Minnesota Legislature

History

Territorial status

Portions of the area that would become the State of Minnesota have been part of the United States since the Treaty of Paris 1783 established the boundaries of the newly independent nation. In 1787, the region was organized under the control of the expansive Northwest Territory, but portions of this region were in dispute with British North America until 1818. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 brought in the remainder of the territory into the control of the US. Over the next few decades the area would be organized under the Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Iowa territories. Due to the lack of European settlement the exact boundaries of the region was not a major concern. Following the statehood of Iowa in 1846 and Wisconsin in 1848, there was a desire for reorganization centered around the remaining unorganized populace which was based in St. Croix County. Settlers held a convention in Stillwater and passed resolutions to the U.S. Congress calling for the establishment of a new territory. This request was granted with the creation of the Minnesota Territory on March 3, 1849. St. Paul was selected as the territorial capitol, the University of Minnesota was placed in Minneapolis, and the Territorial Prison in Stillwater. Alexander Ramsey was appointed as the first territorial governor. The territorial legislature organized with 18 members of the House of Representatives and 9 members of the Territorial Council.

Policies involving the native population were a focus of the territory. Minnesota was rare in that mixed race native persons were explicitly granted citizenship and allowed to participate in the political process. In 1851, the legislature oversaw the major land cession of native tribes through the treaties of Mendota and Traverse des Sioux, which opened up the southern half of the territory to white settlement.

The territory also highlighted national debates on slavery, as it served as the setting for Dred Scott v. Sandford. Dred Scott, an enslaved person, had been brought into the non-slaveholding territory by his owners and lived there for several years.

Establishment and early statehood

The population of the territory grew rapidly from around 6,000 in 1849 to over 120,000 over the next decade. The growing population and the debate around a transcontinental railroad brought the issue of statehood to the fore. National sectionalist debates over the issue of slavery made the admission of the state highly contentious, but it was decided that Minnesota would be admitted as a free state helping to disrupt the balance between slave and free states which had existed previously. A constitutional convention began in 1857, but internal partisan divisions between the Democratic and Republican parties resulted in delegates from each party writing separate constitutions. The two documents were nearly identical with only minor differences in punctuation and grammar. The joint documents were approved by popular vote, but the territorial secretary, who was a Democrat, sent the Democrats' copy to Congress for approval. However, there is evidence that Congress saw both versions: they sent the copy of the Republican version back with the enacting legislation. Minnesota was granted statehood on May 11, 1858.

The state legislature convened prior to the ratification of their constitution by Congress with 80 members of the House of Representatives and 37 Senators. The first regular session lasted 254 days, which still ranks as the longest of any meeting, and was so long that it was determined that it was not necessary for the legislature to meet for a year following the 1858 election. The size of the legislature was soon decreased; by 1861 the House had 42 members and the Senate had 21. Representatives served a one-year term, Senators served two year terms with elections being staggered so that half the body was elected every year.

During the Civil War, Minnesota contributed several regiments to support the Union, including the 1st Minnesota Infantry which famously captured a Confederate battle flag during the Battle of Gettysburg, which has remained in possession of the despite multiple requests from Virginia to return it. While the state was far from the frontlines of the war, it did not escape conflict. In 1862, the Dakota War broke out between the United States government and four Dakota bands, leading to the removal of some protections on native voting rights and the abolition of some reservations.

Following the Civil War and start of Reconstruction, Minnesota was an early leader in African American civil rights. In 1868, African American men were granted the right to vote, two years before the adoption of the 15th Amendment. In 1869, the legislature banned segregation in state schools. In 1885, the legislature expanded this protection by prohibiting segregation in all public accommodations.

The nonpartisan era

In 1913, Minnesota became the first state to elect their legislators on a nonpartisan basis. This was a historical accident. It occurred when a bill to provide for nonpartisan elections of judges, city, and county officers was amended to include the legislature in the belief that it would kill the bill. While Minnesota legislators were elected on a nonpartisan ballot, they caucused as "Liberals" or "Conservatives," roughly the equivalent to national political parties. Conventions developed with defined roles for majority and minority caucus leaders. In 1901, Winslow W. Dunn was selected as the first majority leader of the House, followed in 1933 by Charles N. Orr as the first Senate majority leader. While the legislature was nonpartisan, statewide and congressional seats still carried partisan labels.

