A group of Minnesotans gathered at the State Capitol Wednesday night to host a prayer rally for Pastor Ramin Parsa, who was arrested at the Mall of America in August on charges of misdemeanor trespassing. As The Minnesota Sun reported in November, Parsa visited Minnesota in August and was invited…
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A representative from Moms Demand Action sat down with Esme Murphy on WCCO Sunday morning where she repeatedly claimed that the gun-control group is “nonpartisan.” Moms Demand Action is a national organization with chapters in states all across the country that are pushing for gun-control measures, such as the red-flag…
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Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) announced a proposal to make Minnesota a 100 percent clean energy state by 2050 at a press conference Monday morning. “Today I’m excited to be here to propose our One Minnesota path to clean energy—a set of policy proposals that will lead Minnesota to 100 percent…
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A new bill in the Minnesota House would require any business that contracts with the state government to demonstrate that it has affirmative-action policies in place. “For all contracts for good and services in excess of $100,000, no department or agency of the state shall accept any bid or proposal…
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The Minnesota House Education Policy Committee held its first hearing Friday for a bill that would require public-school teachers to discuss “healthy relationships, including relationships involving diverse sexual orientations and gender identities in the classroom.” Rep. Todd Lippert (D-Northfield), a freshman House member and lead sponsor of the bill, said…
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Gov. Tim Walz’s (D-MN) budget proposal calls for a one-time payment of $350,000 and $200,000 each year thereafter to implement gun control measures that are currently being considered by the Minnesota Legislature. As The Minnesota Sun reported Friday, both a “red flag” bill and a universal background checks bill cleared…
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The Minnesota Public Utilities Commission called the heads of the state’s energy and electric companies to a hearing Thursday to discuss their shortfalls during January’s polar vortex. Representatives from Xcel Energy, Centerpoint Energy, and Great Plains Gas were all in attendance. Of particular concern was Xcel’s request that its 460,000…
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DFL lawmakers are closer than ever before to passing multiple gun-control bills in Minnesota as a Republican-controlled Senate stands in the way. A universal background checks bill and a “red flag” law both advanced out of committee this week. The former was approved by the House Public Safety Committee late…
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Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) will have to reexamine his budget proposal “line by line” after Thursday’s budget forecast came up $492 million short of November’s estimated $1.5 billion surplus. It’s only been nine days since Walz unveiled his first budget proposal for the 2020-2021 biennium, which capped out at $49.5…
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A bill introduced in the Minnesota House Wednesday calls for $8 million in funding to assist with installing “public electric vehicle supply equipment” across the state. As The Minnesota Sun previously reported, the Twin Cities Metropolitan Council recently approved $4 million in funding for a shared electric-car program set to…
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Minnesota House and Senate Democrats unveiled a set of companion bills to ban private prisons in the state at a press conference Tuesday. The legislation comes in response to talks of reopening Prairie Correctional Facility in Appleton, Minnesota, which is owned by CoreCivic and has been closed since 2010. House…
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A DFL-backed bill on “sexual health education” in the Minnesota House would require public-school teachers to discuss “healthy relationships, including relationships involving diverse sexual orientations and gender identities.” House File (HF) 1414 was introduced February 21 and referred to the Education Policy Committee. It would mandate that the commissioner of…
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There are currently 690 bills in the Minnesota House that have been referred to the House Ways and Means Committee, whose Democratic chairman can move bills between subcommittees with just his signature. As The Minnesota Sun previously reported, the Democratic-controlled House kicked off the 2019 session by passing a set…
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Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN-02) hosted her second town hall Saturday in Red Wing, Minnesota, where she was asked about a number of issues, including universal health care and abortion. “The other thing that I wanted to ask you about is we’ve seen states recently that passed laws that legalized abortions…
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The Minnesota Gun Owners Caucus hosted a rally at the State Capitol Saturday to “defend the Second Amendment” and take a stand against gun-control legislation making its way through the House. “Michael Bloomberg’s out-of-state gun control agenda is already out in full force during the 2019 legislative session after spending…
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Several pieces of pro-life legislation have been introduced by Republicans in both the Minnesota House and Senate. While they all face uphill battles against a Democratic-controlled House and a progressive in the Governor’s Mansion, pro-life leaders think that at least some of the measures should attract bipartisan support. Senate File…
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Gov. Tim Walz’s (D-MN) proposed budget for the 2020-2021 biennium calls for a $700,000 increase in funding for his own office to help with “outreach and engagement efforts.” “The Office of Governor Tim Walz and Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan recommends a $700,000 FY 2020-2021 biennial General Fund increase to fund…
