Welcome back to the statehouse where we will be exploring the Minnesota Capitol.

When its white dome first swims into view there is a shock of surprise, then a rapidly growing delight in its pure beauty, and as one studies the building, inside and out, the surprise and delight increase. One leaves it with regret and with the hope of return.
-Kenyon Cox, Architectural Record, August 1905

The Minnesota statehouse, completed in 1905, is located in the capital of St. Paul. The building looks very similar to St. Peter’s basilica in Rome. In fact, St. Peter’s has the largest unsupported marble dome in the world, and the marble dome of the Minnesota statehouse is the second largest. A golden sculpture called The Progress of the State sits at the base of the dome. It depicts a chariot pulled by four horses with two women and a man in the chariot. The statue symbolizes civilization and prosperity being driven by the classical elements of earth, air, fire, and water. When the weather permits, visitors can go on the roof to get a close-up view of the statue. Take a look at the Minnesota Historical Society to find out more about the artwork and history of the building.

There are also monuments for Women’s Suffrage and Christopher Columbus on the grounds of the statehouse. Many of the original fixtures are still in use. When the building was being constructed, electric lighting and telephones were state-of-the-art. The Ohio architect, Cass Gilbert, insisted on the best technology for the statehouse. Since then, the building has always had the latest in technology. Gilbert’s conscientious style resulted in many ornate carvings and statues around the building and hundreds of specially designed pieces of furniture.

Thank you for staying with us on our journey through the statehouses!

Photo of the Minnesota State Capitol by Jonathunder on Wikimedia Commons.

A renovation of the Capitol Building planned for next year may shorten the Minnesota Legislature’s session. Currently, the session is slated to span 2015 and 2016.

However, with the planned renovation, many lawmakers are considering completing the entire session this year.

Thus far, no official proposals have been made; only discussions among the House and Senate leadership have taken place.

Photo of the Minnesota Capitol dome by Mulad on Wikimedia Commons.

A provision in Minnesota’s campaign finance law known as the “special sources limit” will no longer be enforced as applied to individual large donors. U.S. District Judge Donovan Frank issued a preliminary injunction barring enforcement of the law with respect to individual large donors in response to a challenge by the Institute for Justice on First Amendment grounds.

Under section 10A.27(11) of the Minnesota Statutes, the special sources limit prohibits a campaign from raising more than 20 percent of its total contributions from lobbyists, political committees, and large donors contributing more than one half of the individual contribution limit.

Donovan issued the injunction in light of the precedent set by McCutcheon v. FEC.

The defendants have the opportunity to appeal to the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. If they choose not to appeal, the case will proceed to a final ruling at the district court level later this year.

The Minnesota Legislature adjourned sine die on Friday, May 16, 2014.

The Legislature passed a $1 billion public works construction package in addition to voting to legalize medical marijuana in a session described by some as one of the most productive sessions in years.

A lawsuit has been filed by the Institute for Justice, joined by several donors and candidates, challenging a Minnesota campaign finance law. Under section 10A.27(11) of the Minnesota Statutes, the “special sources limit” prohibits a campaign from raising more than 20 percent of its total contributions from lobbyists, political action committees, and large donors.

The Institute for Justice is arguing this law is unconstitutional under the First Amendment, stating “The first people to speak have full rights, but subsequent speakers have half rights.”

The case, Seaton v. Weiner, was filed in federal court on April 8.

Governor Mark Dayton and legislative leaders have agreed to a special session in September.

The one-day session, scheduled for September 9, 2013, will address financial relief for damages caused by June storms.

Gov. Mark Dayton has been talking about a special session for about two weeks and it seems like that thought is now close to becoming a reality. Going against what he has been saying for those two weeks, Governor Dayton said he was open to expanding the agenda of the special session. Until Thursday, Dayton has been maintaining the special session be limited to providing relief to those areas of the state hit hard by severe storms in June.

Republicans have been asking for a repeal of the warehouse tax and both parties have wanted to fix a tax on repairs to farming equipment. On Thursday, Dayton called the farm equipment tax “the biggest mistake” of this past year’s session and it needed to be addressed in a special session. He still has no plans to address the warehouse tax, which will not go into effect until April 2014.

