Rep. Sarah Anderson has released the first plan for redrawing legislative districts based on 2010 Census figures. The proposed map would pit 20 current House members against each other and six sitting senators, according to an analysis by Minnesota Public Radio.

A slate of legislative Republicans are seeking to solidify a ban gay on marriage in Minnesota by putting it to the voters in the 2012 election.

By the time the omnibus transportation budget passed off the House floor Monday evening, Republicans and Democrats seemed to agree on just one thing: The final bill is politicized.

A bi-partisan Senate panel dismissed an ethics complaint against Sen. Scott Newman stemming from an email sent out by his office stating that he would not meet with any individuals or groups that supported his opponent in the November election. Following an occasionally contentious, five-hour hearing on Wednesday, the Senate Subcommittee on Ethical Conduct voted 4-0 that the Hutchinson Republican's behavior did not violate the body's rules.

Senate Democrats are calling for an ethics investigation into the behavior of Sen. Scott Newman. Last week the Republican's legislative assistant sent a letter to the Minnesota Nurses Association stating that he would not meet with the union because it supported his opponent during the fall campaign.

Republicans are now in control of the Minnesota Legislature. Rep. Kurt Zellers has been sworn in as Speaker of the House and Sen. Amy Koch is the new Majority Leader.

Senate File 1 of today's special legislative session, as expected, provides financial assistance to flood ravaged regions of southern Minnesota. Trailing in the wake of the flood assistance bill are a small number of bills that take on hot button issues.

Despite what Gov. Tim Pawlenty and legislative leaders said several weeks ago would be a flood-only related special session, several DFL lawmakers are planning to introduce an anti-bullying measure when the bodies briefly reconvene.

Fourteen Republican state legislators, including gubernatorial nominee Tom Emmer, received perfect ratings from Minnesota Majority for their voting records during the 2010 legislative session. Conversely, seven state senators, all Democrats, received zero ratings from the conservative advocacy group.

[anderson-kelliher] With less than 24 hours to go before the competitive DFL gubernatorial primary, the party's endorsed candidate Margaret Anderson Kelliher rallied several hundred campaign staffers and supporters at a local union in Minneapolis before departing on a massive two hour lit drop across the area.