Minnesota Legislature

History

Minnesota’s state constitution was adopted in 1857, and the first state legislative session convened in late 1857, shortly before formal statehood in May 1858. That initial legislature was unusually large (80 representatives and 37 senators). After these first sessions, the legislature’s size was soon adjusted: by 1861 the House had only 42 members and the Senate 21. Legislative elections were partisan, and the Republican Party dominated state politics during and after the Civil War.

Early in Minnesota's statehood, the legislature had direct control over the city charters that set the groundwork for governments in municipalities across the state. In the early period, many laws were written for specific cities. The practice was outlawed in 1881, though attempts to enact municipal legislation were still made. For instance, the long-standing Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the city's now defunct Library Board were both created by the legislature in the next several years. The Minnesota Constitution was amended in 1896 to give cities direct control over their own charters.

In the 19th century, the Minnesota Legislature initially met annually. Early legislatures often met every year for several months at a time. A constitutional amendment approved in 1860 introduced a 60-day limit on each session, prompting the legislature to convene briefly each year. Beginning in 1879, the legislature met in regular session only in odd-numbered years. The biennial session pattern persisted for nearly a century, even as the allowed length of sessions was later extended to 90 legislative days in 1888 and to 120 days in 1962.

The nonpartisan era

From 1913 until the mid-1970s, Minnesota legislators were elected on nonpartisan ballots. This was a historical accident that occurred when a bill to provide for no-party elections of judges, city, and county officers was amended to include the legislature in the belief that it would kill the bill. While Minnesota legislators were elected on a nonpartisan ballot, they caucused as "Liberals" or "Conservatives," roughly the equivalent in most years to Democratic or Farmer–Labor (later Democratic–Farmer–Labor) and Republican, respectively. In 1974, House members again ran with party designation; in 1976, Senate members did the same.

2004

Governor Jesse Ventura advocated the idea of changing the legislature to be unicameral while he was in office, but the concept did not obtain widespread support.

In 2004, the legislature ended its regular session without acting on a majority of the planned legislation, largely due to political divisiveness on a variety of issues ranging from education to same-sex marriage (See same-sex marriage in the United States for related events during the year). A proper budget failed to pass, and major anticipated projects such as the Northstar Corridor commuter rail line were not approved. Governor Tim Pawlenty, an opponent turned advocate of the line, was expected to request a special session but ended up helping the coordination of other funds to continue the development of the line. The lack of action in the 2004 session is said to be one reason why a number of Republican House members lost their seats in the November election. The Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) minority grew from 53 to 66 and the Republican majority was reduced from 81 to 68.

The Senate was not up for election in 2004 so the DFL was able to maintain its five-seat majority in the upper house. One state senator, Sheila Kiscaden of Rochester, was an Independence Party member until December 2005 when she began caucusing with the DFL, although she had been an elected Republican in the past. The DFL majority increased to six senators when Kiscaden announced her re-affiliation with the DFL in preparation to run for lieutenant governor on a ticket with DFLer Kelly Doran.

2005 shutdown

Main article: 2005 Minnesota state government shutdown

There is a mandatory adjournment date specified in the state constitution: "The legislature shall not meet in regular session, nor in any adjournment thereof, after the first Monday following the third Saturday in May of any year." In 2005, the regular session ended without passage of an overall budget and a special session was subsequently called by Governor Pawlenty. No overall budget passed by the end of the fiscal year on June 30, and much of the government shut down for the first time in the state's history. However, some essential services remained in operation and some departments received funding in legislation. A compromise budget was approved and signed into law two weeks later.

2011 shutdown

Recent history

The November 2022 general election saw the DFL maintain the governorship and the state House, while regaining control of the state Senate. This produced the first DFL legislative trifecta since 2014.

In the 2024 election, the Minnesota House was tied with 67 members elected from each major party. After the election of Curtis Johnson was nullified due to a residency challenge, the 2025 session began with a stalemate in the House. For three weeks, the DFL boycotted the session, denying quorum until a power-sharing agreement was reached.

The 2025 shootings of Minnesota legislators on June 14 resulted in the death of Representative and former Speaker Melissa Hortman and wounding of Senator John Hoffman, both members of the DFL.