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St. Paul’s popular Black Dog Cafe regularly hosts resistance groups formed in response to President Donald Trump’s 2016 election for political events. A collection of groups calling themselves “The MNLeg Coalition” meet once a month for a “Third Thursdays” event that provides the “progressive-values loving community” a chance to “come…
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House DFL legislators joined community organizers Thursday for a press conference to call for providing driver’s licenses to all Minnesotans, “regardless of immigration status.” House Majority Ryan Winkler (D-Golden Valley) was accompanied by colleagues Rep. Aisha Gomez (D-Minneapolis), Rep. Rod Hamilton (D-Mountain Lake), and others in unveiling House File (HF)…
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A Republican lawmaker plans to introduce legislation in the Minnesota House to increase the criminal penalties for hate-crime hoaxes in response to the ongoing controversy surrounding “Empire” star Jussie Smollett. Rep. Nick Zerwas’ (R-Elk River) proposed bill would elevate the false reporting of a hate crime to a gross misdemeanor…
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Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) unveiled his highly anticipated budget proposal for the 2020-2021 biennium at a press conference Tuesday afternoon. When all is said and done, the two-year budget registers at $49.5 billion with no cuts to any existing spending. “I’ve often said that a budget is far more than…
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One of Minnesota’s largest teachers unions wants to tax the state’s wealthiest residents to fund a “$4 billion infusion” for public schools over the next two years. Education Minnesota, which boasts a membership of 80,000, called a press conference at the Minnesota Capitol Friday to lay out its vision for…
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Republican members of the Minnesota House and Senate called a joint press conference earlier this week to condemn Gov. Tim Walz’s (D-MN) decision to re-appeal the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline replacement project. “The science is sure that this would be environmentally much safer to replace a 51-year-old pipe with a…
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A set of companion bills were introduced in the Minnesota House and Senate last week that would establish “Inclusive School Enhancement Grants” to make “schools’ curriculum and learning and work environments more inclusive.” House File (HF) 824 and Senate File (SF) 1012 were introduced Feb. 7, and referred to their…
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Several youth activism organizations gathered at the Minnesota Capitol Monday to protest the Enbridge Line 3 pipeline and call for a “Minnesota Green New Deal.” “We are changing the political landscape in Minnesota and although there is much more work to be done, we are so proud of what we…
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Twitter was abuzz Wednesday afternoon after Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) got in a heated exchange with Elliot Abrams, the special envoy to Venezuela. “I don’t understand why members of this committee or the American people should find any testimony that you give today to be truthful,” Omar said to Abrams,…
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Rumor has it that Minneapolis City Council Vice President Andrea Jenkins is being lobbied to run against Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) in the 2020 primary for Minnesota’s Fifth Congressional District. “Breaking: I have heard a rumor that Andrea Jenkins of the Minneapolis City Council is being lobbied to run against…
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Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) announced Tuesday morning that he would refile an appeal against the controversial Enbridge Line 3 replacement project. Minnesota’s Public Utilities Commission (PUC) unanimously approved of granting Enbridge a certificate of need to move forward with the project last summer. But former Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN) made…
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A bill was introduced Monday in the Minnesota Senate to establish the “Minnesota Health Plan,” which would “ensure all Minnesota residents are covered.” Senate File (SF) 1125 was referred to the Health and Human Services Finance and Policy Committee, and is co-sponsored by five DFL lawmakers, including Sens. John Marty…
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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) is once again facing backlash for multiple anti-Semitic tweets in which she suggested that Jewish money is responsible for bipartisan support of Israel. In response to journalist Glenn Greenwald’s claim that “it’s stunning how much time U.S. political leaders spend defending a foreign nation even if…
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Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) has less than 20 days to make a decision on the highly controversial Enbridge Line 3 pipeline project, according to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. On February 5, the Minnesota Court of Appeals dismissed a last-minute appeal of the project made by former Gov. Mark Dayton’s…
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Minnesota’s Senate Republicans have introduced a bill that would ban abortions in the state after a fetal heartbeat is detected in a pregnant woman’s unborn child. Senate File (SF) 869 was introduced Thursday and is co-sponsored by five Republican state senators, including Sens. Andrew Mathews (R-Milaca), Mark Koran (R-North Branch),…
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Democrat Stu Lourey’s loss to Republican Jason Rarick in Tuesday’s Senate District 11 special election has some Democrats in Minnesota frustrated that Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) backed the 25-year-old ex-Franken aide over the party’s endorsed candidate. Lourey’s father, Tony Lourey, was selected by Walz to serve as commissioner for the…
