Minnesota House, Senate leaders give session update

Legislative leadership
Minnesota Senate Minority Leader David Hann answered a question during a business group's legislative preview. Also pictured (L to R) are Sen. Majority Leader Tom Bakk, House Speaker Paul Thissen and House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt.
Tim Pugmire/MPR News

Minnesota state Senate and House leaders join The Daily Circuit for a mid-session update on legislation at the Capitol. Lawmakers take a Easter/Passover recess after Thursday's session.

"It's a session that has seen alliances between Democrats tested, not just over the office project but in the ongoing effort to raise the state minimum wage from $6.15 to $9.50 an hour," wrote Patrick Condon in the Star Tribune. "What seemed like a slam dunk for the party has again divided [Tom]Bakk from [Mark] Dayton and [Paul] Thissen, as the majority leader pushes back against longtime allies in labor and angers party activists who seek not just a wage hike, but an automatic tie to inflation."

LEARN MORE ABOUT THIS LEGISLATIVE SESSION:

Deal reached to raise Minn. minimum wage to $9.50
The rate would be tied to inflation beginning in 2018, but the commissioner of the state Department of Labor and Industry would be able to prevent automatic inflationary increases if economic conditions warrant. (MPR News)

Minority Republicans wield influence over bonding bill
To move forward, a bonding bill needs the support of three-fifths of the House members. That means some Republicans need to join Democrats in voting for it. (MPR News)

House passes wide-ranging supplemental budget bill
On a vote of 70-59, the House passed HF3172, which would inject roughly $322 million into the current two-year budget period that began July 1, 2013. Lawmakers last year passed a $38 billion budget for the 2014-2015 biennium. The subsequent largesse materialized when the February economic forecast projected $1.23 billion more coming into the state's coffers. (Twin Cities Daily Planet)

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