Three DFL state senators have co-authored a bill that aims to “make Minnesota the first state in the nation to use only renewable energy.” Senate File (SF) 425, set to be introduced Thursday and referred to the Energy and Utilities Finance and Policy Committee, was co-authored by Sens. John Marty…
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An attorney representing the Covington Catholic High School kids told The Minnesota Sun that Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) will “be sued next week” if she doesn’t retract the libelous statements she made about the viral incident. In response to a tweet from President Donald Trump Tuesday night, Omar claimed that…
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A massive crowd gathered at the Minnesota State Capitol Tuesday for the 46th annual statewide March for Life on the anniversary of Roe v. Wade. The march began with a prayer service up the hill from the Capitol Building at the Cathedral of St. Paul, which was packed full and…
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A group of state Democratic senators want to amend the Minnesota education statutes to mandate a “cultural competency training” on topics such as “gender identity” and “implicit bias” for all public school teachers. According to Senate File (SF) 289, the training program would promote “self-reflection, effective interaction with people of…
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Minnesota Senate Democrats recently introduced a bill that would lower Light Rail fares to 25 cents in an effort to increase transit ridership. As The Minnesota Sun has reported extensively, the Twin Cities Light Rail accounts for just 1.4 percent of all passenger miles, compared to the 95 percent of…
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Republican House leaders are calling on Speaker Nancy Pelosi to denounce Rep. Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN-05) support for the boycott, divestment, and sanctions (BDS) movement after she was appointed to the House Foreign Affairs Committee. “I finally have committee assignments and I am excited. 1st choice—House Foreign Affairs Committee: The Foreign…
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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) was the only elected official to speak at this year’s Women’s March Minnesota, and was invited to speak despite the organization’s recent condemnation of “those who have engaged in anti-Semitic, anti-woman, and anti-LGBTQ hate speech.” The national Women’s March has been roiled by controversies surrounding anti-Semitic…
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The Minnesota Senate has introduced 394 bills since the opening day of the 2019 regular session, and among them is a DFL-backed bill that would make Minnesota a sanctuary state. Senate File (SF) 231, co-sponsored by five DFL state senators, would restrict “state and local officials from cooperating with federal…
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Nearly every DFL member of the Minnesota House signed their name to a letter sent to President Donald Trump Thursday urging him to “end this shutdown immediately.” “The ongoing federal government shutdown—now the longest in the history of our nation—is threatening the well-being of Minnesotans, putting our state tax dollars…
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Rep. Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) joined a small group of Democratic lawmakers Wednesday for a meeting with President Donald Trump in search of negotiations on ending the government shutdown. Seven Democratic members of the Problem Solvers Caucus, including Phillips, agreed to attend the meeting, though White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee…
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Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) was joined by a large cohort of bipartisan lawmakers, top administrative officials, and local faith leaders Tuesday to discuss the impact of the partial government shutdown on Minnesota. According to Minnesota Management and Budget Commissioner Myron Frans, the state receives roughly $1 billion in federal funding…
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Minnesota’s Department of Education is currently in the process of rewriting its K-12 academic standards in science to give teachers greater autonomy over discussing climate change in the classroom. The Department of Education announced the formation of a Science Standards Committee in March 2018, and held its first full committee…
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Rep. Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) fired off dozens of tweets this week in response to President Donald Trump’s Tuesday address to the nation, nearly outpacing the president himself in tweets about the southern border wall. Before Trump’s Oval Office address even began, Omar was exasperated with the fact that Trump would…
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The Minnesota State Senate plans to introduce 92 new pieces of legislation Monday, several of which are backed by the DFL, and focus on LGBT or race issues. Senate File (SF) 95, for instance, urges President Donald Trump and Congress to direct the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to “revise…
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Minnesota’s Republican-controlled Senate hit the ground running Thursday by introducing 91 pieces of legislation. Many of the items correspond with the top five priorities Republicans outlined at a Tuesday press conference, though there were several noteworthy outliers. Senate File (SF) 80, for instance, would impose “aid reductions” on sanctuary cities…
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The Minnesota House Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party unveiled its first ten bills Wednesday, two of which deal with gun control, while DFLers in Congress are signing their names to a national gun-control measure. At a Wednesday morning press conference, the state House DFL released House Files (HF) one through 10, which…
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Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) issued his first executive order Wednesday morning and established a “One Minnesota Council on Diversity, Inclusion, and Equity,” which he will oversee. “In an effort to include voices from all different backgrounds, the order builds on a council formed by Gov. Mark Dayton, expanding its scope…
