Pace and Substance of the Legislative Session

Minnesota Report By all accounts, the amount of early action by the two legislative bodies is setting an aggressive pace and the items being considered are quite substantial. The total number of bills introductions posted on the respective websites this morning, show...

Governor Proposes a Whopping Capital Budget

Minnesota Report Yesterday, at the St Paul Regional Water Services facility in Roseville, backed with strong and visible support from our state’s labor unions, Governor Tim Walz (DFL-MN) presented his $3,274,319 billion Capital Budget, which includes, funding for the...

A Behind the Scene Tour of the St Paul Waterworks

Minnesota Report We have the opportunity to tour the 1900 Rice Street location to the St Paul Regionally Water Services and learned that the process from providing water without, color, taste, or smell is a very involved process, but also fairly rudimentary. They draw...

The Drug Epidemic Evident on the LRT Everyday

Minnesota Report As we left the State Revenue Building and caught the Light Rail Transit back to the State Capitol, we were once again shocked at the unmitigated chaos on the train. As soon as we boarded, which we will point out was only the fourth stop on the line...

ICYMI: The House is Finally Open to the Public

Minnesota Report The State Office Building, finally opened its doors on Monday. Now, things are back to nearly a semblance of regular order. The Senate Office Building was opened up last legislative session under Republican control and remained so this legislative...

Legislative Committee Deadlines

Minnesota Report Because of the speed in which the legislature is moving, the Legislative Committee Deadlines might not be overly significant, but still worth noting. Announced on January 12, they are: Committee Deadlines 1st deadline – March 10, 2023. 2nd...

As Anticipated, Calls for Proportionality on Senate Committees

Minnesota Report We were fairly confident sparks were set to fly on the floor of the Senate yesterday and right we were. The proceedings took eight hours and the major bones of contention were offered up by former GOP House members who now have the luxury of a...

Senate Set to Allow Remote Floor Privileges

Minnesota Report Another Issue of concern is something we became accustomed to during the pandemic, which is remote session participation. During the discussion, Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic (DFL-60, Minneapolis) talked about female members who had born...

Expectations of More Joint Committee Hearing and Pre-Conferred Bills

Minnesota Report We are hearing about the possibility of joint action on certain pieces of legislation in order to expedite their passage. In the legislative vernacular, these are call Pre-Conferred Bill. It has been a longtime since a piece of legislation, except a...