State Legislature

The first floor debates and votes on Republican-sponsored state budget bills come this week at the Capitol. The House of Representatives plans to debate and vote Monday on a tax bill that includes income-tax cuts in the two lowest income brackets, cuts statewide property taxes on businesses, and phases out state aid to the cities of Minneapolis, St. Paul and Duluth.

House Republicans aim to reduce projected health and welfare spending $1.6 billion by cutting services for the disabled and elderly and MinnesotaCare health care while seeking federal permission for more health care cuts.

Two veteran Republican lawmakers from southern Minnesota are the chief sponsors of the latest bill seeking to allow horse racing tracks to install video slot machines. The push to expand casino-style gambling has been regularly stymied at the Capitol.

A bill attempting to head off possible human cloning is starting its travel through Minnesota's Legislature. The human cloning ban is a priority of the state's dominant anti-abortion group, Minnesota Citizens Concerned for Life.

A proposal to more than double prison sentences for the most serious sex crimes gets its first legislative hearing Tuesday. The House public safety committee considers legislation that would raise the recommended sentence for first-degree sex offenses from 12 years to 25 years.

A move to repeal Minnesota's ban on new nuclear power plants has stalled as a crisis unfolds at a nuclear facility in Japan. The bill's Republican sponsors are blaming the slowdown on Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton's demands, not the scramble to avoid a meltdown at a Japanese nuclear plant after a huge earthquake and tsunami.

Last week, brought high-altitude budget numbers from Republicans in charge of the Legislature. This week brings the nitty-gritty details at Minnesota's Capitol.

Old battles over state borrowing for construction projects are revving up anew as Minnesota House Republicans seek to cancel previous authorization for a new Minneapolis Planetarium, rail projects and other things.

The push to open Minnesota up to more nuclear power is nearing its final stages at the state Capitol. A House-Senate conference committee planned to meet Friday to continue working on a unified proposal for scrapping a ban on new nuclear plant construction.

Minnesota GOP senators are making their hardest spending cuts at social service programs, state agencies and aid programs for local governments and public colleges. Budget targets released Thursday offer the first look at how legislators will tackle a $5 billion budget deficit.