The state was notable for the success of populist third parties. In 1891, Ezra T. Champlin of the Farmers' Alliance, a predecessor of the People's Party, was selected as Speaker of the House. Prior to the adoption of non-partisan legislatures, the body consistently had members of the Populist, Socialist, and Prohibition parties. The state also voted for the Bull Moose Party in the 1912 presidential election. In 1915, the Nonpartisan League was established in neighboring North Dakota; by 1917, it had expanded into the state. The Nonpartisan League soon merged with local political groups to form the Farmer-Labor Party. The party started to gain traction in 1922 with the election of Henrik Shipstead and Magnus Johnson to the US Senate. The party garnered even greater success during the Great Depression, with a radical platform focused on addressing the economic situation. In 1930, Farmer-Labor member Floyd B. Olsen was elected as Governor, where he became an influential figure. In 1944, the Farmer-Labor Party officially merged with the state's Democratic Party to form the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL).

A defining attribute of the legislature at the time involved redistricting. In 1913, the Senate was expanded of 67 members and the House to 130. Following the 1910 census, the legislature drew new maps for the congressional and state legislative districts. The state supreme court upheld the boundaries for 1910, then the legislature chose not to alter legislative boundaries following subsequent censuses. Between 1913 and 1962, the boundaries for state legislative districts did not change, and the boundaries for congressional districts changed only once following the 1930 census,after the state lost the 10th congressional district in national reapportionment. The legislature passed a new map in 1931, but Governor Floyd B. Olsen vetoed the maps. The issue ultimately went to the U.S. Supreme Court in Smiley v. Holm, where the court ruled that the governor's veto was valid. Due to a delay in the drawing of districts caused by the court case, the state's representatives to Congress were elected statewide in 1932.

Legislative reforms and modernization

In 1970s, the political structure of Minnesota saw significant changes. Following the culmination of the redistricting debate in 1972, the requirement for nonpartisan elections was removed for subsequent legislative elections, with the first partisan elections of the modern era held in 1974 for the House and 1976 for the Senate. In 1971, the legislature created a commission to study the state constitution to determine if there were any necessary amendments and to modernize any antiquated language. A revised constitution was adopted in 1974. In 1972, the role of lieutenant governor was changed from an office elected in its own right to one jointly elected with the governor. Lieutenant governors were removed from the position of President of the Senate, which became a role elected by senators. The calendar of legislative sessions was also changed to its current form: regular sessions can take place annually between January and May of every year, but they cannot meet for more than 120 legislative days over the biennium.

A notable piece of legislation from this period was the "Minnesota Miracle of 1971," which transformed the state's education system. The legislation, pushed by Governor Wendell Anderson, restructured the tax collection system, increasing state funding to public schools in order to provide financial security for school districts while lowering property taxes.

B. Robert Lewis became the first African American man elected to the Minnesota Senate in 1972. In 1974, fellow state senator Allan Spear came out as one of the first openly gay elected officials in the country. He served in the body for nearly 30 years and was elected President of the Minnesota Senate in 1993.

In 1979, Republican Representative Bob Pavlak was removed from the House near the end of the session after the State Supreme Court found him guilty of unfair campaign practices in the previous election. The House had been evenly split (67-67) between the DFL and Republican parties during the 1979-80 session, and a tenuous power sharing agreement had been formed to allow the chamber to operate smoothly. Per House rules, Pavlak was unable to vote on the matter, and the motion to declare his seat vacant passed on a party-line vote of 67 to 66. Republicans argued that the vote was unconstitutional because it required a two-thirds majority to expel a member, while DFL members argued that they were not expelling Pavlak but vacating the election returns, which only required a majority vote. In the special election to fill the vacancy, Pavlak lost to DFL candidate Frank Rodriguez Sr., cementing DFL leadership for the remainder of the session.

Recent history

Former professional wrestler Jesse Ventura won the 1998 gubernatorial election under the banner of the newly formed Reform Party. He did not have a political party base in the legislature, and he later advocated to change the legislature to be unicameral, but the concept did not obtain widespread support. Ventura was succeeded by Republican governor Tim Pawlenty, who served from 2003 to 2011 with a legislature that was either majority-DFL or split between parties throughout his two terms.

In 2001, the newly elected Representative Neva Walker made history as the first African American woman to serve in the Minnesota Legislature.