Dayton has maintained the Legislature can deal with the issue when it comes back to St. Paul in February. The date for the special session has been tentatively set for September 9. However, Dayton wants assurances from the Republicans the session will be limited to one day.

Even though Democrats control both houses of the Legislature, they need Republican support to suspend rules and limit the session to just one day. Without that support, the session could last a few days and could feature debate on any topic.

Governor Mark Dayton has set special election dates for two house seats after the incumbents turned in their resignations on January 7.

The special elections for the house seats in districts 14A and 19A will take place on February 12.

The special primary, if necessary, will take place on January 29. Both districts are home to large college student populations, so the governor decided to ensure that as many students as possible would be back for the election.

The state legislature will convene a special session Friday afternoon to approve a flood relief package for parts of the state which were devastated by summer flooding. The session will convene at 2:00 p.m. and must end by 7:00 a.m. Saturday morning.

The legislature will vote on a $167.5 million relief package, but it is expected to pass without issue. Governor Mark Dayton and the legislative leaders have already agreed on the package and the deal restricts any other legislators from making changes to the bill.

Governor Mark Dayton and the leaders of the state legislature have tentatively agreed on August 24 for a special session date. The legislature will convene in order to appropriate monies to disaster relief for counties that were ravaged by flooding earlier this year.

The date is still tentative as the final damage numbers are still being totaled. The federal government will supply 75% of the funding if the state picks up the last 25% of the cost.

Once the final numbers are set, Governor Dayton will have to officially call the legislature back to work.

“Big lobbying spending dips” by Dave Levinthal in Politico.

“U.S. Chamber of Commerce Continues to Spend Heavily on Lobbying, Filings Show” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

“K Streeters Adjusting to Loss of Earmarks” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

“Fears of lame-duck session in Congress could boost K Street’s bottom line” by Kevin Bogardus and Rachel Leven in The Hill.

California: “How to wire a state capital” by Charles Mahtesian in Politico.

California: “AT&T wields enormous power in Sacramento” by Shane Goldmacher and Anthony York in The Los Angeles Times.

Minnesota: “Not all laws come from high-powered lobbying campaigns” by John Reinan in the MinnPost.

Federal

“Generation X joining K Street” by Jonathan Allen and Jennifer Martinez in Politico.

“Administration Staffers Head Out the Revolving Door” by Kate Ackley in Roll Call.

In the States

Illinois: “Illinois Senate panel blocks lobbyist ethics legislation” by Shannon McFarland (Associated Press) in the Jacksonville Journal Courier.

Illinois: “Lobbying reforms buried in subcommittee” by Rick Miller in Capitol Fax.

Iowa: “Iowa’s lobbying free-for-all” by Jason Clayworth and Jeffrey Kummer in the Des Moines Register.

Massachusetts: “AP: Mass. health care 5-year lobbying topped $51M” by Steve LeBlanc (Associated Press) in Bloomberg BusinessWeek.

Minnesota:  “$61M spent on lobbying in 2011” by Matt Herbert in Minnesota Daily.

Florida: “Lawmakers ready to tackle redistricting during special session” by Bill Kaczor (Associated Press) in Florida Today.

Florida: “Legislators return for special session to redraw rejected Senate map” by Mary Ellen Klas The Miami Herald.

Florida: “Senate Re-Redistricting Plan Is Flawed, Says State Dem Chair” by Brandon Larrabee in Sunshine Slate.

Kansas: “Kansas lawmakers face votes on redistricting plans” by The Associated Press in the Wichita Eagle.

Minnesota: “Redistricting maps give DFL advantage in legislative races, but …” by Eric Black on MinnPost.com.

New York: “An Update on New York Redistricting” by Thomas Kaplan in The New York Times.

New York: “Silver bristles at Cuomo slap at NY Legislature” by The Associated Press in The Wall Street Journal.

New York: “New York: Redistricting End Is Nigh” by Joshua Miller in Roll Call.

MINNESOTA:  The Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board released a memo concerning electronic filing of campaign finance reports.  Electronic filing of campaign finance reports will be mandatory for most committees beginning with reports covering calendar year 2012. The electronic filing requirement does not apply to 2011 year-end reports.

Additionally, the waiver of electronic filing request process will be discussed at the Board’s December 2011 meeting.