Larry Hosch

Larry Hosch a former State Representative from St. Joseph ran in the Boston Marathon today (Monday). He says he finished the race, and had just left the finish line area before the explosions.

A four-term Democratic state lawmaker from St. Joseph says he won't seek re-election this year. State Rep. Larry Hosch says he wants to spend more time with his family, especially his two young sons.

State lawmakers and members of Congress are anxiously waiting a big announcement next week. We'll find out on Tuesday what the redistricting maps look like for the State House and Senate seats, as well as for the eight members of our Congressional delegation.

The Minnesota House has passed a bill that would let schools consider teacher performance in layoff decisions. State law currently requires that seniority be the only consideration. Opponents say the bill would make it easier for districts to layoff teachers with high salaries.

We're just in the first week of the state legislative session and already Republican lawmakers are floating the idea of putting another constitutional amendment on the November ballot. The amendment would require voters to produce a photo ID.

Republican State Representative Steve Gottwalt of St. Cloud is reacting to the latest news from Governor Mark Dayton. He says it's a good sign. And Republican State Representative Tim O'Driscoll of Sartell says he's cautiously optimistic about today's (Thursday) news.

DFL State Representative Larry Hosch of St. Joseph was on WJON this (Friday) morning. He says Governor Mark Dayton offered to take a tax increase off the table, but then Republicans started making demands on policy issues.

At some point the State Legislature is going to have to go into a special session to complete the budget for the next biennium. Exactly when and how long that special session will is yet to be determined. However, we do know that whenever it happens several of our local lawmakers have pledged to not be paid for it.

As lawmakers wait to see what Governor Dayton does with the budget bills that have been sent to his desk, the State House is expected to vote on the gay marriage amendment issue today (Friday).

As the State Legislature and the Governor continue to spar over high profile issues like the budget, gay marriage, and a Vikings stadium -- there's also bills that have quietly passed that tinker with the State Land and Legacy Amendment. The Land and Legacy Amendment brings in hundreds of millions of dollars, and state lawmakers have been voting on conflicting bills on where that money should go.