Frequently Asked Questions About the Minnesota Legislature

In order to understand the role of the Minnesota Legislature, it may be helpful to review basic government structure. Our democratic system of government is separated into different levels and branches. The three levels of government—federal, state and local—all function to meet separate responsibilities. Each level of government is made up of three separate branches—the executive, the legislative, and the judicial—with each exercising individual authority in order to serve the people of the community, state, and nation.

The responsibilities of each branch of government differ, and no branch of government is given power over another. This system of "checks and balances" insures that no single group can dominate the workings of government and that no one part of government can dominate another part of government.

The legislative branch is responsible for the enactment and revision of laws. The United States Congress forms the laws at the national level, and the Minnesota Legislature is the lawmaking body for the State of Minnesota. Both Congress and the Minnesota Legislature consist of two bodies: a Senate and a House of Representatives. This two body system is referred to as a bicameral system.

The executive branch administers and executes the laws passed by the legislative branch. The President of the United States is the chief executive at the federal level, and the governor serves as the state's chief executive. They are aided by the officials appointed to head the various agencies and departments and by the other officials elected to the executive branch. The persons elected to executive branch positions—governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor, and attorney general—are referred to as constitutional officers.

The judicial branch enforces the laws and insures that the interpretation of the law is in accordance with the U.S. and state constitutions. The federal and state court systems compose the judicial branch for those two levels of government.

The United States Congress
Many citizens confuse the elected officials who represent them in the state legislature with those who work for them in the U.S. Congress. At the national level, every citizen is represented by three members of Congress—two senators (who represent the entire state) and one member of the House of Representatives (from their district). States are divided into congressional districts based on population, with one representative elected from each district. Minnesota has eight congressional districts. In all, the U.S. Senate has 100 senators and the U.S. House of Representatives has 435 members. Their responsibility is to concentrate on issues of national interest, such as federal tax policies, immigration laws and national defense. They are your voice in Washington, D.C.

State legislatures
Citizens in every state also elect officials to represent them at the state level. Those elected to the state's lawmaking body, referred to as Legislators, work on state issues, such as funding the elementary and secondary education system, setting state tax policy, and funding state human service programs.

The legislatures' size and structure vary among the different states. Nebraska's Legislature is unicameral (one body) and all the rest are bicameral. In some states the larger body is called the Assembly, rather than the House of Representatives.

The Minnesota Legislature has 67 senators and 134 representatives for a total of 201 members. The size of the Legislature has changed over time. Since statehood the lowest number of members was 63 and the highest was 202. The House Public Information Office's Minnesota State Government Series: State Lawmakers goes into more detail about the number of legislators and the size of legislative districts. For more details, see the FAQ: Who determines the size of the Legislature?

You can use the Who Represents Me? page from Geospatial Information Services to find out who your elected officials are based on your address.

The Minnesota Constitution states that the size of the Legislature must be prescribed by law, therefore the Legislature determines the size of the Legislature (Minnesota Constitution, Article IV - Legislative Department).

The Minnesota Legislature has 67 senators and 134 representatives for a total of 201 members. The size of the Legislature has changed over time. Since statehood the lowest number of members was 63 and the highest was 202. The House Public Information Office's Minnesota State Government Series: State Lawmakers goes into more detail about the number of legislators and the size of legislative districts.

Legislative district lines are redrawn every ten years, following the decennial U.S. Census. Each state uses the census data to draw its legislative boundaries. The courts have held that each district must be nearly equal in population size. In Minnesota, and in most other states, the Legislature is charged with redistricting. For information about other states, please see NCSL: Creation of Redistricting Commissions.

No matter who is charged with the task of drawing district boundaries, the final product often is challenged in court. Once in the judicial system, the plan must meet strict criteria for approval. Redistricting plans have been ruled invalid for many reasons, including gerrymandering (creating oddly shaped districts to create a partisan advantage), compacting (concentrating voters of a single political persuasion into as few districts as possible), and fracturing (spreading voters of a single political persuasion among many districts to dilute their collective voting strength).

To learn more about redistricting, visit the comprehensive redistricting web page from the Legislative Coordinating Commissions Subcommittee on Geographic Information Systems Office (GIS). The GIS office also has an option to download a PDF of current district maps. There is additional information about redistricting in the Redistricting Guides from the Legislative Reference Library.

The Minnesota Statutes, including Chapter 3 and Chapter 3A, and the Minnesota Constitution, including Article IV, are available online through the Legislature's website. The print volumes of the Laws of Minnesota and Minnesota Statutes are available at many public libraries, as well as the Minnesota State Law Library and the Legislative Reference Library.

Historical information about the Minnesota Legislature is available from the Legislative Reference Library and the Minnesota Historical Society. See the Historical Information About the Minnesota Legislature page for facts on House and Senate leadership over time, party control, sessions, vetoes, women in the Legislature, and more. For information on former members of the Legislature, see Minnesota Legislators Past & Present, call the Legislative Library at 651-296-8338 or email the Library.

The Minnesota Legislature is committed to complying with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and supporting the goal that individuals with disabilities shall not be excluded from participating in or be denied the benefits of any program, service, or activity offered by the Legislature. The Legislature welcomes comments and suggestions on services that will improve communication between the Legislature and individuals with disabilities. Please direct comments to:

Legislative Coordinating Commission
Centennial Office Building, 1st Floor 
658 Cedar St.
St. Paul, MN 55155.
Phone: 651-296-6036

For information on the Legislature's website accessibility, see the Website Accessibility page. If you are having accessibility or usability problems with any Minnesota Legislative website or software, please send your comments to us by using the Accessibility & Usability Comment Form.

