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Democrats who control Minnesota's House and Senate agree a $1.2 billion surplus is likely to make for an easier legislative session, but there's not agreement yet on how much to spend, save or rebate to taxpayers. House Speaker Paul Thissen says he wants to move quickly on more than $500 million in tax relief.
Minnesota Department of Administration officials estimate it would cost at least $2.4 million to rent temporary space for state senators and staff during the ongoing Capitol renovation.
It's one of the issues that appear to be uniting Republicans and Democrats alike: The Northstar Commuter Rail delays.
A $500 million package containing middle-income tax cuts and the repeal of some business taxes is zooming through the Minnesota House. Only three days into their session, House Tax Committee members approved the plan Thursday.
A sudden vote Thursday left a bill containing $20 million in emergency heating assistance one step from Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton, who could have it on his desk by day's end. The Senate voted 65-0 to send a revised measure back to the House.
State Rep. Pam Myhra says she is giving up her legislative seat to be the running mate of Republican Marty Seifert because she sees him as a strong conservative who can win the governor's race. Seifert named Myrha as his lieutenant governor candidate Thursday.
A tantalizing Minnesota budget surplus has stirred talk of tax cuts or funding bumps for prized programs and infrastructure upgrades, but a less-flashy option also has gained some currency: saving some to prepare for the next economic downturn.
Newly unsealed documents allege Minnesota war protesters told an undercover FBI agent that they believed in violent, armed revolution against the U.S. and raised money for Colombian and Palestinian organizations the government considers to be terrorists.
President Barack Obama's speech Wednesday was open to the public, but there was a limited number of tickets available.
When White House officials chose St. Paul's Union Depot for President Barack Obama's announcement of a $600 million competition for federal grants to fund infrastructure projects that create jobs, they picked a site that received nearly $125 million in federal funds for a major renovation.
The fast-track plan to provide $20 million in emergency heating assistance has been staged for a vote Monday in the Minnesota Senate. But a slight change by the Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday will likely to force another House vote on the measure too.
The growing popularity of smokeless electronic cigarettes has Minnesota lawmakers weighing whether they should be regulated in similar fashion to traditional tobacco products.
Objections to a bill that would expand the victim-notification process after a retail or wholesale business data breach were strident and frequent during a hearing Tuesday afternoon of the Minnesota House commerce committee.
Gov. Mark Dayton is urging final action by mid-March on a package of tax breaks and the repeal of some recently adopted business taxes.
A political coalition pushing for a minimum wage increase in Minnesota is rallying in the Capitol rotunda as the new legislative session gets underway. House Speaker Paul Thissen and Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk are scheduled to speak at the Tuesday event sponsored by the Raise the Wage Coalition.
