The chair of the Senate Finance Committee is one of the most powerful positions in the Senate. Any bill with a fiscal impact must get its final approval from the committee, and the chair ultimately decides which bills to consider. Senator John Marty, DF

Minnesota has a surplus of $3.7 billion for the current biennium, according to the just-released February Budget and Economic Forecast. Governor Tim Walz and legislative leaders respond to the report as they prepare to finalize supplemental spending propo

The 2023 legislature passed a law prohibiting school employees, including school resource officers (SROs), from using certain types of restraints on students. The law caused confusion among law enforcement and school officials, resulting in the removal of

It was a sweet and bipartisan start to the 2024 legislative session, initiated by Governor Tim Walz sharing homemade apple blondies with lawmakers. After the gavel, Senate leaders offered hopeful sentiments for a cooperative session, followed by press eve

Following an announcement that Senate Majority Leader Kari Dziedzic will step away from leadership due to a recurrence of cancer, Senate DFLers elected Erin Murphy as the next majority leader.The legislature created the Metropolitan Governance Task Force

Even-year legislative sessions are typically focused on supplemental spending, policy concerns and a bonding bill. Republican Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson and DFL House Majority Leader Jamie Long join Capitol Report moderator Shannon Loehrke to tal

One significant negotiation expected in the 2024 legislative session is the size and scope of a bonding bill to fund infrastructure around the state. In mid-January, Governor Tim Walz and Lieutenant Governor Peggy Flanagan outlined their vision for a $982

A tension exists between those who seek to protect Minnesotas waters and those who seek to utilize the states mineral resources to create jobs and economic development. Senator Jenn McEwen, DFL-Duluth, is promoting legislation called Prove It First, w

A budget surplus of $2.4 billion for the current fiscal biennium was recently announced as part of the November Budget and Economic Forecast. Erin Campbell, Commissioner of Minnesota Management and Budget, joins Capitol Report moderator Shannon Loehrke to

The November Budget and Economic Forecast, a financial snapshot prepared by Minnesota Management and Budget (MMB), projects a budget surplus of $2.4 billion dollars for the current fiscal biennium, which runs through June 2025. That number is $808 million