Hearing rooms in the Minnesota Senate Building and the State Office Building are accessible to individuals using wheelchairs.

The State Capitol is wheelchair accessible except for the roof. Please see the accessibility page of the Minnesota State Capitol website for more details.

The Capitol Complex has designated parking and entrance ramps to provide easy access to the buildings, including the Minnesota Senate Building, State Office Building, and Capitol. The Minnesota State Capitol Directions and Parking page has more detailed parking information.

For individual assistance, contact:

• Minnesota State Capitol at 651-296- 2881
• Senate Sergeant at Arms at 651-296-1119 for help in the Minnesota Senate Building and Senate Chamber in the Capitol Building.
• House Sergeant's Office at 651-296-4860 for help in the State Office Building and House Chamber in the Capitol Building.

Wheelchair-accessible public access computers for using the Legislative website are available at:

• The Legislative Reference Library, 3238 Minnesota Senate Building.
• The Legislative Reference Library, 645 State Office Building.
• House Public Information Services, 175 State Office Building.

Two wheelchairs are available, courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society, at the Capitol Information and Tour Center for visitor use in the State Capitol only. Wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact the Minnesota Historical Society with questions: 651-259-3292.

Yes. The accessibility page on the Minnesota State Capitol website from the Minnesota Historical Society contains information such as entrances available for visitors with limited mobility and services available for visitors with hearing or visual impairment.

For more information, call: 651-259-3292
TTY: 651-282-6073
or email: statecapitol@mnhs.org

Yes. The Request Capitol Access page provides information from The Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing.

Minnesota Relay Service

Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled may contact the Senate and House via their preferred Telecommunications Relay Service.

Minnesota Relay Service is a free service that uses a specially trained communications assistant (CA) to facilitate the telephone conversations between a person who has a hearing loss or speech disability and the person with whom they wish to speak. All calls are confidential. To make a Minnesota Relay call dial 7-1-1.

Sign Language Interpreters

Those who are interested in requesting CART or ASL can use the Legislature's combined meeting calendar to find upcoming meetings.

In order to provide accessibility for meetings with legislators, legislative committee hearings, and House and Senate floor sessions, the Legislature contracts with Keystone Interpreting Solutions to provide legislative sign language interpreting services. Interpreting services are also available for hearings or meetings with legislators in Greater Minnesota.

To request legislative interpreting services, call 651-454-7275 (voice) through their website's Request an Interpreter page or request by email.

Please make your request a minimum of 36 hours before the service is needed. You may also request legislative interpreting services from the committee administrator or committee legislative assistant that is planning the committee meeting you want to attend.

You may also request legislative interpreting services by contacting the Legislative Coordinating Commission at accessibility.coordinator@lcc.mn.gov,  or call , 651-296-6036.

If you are interested in touring the Capitol building, ASL interpreters available upon request for guided tours. Interpreter reservation must be made 14 days in advance. Call 651-259-3003.

Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART)

Those who are interested in requesting CART or ASL can use the Legislature's combined meeting calendar to find upcoming meetings.

For CART services, contact the Legislative Coordinating Commission at accessibility.coordinator@lcc.mn.gov,  or call , 651-296-6036. Please make your request a minimum of 36 hours before the service is needed.

Sound Reinforcement Systems

The Minnesota Senate has sound reinforcement systems for use in hearings rooms in the Minnesota Senate Building. The systems, for the exclusive use of people who are deaf or hard of hearing, are available for the duration of a particular meeting and must be returned immediately following the meeting. Senate receivers may be signed out during normal business hours from the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, room G-430, Minnesota Senate Building. For meetings lasting beyond normal business hours, receivers are to be returned to the committee staff. Call the Sergeant-at-Arms at 651-296-1119 for further information.

The Minnesota House has sound reinforcement systems in the 10 hearing rooms in the State Office Building. The systems, for the exclusive use of people who are deaf or hard of hearing, are available for the duration of a particular meeting and must be returned immediately following the meeting. House receivers for State Office Building hearing rooms may be signed out during normal business hours from the House Sergeants' Office, Room G-85, State Office Building. For meetings lasting beyond normal business hours, receivers are to be returned to the committee staff. Call the House Sergeant's Office at 651-296-4860 for further information.

Capitol Hearing Rooms, including the House Hearing Room 120, and the House Gallery have a telecoil loop sound reinforcement system. House receivers for State Capitol hearing rooms may be signed out from 8:30am to 5:00pm at the Minnesota Historical Society Information Desk, Room 126, State Capitol Building.

Yes. Here is a list of available services.

Signs

• Raised numbers identify legislative offices and rooms in the Minnesota Senate Building and State Office Building. In addition, Braille signs are installed throughout both buildings to assist those who are visually impaired. The elevators in both buildings are equipped with control signs in Braille.

Large print

• Some of the printed material handed out in committees may be enlarged on the copying machines used by the Legislature. For assistance, contact: Legislative Coordinating Commission, 651-296-6036, Centennial Office Building.

Readers

• Readers for printed materials can be arranged upon request. Advance notice is necessary to insure timely assistance. For assistance, contact: Legislative Coordinating Commission, 651-296-6036, Centennial Office Building.

