Minnesota State Legislature

Leading Minnesota lawmakers have sorted out a tax package that is the linchpin of the next state budget. The top two percent of income earners will pay two percent more on a portion of their income.

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The Minnesota Senate has passed a bill allowing the unionization of home child-care workers in Minnesota after an all-night debate that saw Republicans trying to block the bill.

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Legislation mandating that Minnesota's big utilities get some of their electricity from the sun is moving closer to becoming law. The solar energy mandate will mean cleaner energy, less burning of coal and probably higher utility bills for many Minnesotans.

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The Minnesota House has scheduled a Thursday debate and floor vote on the bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the state. Jake Loesch is a spokesman for the organization Minnesotans United - the group that supports gay marriage. He says he thinks the votes are there for it to pass in the House.

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The Minnesota House has scheduled a Thursday debate and floor vote on the bill to legalize same-sex marriage in the state. House DFL leadership announced the plans Tuesday.

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Minnesota's state House has backed a higher education financing package that architects say will freeze undergraduate tuition at public colleges for two years. The plan passed Thursday by a bipartisan vote of 86-44.

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In a nod to second chances, the Minnesota Senate has approved a bill that would bar employers from asking about a person's criminal history on job applications. The bill passed the State Senate 44-16 on Saturday.

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A reworked proposal for a publicly aided Mayo Clinic expansion plan relies on a heavier local match and requires a bigger private ante before the state of Minnesota chips in. Revisions aired Monday in the Senate Taxes Committee would withhold state dollars until $250 million is spent on upgrading the clinic and associated development around Rochester.

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Wolf hunting opponents plan to make a move in the Minnesota House to stop wolf trapping. Rep. Jason Isaacson, DFL-Shoreview, has authored an amendment to a broad natural resources bill slated to come up on the House floor Thursday.

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Minnesota brewers and liquor lobbyists say a proposal to boost the state's alcohol taxes could tack $2 onto the cost of a 12-pack. House Democrats have billed a hike in the state's alcohol excise tax - part of a tax package unveiled Monday - as a 7-cent-per-drink increase to help the state pay the social costs of alcoholism.

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