Data practices panel weighs conflicting options

Gov. Dayton and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk have proposed a special session to deal, in part, with the state’s racial disparities.

Body cams will top the marquee next session among issues having both data privacy and public safety implications.

The conference was meant to bring the parties together and seek common ground on potential remedies. Of those invited to participate, only Gov. Mark Dayton emerged with a detailed plan.

Tony Cornish says he enjoyed the 2015 session, and got most of what he had wanted out of it.

By a vote of 111-15, the House of Representatives on Wednesday passed a bill that would bar suspected domestic abusers who are under active restraining orders from possessing firearms or ammunition.

A committee responsible for recommending enhanced safety procedures at the Capitol is advocating a big increase in security spending, but remains deeply divided over the issue of firearms inside the Capitol.

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.

K-12 education finance bills that account for roughly 40 percent of the state’s general fund spending are moving through the House and Senate floors this week.

The judiciary finance bill cleared the House on a 71-59 party line vote on Friday. The bill provides $785 million in funding for the court system in the next biennium.