Recorded Meetings

• Committee, commission meeting, and floor session are recorded. Audio recordings from 1991 to the present are available on the Minnesota Legislature's website.
  • Legislative Media Archive from the Legislative Reference Library
  • House Audio and Video Archives
  • Senate Media Services-Senate Audio Service
• To purchase a copy of a House video please contact House Public Information, 175 State Office Building; (651) 297-1338 - $12.50 per item produced. The Senate does not provide copies of audio/video.
• If an individual wishes to listen to the recording of a committee meeting or floor session, public computers are located in the Legislative Reference Library, 651-296-8338, Room 645, State Office Building.

Screen Reader Software

• Screen reader software is installed on some public access computers in the Legislative Reference Library, Room 645, State Office Building (JAWS and NVDA) and the Legislative Reference Library, Room 3238, Minnesota Senate Building (NVDA).

The Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate produce and distribute unedited television coverage of all House and Senate floor sessions, select committee hearings, press conferences, and other issue-oriented programming. Programming is broadcast weekdays during the legislative session from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., with extended evening and weekend coverage available for debates on high-profile issues. All broadcast programming is closed-captioned. See the House and Senate Broadcast Television Schedule page for a list of upcoming broadcast events and a channel guide.

All House and Senate television programming is webcast live over the internet. The live webcast service allows viewers to watch additional coverage not provided on the television channels or to watch extended evening coverage. In addition, all television programming is archived and made available on the Legislative Media Archive page as well as the House and Senate websites. Webcast programming is captioned. See the House audio and video pages for House live and House archived coverage and see the Senate Media Services pages for Senate live and archived video and Senate live and archived audio.

Capitol

The address for the Minnesota State Capitol is 75 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard and that street location will work for vehicles under 8.2ft. If you are arriving or departing in a larger vehicle, use the bus cut-out on Cedar Ave: 44°57'16.6"N 93°06'03.5"W. Please see the accessibility page on the Minnesota State Capitol website for more details.

Minnesota Senate Building

The address for the Minnesota Senate Building is 95 University Ave W. There is a drop off and pick up location on Park St. to the west of the building: 44°57'23.1"N 93°06'13.2"W.

State Office Building

The address for the Minnesota State Office Building is 100 Rev Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. There is a turnaround on Fuller Ave south of the building that is used for drop off and pick up: 44°57'14.2"N 93°06'18.0"W.

The Minnesot Department of Administration has a public parking page.This includes a map with accessible parking locations noted.

Additional parking information is available on the directions and parking page of the Minnesota State Capitol website from the Minnesota Historical Society. The accessibility page of the Capitol website has links to accessible parking information and maps. 

Keep in mind that parking is very limited during the legislative session (January-May). You may want to consider public transportation. Both the Metro Transit bus line and the Green Line light rail have stops near the Capitol.

There is a video offering parking options from the Minnesota Senate Media Services, which can also give you some pointers.

Yes. Members of the general public are encouraged to testify before committees, though testimony will need to be arranged with committee staff prior to a scheduled hearing.

Contact the committee staff or your representative before the hearing. See the Combined Calendar for hearing dates and times.

Committees primarily focus hearings on particular bills, though occasionally they discuss issues of broad interest within the committee's jurisdiction. You can find a Senate standing committee schedule or House standing committee schedule online or call House Public Information Services at 651-296-2146 or Senate Information 651-296-0504 to find the phone numbers for committee staff or to receive a printed standing committee schedule.

From 2020-2024, House and Senate rules allowed for virtual and/or hybrid committee hearings (see Temporary Senate Rule 12.1(b) and House Rule 10.05 ). As a result, there were deviations from some of the processes outlined below. Future legislatures may or may not continue the practice of virtual and/or hybrid hearings.

Here are 10 suggestions to make it easier to get involved:

1. Arrive early. Getting to the meeting early will give you a chance to survey the meeting space, identify legislators, and make last-minute changes to your presentation.
2. Contact the committee's administrator or legislative assistant. If you want to testify, make sure you are on the committee meeting agenda. It's best to contact the committee a day or two before the hearing to do this. But, time permitting, it's possible to sign up and testify on same day of the hearing.
3. Introduce yourself. When speaking to the committee, clearly identify yourself and the organization you represent, if any. Then clearly state your position on the bill before the committee.
4. Speak through the committee chair. All questions and answers during committee hearings are routed through the committee chair. Address the chair as "Madame Chair" or "Mr. Chair." This makes it easier to follow the testimony when listening to tapes of recorded committee meetings.
5. Don't be intimidated. This is a citizen Legislature. Representatives are your friends and neighbors and they want to hear what you have to say. Just state your case clearly and in simple terms as you would to anyone.
6. Be brief. Make your key points as concisely as possible. Provide specific information about why your position is in the state's best interest. Legislators may want to know what, if anything, has been done in other states, what the costs might be, and what groups support or oppose your proposal. If you know the answers, include them in your statement.
7. Be prepared to answer questions. The best way to make your case is to provide straightforward answers to legislators' questions. If you don't know the answer, say so. If possible, find the answer and pass it on to committee members.
8. Bring written summaries. You may want to have copies of a concise summary of your key points to hand out to legislators, staff and the news media. Some legislators say a clearly written letter, or issue sheet, is the most effective way of gaining support.
9. Offer to help. Citizens play a key role in shaping state policy. Ask if there is anything you can do to help get the proposal in question approved or defeated.
10. Display mutual respect. Your views are important and you have a right to be treated courteously by all members and staff. Likewise, legislators are more apt to respond to polite treatment than to browbeating. There are many sides to every issue and each one has merit. Understand the difficult position legislators have in reaching their decisions.

Accommodations for people with a disability, such as sign language interpreters or large print materials, can be arranged with advance notice. See Disability Access for details.

