three sitting GOP legislators from the western Twin Cities suburbs face tough primary contests next week.

Near-miss 2010 GOP challenger Karin Housley mounts primary bid for retiree Vandeveer’s seat