Minnesota Legislature
House closes 2024 session in chaotic fashion, trading bonding for budget boosts
By Rob Hubbard
After 2023 produced a record $72 billion in biennial funding, Minnesota’s legislative leaders were dampening expectations for anything resembling an encore. Tweaks and bonding seemed to be the chief items on the agenda.
Before the session started, House Speaker Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) said, “The state’s borrowing bill will be the biggest order of business.” House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) said early in the session that fixing an issue with potential use of force by school resource officers was a top Republican priority, and a bill was signed into law relatively early in the session to address that issue.
On Sunday, both chambers of the Legislature finished their business for the year by the midnight deadline, and bonding bills fell by the wayside in the closing hours as DFL priorities in the House shifted toward getting a state equal rights amendment on the 2026 statewide ballot, cutting a deal for drivers with the companies that run rideshare services Lyft and Uber, and approving more than $450 million in supplemental funding for the current biennium.
Recent Dailies
Loans for rideshare driver vehicles gains committee approval, heads to House Floor
By Brian Basham
Keeping rideshare companies Uber and Lyft operating in Minnesota has been on a lot of legislator minds the last few months at the Capitol.
Rep. Mohamud Noor (DFL-Mpls) says ...
House, Senate reach agreement on public safety and judiciary legislation
By Tim Walker
The public safety and judiciary supplemental budget bill expanded Friday when a conference committee adopted its report combining a $53.9 million appropriations bill with a poli...
Energy, agriculture conferees find green agreement
By Rob Hubbard
Commerce went to cannabis, but energy and agriculture remained united.
Such was the result of a midweek re-ordering of conference committees that took place after a conferen...
Family preservation conference committee finds quick agreement
By Jonathan Mohr Protections intended to keep more Minnesota families together took another step toward becoming law Friday evening when a conference committee on the proposed “Minnesota African...Conference committee reaches agreement on funding jobs, economic development programs
By Tim Walker
Several of the main players at Friday’s jobs, workforce, and economic development finance and policy conference committee made opening remarks praising the agreement reached.
...
Higher ed conferees ace final, make quick work of blending bills
By Rob Hubbard
If you were paying attention when the House passed its higher education policy and supplemental budget bills, the higher education conference committee report may produce some d...
House, Senate strike bargain on environment, natural resources supplemental spending bill
By Margaret Stevens New ways for dealing with waste — packaging, boat wrap, outdated electronics, sewer sludge and heat — are included in a conference committee agreement on the environment and na...Gun bill conference committee agrees to tougher penalties for straw purchases, ban on binary triggers
By Tim Walker
A straw purchase occurs when an individual buys a firearm for someone ineligible to purchase or possess them.
Bills that would raise the penalty for a straw purchase from a ...
Conferees close deal on broad transportation, labor and housing package
By Margaret Stevens
What do Bruce Springsteen and Rotary International have in common?
Both played a starring role in the final moments of the transportation/labor/housing supplemental budget b...
House passes changes to paid leave law amid chaos at close of vote
By Tim Walker
On the first day of 2026, a state-run insurance program is scheduled to begin providing Minnesota workers with up to 20 weeks per year of paid time off to deal with family ...
Session Daily Home
Search Session Daily
Advanced Search OptionsPriority Dailies
Ways and Means Committee OKs proposed $512 million supplemental budget on party-line vote
By Mike Cook
Meeting more needs or fiscal irresponsibility is one way to sum up the differences among the two parties on a supplemental spending package a year after a $72 billion state budg...
Minnesota’s projected budget surplus balloons to $3.7 billion, but fiscal pressure still looms
By Rob Hubbard
Just as Minnesota has experienced a warmer winter than usual, so has the state’s budget outlook warmed over the past few months.
On Thursday, Minnesota Management and Budget...
