The bill passed the House by a tally of 68-66, with the entire House Republican caucus joined by five moderate Democrats who voted in opposition.

The House passed a tax bill that includes just over $2 billion in tax increases by a 69-65 vote early Monday morning. The legislation now heads to the Senate and is the lynchpin of the budget deal needed to conclude the legislative session.

The Senate passed legislation on Tuesday making significant changes to the state's trouble civil commitment program for sex offenders with bipartisan support. The House version of the bill continues to face opposition from Republicans.

Rep. Tina Liebling vowed that she would pull her bill proposing changes to Minnesota’s troubled civil commitment program for sex offenders if Republicans asked for a roll call vote. The Rochester DFLer feared that Republicans would use any recorded vote to smear DFLers as soft on sex offenders when campaign season rolls around.

Legislation making significant changes to the state’s troubled civil commitment program for sex offenders appears to be all but dead following a Friday setback in the House Judiciary Committee.

Legislation that would change how dangerous sex offenders are indefinitely detained cleared the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday with bipartisan support. The bill is now cleared to be taken up on the Senate floor.

The proposal, offered by DFL Rep. Tina Liebling as an amendment to a broader liquor bill on Wednesday, would have also allowed liquor sales on Thanksgiving Day and Christmas Eve. But the House defeated the amendment down on 106-21 vote, one of the widest margins of defeat for the perennial issue in years.

With most major finance bills clearing the House and Senate floors, attention will now turn towards conference committees this week. Conferees on several bills have already been appointed by legislative leaders.

After a steady flow of budget bills on the House floor that appropriate general fund money for the 2014-2015 budget period, the House on Wednesday night passed the tax bill intended to pay for the spending.

Democrats in the House have approved an $11.2 billion health and human services budget bill that would trim $150 million from spending over the next two years while also making first-ever investments in mental health programs in schools.