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This past week was the first full week that all legislators were present and working in St. Paul. The House of Representatives has been playing catch-up, quickly introducing 786 bills over just three days on the floor. While the Senate has already introduced 1,417 bills, it took them 11 days to do so. Committees are also fully up and running, and while some are still providing overviews of committee jurisdiction, bills are beginning to move through the legislative process.

Big Week for Cannabis and Gaming

Minnesota is home to eleven tribal communities, and this week they were front and center on two separate political issues:

First, drafts of long-awaited tribal compacts regarding the opening of the adult-use cannabis market were made public early in the week. Many were surprised at what they viewed as the expansive nature of the tribes’ ability to play a role in the new market. While many support this, others do not.

Later in the week, the Senate held its first hearing for the legislative session on sports betting. While this subject has been in the works for several years, issue leaders were hopeful that they had finally found an agreement between the primary parties, including the tribes, with sufficient legislative support to be signed into law. Thus, there were several surprised faces when the bill stalled in Thursday’s Senate State and Local Government Committee on a tie vote.

Permitting Reform Bill Advances in House

The House Environment and Natural Resources Finance and Policy Committee Thursday passed a Republican-sponsored bill, HF 8, which aims to reform existing environmental and resource management permitting processes. The bill passed on a party-line vote and will be heard next week in the House Workforce, Labor, and Economic Development Finance and Policy Committee. Rep. Josh Heintzeman (R-Nisswa), the author of the bill, said the bill would modernize existing regulatory systems and make them more efficient while still protecting the environment.  DFL members expressed concerns with the changes and argued that they will harm the environment.  Details of the bill can be found here.

Open U.S. Senate Seat

The 2026 political season officially began on Thursday when U.S. Senator Tina Smith (DFL) announced that she would not be running for re-election. Within minutes, Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan announced that she was considering running for the seat. Subsequently, many potential candidates from both political parties have either directly expressed or hinted at interest in throwing their hat in the ring, including Governor Tim Walz. 2026 is poised to be an exciting year, with all legislative candidates on the ballot, in addition to an open U.S. Senate seat, and possibly open Congressional seats, along with Governor, Attorney General and Secretary of State.

Legislative Calendar Updates

  • March 6: MMB February Budget Forecast released
  • March 11: Special Election for HD40B
  • March 17: Anticipated swearing in for winner of HD40B election
  • April 12-21: Legislative Break
  • Likely April TBD: Legislative Deadlines
  • May 19: Last day of the legislative session
  • July 1: Government shutdown begins if new budget isn’t enacted

February 14, 2025