Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk explained that the Senate’s quickened pace came at Dayton’s urging. “The governor, probably about two weeks ago, actually asked the Legislature to move on the bill,” Bakk said. “I guess, at his request, we thought we would show him that courtesy.”

Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, proposed $850 million in capital investment projects that include $370 million for higher ed, investments in public safety and infrastructure and roughly $150 million for local projects.

The most surprising omission in Hausman's plan is its lack of funding for the renovations to the Capitol building.

Discussions about the repeal of new taxes, a bonding bill and a proposed increase to the state minimum wage seem destined to take center stage this spring.

1.) How to handle the projected budget surplus is among the issues most likely to divide elected Democrats in the coming months, and the various ...

Bergeron works as a committee administrator on the House Health and Human Services Policy Committee.

After years of inactivity punctuated by sporadic talks at the Legislature, the issue of Minnesota’s civil commitment of the sexually dangerous seems to be coming to a head. The question now is whether a judge will intervene to force changes in the Minnesota Sex Offender Program before the 2014 Legislature even convenes.

Jason Alvey says he’s tired of mincing his words when it comes to the powerful lobbying forces that have protected a decades-old ban on Sunday alcohol sales in Minnesota.

Over the past year, there have been more than 60 hours of settlement talks between lawyers representing nearly 700 civilly committed sex offenders and the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. On Thursday, they will meet again to try to negotiate an end to a class-action lawsuit questioning the constitutionality of the troubled Minnesota Sex Offender Program.

At a Friday morning committee hearing, just 10 days before the close of the legislative session, Rep. Steve Drazkowski offered an idea for dealing with the state’s troubled civil commitment program for sex offenders. Drazkowski proposed creating a bipartisan task force to recommend changes to the Minnesota Sex Offender Program.