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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota–Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) officially declared her candidacy for President of the United States Sunday during a snowy rally on the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis. Several of her Minnesotan colleagues spoke before her, including Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan (D-MN) and Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN). Klobuchar’s Senate…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
A Wednesday press conference at the Minnesota State Capitol kicked off what is sure to be an emotional and divisive debate over the legalization of marijuana. The press conference was called by Smart Approaches to Marijuana Minnesota, and both Dakota County Attorney James Backstrom and Dakota County Sheriff Tim Leslie…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN-04) recently introduced an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would make health care a right for all American citizens. The Health Care for All Amendment, H.J. Res. 17, is currently co-sponsored by Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI-02) and states “health care, including care to prevent and treat…
Read More
Minnesota received an overall C grade in parent empowerment on the Center for Education Reform’s annual Parent Power Index, which factors school choice, charter schools, personalized learning, teacher quality, and transparency into its grading system. With two school-choice programs, Minnesota received an F grading in the area of school choice,…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) faced his first test Monday just hours after being sworn in when protesters opposed to the Enbridge Line 3 Pipeline project disrupted his reception at the State Capitol. This isn’t the first time anti-pipeline activists have caused a public disruption. In November, they shut down a…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
The only thing barring Democrats from total control of Minnesota’s government is a one-seat Republican majority in the Senate, but that might not be enough to block gun-control efforts during the upcoming session. Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka (R-Nisswa) recently indicated that he has “some openness” on the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL)…
Read More
Gov.-elect Tim Walz (D-MN) still has a few weeks to go before he’s sworn in as the next governor of Minnesota, but he’s already made several indications as to what voters can expect in his first budget proposal due early 2019. Since defeating Republican Jeff Johnson in the November midterms,…
Read More
The St. Paul City Council voted 6-1 Wednesday in favor of adding the legalization of marijuana to its list of legislative priorities for the upcoming session. The resolution, authored by Council Member Dai Thao and co-sponsored by Council Members Rebecca Noecker and Mitra Nelson, argues that the decriminalization of recreational…
Read More
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…
Read More
Gov.-elect Tim Walz (D-MN) turned down an invite from President Donald Trump to participate in a meeting with the nation’s newly elected governors scheduled for Thursday afternoon. “The governor-elect is in Minnesota building his incoming administration and is unable to attend the meeting at the White House,” Walz spokeswoman Kayla…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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…
Read More
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)…
Read More
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,”…
Read More
A group of self-identified “Muslim constituents” are demanding a meeting with Rep.-elect Jim Hagedorn (R-MN-01) to discuss the alleged “anti-Muslim statements” he made on the campaign trail. A new petition, which has close to 400 signatures, accuses Hagedorn of making “many statements” on his campaign website that “use fear-mongering tactics…
Read More
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…
Read More
Gov.-elect Tim Walz (D-MN) has frequently boasted of historical victory in the Minnesota gubernatorial race, but the numbers were unprecedented on both sides of the ticket as the state saw record-setting voter turnout. “Peggy [Flanagan] and I are humbled by the support for One Minnesota. We received more votes than…
Read More
Rep. Collin Peterson (D-MN-07), soon to be chair of the House Agriculture Committee, had some choice words for his fellow Democrats whom he believes are siding with “extreme environmentalists” over Minnesota’s farmers. “In a district like mine, the biggest problem we have is with the environmentalists,” said Peterson, who represents…
Read More
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…
Read More
Lt. Gov.-elect Peggy Flanagan plans to “cover” a number of controversial paintings located in the Minnesota Capitol’s transition offices, which allegedly contain “insensitive” and “historically inaccurate” depictions of Native Americans. Flanagan, who will become the first indigenous woman in the nation to hold executive office, said during a recent interview…
Read More
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…
Read More
The Twin Cities Met Council announced Wednesday that it has received approval from the federal government to begin construction on its controversial $2 billion Light Rail extension. In a Wednesday press release, the Met Council announced that the Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has granted it a Letter of No Prejudice,…
Read More
Campaign finance reports indicate that Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) was the third-leading beneficiary of Planned Parenthood donations during the 2018 election cycle. According to the Center for Responsive Politics, Klobuchar raked in $17,650 in donations from the country’s foremost abortion provider. She trailed in donations to Sen. Clair McCaskill (D-MO),…
Read More
Former Minnesota Gov. Jesse Ventura met with Gov.-elect Tim Walz Tuesday to discuss managing the transition into the governor’s mansion and pitched Minnesota’s new leader on legalizing marijuana in the state. While Minnesota currently has a medical marijuana program, Ventura told reporters after his meeting that “we’re just plain missing…
Read More
Two political parties pushing for the legalization of marijuana across Minnesota are likely to be granted major-party status after a successful midterm election. Both the Grassroots-Legalize Cannabis (GLC) Party and the Legal Marijuana Now (LMN) Party earned more than five percent of the vote in at least one statewide race,…
Read More
Minnesota Gov.-elect Tim Walz said Friday that while he is open to discussion on the topic, his administration plans to account for two years of free public college for families making under $125,000 a year in his first budget. During a Friday appearance on TPT Almanac, Walz was asked about…
Read More
Keith Ellison has resigned as deputy chairman of the Democratic National Committee after defeating Republican Doug Wardlow in the race for the Minnesota Attorney General’s Office. Throughout the campaign, Wardlow used Ellison’s high-ranking position with the DNC as evidence that the Democrat would conduct himself in a partisan manner while…
Read More
With the help of a new Democratic majority in the Minnesota House, Gov.-elect Tim Walz is expected to renew efforts to pass gun-control legislation in the state. In response to Wednesday night’s mass shooting in Thousand Oaks, California, Walz and Rep. Melissa Hortman (D-Fridley), who was elected this week to…
Read More