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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) is asking Attorney General Keith Ellison for an investigation after one of her transgender constituents was barred from participating in a USA Powerlifting competition. In late January, the organization released a statement to explain its policy that prevented JayCee Cooper from partaking in one of its competitions.…
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A group of DFL state representatives has introduced a bill in the Minnesota House that would establish a task force to “study the design of the state flag” and consider potential alternatives. House File (HF) 505 was introduced Thursday and referred to the Government Operations Committee. It was authored by…
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The Center of the American Experiment, Minnesota’s leading think tank, has launched a new Capitol Watch project to monitor the radical bills and the people behind them at the Minnesota State Capitol. Since the start of the 2019 session, the Minnesota House and Senate have already introduced a combined 1,482…
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Multiple Republican-backed bills in the Minnesota House and Senate would impede efforts by cities such as Minneapolis to institute radical sanctuary city policies. Minneapolis is currently in the process of rolling out a “municipal identification card” program for illegal immigrants residing in the city. The IDs would be available to…
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Minnesota Rep. Mary Franson (R-Alexandria) recently introduced a bill that would expand the criminal definition of female genital mutilation (FGM), but zero Democratic House colleagues have signed on as co-sponsors. Under current Minnesota law, it is illegal for doctors to perform FGM, but there are no penalties in place for…
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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) said she “almost chuckles” when people refer to Israel as a Democracy in a recent tell-all interview with Yahoo News. In the interview, Omar advocates for “having an equal approach” to dealing with Israel and Palestine. “Most of the things that have always been aggravating to…
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Democrat Stu Lourey defeated opponent Michelle Lee by 233 votes in the DFL’s January 22 Senate District 11 primary, but new reports indicate that more than 400 mail-in ballots went uncounted. Duluth News-Tribune first reported that hundreds of ballots arrived January 25, three days after the election, and thus were…
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Minnesota State Sen. John Marty (D-Roseville) introduced a bill Thursday that would make the distribution of “single-use plastic straws” by restaurants a “petty misdemeanor.” “A restaurant must not provide a single-use plastic straw to a customer unless the customer requests a straw or selects a straw from a self-service dispenser,”…
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A major opioids bill in Minnesota, House File (HF) 400, was introduced Monday at 3:30 p.m. House members and the public then had until Tuesday at 2:30 p.m., less than 24 hours, to offer any changes or amendments before the bill went to a hearing Wednesday at the Health and…
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If there’s such a thing as political dynasties in local politics, then the Lourey family is undoubtedly one of them. The Loureys have had a hold on Minnesota Senate District 11 since 1997, when former State Sen. Becky Lourey first won the seat. After a decade in office, Becky Lourey…
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DFL lawmakers took the first concrete steps to legalize recreational marijuana in Minnesota Monday by introducing companion bills in the Minnesota House and Senate. House File (HF) 420, sponsored by Rep. Mike Freiberg (D-Golden Valley), and Senate File (619), sponsored by Sen. Melissa Franzen (D-Edina), would make it legal in…
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Minnesota’s pro-life organizations are warning against a 2020 state ballot proposition that would amend the Minnesota Constitution to provide “equality under the law” on “account of gender.” House File (HF) 13 was introduced January 10 and would place the following yes-or-no question on the 2020 ballot: “Shall the Minnesota Constitution…
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Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN-02) hosted her “first of what will be many, many open town halls” Saturday morning at Burnsville High School, and tackled issues such as campaign finance reform, climate change, and gun control. At one point during the event, however, she was confronted by an immigrant woman “who…
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Newly-appointed Minnesota Department of Human Services (DHS) Commissioner Tony Lourey is facing pressure from Republican legislators over the department’s failure to respond to several data requests seeking information on the state’s alleged child care fraud. The fraud was first exposed in a May 2018 Fox 9 report, and has been…
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A new report published Thursday suggests that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) would not be granted security clearance if she weren’t an elected official because of her ties to those in the highest echelons of Somalia’s government. According to an investigative report from PJ Media, Omar visited with former Somalia President…
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Minnesota’s House Democrats introduced a bill Thursday that would create a “loan guarantee program” for furloughed workers or those working without pay during the government shutdown. House File (HF) 319 calls for the establishment of a “personal loan guarantee program to support affected employees by providing guaranteed personal loans” within…
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Climate activists are continuing to pressure Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) against approving Enbridge’s Line 3 replacement pipeline, and on Thursday protested in the governor’s reception room of the Minnesota State Capitol. In November, the Public Utilities Commission unanimously voted in favor of green lighting the project, but former Gov. Mark…
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