Women in the legislature

Following the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution in 1920, women began to be elected to the Minnesota Legislature. In 1922, Mabeth Hurd Paige, Hannah Kempfer, Sue Metzger Dickey Hough, and Myrtle Cain were the first women elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives.

In 1984, the legislature ordered that gender-specific pronouns be removed from state laws. After two years of work, the rewritten laws were adopted. In the state laws, only 301 of 20,000 pronouns were feminine. "His" was changed 10,000 times and "he" was changed 6,000 times.

Television broadcasts

When the legislature is in session, proceedings of both houses are broadcast on television via the Minnesota Channel and also online via the legislature's website. The Minnesota House YouTube channel is "MNHouseInfo". The Minnesota Senate YouTube Channel is "Minnesota Senate Media Services".

Gallery

File:State Office Building (S.O.B.) seen from near the front steps of the State Capitol on Aurora Avenue in Saint Paul, Minnesota.jpg|The State Office Building, where members of the Minnesota House of Representatives have offices, adjacent to the Capitol. Currently under renovation File:State Office Building construction (cropped).jpg|The State Office Building, under construction. It is scheduled to re-open in 2027. 166,000 square feet will be added. File:Minnesota Senate Building-looking northeast.jpg |Minnesota Senate Building, completed 2015, where members of the Minnesota Senate have offices and hold hearings. Connected to the capitol by tunnel File:State of the State 2025 - Legislature 3 (54472581184).jpg | Members of both houses of the 94th Minnesota Legislature in the House chambers, during the State of the State address in 2025

Notes

References

References

1. Anderson, William. (1922). "City Charter Making in Minnesota". [[University of Minnesota]].
2. "History of MPRB". Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board.
3. "Laws of Minnesota 1885, chapter 3". Office of the Revisor of Statutes.
4. Adrian, Charles R.. (Winter 1952). "The Origin of Minnesota's Nonpartisan Legislature". [[Minnesota Historical Society]].
5. [http://www.leg.state.mn.us/legdb/fulldetail.aspx?id=13850] For example, [[John J. McNulty]] was elected to 10 consecutive two-year terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1928 to 1946 on a nonpartisan ballot, while caucusing with the "Liberals" in the House. He died in office in his 19th year as a "Liberal" causer, shortly, after being sworn in for his 10th term. Official website of the Minnesota Legislature.
6. "Legislative Party Control: A Chart, 1901 to the Present". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
7. "Unicameral Legislatures". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
8. Khoo, Michael. (May 17, 2004). "Minnesota lawmakers have little to show for months of work". [[Minnesota Public Radio]].
9. McCallum, Laura. (August 3, 2004). "Pawlenty finds money to jumpstart North Star rail line". [[Minnesota Public Radio]].
10. McCallum, Laura. (November 3, 2004). "DFL influence grows at Capitol". [[Minnesota Public Radio]].
11. McCallum, Laura. (January 9, 2006). "Doran taps Legislature's only Independent as running mate". [[Minnesota Public Radio]].
12. McCallum, Laura. (May 24, 2005). "Lawmakers go back to work as session ends without agreements". [[Minnesota Public Radio]].
13. Scheck, Tom. (July 1, 2005). "Lawmakers fail to avert shutdown". [[Minnesota Public Radio]].
14. Zdechlik, Mark. (July 14, 2005). "Budget bills are signed; spin control continues". [[Minnesota Public Radio]].
15. (February 5, 2025). "Democrats and Republicans reach deal to end Minnesota House stalemate". Minnesota Star Tribune.
16. staff, Star Tribune. (2025-06-14). "Live: Manhunt on for shooter in Rep. Melissa Hortman assassination".
17. "Women Wielding Power: Pioneer Female State Legislators". National Women's History Museum.
18. "1986 - Gender Revision in Minnesota Statutes". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
19. McLoone, Margo and Alice Siegel. (1995). "The Information Please Girls' Almanac". Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
20. "State Office Building Renovation". Minnesota Department of Administration.
21. (11 March 2025). "State Office Building construction project on track for 2027 completion, state government panel hears". Minnesota House of Representatives.
22. (24 February 2025). "MN STATE OFFICE BUILDING Construction Progress Update". MOCA Systems, Inc..
23. (26 October 2023). "State borrows $454 million to upgrade State Office Building". Minnesota Reformer.