What to watch as Minnesota Legislature returns to Capitol

Minnesota lawmakers return to St. Paul on Tuesday, Feb. 17, after eight months of near-constant upheaval in the state.

The signs of this tumultuous period will be everywhere inside the State Capitol.

A new security screening system will greet visitors to the building at four major entrances, a change made by Gov. Tim Walz after former DFL House Leader Melissa Hortman and her husband were fatally shot in their Brooklyn Park home last June. Hortman’s former seat on the House floor will sit empty on Tuesday and throughout the session as a tribute to the slain leader.

Lawmakers will also respond to recent crises through legislation, introducing bills on Tuesday to clamp down on sprawling fraud that has proliferated in the state’s social services programs, as well as limit what federal immigration agents can do in the state after a six-week enforcement surge that left two Minnesotans dead.

“Let’s stand together as a DFL and a Minnesota GOP and say, ‘No more,’” said Rep. Leigh Finke, DFL-St. Paul, who will carry several immigration-enforcement-related bills. “This is the kind of moment in history where we must say, ‘Never again will we allow this to happen.’”

Lawmakers have just three months to pass their priorities before a May deadline to adjourn, but reaching agreement may be difficult in the closely divided House and Senate.

All 201 seats in the Legislature will be on the ballot in November, and both sides will try to use the session to force tough votes for the other side or pass priorities that can be touted on the campaign trail next fall.

“We’re here to stop the fraud. We want to make Minnesota affordable, safe and competitive. We’re looking to reduce the mandates and raise standards in education, and ensure that Minnesota tax dollars help the Minnesotans that they’re meant to help,” she said.

Walz is not seeking re-election and wants to push legislators to pass a new ban on assault-style weapons in the wake of last Augutst’s shooting at Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis that left two children dead and dozens more injured.

Ahead of the midterm election, both sides also want to address affordability issues. And Democrats are pushing for a large bonding bill that will fund construction projects in districts across the state. Republicans have said they are open to a bill but have signaled a desire for a smaller package.

Both chambers will gavel in at noon for the first day of the session, which will include a tribute to the Hortmans on the floor of the Minnesota House.