House Public Information Services has created a series of short videos about testifying before a committee. Senate Media Services has created a video on "Tips on Testifying Before a Legislative Committee" as well.

From 2020-2024, House and Senate rules allowed for virtual and/or hybrid committee hearings (see Temporary Senate Rule 12.1(b) and House Rule 10.05 ). Future legislatures may or may not continue the practice of virtual and/or hybrid hearings.

Capacity to offer hybrid or virtual meetings is limited by the technology available in hearing rooms. Not every hearing room is able to host a hybrid meeting. Additionally, it is the chair of the committee’s decision to offer a hybrid option or not.

Please contact the committee or commission administrator if you would like to testify. The committee administrator will be able to tell you if there is a hybrid option and will put you on the list of testifiers.

If you are signed up to provide virtual testimony in a committee or a commission and need a device to join the meeting, there is a workstation in the Legislative Reference Library on the 6^th floor of the State Office Building. The workstation is a laptop with a camera, headset, and zoom installed. Use of the workstation is first come, first served.

For more tips about testifying, see the FAQ: May I testify at a committee hearing?

We continually refine our website in an effort to conform to accessibility standards and provide our online information in an accessible format.

Features

Text Sizing: In most Internet browsers, pressing Ctrl + Plus Sign (+) increases text size, and Ctrl + Minus Sign (-) decreases text size. Pressing the Ctrl key while scrolling up or down with the mouse wheel will also change the text size in most browsers. Alternatively, click the menu at the top of your browser and look for the "zoom" or "text size" option. This will present you with choices for scaling the text to your preferred size.

PDFs: For PDFs that are created within an office of the legislature, alternate formats or accessibly tagged PDFs are offered, when possible. If an accessible format is not immediately possible, the legislature strives to support accessibility on a case-by-case basis. Bills, session laws, statutes, and rules are offered in HTML as an alternate format to PDF.

Video: Web cast programming is captioned. See the House video page for live and archived House web cast coverage and see the Senate Media Services page for live and archived Senate web cast coverage.

Assistive Technology for our website

Screen reader software is installed on select public access computers in the Legislative Reference Library, room 645, State Office Building (JAWS and NVDA) and the Legislative Reference Library, room 3238, Minnesota Senate Building (NVDA). For more information about assistive technology, please see the Minnesota Star Program website.

Links to External Publications and Websites

The Minnesota Legislature's website may contain links to non-Legislative publications and web sites. The Minnesota Legislature has no control over the accessibility of these non-Legislative publications and external websites. Links are provided as a service to our audience, in an effort to provide additional information where applicable.

Accessibility & Usability Comments

If you are having accessibility or usability problems with any Minnesota Legislative website or software, please send your comments to us by using the Accessibility & Usability Comment Form.

More

Additional accessibility information is available in the FAQ - Disability Access, which includes information about wheelchair-accessibility, services for people who are blind or visually impaired, and services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing, among other topics.

A bill is a proposal for a new law, a change in current law, repeal of a current law, or for a constitutional amendment. It consists of a title, enacting clause, and body (text), which is examined and approved in its form by the Office of the Revisor of Statutes.

In the Senate, bills are called Senate Files (SF). Bills are referred to as House Files (HF) in the House of Representatives.

Resolutions are formal actions of the Legislature which express intent on the part of one or both bodies, but are not codified into Minnesota statutes upon passage. Each body can pass a separate resolution to express individual intent. They can also pass resolutions jointly or concurrently.

The Revisor of Statutes Bill Drafting Manual's chapter 6 discusses the different types of resolutions and more.

You can use the basic search tool for House bills or Senate bills to look for bills by session, keyword, author, topic, and more from 1995 to the present. Other specialized search tools are noted on the main Bills search page. If you do not have internet access, there are public computers in the Legislative Reference Library on the third floor of the Minnesota Senate Building or the sixth floor of the State Office Building.

To identify bills older than 1995 by topic, use the topical index of the House Journals and Senate Journals in print, which are available in many libraries, including the Legislative Reference Library. See the Legislative History Guide for more information about researching bills older than 1995.

How to Follow a Bill is a helpful guide to tracking bills currently before the Legislature. The House and Senate Index Offices also track the status of current bills. They can help you find a particular piece of legislation. Call House Index at 651-296-6646 or Senate Index at 651-296-2887. To receive a copy of the bill once you locate it, call the Chief Clerk's Office in the House at 651-296-2314 or Senate Information at 651-296-0504. For further information on this topic, see the Bills topic of this FAQ.

Anyone can—legislators, staff members, state or local agency employees, private groups, or individuals. However, only a legislator can introduce a bill or a resolution, and only after the Revisor of Statutes has approved its form. In addition, many Senators and Representatives approach staff members to help them draft a bill. House Research, Senate Counsel and Research, the Office of the Revisor of Statutes, and caucus staff members are often called upon to help.

Any member of the legislature can introduce a bill. There is no limit to the number of bills and resolutions a member can introduce. To get a sense for how many bills are introduced and passed, please see the Legislative Reference Library's page: Number of Bills Introduced and Laws Passed in the Minnesota Legislature, 1849-present.

However, there are limits to the number of co-authors. In the House, there can be 35 total authors on each bill. In the Senate, the limit is five. Once a bill is introduced in either body, the chief author may find someone to carry the companion bill in the other body. A companion bill is usually identical when introduced, though each body's bill may change independently after introduction. In the House, the Speaker of the House assigns each bill and numbered resolution to one of the standing committees. The Chief Clerk of the House then assigns each bill a House File number, which will identify the bill in its travels. The Senate has traditionally used a somewhat different path to introduction. Bills and resolutions are given a number by the Secretary of the Senate's Office and assigned to a committee by the Senate President.