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Minnesota Senate Republicans unveiled their top five priorities Tuesday as the new legislative session kicked off, promising a platform of “equity, fairness, and common sense.” “It’s a new opportunity. We have a new governor. We have new House leadership, but we’re still the same. You know what we’re going to…
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Minnesota’s newly elected constitutional officers were sworn in Monday, including now Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN), Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D-MN), and Attorney General Keith Ellison (D-MN). All five officials inaugurated are members of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, a grim reminder to the Minnesota GOP that it failed to win a…
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Now former Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN) officially left office Monday afternoon as moving trucks were spotted outside the Governor’s Mansion over the weekend. In his final exit interview with TPT Almanac, Dayton was asked by host Mary Lahammer for his opinion on the divisiveness in American politics today. “So much…
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Gov.-elect Tim Walz (D-MN) named Sarah Strommen his commissioner for the Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Thursday in a move some Republicans say raises “red flags.” Strommen has worked in various roles in her more than 20-year career of interacting with the DNR, and most recently served as the assistant…
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Secretary of State Steve Simon (D-MN) unveiled his “Investing in Democracy” 2019 agenda during a Thursday press conference where he announced plans to restore voting rights to felons after they are released from prison. Currently, Minnesota is one of 22 states that revokes voting rights for felons during incarceration and…
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Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar’s (D-MN-05) daughter helped organize an upcoming rally at the Minnesota Capitol to urge the incoming governor to “issue an executive order limiting greenhouse gas emissions.” In a recent tweet, Isra Hirsi announced that “young people from across the state” will protest on January 9 to ask Gov.-elect…
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It was a wild week in Washington, which gave Minnesota’s politicians ample opportunity to attack President Donald Trump. In a Friday appearance on The Dan Obeidallah Show, Rep.-elect Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05) said Trump’s border wall “is deeply rooted in xenophobia.” “If Trump shuts down the government: 420,000 Americans will be…
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Minnesota’s Public Utilities Commission unanimously approved permits to replace Enbridge’s aging Line 3 Pipeline in November, but departing Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN) is now appealing the decision. The Public Utilities Commission’s November vote to approve the replacement project was protested and disrupted by environmentalist activists who have opposed the project…
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“Sometimes people do things without my full knowledge.” That was Gov. Mark Dayton’s (D-MN) response Thursday to news that his Minnesota Management and Budget commissioner, Myron Frans, had recommended massive government pay raises. “It’s embarrassing to admit after eight years but it happens,” Dayton added. Current Minnesota law caps salaries…
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Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN) and his staff released a list of his “top 25” major accomplishments as governor on Wednesday as he prepares for the end of his eight-year stint in the governor’s mansion. “When Gov. Mark Dayton took office, he promised to build a better Minnesota. Eight years later,…
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A new report issued last week by the Minnesota Office of the Legislative Auditor found that the Department of Human Services (DHS) provided Medical Assistance (MA), or Medicaid, benefits to ineligible residents. While the report concluded that the DHS “generally complied” with eligibility requirements, there were numerous instances in which…
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Minnesota lawmakers are pushing for answers on the state’s allegedly rampant childcare fraud, but officials within the Department of Human Services seem unwilling to provide any. The story was first exposed in May by investigative reporters with Fox 9, who found that up to $100 million in suitcases left MSP…
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Gov.-elect Tim Walz (D-MN), still a U.S. congressman until January, has missed 45 votes on the House floor since winning August’s Democratic gubernatorial primary in Minnesota. Between the days of September 4 and December 13, the U.S. House of Representatives has voted on 56 different measures, but Walz has been…
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A new coalition of business leaders that launched at the Minnesota Capitol Tuesday plans to lobby state lawmakers to support a “comprehensive transportation system,” which could include $120 million in transit improvements for Greater Minnesota. The group, calling itself “Keep MN Moving,” is co-led by the Minneapolis Regional Chamber, the…
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Rep.-elect Dean Phillips (D-MN-03) announced that he will be holding a town hall December 17 after a Sunday Minnesota Sun report found that he had yet to schedule a public meeting that he promised for “early December.” “To that end, Phillips announced his first public town-hall meeting will be held in…
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A group of Somali-Americans are planning a “massive” protest at Minnesota’s Amazon facility after the corporation agreed to meet with organizers of the protest, but came up short on complying with their demands. A non-profit called the Awood Center, which seeks to build “East African worker power,” first started organizing…
