91st Minnesota Legislature
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The Ninety-first Minnesota Legislature is the
legislature A legislature is an assembly with the authority to make law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior,Robertson, ''Crimes against humanity'', 90. with its p ...
of the
U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...
of
Minnesota Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minnesota is home to western prairies, now given over to ...
from January 8, 2019 to January 4, 2021. It is composed of the
Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...
and
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
, based on the results of the 2016 Senate election and 2018 House election. It first convened and held its regular session in
Saint Paul Paul; grc, Παῦλος, translit=Paulos; cop, ⲡⲁⲩⲗⲟⲥ; hbo, פאולוס השליח (previously called Saul of Tarsus;; ar, بولس الطرسوسي; grc, Σαῦλος Ταρσεύς, Saũlos Tarseús; tr, Tarsuslu Pavlus; ...
from January 8 to May 20, 2019, and from February 11 to May 18, 2020. A special session was held from May 24 to 25, 2019, to pass bills enacting the state budget following an agreement between the
governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
and legislative leaders during the final weekend of the regular session in 2019. Another special session was held from June 12 to 20, 2020, which was required by state law as Governor
Tim Walz Timothy James Walz ( ; born April 6, 1964) is an American politician and retired educator. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he has served as the 41st governor of Minnesota since 2019. Born in West Point, Nebraska, Walz ...
extended Minnesota's peacetime emergency in response to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
. It also the followed the
murder of George Floyd On , George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, was murdered in the U.S. city of Minneapolis by Derek Chauvin, a 44-year-old white police officer. Floyd had been arrested on suspicion of using a counterfeit $20 bill. Chauvin knelt on Floyd's n ...
in
Minneapolis Minneapolis () is the largest city in Minnesota, United States, and the county seat of Hennepin County. The city is abundant in water, with thirteen lakes, wetlands, the Mississippi River, creeks and waterfalls. Minneapolis has its origins ...
and the subsequent
protests A protest (also called a demonstration, remonstration or remonstrance) is a public expression of objection, disapproval or dissent towards an idea or action, typically a political one. Protests can be thought of as acts of coopera ...
. Walz and several legislators said they intended to use the special session to address concerns raised by Floyd's murder related to racial inequities in policing, on which the House and Senate were unable to reach an agreement. They were also unable to reach agreements on a public works borrowing bill, appropriating money from the
CARES Act The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, also known as the CARES Act, is a $2.2trillion Stimulus (economics), economic stimulus bill passed by the 116th U.S. Congress and signed into law by President Donald Trump on March 27, 2 ...
to local governments, and assistance for Minneapolis and Saint Paul for damage caused by
riots A riot is a form of civil disorder commonly characterized by a group lashing out in a violent public disturbance against authority, property, or people. Riots typically involve destruction of property, public or private. The property targeted ...
in those cities. Senate Majority Leader
Paul Gazelka Paul E. Gazelka ( ; born October 1, 1959) is an American politician and small business owner from Minnesota. A Republican, Gazelka was a member of the Minnesota Senate and was previously a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. In the s ...
had said at the beginning of the special session Republicans would adjourn the Senate by June 19 regardless of whatever legislation had or had not been passed by the Legislature, which House Speaker
Melissa Hortman Melissa Hortman (born May 27, 1970) is an American politician and the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represents District 36B, which includes portions of A ...
said was an arbitrary deadline. Gazelka said at the end of the special session a deadline was needed to force discussions and was willing to return for another special session when there were agreements on these issues. On July 10, 2020, Walz called a third special session that was held from July 13 to 21, 2020, as he again extended the peacetime emergency. The Legislature passed a bill on police reform, but was unable to reach an agreement on a public works borrowing bill. Five more special sessions were called by the Governor throughout the remainder of the year, all of which were to approve the extension of the COVID-19 peacetime emergency. In total, seven special sessions were held this term, the most of any term in state history.


