An array of Minnesota officials gathered at a federal courthouse to privately discuss the future of the state's program for confining sex offenders. More than a dozen legislators, Gov. Mark Dayton, Attorney General Lori Swanson and others are talking about potential changes to a program that's been declared unconstitutional.
A new state law is waiting for Governor Dayton's approval which will require farmers to install a 50-foot buffer between their crops and public lakes, streams and ditches. A conservation buffer is an area of permanent vegetation that helps control pollutants and manage other environmental concerns before they hit the water.
Gov. Mark Dayton is threatening to veto a state agency budget bill if Republicans don't agree to remove a part that would ditch candidate spending limits and undo current restrictions on where their donations originate.
Minnesota lawmakers who have long put off large-scale changes to the state's treatment program for sex offenders are under even more pressure to act this session, as a federal judge could soon rule on whether the program is constitutional.
Minnesota senators have voted for a stringent set of electronic cigarette standards that would make their use unacceptable in any place regular tobacco is disallowed.