Governor Mark Dayton signed the new minimum wage bill into law Monday in a jubilant celebration at the State Capitol that brought waves of emotion to the many groups that worked to see the law passed. The bill affects 375,000 minimum-wage workers in Minnesota, who will see their wages raised to $8 an hour starting in August and to $9.50 in 2016. (More…) Continue Reading →
Football fans, elected leaders and Vikings big shots assembled under a heated tent on Tuesday to celebrate the symbolic groundbreaking for a new Vikings stadium and the demolition of the old Metrodome. Pastries, coffee and ranks of gold-painted shovels and purple-horned hard hats were arrayed for the event, which was celebrated with a round of fireworks in the east parking lot of the Metrodome. The explosions may have been apt: Despite the festive celebration, the groundbreaking was carried out with an air of urgency: The $1 billion stadium, facing a host of political and financial problems, is still under the gun and the fake hole — the dignitaries used their shovels on a carefully arranged foot-deep pile of dirt that had been manicured above the cement parking surface, the black dirt surrounded by green swatches of indoor-outdoor carpeting giving the appearance of a freshly dug grave site — is not likely to be the end of things. (more…) Continue Reading →
Story for The UpTake by Kathryn Nelson and Nick Coleman
The Minnesota State Patrol does not always verify that gun owners have valid permits to carry handguns before they are added to a list of gun owners allowed to carry weapons inside the Minnesota Capitol and its complex. That surprising admission was made Wednesday at a tense meeting of the advisory committee on Minnesota Capitol Security that exposed a number of areas of confusion in the state’s gun permitting laws and how they are interpreted at the Capitol and its 14-acre complex of associated buildings. Testimony by State Patrol Maj. Bob Meyerson caused a number of startled looks on the six-member task force, which is headed by Lt. Gov. Yvonne Prettner Solon. Meyerson told the panel that gun owners are required to have a Minnesota Permit to Carry as well as permission from the Commissioner of Public Safety in order to bring their handguns into the State Capitol. Continue Reading →
A handful of Latino activists went on hunger strike to get Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton’s to support a bill allowing undocumented citizens in the state to obtain a legal right to drive. Continue Reading →
Opponents of same-sex marriage in Minnesota warned that legalizing marriage for all would have “unintended consequences.” It turns out they were right: Minnesota has changed, fundamentally for the better.
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The “gun-show loophole” is still wide open, gun sales are booming and gun owners and the gun lobby remain as belligerently opposed to any reforms as ever. Continue Reading →
Thousands of marchers calling for immigration rights for the undocumented marched in Minnesota and Milwaukee on May Day. Continue Reading →
Nearly 500 people gathered on the steps of the state Capitol Thursday, braving a late-winter storm to pressure state legislators to pass a marriage equality bill before the 2013 legislative session ends.
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If Minnesota ever adopts a single-payer heath care system, the work of Dr. Elizabeth Frost will be remembered as one of the key reasons for its passage. Continue Reading →
Here is an UpTake guide to the frac sand hearing being held today by a joint meeting of the Minnesota Senate Committee on Environment & Energy and the House Committee on Energy Policy. Continue Reading →
Legislation opening the way for same-sex marriage in Minnesota finally is being introduced in the Legislature. But does the Democratic majority have the political will to follow Gov. Mark Dayton and push for marriage equality this session? Continue Reading →
“I want Minnesota to be a state, which affirms that freedom for one means freedom for everyone, and where no one is told it is illegal to marry the person you love,” Governor Mark Dayton told Minnesota lawmakers in his State of the State address. Continue Reading →
This is Gov. Mark Dayton’s opportunity to fulfill his campaign pledge and raise taxes on the rich and make Minnesota’s tax system more progressive. But does Dayton have the legislative support and political capital to make good on his pledge? Continue Reading →
Tonight at Northrop Plaza on the University of Minnesota campus, the Minnesotans United for all Families campaign held a “get-out-the-vote” rally to defeat the marriage-restriction constitutional amendment on next Tuesday’s election ballot. Continue Reading →
Tonight, Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton, Wellstone’s surviving sons David and Mark, the nonprofit Wellstone Action and other dignitaries will honor Paul Wellstone’s life and legacy with a 70-minute tribute at Macalester College. Continue Reading →
Senator Mike Parry (R) calls Minnesota Governor Mark Dayton “irrational” and union leaders “dinosaurs” after Republicans vote 6-4 to reject a contract with unionized state employees. Continue Reading →
Why is Senator Mike Parry angry when people laugh? Watch the video to find out why. Continue Reading →
Former Minnesota Republican Party Chair Tony Sutton illegally redirected campaign contributions to conceal the names of donors to pay for a recount of the 2010 Governor’s race says the Minnesota Campaign Finance Board. Continue Reading →
Should corporations be able to financially support a political candidate or publicly express their opinion on a controversial issue such as same-sex marriage rights? Continue Reading →
Members of the Welfare Rights Committee disrupt the signing of the Vikings Stadium Bill. They claim, “Vikings Got Bailed Out, We Got Sold Out!” Continue Reading →
A bill that would give business owners a tax cut is hailed by Senator Geoff Michel (R-Edina) as the “best piece of legislation” to be considered his year. Senator John Marty (DFL-Roseville ) counters it deserves a “smoking’ hot veto pen” because it isn’t paid for. Continue Reading →
A Minnesota Senate attempt to override Governor Mark Dayton’s veto of a bill expanding the kinds of fireworks that can legally be sold in Minnesota fails to get the 2/3rds majority needed. Continue Reading →
The Vikings stadium is dead, long live the Vikings stadium. One plan dies and another plan is given a green light for a vote at the Minnesota legislature. Continue Reading →
A just revealed Republican plan to have the state pay only for “infrastructure” in a new stadium has been described by Democrats as a “punt.” More importantly, the Vikings say the proposal won’t work. Continue Reading →
Governor Dayton restored money to Emergency Medical Assistance, which helps some of Minnesota’s sickest regardless of their immigration status. Minneapolis resident Luis Fuentes is a testament to that. Continue Reading →