Major events

* April 3, 2019:
Governor A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Tim Walz Timothy James Walz ( ; born April 6, 1964) is an American politician and retired educator. A member of the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he has served as the 41st governor of Minnesota since 2019. Born in West Point, Nebraska, Walz ...
delivered his first State of the State Address. * May 9, 2019: A joint convention of the Senate and House of Representatives was held to elect regents of the
University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota, formally the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, (UMN Twin Cities, the U of M, or Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Tw ...
. *April 5, 2020: Walz delivered his second State of the State Address. Originally scheduled to be held on March 23 in the House chamber, it was postponed and moved to the governor's residence due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
.


Major legislation


Enacted

* April 12, 2019: Hands-free cell phone use while driving act () * May 2, 2019: Voluntary relationship defense for criminal sexual conduct repeal act () *May 22, 2019: Assisted living act () * May 22, 2019: Opioid addiction prevention and treatment act () * Omnibus appropriations acts: ** May 22, 2019: Omnibus higher education act () ** May 30, 2019: Omnibus agriculture, housing, and rural development act () ** May 30, 2019: Omnibus transportation act () ** May 30, 2019: Omnibus environment and natural resources act () ** May 30, 2019: Omnibus judiciary and public safety act () ** May 30, 2019: Omnibus jobs, economic development, and energy act () ** May 30, 2019: Omnibus health and human services act () ** May 30, 2019: Omnibus state government act () ** May 30, 2019: Omnibus education act () * May 30, 2019: Omnibus legacy act () * May 30, 2019: Omnibus tax act () *March 10, 2020:
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
response act () *March 17, 2020: COVID-19 pandemic response act () *March 28, 2020: COVID-19 pandemic response act () *April 7, 2020:
COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...
first responders workers' compensation act () *April 15, 2020: Alec Smith Insulin Affordability Act () *April 15, 2020: COVID-19 pandemic response act () *May 12, 2020: 2020 elections special procedures act () *May 27, 2020: Outdoor heritage fund appropriations act () *July 23, 2020: Police reform act () *October 21, 2020: Omnibus capital investment "bonding" act ()


Proposed

:''Boldface indicates the bill was passed by its house of origin.'' *Clean Energy First Act (/) * Energy Conservation and Optimization Act of 2020 (/) *
Extreme risk protection order In the United States, a red flag law is a gun violence prevention law that permits a state court to order the temporary removal of firearms from a person who they believe may present a danger to others or themselves. A judge makes the determina ...
bill (/) *
Family leave Parental leave, or family leave, is an employee benefit available in almost all countries. The term "parental leave" may include maternity, Paternity (law), paternity, and adoption leave; or may be used distinctively from "maternity leave" a ...
insurance bill (/) * Firearm transfer background check bill (/) *Omnibus environment and natural resources bill (/) *Proposed constitutional amendment establishing a fundamental right to a quality public education bill (/) * Recreational
cannabis ''Cannabis'' () is a genus of flowering plants in the family Cannabaceae. The number of species within the genus is disputed. Three species may be recognized: ''Cannabis sativa'', '' C. indica'', and '' C. ruderalis''. Alternatively ...
bill (/) * Voting rights restoration for felons bill (/)


Political composition

:''Resignations and new members are discussed in the "Changes in membership" section below.''


Senate


House of Representatives


Leadership


Senate

*
President President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university *President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese ful ...
: **
Jeremy Miller Jeremy James Miller (born October 21, 1976) is an American actor. He is known for his portrayal of Ben Seaver on ''Growing Pains'' and its two reunion movies. He also voiced Linus van Pelt in '' Happy New Year, Charlie Brown!''. Career Miller ...
(R) (until November 12, 2020) ** David Tomassoni (I) (from November 12, 2020) * President pro tempore:
Mary Kiffmeyer Mary Kiffmeyer (born December 29, 1946) is an American politician. She served as Minnesota Secretary of State from 1999 to 2007 and went on to serves in the Minnesota legislature. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, she previously rep ...
(R)


Majority (Republican) leadership

*
Majority Leader In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.
:
Paul Gazelka Paul E. Gazelka ( ; born October 1, 1959) is an American politician and small business owner from Minnesota. A Republican, Gazelka was a member of the Minnesota Senate and was previously a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. In the s ...
* Deputy Majority Leader: Michelle Benson * Assistant Majority Leaders: ** Gary Dahms **
Karin Housley Karin Housley ( ; née Locke; born January 20, 1964) is an American politician, businesswoman, and member of the Minnesota Senate. A Republican, she represents Forest Lake, Stillwater, and the surrounding St. Croix Valley. Housley was the Repu ...
** John Jasinski ** Warren Limmer ** Eric Pratt * Majority Whips: ** John Jasinski ** Eric Pratt


