When the Minnesota Legislature convened in February, the state had just announced a modest budget surplus. Lawmakers and Governor Mark Dayton were optimistic that they could reach agreement on a capital investment bill, a tax...more
5/29/2018
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With 16 days left in the session, the Minnesota Legislature and Governor Dayton are turning their attention to reaching agreements on tax, bonding and supplemental budget bills. The House passed the last in a series of...more
With three weeks left of session, lawmakers have picked up the pace to get their work done. On Thursday, the Senate passed their supplemental budget bill off the Senate Floor and the House passed the education portion of...more
The Minnesota House and Senate spent most of this week moving omnibus finance bills through committee. Committees held day and evening meetings to allow time for public testimony and amendments and to ensure that the third...more
The Minnesota Legislature, returning from Easter/Passover break, turned its attention to assembling omnibus supplemental budgets. With the third committee deadline approaching, the Legislature has one week to assemble these...more
The Capitol building is quiet today as legislators begin their 10-day recess after working around the clock to meet the second committee deadline (March 29), which required that all policy bills be passed out of committees...more
The Minnesota Legislature’s first committee deadline came and went yesterday, with policy bills needing to clear all policy committees in either the House or Senate by midnight to remain viable. Most committees met in regular...more
The Legislature wrapped up the fourth week of a 13-week session. With one week until the first committee deadline, committees in both bodies have kept busy hearing policy bills, often into the evening. Bill introductions in...more
The Minnesota Legislature, in anticipation of the first committee deadline on March 22, continued to hear and move bills through policy committees this week. Legislative committees focused on Governor Dayton’s request for $10...more
The 2018 Legislative Session kicked off last week on February 20 with the swearing in of one new member in the Senate, Karla Bigham (DFL, Cottage Grove), and one new member in the House, Jeremy Munson (R, Lake Crystal). The...more
The 2018 Legislative Session begins next week, on Tuesday, February 20. If the interim was any indication, this session is likely to be challenging and fraught with controversy.
At the end of last session, Governor Mark...more
On Tuesday, December 5, the office of Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB) released the November Budget and Economic Forecast. Based on the forecast, the state is facing a projected budget deficit of $188 million for the...more
In a decision issued yesterday, the Minnesota Supreme Court concluded that Governor Dayton’s line-item vetoes of the operating appropriations for the Minnesota Senate and House of Representatives did not violate a Governor’s...more
Following the adjournment of the 2017 regular session and a short special session, the Legislature passed and presented to Governor Dayton a comprehensive and balanced budget for fiscal years 2018 and 2019, including nine...more
On May 30, three days following the adjournment of the 2017 First Special Session, Governor Mark Dayton signed all budget bills, the tax bill and a bonding bill to conclude the work of the 2017 Minnesota Legislature —...more
The Legislature adjourned the Special Session early the morning of Friday, May 26, after adopting spending bills, a tax bill and a bonding bill.
Governor Mark Dayton and Republican legislative leaders spent the final...more
The legislative session is quickly coming to a close, but legislative leaders and Governor Dayton are not finished with their work. They are continuing to negotiate the state’s $46 billion budget and will need to come to a...more
The week started the way it began, with no global budget agreement and no omnibus budget bills signed into law. Leaders began meeting early in the week, exchanging offers in an attempt to compromise, but budget talks imploded...more
In response to Governor Mark Dayton’s demand that the Legislature provide a complete budget for him to analyze before starting negotiations, the House and Senate agreed to joint legislative targets and conference committees...more
With three weeks left in the legislative session, most of the week was spent on often contentious budget negotiations between the Governor and legislative leadership. Last month, Governor Dayton sent a letter to Senate...more
The Minnesota Legislature returned from its break Tuesday, April 18 with five weeks to complete their work before May 22, the constitutionally mandated adjournment date. Most of the week was spent appointing conferees for...more
The legislature heads into its spring recess today, Friday, April 7. The House and Senate have spent the last several weeks finalizing and debating their budget and tax bills. When they reconvene on April 18, 2017 they will...more
This week, the House and Senate committees have been working toward the third committee deadline of March 31, 2017. The third and final deadline requires committees to act favorably on major appropriation bills.
Many of...more
With policy committee deadlines out of the way, legislators turned their attention to omnibus finance and tax bills. Finance and tax committees in both the House and Senate spent the week compiling bills, taking public...more
Legislators and committees are racing to meet the second deadline, which occurs at midnight tonight. All policy bills must be approved by committees in both the Minnesota House and Senate by this deadline to remain viable as...more