Once introduced, a bill travels through the committee process. It goes through the relevant policy committees and, if it has financial implications, a finance committee. After committee discussion, members can recommend action. Typically, the bill is tabled, laid over for inclusion in an omnibus bill, or sent to the floor. A bill must receive three readings on the floor before members debate it and take a final vote. Many bills never make it that far.

Once a bill is passed by the House or Senate, the bill must travel to the other body. If the two bodies do not agree, the bill will travel to a conference committee. See the FAQ: What happens when a bill has passed one body but not the other? for more information about conference committees. Once the bill is approved by both bodies, it goes to the governor for his approval. If the governor signs the bill, it becomes law.

See the steps a bill takes to become law on the page: How a bill becomes law in Minnesota, which combines information from the various offices of the Minnesota Legislature on the process of lawmaking in Minnesota.

Under the Minnesota Constitution, Article 4, Sec. 17, only single subject laws may be passed by the Legislature. Theoretically, this requires that only amendments directly related, or "germane" to the measure, be attached to a bill. (The term "garbage bill" is sometimes used when a bill contains what some people feel are unrelated subjects.)

When a bill is being amended in committee, the committee chair rules whether an amendment is germane; on the House floor, the Speaker of the House makes those decisions. In the Senate, the committee chair makes the same rulings, and such decisions are left up to the President of the Senate on the floor. At times the courts have been asked to rule on this matter.

An omnibus bill is a large bill that is generally made up of numerous smaller bills on the same broad topic. For example, an omnibus tax bill may cover various changes in several areas of tax law including income, corporate, and sales taxes. Often the smaller bills are heard in committee and then laid over for possible inclusion in the omnibus bill rather than passing each bill separately.

The Minnesota Constitution requires revenue raising bills to originate in the House of Representatives. Revenue raising bills may also be introduced in the Senate, but a final bill enacting revenue raising must be a House File (HF).

The best way to explain this is with an example. Say a Senate version of a bill passes the Senate before the House companion bill passes the House. In such a case, the Senate file is transmitted to the House, and if the House companion is still in a House committee, the Senate bill is referred to that same committee. Any further action on that bill is done to the Senate bill, though the committee may insert the House language if there are differences.

If the House companion has already gone through the committee process and awaits action on the floor, then the two bills are "referred for comparison," where they are compared to one another and the differences are reported. If the bills are identical, the Senate bill is substituted for the House version and all future actions are to the Senate bill. If they are not identical, the rules must be suspended to substitute the Senate bill with its differences for the House bill.

In the House, the language of the bill that already has passed the Senate automatically takes the place of the language that was recommended by the House committee. If the chief author wants to go back to the House language, he or she makes a motion to amend and substitute the House language for the language passed by the Senate.

In the Senate, the procedure is different. When a House bill is substituted for a Senate bill on the Senate floor, the Senate automatically places the Senate language back into the bill. The Senate author must then propose an amendment if he or she wishes to use the House language.

Ultimately, both bodies must agree to any changes made to the bills. If they don't agree, the bills go to a conference committee. That committee reaches a compromise that must be accepted by both bodies. However, once a conference committee makes its recommendation, the bill cannot be amended by either the House or the Senate. The only alternative is to accept the conference committee report or send it back to the conference committee for further work.

After both bodies have passed the bill in identical form, it goes to the governor for approval or veto.

For more details about this and other processes, please see Making Laws.

Not necessarily. Either body can still take up a bill again as long as the session has not adjourned. In fact, bills are technically alive over the course of a biennium so a bill that was introduced in the first year (odd year) of a biennium and didn't pass, it could still be discussed until final adjournment in the second year (even year). When a bill fails to get the required number of votes, the author can try to persuade other members to change their opinions on the measure. The only way such a bill can be taken up for a vote again is if a member who voted against the bill is willing to make a motion for reconsideration and the body agrees to reconsider.

In addition, many bills that either don't receive a floor vote or are voted down on the floor end up as amendments to other bills of similar topic.

A veto is the constitutional power of the governor to reject a bill. When vetoed, a bill is returned to the house of origin with a veto message.

A more detailed description of vetoes is in: The Veto Process and Powers of the Governor. Historical data on vetoes and override attempts is available on the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library's webpage: Vetoes.

According to the Minnesota Constitution Article IV, Section 23, a line-item veto (also known as an item veto) is the power of the governor to reject one or more items of appropriation in a bill, while approving the rest of the bill. The Governor can only line-item veto appropriations; the governor cannot line-item veto policy provisions in a bill. A more detailed description of line-item vetoes is in: History of the Item Veto in Minnesota.

If a bill is passed during the last three days of the session, the governor can "pocket veto" the bill by not signing it within 14 days after final adjournment (sine die). Historical data on vetoes and override attempts is available on the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library's webpage: Vetoes.

See the FAQ: Is there a timeline for the governor to sign bills?

No.

See the Legislative Reference Library's Vetoes database for a list of vetoes.

The General Register is a list of bills that have had a second reading and await action by the full House of Representatives. The House Rules Committee usually meets the day prior to session to determine which bills on the General Register will be placed on the Calendar for the Day. Bills placed on the Calendar are debated and may be given a third reading and placed on final passage that day.

General Orders is a list of bills that have had a second reading and await action by the full Senate. Acting as one large committee known as the Committee of the Whole, the Senate debates the bills and may recommend them for preliminary passage. Bills recommended to pass, or pass as amended, are added to the Senate Calendar for third reading and final passage by the full Senate on another day.