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A new report issued Wednesday found that 57,000 Minnesotans would lose their health insurance under Gov.-elect Tim Walz’s (D-MN) proposal to offer a MinnesotaCare buy-in option. The report, conducted by consulting firm Oliver Wyman, found that 57,000 fewer Minnesotans would have health insurance coverage from 2019 to 2020, an estimated…
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Minnesota Management and Budget released its Budget and Economic Forecast report Thursday, estimating that the state will have a $1.5 billion surplus for the 2020-21 biennium. According to the report, an additional $491 million will be added to the state’s budget reserve, or “rainy-day” fund, which now totals $2.075 billion—a…
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Gov.-elect Tim Walz (D-MN) would probably disagree, but the state of Minnesota’s economy “continues to be unimpressive” and presents cause for “concern about the future,” according to the Center of the American Experiment. Minnesota’s leading think tank released its annual “The State of Minnesota’s Economy” report Tuesday, and found that…
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Republican Greg Boe won his bid for Minnesota House District 47B by 117 votes, enough to hold off a state mandated recount, but now Democratic lawyers have successfully pushed for a recount nearly a month after the election. Boe defeated Democrat Donzel Leggett 10,853 to 10,736 votes, or 0.54 percent,…
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Minnesota State Sen. Susan Kent (D-Woodbury) was not happy with KSTP chief political reporter Tom Hauser’s claim that “all polls” show opposition to a gas-tax increase, even though that’s not what the veteran reporter said. “On At Issue, [Hauser] wrongly stated that all polls show opposition to a gas tax…
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Lt. Gov-elect Peggy Flanagan (D-MN) told the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce Wednesday that the incoming administration plans to push for a MinnesotaCare buy-in option. The public health insurance option was widely criticized by Republicans on the campaign trail, including Republican gubernatorial candidate Jeff Johnson, who criticized Gov.-elect Tim Walz (D-MN)…
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Gov.-elect Tim Walz (D-MN) plans to include a gas-tax hike in his first budget proposal due February. His latest reason for doing so is because he received more votes than any other gubernatorial candidate in Minnesota history, so the people must want it. “Yes, you can expect to see that,”…
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The St. Paul City Council is expected to commission several new murals to temporarily replace the current artwork hanging in its chambers that some believe is “very white and very male.” The Star Tribune reported Wednesday that the City Council will likely hold a vote in the coming weeks to…
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Keith Ellison concluded his election night victory speech by vowing to hire anyone of any political affiliation so long as they “serve the public’s interest,” but 15 of his transition committee members are Democratic donors. Another three members of the 35-person board are sitting Democratic state representatives or senators, including…
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A proposal to offer illegal immigrants municipal IDs cleared committee Monday in a unanimous vote, and will now head to the full Minneapolis City Council for consideration. According to Fox 9, more than 50 people in support of the program attended Monday’s meeting, but nobody in attendance testified against the…
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Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) finally addressed rumors that she may seek the Democratic Party’s nomination in the 2020 presidential election after garnering national attention during Justice Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination process. Analysts have been eyeing Klobuchar as a potential candidate ever since her October grilling of Kavanaugh, whom she asked in…
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Disgraced Sen. Al Franken (D-MN) released a lengthy statement over the holiday weekend in which he claims that he’s spent “this past year thinking about the broader conversation we’ve been having about the experience of women in this country.” This time last year Franken was facing pressure to resign after…
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St. Cloud elected two new conservative members to its city council who support efforts to slow down the influx of refugees settling in the community. The issue became a hot topic in Minnesota after Council Member Jeff Johnson (not related to the Republican gubernatorial candidate) introduced a measure to temporarily…
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Gov. Mark Dayton (D-MN) underwent back surgery at Mayo Clinic in October in what was the latest in a series of health scares, but his staff took a month to inform the public that he was still hospitalized. “Governor Dayton’s doctor is pleased with how Friday’s surgery went and believes…
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A group of Democratic House members issued a letter to their colleagues Monday vowing to vote against Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA-11) in her bid for the speakership. The letter calls for “new leadership” in Congress, but some of Minnesota’s newly-elected members who made similar claims on the campaign trail…
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Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman (D-Brooklyn Park) was facing pressure to resign in 2017 after criticizing her “white male” colleagues for sitting in the “retiring room” during a debate, but now she has been selected to serve as the next Minnesota House speaker. “I hate to break up the 100 percent…
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The Saint Paul City Council unanimously approved a $15 minimum-wage ordinance Thursday, which was quickly signed into law by Mayor Melvin Carter. “Today’s vote is the culmination of years of incredible leadership from Council Members, workers, business leaders and advocates, all working together to provide a much-needed raise to over…
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