by Charley Shaw
Published: May 22, 2013
Tags: Independence Party, k-12 school shift, Mark Jenkins
The Independence Party of Minnesota plans to take the state to court if the school-aid shift isn’t paid off by Dec. 1. IP Chairman Mark Jenkins has scheduled a state Capitol press conference on Thursday to announce his legal plans.
by Paul Demko
Published: May 22, 2013
Tags: Ann Lenczewski, FOC, FRD, Mark Dayton, Mayo Clinic, Rod Skoe
The omnibus tax bill passed by the House and Senate in the final 24 hours of the legislative session contains $2.1 billion in additional revenues. That much is easy to decipher. But within that broad outline there are inter-connecting rate hikes, credits, exemptions and expenditures that will take days or weeks to fully unpack.
by Staff
Published: May 22, 2013
Tags: Bruce Nelson, Bud Grant, Charlie Zelle, DNR, E-12, EQB, frac sand, Gene Pelowski, JOBZ, Legacy, Lessard-Sams, Mark Dayton, MIF, MNSCU, Paul Marquart, Phyllis Kahn, Ryan Winkler, U of M
It was four minutes to midnight on the final day of session when the Minnesota Senate passed the omnibus tax bill that wrapped up the Legislature’s work on the state’s $38 billion budget for the 2014-15 biennium. The down-to-the-wire finish followed a contentious final two weeks of negotiations between House, Senate and the governor’s office over the terms of final budget and policy deals.
by Charley Shaw
Published: May 22, 2013
The campaign finance bill that state lawmakers have sent to Gov. Mark Dayton’s desk will allow candidates to raise and spend more money, a step that its backers termed necessary in light of the growing role of independent expenditure groups in political campaigns.
by Stephen B. Young
Published: May 22, 2013
The decision of the DFL leadership to have the state of Minnesota recognize same-sex marriages is just another battle won and lost in our culture wars. It did not end the conflict between religious perspectives on the legitimacy of personal sexual practices.
by Staff
Published: May 22, 2013
With the 2013 legislative session behind us, people are sorting out the impact of the policies enacted by the Legislature and governor. Unfortunately, Minnesota’s transportation infrastructure will simply continue to deteriorate.
by Staff
Published: May 22, 2013
The legislative session is over. Party leaders and committee chairs may have made the most noise, but which freshman legislators were the most impressive?
by Charley Shaw
Published: May 20, 2013
Tags: Legacy, Phyllis Kahn, Richard Cohen
Differences that had festered all session long on the Legacy dedicated funding bill for environmental and cultural projects were settled early in the morning on the last day of session. The House and Senate passed the compromise, which now awaits approval by Gov. Mark Dayton.
by Charley Shaw
Published: May 20, 2013
Tags: campaign finance, gift ban, John Marty, Ryan Winkler
State lawmakers on Monday sent a campaign finance bill to Gov. Mark Dayton that allows candidates to raise and spend more money. The bill received bipartisan support in the House and Senate but also drew dissent from DFLers in the majority on some provisions.
by Mike Mullen
Published: May 20, 2013
Tags: Gene Pelowski, Jay McNamar, Kim Norton, Kurt Zellers, Mark Dayton, Matt Dean, Michael Nelson, Tim Faust, Tina Liebling
The bill passed the House by a tally of 68-66, with the entire House Republican caucus joined by five moderate Democrats who voted in opposition.