In the Senate, Special Orders is a category of bills that bypass the Committee of the Whole. A bill on Special Orders may be debated, amended, and placed on final passage immediately. Special Orders are designated by the Chair of the Committee on Rules and Administration (the Senate Majority Leader).

See the Legislature's Civic Engagement Resources page for more about how a bill becomes a law.

There is no yearly deadline for the introduction of bills. However, each year the Legislature establishes deadlines for committee action on bills by concurrent resolution. The deadlines do not apply to the House committees on Capital Investment, Ways and Means, Taxes, or Rules and Legislative Administration, nor to the Senate committees on Capital Investment, Finance, Taxes, or Rules and Administration.

Committee deadlines are announced during the first half of a session in order to winnow the list of topics to be dealt with that year.

The Minnesota Constitution sets a deadline for the end of each year's session: the first Monday after the third Saturday in May.

In both houses, the process a bill follows may be accelerated in the interest of time. In the Senate, this happens through Rule 26 and Special Orders. Rule 26 provides for immediate consideration and third reading of bills that have been given their second reading, rather than having to go through the Committee of the Whole and waiting an entire day before it can be taken up. Under Rule 26, the chair of the Committee on Rules and Administration or the chair's designee can designate a bill that has been given a second reading as a Special Order. At that point, the bill can be amended and discussed before being given its third reading and placed on final passage.

The state constitution requires that each bill be reported on three separate days in each body before votes for final passage can occur. These reports of the bill are called readings. Therefore, every bill will have a first, second, and third reading before a vote is taken.

A bill is given its first reading at the time it is introduced. A bill typically receives its second reading after it has been heard in committee and has been recommended to pass. It is then ready to be placed on one of the calendars or agendas in each house.

Once all proposed amendments have been discussed and voted on, a bill receives its third reading and can no longer be amended. Then members discuss the bill and it proceeds to final vote.

Under extraordinary conditions, a bill may receive all three readings in one day in either the House or the Senate if a motion to bypass the rules of the body receives a two-thirds majority vote.

See the Legislature's Civic Engagement Resources page for more about how a bill becomes a law.

According to pages 11-12 of Making Laws: Committee Proceedings from the Minnesota House Research Department:

"A committee is not required to consider, still less to report, every bill referred to it. Many bills proceed no further than introduction and referral to a committee; they are never heard of again. Others emerge from one committee only to founder in another.

A committee hearing on a referred bill is not automatic. The author must ask for one. Some bills do not get a hearing because the author decides not to request one or push strongly for one.

An author is not entitled to a hearing on request. The committee chair decides and may refuse. Some chairs find this easier than others, but almost every chair, however amiable, denies some bills a hearing. A chair may refuse for simple lack of time; the limited session period does not permit a hearing on every introduced bill, and a chair may consider one bill more important than another. A chair may decide that a bill is not ripe for legislative decision for some reason — a pending federal action, a court case, a forthcoming government report on the subject. A chair simply may oppose a bill on its merits or conclude that a majority of the members of the committee are opposed, making a hearing pointless."

More details are available in Making Laws, House Research Department.

Most of the time, the governor has three calendar days (excepting Sundays) from presentment to sign a bill or to veto it. If the governor takes no action within three days of presentment, the bill will become law.

However, the timeline is different for bills passed in the last three days of a biennial session, in the even-numbered year. The governor has 14 days (including Sundays) after the adjournment of the legislature to sign or veto a bill. If the governor takes no action within these 14 days, the bill will not become law. This is known as a pocket veto.

Presentment is the action that the legislature takes to present the enrolled act to the governor for review. There is not usually a delay in this process, but the constitution does establish limits. If the act was passed before the last three days of a biennial session, the legislature must present the bill to the governor before the legislature adjourns sine die. If the act was passed during the last three days of the biennial session, the legislature has three calendar days after adjournment sine die to present the bill to the governor.

For a more detailed description of vetoes, please see The Veto Process and Powers of the Governor. For more details about presentment and vetoes, please see Making Laws: Review by the Governor.

See the FAQ: What are line-item and pocket vetoes?

Yes, the Legislature can override vetoes, including vetoes of line items, provided the legislature has not adjourned, as noted in the Minnesota Constitution Article IV, Section 23. The action must receive a two-thirds majority in both houses (90 in the House and 45 in the Senate) in order to achieve this. There is no limit to this privilege, though successfully overriding a veto has been rare over the course of state history.

Historical data on vetoes and override attempts is available on the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library's Vetoes database.

Bills awaiting floor action are on lists of bills called calendars or orders. They could be called General Orders or Consent Calendar in the Senate or the General Register in the House.

At the end of the first year of a biennium, a bill remaining on General Orders, Consent Calendar, or General Register bills are returned automatically to a committee (usually the last committee to report them). Bills must receive a favorable committee hearing again in the second year of the biennium before being returned to the floor.

When the chamber adjourns sine die, at the end of the second year of a biennium, bills left on General Orders, Consent Calendar, or General Register are considered dead and lawmakers would need to re-introduce them following biennium.

For an illustration of how bills move through the floor process, please see Making Laws: The Bill on the Floor.

You can check the Session Laws and index for laws passed by topic and corresponding bill numbers. For older Session Law Indexes, see the Cumulative Index page.

In addition to bills that passed, you can find information about all bills introduced from 1995 to the present on the Legislature's Bills web page, which includes a topic search.

