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House bonding package draws fire from all sides
In a year that would normally see a bill with a big price tag to pay for public construction projects, House Republicans have introduced a bonding proposal that seems destined to dissatisfy nearly everyone.
Minnesota Senate: Out with the old
Members of the 88th Minnesota Senate sworn in next January will have roughly 40 percent fewer years of cumulative service than the Senate that gaveled out in May 2010.
Bills to blunt shutdowns head to Senate floor
DFLers decried a piecemeal approach to handling future shutdowns, while a key Republican says caucus discussions about a broader bill continue.
Surprise wetlands bill may get swamped
When it comes to battles over natural resources policy, efforts to change the state’s Wetlands Conservation Act (WCA) usually aren’t resolved overnight.
Bonding awaits its turn at center stage
Though serious debate on a bonding bill remains weeks away, legislators and administration officials are already weighing their wish lists with an eye toward setting priorities for a capital investment package that is bound to constitute half a loaf for both sides.
Senate Republicans come out swinging
It was supposed to be such a nice session. Or at least that’s what Capitol watchers and many lawmakers were expecting after last year’s bitter shutdown fight. Nor was that the only wound still in need of closing.
Something old, something new: Veteran Howes, freshman Kriesel are PIM’s politicos of the year for 2011
Rep. Larry Howes helped broker the end of a three-week government shutdown and Rep. John Kriesel took political risks and emerged as an important new presence at the Capitol.
Off-year deal complicates bonding prospects for 2012
By conventional wisdom, 2012 is a bonding year. It’s during even-numbered years that the Minnesota governor and Legislature usually assemble and pass a large package of bonding projects. And at present, that prospect is further sweetened by historically low interest rates and a voracious appetite for construction work, sources say.
Higgins looks forward to ‘great adventure’
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.
Legislators urge Dayton to focus on Racino to fund Vikings stadium
A bi-partisan group of 31 legislators sent a letter to Gov. Mark Dayton on Friday urging him to raise funds for a Minnesota Vikings stadium by allowing full-fledged casinos at the state's two horse racing tracks. It was signed by 27 Republicans and 4 DFlers.
Minnesota counties to pay larger share of sex offender program costs
The cost of the Minnesota Sex Offender Program has grown dramatically in recent years. In 2004 the program for detaining the state’s most dangerous sex offenders cost just $20.4 million. By 2012 that figure is projected to rise above $70 million.
Shutdown’s End: Final negotiations involved tussles over where policy meets spending
After the framework of a budget deal was announced last Thursday, commissioners, chairs and fiscal staff members went to work, turning the still-closed Capitol into a hive of private meetings on each bill, featuring shuttle diplomacy visits from the leadership as needed.
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