In a moment of reflection, Legislative Auditor Judy Randall hit the nail on head when it comes to fraud and mismanagement in the Walz administration. After releasing two scathing audits…
The 2024 Minnesota legislative session came crashing to a close Sunday night at midnight with Republicans in both the House and Senate shouting into their microphones as Democrats shut down…
The big stuff at the Capitol always garners lots of press. They’re going to pass a billion-dollar borrowing bill, spend another $500 million on stuff we don’t need, chip away…
Things are happening fast at the Minnesota legislature now that we’re down to the final 17 days. According to the Minnesota Constitution, the legislature must adjourn on the first Monday…
With the May 20 adjournment date in sight, it looked like the 2024 legislative session was going to end on time, on budget and with very little drama. But this…
There used to be a longstanding tradition of election policy bills requiring bipartisan support in order to pass. Because election law by definition is so fraught with partisan politics, it…
Give Gov. Tim Walz credit for consistency. Each November when the budget forecast is announced, he preaches fiscal restraint. And each May when the legislative session ends, he signs budget…
Are all the children in Lake Wobegon still above average? If Democrats in the legislature have their way, we’ll never know. The Minnesota Senate passed an education bill this week…
They built themselves a palace, might as well work year-round In 2016, the Minnesota legislature put a constitutional amendment on the ballot claiming it would limit the ability to raise…
It’s widely understood that Minnesota borrows a lot of money every year to construct and renovate state and local government buildings. What’s not widely known is that the cost of…
1. The Senate Rules Committee held a hearing Friday on the internal rules that govern the Senate. No votes were taken as legislators offered possible changes and amendments. Sen. Steve Drazkowski (R-Mazeppa) offered…
Governor Tim Walz received some very good news this week when they announced the state budget survived the 2023 legislative session and in fact is still delivering more money than…
House Democrats heard a bill in the Elections Committee this week to address what they think is a disturbing trend in Minnesota: people actually paying attention to local school board elections. Life…
In last week’s legislative preview, we commented that the proposed fix to the SRO issue was on the right track, “but it remains to be seen if the defund-the-police crowd…
The 2024 legislative session begins Monday with Gov. Tim Walz telling the Star Tribune “this is going to be one of the more challenging sessions that I’ve had as governor…
Are you one of those people who check the box every year on your taxes to designate $5 to the political party of your choice, only to wonder how that…
No one should be surprised about the impending state budget deficit. Even though the state enjoyed a $17.6 billion surplus just months ago, Gov. Tim Walz and his allies in…