To identify bills older than 1995, use the House Journals and Senate Journals in print, which are available in many libraries, including the Legislative Reference Library. The House Journal or Senate Journal index for a particular session often has a topical index of Senate and House bills introduced in that session. See the Legislative History Guide for more information about researching bills older than 1995.

The Senate Information Office (651-296-0504), the House Index office (651-296-6646), and the Legislative Reference Library (651-296-8338) can help you find bills from previous sessions.

The full text of bills from 1995 to the present can be found on the Bills page. Bills from 1957-2002 are on microfilm at the Legislative Reference Library. For bills prior to 1957, contact the Minnesota Historical Society Library.

For more information, please see the Minnesota Legislative History - Location of Materials guide.

The Combined Calendar includes listings of House, Senate, and Commission meetings. For further information on daily activities in the House and Senate, you may also want to see the FAQs about Calendars and Procedures (Parliamentary).

The House and Senate publish schedules of committee hearings and floor sessions on a daily and weekly basis. Paper and electronic copies of the daily schedules are available from House Public Information Services in Room 175, State Office Building, 651-296-2146, and Senate Information in Room 231, State Capitol, 651-296-0504.

If you're tracking a bill and would like to know if it's going to have a hearing, use the MyBills service. Note that MyBills will not send you an email so you'll need to log in every 24 hours or so during the session.

To state up-to-date, you can also subscribe to one or more email notification services.

The Senate and House each have an agenda that is prepared for floor sessions known as the Order of Business: House Order of Business | Senate Order of Business

These agendas include lists of bills that may be discussed. The House and Senate have different names for those lists; they also have somewhat different operating procedures.

In the House, the list of bills that are ready for discussion is called the Calendar for the Day. Bills that appear on the calendar are chosen from the House General Register by the House Rules Committee. The bills that are selected from the calendar for discussion may be amended and given a third reading—all on the same day. A noncontroversial bill may be placed on the Consent Calendar.

In the Senate, the process is a bit different. Bills that are eligible to be discussed and amended are placed on either the General Orders calendar or the Special Orders calendar. That decision is made by the Senate Majority leader or their designee.

When discussing bills on the General Orders calendar, the Senate forms itself into what is known as a Committee of the Whole. Bills on General Orders can be amended and recommended to pass. That passage is considered preliminary passage. Those bills are then placed on the Senate Calendar for a third reading and final passage at the next floor session. Bills on the calendar cannot be amended except by unanimous consent. A bill can bypass the General Orders calendar by being designated a Special Order. It can then be debated, amended, and given a third reading, all on the same day.

For more about what's happening in the Legislatures, see our Combined Legislative Meeting Calendar.

The Combined Legislative Meeting Calendar will show you upcoming hearings, floor sessions, and commission meetings. You can find schedule, calendar, and legislative business information on the Legislative website on the Schedules page.

Paper copies of daily and weekly schedules are available at House Public Information Services in Room 175 of the State Office Building. House Public Information can be reached at 651-296-2146. Paper copies of daily and weekly schedules are available through Senate Information, which is located in Room 231 of the Capitol and G204 of the Minnesota Senate Building. Senate Information can be reached at (651) 296-0504.

The General Register is a list of bills that have had a second reading and await action by the full House of Representatives. The House Rules Committee usually meets the day prior to session to determine which bills on the General Register will be placed on the Calendar for the Day. Bills placed on the Calendar are debated and may be given a third reading and placed on final passage that day.

General Orders is a list of bills that have had a second reading and await action by the full Senate. Acting as one large committee known as the Committee of the Whole, the Senate debates the bills and may recommend them for preliminary passage. Bills recommended to pass, or pass as amended, are added to the Senate Calendar for third reading and final passage by the full Senate on another day.

In the Senate, Special Orders is a category of bills that bypass the Committee of the Whole. A bill on Special Orders may be debated, amended, and placed on final passage immediately. Special Orders are designated by the Chair of the Committee on Rules and Administration (the Senate Majority Leader).

See the Legislature's Civic Engagement Resources page for more about how a bill becomes a law.

The Consent Calendar is a list of local or non-controversial bills that are given a second reading and bypass the General Register in the House or General Orders in the Senate, making them eligible for debate, possible amendment, third reading and final passage all in one day.

The Fiscal Calendar is a list of spending or revenue bills to be taken up by the full House on a given day. The bills are drawn from the General Register, which means they have had a second reading. Bills can be placed on the Fiscal Calendar by the chair of the Ways and Means Committee or the chair of the Taxes Committee. The intent to place a bill on the Fiscal Calendar must be announced before 5 p.m. on the legislative day prior to its consideration by the full House.

The Senate Agenda is a list of items scheduled for action by the Senate during the floor session for a particular day. Items on the Senate Agenda—which may include governor's appointments, messages from the House, first reading of House bills, reports from committees, motions, and other printed material—would otherwise have to be read aloud if they were not presented in printed form. This agenda saves that step. It is available to the public the morning of a planned Senate floor session.

There is no yearly deadline for the introduction of bills. However, each year the Legislature establishes deadlines for committee action on bills by concurrent resolution. The deadlines do not apply to the House committees on Capital Investment, Ways and Means, Taxes, or Rules and Legislative Administration, nor to the Senate committees on Capital Investment, Finance, Taxes, or Rules and Administration.

Committee deadlines are announced during the first half of a session in order to winnow the list of topics to be dealt with that year.

The Minnesota Constitution sets a deadline for the end of each year's session: the first Monday after the third Saturday in May.

