GOP Calls Dayton 'Out Of Touch' Following Cabinet Pay Hike
Gov. Mark Dayton was preparing to announce pay raises for his state agency commissioners as Republicans were warning exorbitant increases would become a campaign issue next year.
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Gov. Mark Dayton was preparing to announce pay raises for his state agency commissioners as Republicans were warning exorbitant increases would become a campaign issue next year.
Gov. Scott Walker planned to sign a pair of bills that would loosen Wisconsin's guns laws Wednesday, legislation that had passed the Republican-controlled Legislature before last week's fatal shootings at a South Carolina church.
With a presidential field approaching 20 high-profile Republicans, the GOP's 2016 class offers voters a little bit of everything.
Minnesota lawmakers are holding a dramatic special legislative session Friday -- three weeks after their regular session ended. Lawmakers are back in St. Paul to pass billions of dollars in budget bills to fund state government.
Long before the 2012 Iowa caucuses, Tim Pawlenty was already out of the race for president. Yet his short-lived campaign lives on, casting a shadow over the Republicans now wooing voters in the state that kicks off the White House contest.
The group of state Department of Natural Resources scientists that Republican lawmakers targeted for cuts has been working on a number of politically charged issues in recent years, including climate change, pollution and mining.
Gov. Mark Dayton and majority House Republicans came to a tentative deal Monday on education funding, the largest unresolved piece of the state budget fight that's pushed Minnesota toward a potential government shutdown.
A one-day special session will be held next month so lawmakers can wrap up unfinished business. What they'll actually be voting on has yet to be determined.
All eyes heading into this year's legislative session were on new House Speaker Kurt Daudt, under pressure to hold together 71 fellow Republicans back in power and eager to slash government spending.
House Speaker Kurt Daudt says Gov. Mark Dayton should apologize for saying some Republicans hate public schools.
Minnesota's Senate has adopted a tax plan that could put a dent in property taxes for homeowners, farmers and businesses — except for railroad companies.
Minnesota's teaching board is getting a look from the state's legislative auditor. The board handles appeals from would-be educators denied Minnesota teaching licenses. It's come under scrutiny at the Capitol this year from Republicans and Democrats alike. Some lawmakers and advocates say the board's policies keep qualified teachers out of classrooms.
Senate Republicans are putting pressure on one of Gov. Mark Dayton's commissioners. Mike Rothman has served as commissioner of the Department of Commerce since 2011.
House Republicans put a health care program for tens of thousands of low-income Minnesotans on the chopping block as the centerpiece of a budget bill that aims to put up half of the $2 billion in tax relief GOP lawmakers hope to offer.
House Republicans are moving to license Minnesota abortion providers and ban taxpayer dollars for paying for the procedure. The Republican-controlled House added both provisions to a health care budget bill on the floor Tuesday night. A handful of Democrats joined Republicans to approve the changes.
House Republicans are putting a health care program for tens of thousands of low-income Minnesotans on the chopping block.
A highly contentious debate over education issues kept state lawmakers working through the weekend.
At a rally outside the capitol Saturday, activists say with a $2 billion surplus, now is the time to invest in education. Republicans want to use the surplus to lower taxes.
Republicans in the Minnesota House are firming up their stance on one of the session's biggest issues: education. A floor session on the GOP's education budget was expected to last hours Saturday. The House would spend about $157 million more on schools and families over the next two years. The bulk of that is in money districts can use however they like.
The Minnesota House is debating a Republican bill to put the brakes on spending for state government operations.
Wisconsin's Gov. Scott Walker spent Thursday in his neighboring state. The potential Republican presidential candidate had three private events, including an unannounced visit to the State Capitol for a meeting with Republican state lawmakers.
The Minnesota House was going on record about how to pour billions more into road and bridge construction. A Republican-crafted proposal to direct $7 billion to projects over the next decade was slated for a vote Tuesday. As drafted, it would redirect existing taxes on auto parts, vehicle leases and car rentals to construction and borrow billions more.
Republicans in the state House unveiled a sweeping tax relief package Monday they hope will mean lower taxes for more than 2 million Minnesotans.
Pieces of Minnesota's $40-billion budget are starting to move. The work starts first in the Senate Monday with bills that fund state agencies and Minnesota's public universities and colleges.
In their unfolding budget plan, Minnesota legislative Republicans are moving to strip powers from Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton, ranging from limiting his team's authority to write regulatory rules to curbs on the administration's staffing.