In 2004, the legislature ended its regular session without acting on a majority of its planned legislation, largely due to political divisiveness on issues including education and the state's first attempt at a same-sex marriage ban. The legislature failed to pass a proper budget, and major anticipated projects such as the Northstar Corridor commuter rail line were not approved. Governor Tim Pawlenty, an opponent-turned-advocate of the line, was expected to request a special session. He instead coordinated other funds to continue the development of the line. The lack of action in the 2004 session is said to be one reason why a number of Republican House members lost their seats in the 2004 election. The Democratic–Farmer–Labor (DFL) minority grew from 53 to 66 and the Republican majority was reduced from 81 to 68. The Senate was not up for election that year, so the DFL was able to maintain its five-seat majority there. Senator Sheila Kiscaden of Rochester, formerly an elected Republican, was an Independence Party member until December 2005, when she began caucusing with the DFL. The DFL majority increased to six senators when Kiscaden announced her re-affiliation with the DFL in preparation to run for lieutenant governor on a ticket with Kelly Doran.

The Minnesota Constitution specifies that the legislature must adjourn its regular by the first Monday following the third Saturday each May, and only can re-adjourn by special session. In 2005, the regular session ended without passage of an overall budget, and a special session was subsequently called by governor Tim Pawlenty. By the end of the fiscal year on June 30, the legislature still hadn't passed a budget, so much of the government shut down for the first time in the state's history. Some essential services remained in operation and some departments received funding by legislation. A compromise budget was approved and signed into law two weeks later.

Qualification and terms

The Senate currently has 67 seats and the House has 134 seats. Each Senate district is split into two nested House districts with an A or B title (e.g., Senate District 1 contains House Districts 1A and 1B). The Minnesota Constitution forbids House districts that are within more than one Senate district.

To serve in the legislature, a member must be at least 21 years of age and eligible to vote in the state. They must also have resided in Minnesota for at least a year and in the district for at least six months prior to their election.

Representatives are elected to two-year terms. Senators are elected to four-year terms in years ending in 2 and 6 and two-year terms in years ending in 0. Unlike the United States Senate, which staggers the election of their membership, the entirety of the Minnesota Senate is up for election every time. There are no term limits.

Legislative process

The legislature meets between January and the first Monday following the third Saturday in May each year, not to exceed 120 legislative days per biennium. Since 2025, a legislative day is defined as a day in which a bill passes a third reading, a rule is adopted, or some other legislative task is completed such as the confirmation of an appointment or the overriding of a veto. The governor can call special sessions of the legislature outside of the normal schedule. During a special session, the legislature can only debate and vote on legislation prescribed in the governor's call, but there is no time limit on how long the special session can last. While most special sessions only last a few days, the longest took place from May through October of 1971.

A majority of members in each chamber are required to make quorum, based on the total number of seats.

The Minnesota Constitution spells out certain limitations on what legislation can be passed by the legislature. For example, all bills for raising revenue must originate in the House of Representatives, general banking laws require a two-thirds supermajority to pass, no legislation can be passed on the final day of a legislative session, and each piece of legislation must be on a single subject.

At the start of each session, the chambers are responsible for electing their own leadership. In the House, this includes the Speaker of the House. Since 1972, the Senate has elected a President of the Senate. The speaker and president are responsible for ruling on point of order, recognizing members for debate, and assigning legislation to different committees.

If a member wishes to introduce a bill, they work with the Office of the Revisor of Statutes to ensure that its content meets legal standards. After the bill is prepared, they submit it to the chamber leadership who will then introduce the bill on the floor and assign it to a committee.

Committees play an important role in the legislative process as essentially all legislation must go through them. Membership of the committees is split proportionally between the majority and minority parties, with each party proposing their own list of appointees to the committee. Standing committees may also introduce bills as if they were a bill author. The committees debate bills and recommend their passage or rejection by the full body.

Television broadcasts

When the legislature is in session, proceedings of both houses are broadcast on television via the Minnesota Channel and online at the legislature's website. The Minnesota House YouTube channel is "MNHouseInfo". The Minnesota Senate YouTube Channel is "Minnesota Senate Media Services".

Compensation

For most of Minnesota's history, the salaries of Minnesota legislators were prescribed by law. In 2016, voters passed a constitutional amendment to create a Legislative Salary Council, made up of members appointed by the governor and the chief justice of the Supreme Court, which determines members' compensation.

As of 2025, the annual salary in both houses is $51,750, along with lodging reimbursements and per diems. Leadership positions are eligible for higher pay.