Minority (DFL) leadership

* Minority Leader: **
Tom Bakk Thomas M. Bakk ( ; born June 8, 1954) is a Minnesota politician and member of the Minnesota Senate. Currently independent and a former member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, Bakk represents District 3, which includes portions ...
(until February 1, 2020) ** Susan Kent (from February 1, 2020) * Assistant Minority Leaders: **
Nick Frentz Nick A. Frentz (born June 29, 1963) is an American politician and member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represents District 19 in south-central Minnesota. Early life, education, and ...
(from February 7, 2020) **
Jeff Hayden Jeffrey D. Hayden (born September 24, 1966) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented District 62, which includes portions of south Minn ...
** Susan Kent (until February 1, 2020) ** Carolyn Laine ** Erik Simonson (from February 7, 2020) * Minority Whips: ** Ann Rest **
Kent Eken Bernhard Kent Eken ( ; born December 12, 1963) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota Senate. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented Minnesota Senate, District 4, District 4, which ...
** John Hoffman


House of Representatives

*
Speaker Speaker may refer to: Society and politics * Speaker (politics), the presiding officer in a legislative assembly * Public speaker, one who gives a speech or lecture * A person producing speech: the producer of a given utterance, especially: ** I ...
:
Melissa Hortman Melissa Hortman (born May 27, 1970) is an American politician and the Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represents District 36B, which includes portions of A ...
(DFL) * Speakers pro tempore: **
Gene Pelowski Gene P. Pelowski, Jr. (born February 2, 1952) is Minnesota politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represents District 26A, which includes Winona County ...
(DFL) **
Paul Marquart Paul Marquart (born January 9, 1957) is a Minnesota politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party, he represents District 4B, which includes parts of Becker, Clay, and ...
(DFL) **
Jeanne Poppe Jeanne E. Poppe (born July 6, 1957) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represented District 27B, which includes all or port ...
(DFL) **
Liz Olson Liz Olson is an American politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represents District 7B in northeastern Minnesota. She became majority whip in 2019. ...
(DFL) **
Laurie Halverson Laurie Halverson (born February 8, 1969) is an American politician who serves as County Commissioner for Dakota County in Minnesota. Previously, she has served as a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from 2013 to 2021. A member of t ...
(DFL) **
Tony Albright Anthony Albright (born April 2, 1962) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, he represented District 55B in the southwestern Twin Cities metropolitan ar ...
(R)


Majority (DFL) leadership

*
Majority Leader In U.S. politics (as well as in some other countries utilizing the presidential system), the majority floor leader is a partisan position in a legislative body.
:
Ryan Winkler Ryan Patrick Winkler (born December 30, 1975) is an American politician and the former majority leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represented District 46A, whic ...
* Majority Whip:
Liz Olson Liz Olson is an American politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represents District 7B in northeastern Minnesota. She became majority whip in 2019. ...
* Assistant Majority Leaders: **
Jamie Becker-Finn Jamie Becker-Finn (born October 20, 1982) is an American politician and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), she represents District 42B in the northeastern Twin Citi ...
** Hodan Hassan ** Mary Kunesh-Podein ** Fue Lee **
Jamie Long Jamie Long is an American attorney, politician, and member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL), he represents District 61B, which covers the southern part of the Chain of ...
** Julie Sandstede


