Lawmakers wrestle with ensuring benefits for state retirees

The legislation would cut an estimated $103 million in revenue during the current biennium, with an out-biennium tax reduction of $118 million for 2016-2017. An initially slow-moving conference committee, kept many of the House's property tax cut proposals intact, but drifted closer to the Senate tax reduction target.

1) The state Senate passed its version of a measure meant to increase protections for working women, the St. Cloud Times reports. Those protections, which ...

State lawmakers who focus on pension issues are faced with the thankless task of trying to predict the financial future as they weigh the health of the state’s public pension plans.

A dozen child care providers filed a lawsuit on Wednesday seeking to have legislation that allows them to unionize tossed out as unconstitutional. The legal complaint argues that the controversial law, which is set to take effect on July 1, violates the First Amendment rights of day care workers by potentially requiring them to pay union dues.

DFL Sen. Sandy Pappas (Staff photo: Peter Bartz-Gallagher) Following an extraordinary overnight debate, the Senate passed legislation Wednesday morning allowing child care providers and personal care assistant to join labor union . The controversial proposal carried by a 35-32 vote after 17 hours on the floor, and four DFL senators ultimately joined all Republicans in voting against it.

Legislation that would allow child care providers and personal care assistants to join labor unions was sent to the Senate floor on a 12-10 vote Wednesday evening. The bill cleared the Senate Finance Committee without a recommendation of support, the third committee it has advanced out of without explicit backing from its members.

No bill has faced a more tortuous path this legislative session than a proposal to allow child care workers and personal care assistants to unionize.

Legislation that would allow child care providers and personal care assistants to unionize was defeated in the Senate Finance Committee on Monday. The surprise legislative setback came in the final committee before the bill would have been taken up on the Senate floor.

The Minnesota Senate has passed the “Prosperity Act” -- better known as the “Dream Act” -- which would allow undocumented immigrants to receive instate tuition rates. The bill would also allow undocumented students to receive financial aid and scholarships if the students go to a Minnesota high school for at least three years and graduate.