State Legislature

A former state representative from St. Cloud is trying his hand at state politics again.

State Senator John Pederson of St. Cloud was in the WJON studio this (Friday) afternoon on the News @ Noon Show.

The Legislature has sent Gov. Mark Dayton a bill containing $20 million in emergency heating aid for low-income people.

Minnesota's willingness to forgive people with criminal pasts is emerging as a hot topic for state legislators, who are mulling revisions to laws designed to give low-level offenders a clean slate.

A narrow band of Minnesotans will pay a higher income tax under the new state budget. How much more? That depends. Officials say the average cost of the new tax for 54,400 filers is just shy of $7,200.

The Minnesota House has defeated an $800 million construction projects bill that failed to win a needed super-majority. The bill is a rare area where Republican held veto power. Because it involves long-term state debt, it required 81 votes to pass.

The Minnesota Senate is ready to vote on a bill to bump up the state's minimum wage, although not as fast as House lawmaking counterparts want. The Senate plan due for action Wednesday would bring the wage floor up to $7.75 per hour by August 2015 and then make annual adjustments based on inflation.

A Democratic state senator seen as a swing vote on gay marriage says he'll vote to make it legal in Minnesota. Sen. Kent Eken represents a northwestern Minnesota district that backed last fall's gay marriage ban by 53 percent.

There could be a couple major changes to our election system in Minnesota. The House Elections Committee yesterday (Thursday) passed two bills out of committee.

A bill that would raise Minnesota's minimum wage to more than $10 an hour by 2015 is moving through the Legislature. The House Labor, Workforce and Regulated Industries Committee on Thursday passed a bill to increase to the minimum wage in three steps until it hits $10.55.