Minority (Republican) leadership

* Minority Leader:
Kurt Daudt Kurt Louis Daudt (born September 26, 1973) is an American politician and the Minority Leader of the Minnesota House of Representatives. He is a former Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party of Minneso ...
*Deputy Minority Leader:
Anne Neu Anne Neu Brindley is an American politician from Minnesota. A Republican, she has served as the Representative for Minnesota's legislative district 32B since 2017. On September 8, 2016, the Minnesota Supreme Court ruled that Republican Bob Ba ...
*Minority Whip:
Dan Fabian Dan Fabian (born June 28, 1954) is an American politician who served as a Republican member of the Minnesota House of Representatives for District 1A from 2015 to 2019 and as Minority Whip from 2019 to 2021. He represented all of Kittson, Roseau ...
*Assistant Minority Leaders: **
Tony Albright Anthony Albright (born April 2, 1962) is a Minnesota politician and former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, he represented District 55B in the southwestern Twin Cities metropolitan ar ...
**
Peggy Bennett Peggy Bennett (born July 3, 1958) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2015. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, Bennett represents District 23A in southern Minnesota, which includes the city ...
** Josh Heintzeman **
Jon Koznick Jon Koznick (born July 4, 1972) is an American politician serving in the Minnesota House of Representatives since 2015. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, Koznick represents District 58A in the southern Twin Cities metropolitan area, ...
** Jim Nash **
Peggy Scott Peggy Scott-Adams (born Peggy Stoutmeyer, June 25, 1948) is an American blues and R&B singer. She is sometimes known by her former name of Peggy Scott, and billed as "The Little Lady with the Big Voice". Early life and career Peggy Stoutmeyer ...


Members


House of Representatives

On December 8, 2018, four Republican members of the House (Reps. Steve Drazkowski of Mazeppa, Cal Bahr of East Bethel, Tim Miller of Prinsburg,
Jeremy Munson Jeremy Munson (born December 31, 1975) is an American businessman and politician. A member of the Republican Party of Minnesota, Munson represented District 23B in the Minnesota House of Representatives. He lives on a farm outside Lake Crystal, M ...
of Lake Crystal) announced that they would not join the Republican caucus in the 91st Legislature and instead would form a new caucus, called the "New Republican Caucus." They cited displeasure with "the attitudes and actions by eader Daudtand some of his supporters" and said they still consider themselves to be members of the Republican Party.


Religious composition

Over half of the 91st legislature identify as Christian, 3% identify as Jewish, and 42% refused to state their affiliation. The single largest religious denomination are Lutherans with 39 members; 21 in the house (15.6%), and 18 in the senate (26.9%).


Minority composition

22 legislators identified themselves or were identified in a newspaper or book as a member of a minority group.


Changes in membership


Senate


House of Representatives


Committees


Senate


House of Representatives


Administrative officers


Senate

* Secretary:
Cal Ludeman Cal R. Ludeman ( ; born April 1951) is an American politician currently serving as Secretary of the Minnesota Senate. He is a former member of the Minnesota House of Representatives from southwestern Minnesota. First elected in 1978, he was re-e ...
* First Assistant Secretary: Colleen Pacheco * Second Assistant Secretary: Mike Linn * Engrossing Secretary: Melissa Mapes * Sergeant at Arms: Sven Lindquist * Assistant Sergeant at Arms: Marilyn Logan * Chaplain: Mike Smith


House of Representatives

* Chief Clerk: Patrick Murphy * First Assistant Chief Clerk: Tim Johnson * Second Assistant Chief Clerk: Gail Romanowski * Chief Sergeant at Arms: Bob Meyerson * Assistant Sergeant at Arms: Erica Brynildson * Assistant Sergeant at Arms: Andrew Olson * Index Clerk: Carl Hamre


Notes


References


External links

* Legislature
2019 Regular Session Laws
*
2019, 1st Special Session Laws

2020 Regular Session Laws

2020, 1st Special Session Laws

2020, 2nd Special Session Laws

2020, 3rd Special Session Laws
* Senate
List of bill summaries
prepared by the Senate Counsel, Research and Fiscal Analysis Office *
List of act summaries
prepared by the Senate Counsel, Research and Fiscal Analysis Office *
Fiscal tracking spreadsheets
prepared by the Senate Counsel, Research and Fiscal Analysis Office * House of Representatives
List of bill summaries
prepared by the House Research Department *
List of act summaries
prepared by the House Research Department *
Fiscal tracking spreadsheets
prepared by the House Fiscal Analysis Department {{Minnesota Legislatures Minnesota legislative sessions 2010s in Minnesota 2019 in Minnesota 2020 in Minnesota 2019 U.S. legislative sessions 2020 U.S. legislative sessions