minnesota legislature Archives

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Partisan conflict in Minnesota House threatens to hold up $200 million in conservation funds

May 15, 2026

KVRR Staff,

Buffalo River State Park adjoins a 6,000-acre Bluestem Prairie Preserve. (Photo courtesy of Visit Fargo-Moorhead)ST. PAUL, Minn. (Minnesota Reformer) — A procedural hangup in the deadlocked Minnesota House threatens to derail nearly $200 million in funding for habitat conservation and restoration across the state. At a Capitol press conference Thursday, representatives from at least eight environmental groups implored lawmakers to put aside…

Obscure drug discount program unleashes a full-fledged influence war at the State Capitol

May 15, 2026

KVRR Staff,

ST. PAUL, Minn. (Minnesota Reformer) — Hospitals and drug companies are engaged in an expensive influence battle at the State Capitol this year over an obscure provision known as 340B, with each side lining up an army of dark-suited lobbyists, and Big Pharma even spending on billboards in rural Minnesota, as well as TV and Instagram ads. The high-priced battle…

Legislative deal: hospital bailout, infrastructure bill, cuts to property taxes and car tab fees

May 14, 2026

KVRR Staff,

The Minnesota State Capitol, Tuesday, Feb. 24, 2026. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)ST. PAUL, Minn. (Minnesota Reformer) — Gov. Tim Walz and legislative leaders announced a deal late Wednesday on the big-ticket items the Legislature plans to pass this session, which ends on Sunday night. They provided few details, but Walz and some legislative leaders are holding press conferences Thursday….

Hortman bill passes committee, will be discussed on senate floor on Wednesday

May 12, 2026

KVRR Staff,

Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman testifies before the Senate Finance Committee. 5/12/26.ST. PAUL, Minn. (KVRR) —Minnesota’s Senate Finance Committee votes to pass a bill that would make impersonating law enforcement a felony. The bill was authored by Sen. John Hoffman. Hoffman and his wife were shot by a man impersonating a police officer. The same man is also accused of using…

Senate passes bill reining in homeowners’ associations

May 7, 2026

KVRR Staff,

Sen. Susan Pha, DFL-Brooklyn Park, and Sen. Eric Lucero, R-Saint Michael, present their bill aimed at reining in HOAs at a meeting of the Senate Housing and Homelessness Prevention committee on March 12, 2025. Photo by Madison McVan/Minnesota Reformer.ST. PAUL (Minnesota Reformer) — A bipartisan bill limiting homeowners’ association fees, implementing new transparency and conflict-of-interest rules and establishing a path…

Committee wrap-up discussion ends with vote to subpoena emails from Rep. Ilhan Ohmar

May 5, 2026

KVRR Staff,

House Committee on Fraud Prevention and State Agency Oversight Policy. 5/5/26.ST. PAUL, Minn. (KVRR) — Minnesota’s House committee on Fraud Prevention met for an end of session wrap-up discussion. They began by hearing testimony on issues regarding the Department of Human Services. The committee took a vote to subpoena emails from Rep. Ilhan Omar related to communications between her office…

MN Gun Control bill narrowly passes senate, may have trouble passing the house

May 4, 2026

KVRR Staff,

Minnesota State CapitolST. PAUL, Minn. (KVRR) — A bill that would further restrict the types of guns Minnesotans narrowly passed the state Senate. The senate passed the bill by one vote with 34 senators voting for the bill and 33 voting against. The gun bill was added to a larger omnibus bill, but the majority of debate focused on the…

MN gun bill added to larger omnibus bill

April 29, 2026

KVRR Staff,

Minnesota State CapitolST. PAUL — A DFL-led gun bill is one step closer to a vote on the floor of the Minnesota Senate. The bill would add language to the state statute detailing which guns are considered assault weapons. For example, semi-automatic rifles and pistols would be banned if they have folding or telescopic stocks, or if they have protruding…

Minnesota House passes bill to support veterans

April 14, 2026

KVRR Staff,

ST. PAUL, Minn. (KVRR-KFGO) — A bill passed in the Minnesota House will help manage veterans’ issues like food insecurity, homelessness and suicide prevention. The bill will allow the Minnesota Department of Veterans Affairs (MDVA) to collaborate with other organizations that support state veterans. “No one who has served our country should struggle to put food on the table or…

Bipartisan bill banning local officials from signing NDAs moving through Legislature

April 9, 2026

KVRR Staff,

St. Louis County Commissioner Ashley Grimm poses for a portrait outside the St. Louis County District Courthouse Friday, Oct. 24, 2025 in Duluth, Minnesota. (Photo by Nicole Neri/Minnesota Reformer)ST. PAUL, Minn. (Minnesota Reformer) — After local governments secretly approved data center projects across Minnesota, Republicans and Democrats in the Legislature have rallied behind a bill that would prohibit local government officials from…