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Minnesota Lawmakers Sort Out Tax Increase Details

The Associated Press — Fri, 17 May 2013 02:18:11 +0000

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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UPDATE: Minnesota Senate Passes Day Care Unionization Bill

The Associated Press — Wed, 15 May 2013 12:49:19 +0000

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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Minnesota Solar Energy Mandate Closer to Becoming Law

The Associated Press — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:15:11 +0000

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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Gay Marriage Debate Heading to House Floor for a Vote [AUDIO,POLL]

Jim Maurice — Tue, 07 May 2013 18:36:06 +0000

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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Minnesota House Schedules Thursday Gay Marriage Vote

The Associated Press — Tue, 07 May 2013 14:27:05 +0000

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 House OKs Bill With $150 Million More for College

The Associated Press — Thu, 25 Apr 2013 19:04:23 +0000

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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State Senate Passes Bill Altering Job Applications [AUDIO]

Jim Maurice — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 18:49:12 +0000

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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Reworked Mayo Finance Plans Up Local, Private Ante

The Associated Press — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 15:31:26 +0000

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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Minnesota House Could Vote on Wolf Trapping Ban

The Associated Press — Thu, 18 Apr 2013 19:27:54 +0000

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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Alcohol Tax Hike Will Hit Consumers, Opponents Say

The Associated Press — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 18:48:39 +0000

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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Income, Sin Taxes In Minnesota House Democrats Revenue Plan

The Associated Press — Mon, 15 Apr 2013 18:37:43 +0000

Minnesota House Democrats are looking to fetch $2.5 billion by raising taxes on people with high incomes, those who smoke and those who drink alcohol. A tax package released Monday boosts those taxes to balance the budget, cut property taxes and increase school aid.

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Senate Tax Chair: New Mayo Funding Plan Needs Work

The Associated Press — Fri, 12 Apr 2013 18:58:56 +0000

A top Senate Democrat says the altered funding plan to help the Mayo Clinic expand needs work before moving forward. The Senate Taxes Committee had been set Friday morning to take up the new plan, which replaced a complicated tax capture mechanism with state aid payment system that increases with private contributions.

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House Passes Online Health Insurance Marketplace

The Associated Press — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:55:31 +0000

The Minnesota House has passed a bill creating an online health insurance marketplace that aims to give at least 1.3 million Minnesotans a new way to purchase coverage. The House passed the bill early Friday on a vote of 72 to 61. Most Democrats backed the bill while Republicans opposed it.

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Senate Panel OKs Gun Bill With Background Checks

The Associated Press — Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:53:39 +0000

A Senate panel has passed a bill that would impose background checks on all gun sales, but that measure has many obstacles to tackle before becoming law in Minnesota. Majority Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee on Thursday night endorsed the legislation on a 5-3 party-line vote.

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Senate Panel Passes Wolf Hunt Moratorium 7-6

The Associated Press — Thu, 14 Mar 2013 19:15:38 +0000

Opponents of wolf hunting win a victory as a Minnesota Senate panel votes 7-6 for a five-year moratorium on future wolf seasons. Wolf hunting opponents argued before the Senate Environment and Energy Committee on Thursday that the state acted too hastily when it decided to resume sport hunting and trapping after the region's wolves came off the endangered list early last year.

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Mayo Bill Pauses as Key Lawmaker Doubts Financing

The Associated Press — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 21:37:05 +0000

A key Minnesota lawmaker says a bill committing the state to aid in a massive Mayo Clinic expansion project needs a considerable makeover to get through her House committee.

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UPDATE: Minnesota House, Senate Panels Approve Same-Sex Marriage Bill

The Associated Press — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 21:32:03 +0000

A Minnesota Senate committee has approved a bill that would legalize gay marriage in the state. The bill was endorsed Tuesday on a 5 to 3 party-line vote in the Senate Judiciary Committee with all Democrats in favor and all Republicans opposed.

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Bill Aims to Back State Off on Chili Cook-Offs

The Associated Press — Tue, 12 Mar 2013 01:03:24 +0000

Crosslake citizens say unnecessary health regulations have hurt their annual chili cook-off, and a state lawmaker has the fix. Rep. Joe Radinovich, a freshman Democrat from nearby Crosby, introduced a bill Monday that would ease state health regulations on soup and chili cook-offs.

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Poll: Majority Support Minimum Wage Increase

The Associated Press — Sun, 10 Mar 2013 19:45:11 +0000

A new Star Tribune Minnesota Poll shows a majority of Minnesotans support raising the state's minimum wage, but they differ on how much that raise should be.

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Minnesota Senate Approves Health Care Marketplace Bill

The Associated Press — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 10:47:47 +0000

The Minnesota Senate has approved a bill to create the state's health insurance exchange. Lawmakers voted 37-28 Thursday night to approve a bill that makes major changes to the state's health care system to conform with the federal government's health insurance mandate.

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