Free Newsletter
House passes GOP caucus map, but history says courts will ultimately draw the lines
Tempers flared and debates grew heated around the Capitol over the past week as Republicans in the House put their controversial legislative redistricting map on the table. The map carves up a new political landscape that pits 26 incumbents against one another - 20 in the House and six in the Senate - and all but one of the matchups put a DFLer, or two, in peril.
Budget agreement could hinge on policy, bonding measures
With less than a month to go before the Legislature is constitutionally required to adjourn, the GOP-controlled House and Senate find themselves fundamentally at odds with DFL Gov. Mark Dayton on the role of new tax revenues in fixing the state's $5 billion deficit. Dayton is pushing for about $2.5 billion in tax increases to help close the budget deficit, while Republicans are continuing to espou[...]
Howes chases ‘just in case’ bonding bill
So far in 2011, calls by Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton and labor unions for a large bonding bill have fallen on deaf ears at the GOP-controlled Legislature.
Legislative budget bills criticized for leaving cut decisions to executive branch
The budgets being advanced by Republican legislative majorities have elicited a lot of grumbling from both DFL and nonpartisan fiscal hawks and insiders to the process. But while the most vocal criticism has revolved around the use of spending and savings figures that are not sanctioned by state agency fiscal notes, there have also been expressions of alarm over the GOP approach to enacting many o[...]
‘He was the House of Representatives’ – Ed Burdick, 1921-2011
When news broke last week that longtime former House Chief Clerk Ed Burdick had died, representatives took time to reminisce on the chamber floor. Preston Republican Rep. Greg Davids remembered a time when the clock struck midnight on the last night of session. The Legislature was constitutionally required to adjourn, but had yet to finish its work.
Bill would cut $60M in state bonding projects
Hoping to save on debt payments, the House Capital Investment Committee chairman is looking to eliminate previously approved state bonding money for a variety of projects.
Dayton stumps for bonding plan
Gov. Mark Dayton got out ahead of the Capitol press corps this week when he issued a news release declaring his own bonding proposal "unusual." Dayton is calling for a big bonding bill in what is traditionally a nonbonding year, a gesture that stands in stark contrast to the approach of his Republican predecessor, Tim Pawlenty, who vetoed hundreds of millions of dollars worth of bonding projects i[...]
Bondings and its discontents; primary day for Sertich seat
Tempers flared and debates grew heated around the Capitol over the past week as Republicans in the House put their controversial legislative redistricting map on the table. The map carves up a new political landscape that pits 26 incumbents against one another – 20 in the House and six in the Senate – and all ...
Will bonding bill be a 2011 bargaining chip?
The 2010 elections bolstered the ranks of fiscally conservative Republicans in the Legislature. And that spells trouble for a bonding bill's prospects in the 2011 legislative session.
New conservative GOP chairs to run Capitol sausage factory
Last Wednesday, just a day after new Republican legislative majorities unveiled their downsized committee structure, it rained gavels at the Capitol. Incoming caucus leaders Amy Koch and Kurt Zellers handed down a total of 40 chair appointments as a substantial contingent of the anointed stood beaming at their side.
In demographically split District 4, first-term Sen. Olson looks to hang on
In the 2002 election that followed Minnesota's last round of redistricting, the three seats that comprise Minnesota legislative District 4 - which includes the city of Bemidji, Cass County and parts of Itasca, Beltrami, Hubbard and Crow Wing counties - were swept by Republicans. Some believed the results were a harbinger of reliable GOP dominance in the area.
MAPE releases legislative scorecard, endorsements
The Minnesota Association of Professional Employees has released its legislative rankings for the 2010 session. The public employees union scrutinized 16 House votes and 15 Senate votes in assessing the performance of legislators. Among the issues considered: support for the bonding bill and a plan to salvage the state's General Assistance Medical Care program for poor individuals.
Top News
- Court upholds sex-with-minor report submitted by man’s therapist
- Federal judge rules for students with disabilities in age-cutoff case
- Justices remand Duluth dispute
- Legal education for incarcerated students expands
- Hamline prof dismissed over Muhammad image can proceed with lawsuit
- Supreme Court backs woman’s false-reporting conviction
- Pot smell not enough for search
- Cash bail disproportionately impacts people of color
Expert Testimony
- Perspectives: Recent cellphone ruling recalls high court cases
- The Unfrazzled Lawyer: Supercharge your unfrazzled lawyer efforts
- Understanding the proposal to extend overtime
- Perspectives: Pill case may be a bitter one for abortion rights
