Minnesota legislature

ST. PAUL —The looks on Minnesota legislators’ faces before they began a holiday break told the story: They are tired. The 201 legislators put in long hours the past couple of weeks debating and initially passing pretty much every major bill of the 2014 session, often going well...

ST. PAUL — Republicans passionately fought an anti-bullying bill that the Democrat-controlled House passed in the wee hours of Wednesday morning, after a nearly 12-hour debate. GOP representatives said the proposal to require school districts to implement strong bullying policies,...

ST. PAUL — The 2014 Minnesota Legislature is on an Easter-Passover recess, due to return April 22 to take up a number of unresolved issues. Many of the major issues have passed at least one house of the Legislature, some have passed both houses in differing forms so negotiations...

Tom Scheck MPR News 91.3 FM ST. PAUL — A bill that would allow limited Sunday sales of alcohol in Minnesota is in jeopardy. Backers of a bill that would allow liquor stores to sell alcohol on Sundays have been rebuffed at the State Capitol for years. So this year, they considered...

ST. PAUL — Minnesota’s minimum wage is about to rise. After the House passed 71-60 a higher minimum wage Thursday, it heads to Gov. Mark Dayton, who is expected to sign it into law. “I think this is a great trade off, minimum wage for a better life for a great many people...

Charley Shaw Session Daily ST. PAUL —Minnesota’s food safety laws would be specifically tailored to address farmers markets under a bill headed to Gov. Mark Dayton’s desk. Sponsored by Rep. Bob Barrett, R-Lindstrom, and Sen. Tony Lourey, DFL-Kerrick, was passed 129-0 by the...

ST. PAUL — The Minnesota Senate on Thursday approved a second tax-cut bill that pretty much matches the total dollar number of tax breaks representatives approved earlier, but the two chambers go different routes to get there. Senators voted 57-6 for their $100 million tax-break...

ST. PAUL — Gov. Mark Dayton put pen on paper 15 hours after final legislative approval of an anti-bullying bill, enacting a new law requiring schools to have bullying prevention policies and providing guidance about how they would be written. Dayton signed the bill...

ST. PAUL — Gov. Mark Dayton put pen on paper 15 hours after final legislative approval of an anti-bullying bill, enacting a new law requiring schools to have bullying prevention policies and providing guidance about how they would be written. Dayton signed the bill late Wednesday...

Don Davis Forum News Service ST. PAUL — Supporters of raising the state minimum wage say a bill senators passed Wednesday would boost 357,000 Minnesotans’ pay. The measure that passed 35-31 would raise the wage floor to $9.50 an hour at large businesses in three years. The...

ST. PAUL — The fight to close Minnesota’s gender pay gap passed a major hurdle Wednesday when the state House passed the Women’s Economic Security Act. Supporters said the bill that passed 106-24 would advance their cause by requiring many businesses dealing with the state...

ST. PAUL — Minnesota representatives sent a strong message against synthetic drugs Wednesday, unanimously passing a bill to give a state agency more authority over them. “If you are not seeing this in your community, it is because you are not looking hard enough,” Rep. Erik...

Don Davis Forum News Service ST. PAUL — Minnesota state legislators could face a decision this legislative session about whether to approve marijuana for medical use, even though a medical marijuana bill is stalled in the House. Rep. Pat Garofalo, R-Farmington, plans to offer...

ST. PAUL — Minnesota senators want to tack $209 million onto a $39 billion, two-year budget that state leaders enacted a year ago. They also want to see how North Dakota’s oil boom is affecting Minnesota. The Senate voted 37-27 Tuesday night to increase spending for many programs,...

ST. PAUL — Republicans say that an anti-bullying bill actually increases bullying. They say that the bill senators passed Thursday bullies school districts by handing them an unfunded mandate. Sen. Dave Osmek, R-Mound, said the bill delivers one main message: “In St. Paul, we...