A caucus is a group of representatives or senators who affiliate with the same political party or faction, such as "DFL Caucus," the "Republican Caucus," the "New Republican Caucus," the "Majority" caucus, or the "Minority" caucus. Also, any meeting of such a group is called a caucus.

The House of Representatives has web pages for party caucuses: the Republican Caucus, the New Republican Caucus, and the Democratic/DFL Caucus.

The Senate also has web pages for party caucuses: the DFL Caucus and the Republican Caucus.

In the House, members of each party caucus meet on an informal basis within a week or two after the general election to organize and elect leaders. Each caucus can nominate a speaker designate. The speaker is officially elected by members of the entire House on the opening day of the session. The majority caucus also elects a majority leader and assistant leaders. Likewise, the minority caucus elects a minority leader to express the caucus opinion on the House floor, and other assistant minority leaders. For a list of current leaders in the House, see the House of Representatives Leadership web page.

In the Senate, the leader of the majority caucus directs the business of the Senate and is considered the leader of the Senate. He or she is elected by the members of the caucus, which also elects the leader's chief assistant, called the assistant majority leader. The minority caucus also elects its own leaders, much like the House does. The President of the Senate, who presides over the activities of the Senate and assigns bills to committees, is elected on the opening day of each biennial session. Senate leadership positions are noted on the Senate member page.

Whichever party holds the most seats in either the House or the Senate is considered the Majority Caucus.

Employees working for a caucus in the House or Senate are considered partisan. There are many other staff who work in nonpartisan offices.

Heads of state agencies do not specifically have party affiliations related to their jobs since they are not elected. However, they are appointed by the governor—a partisan, elected official.

Each biennium the leaders in the House and the Senate set the number and scope of the standing committees and establish committee chairs according to which party is in the majority. Whichever party holds the most seats in either the House or the Senate is considered the Majority Caucus.

Senate

The majority caucus in the Senate elects a majority leader, who is also chair of the Rules and Administration Committee. Two other chairs are elected by the entire caucus, the chair of the Tax Committee and the Chair of the Finance Committee. Other chairs are selected by an organizational committee of the majority caucus. Membership on the committees is according to the proportion of each caucus. The minority caucus may offer suggestions of individual members for the minority representation on each committee. The minority caucus also names a "minority lead" on each committee. The Rules and Administration Subcommittee on Conference Committees selects members for conference committees. In addition, no Senator may serve as the chair of a specific committee or one under its jurisdiction for more than three Senate terms.

House

In the House, the Speaker chooses the committee chairs and appoints members of each committee. Each member is allowed to state his or her preference. In deciding on a committee chair, the speaker usually chooses a senior member with some expertise in the committee's work, but not always. A member cannot serve as the chair of the same standing committee or division during more than three consecutive regular biennial sessions. This Rule does not apply to service as chair of the Committee on Rules and Legislative Administration. Ideally, committee memberships reflect the balance of DFL and Republican members in the House. Each committee, therefore, would be a representative sample of the whole body. Conference committee members are also appointed by the Speaker.

Find out who represents you or if you know who represents you, use the House Member Information and Senate Member Information pages to see their contact information.

You can call, email, or write a letter to your legislator. To speak to your representative or senator in person, contact their office to make an appointment.

Email is most effective if it is not a blanket mailing to all members. When sending an email, remember to include your name, postal address, and phone number.

Address Format - Representatives
Representative's offices are located in the State Office Building West of the Capitol.

Honorable (Full Name)
Minnesota House of Representatives
(Room #) State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155-1298

Begin your letter: Dear Rep. (Last Name):

Address Format - Senators
Senator's offices are located in the Minnesota Senate Building North of the Capitol.

Honorable (Full Name)
Minnesota State Senate
(Room #) Minnesota Senate Building
95 University Avenue West
St. Paul, MN 55155-1606

Begin your letter: Dear Sen. (Last Name):

You can use the Who Represents Me? page from Geospatial Information Services to find out who your elected officials are based on your address.

Additionally, you can contact the Senate Information Office, Room 231 State Capitol at 651-296-0504 or House Public Information Services in Room 175, State Office Building at 651-296-2146 to learn who represents you in both the Senate and the House.

There is a printable PDF roster of current members, which shows House and Senate Legislators' room numbers and phone numbers.

To find additional contact information, including downloadable lists, please see the House member information page and the Senate member information page. On each page, additional contact information for individual members is available by clicking on their name. There are links to downloadable lists of contact information for all members in Excel or CSV (which can open as an Excel spreadsheet) documents in the member information section in the right-hand column.

There is not a bulk email list available for Minnesota legislators. While email is an effective way to contact your representative or senator, it is best to address your concerns to the legislators that represent you.

You can use the Who Represents Me? page from Geospatial Information Services to find out who your elected officials are based on your address. Every member of the Legislature has an email address based on the member's name. For example, Representative Jane Doe's email address is rep.jane.doe@house.mn.gov. Senator John Doe's email address is sen.john.doe@senate.mn.

To find out a specific member's email address, you can look several places. The House and Senate websites have pages for each member that includes his or her email address (Members of the House of Representatives and Minnesota Senators). The Official Directory of the Minnesota Legislature (often referred to as "the red book") and the Members Directory ("the green book") contain contact information, including email addresses, for all legislators. To receive a free copy of the red or green book, or to ask for a member's email address, call either House Public Information Services at 651-296-2146 or Senate Information at 651-296-0504.

Yes. Members of the general public are encouraged to testify before committees, though testimony will need to be arranged with committee staff prior to a scheduled hearing.

Contact the committee staff or your representative before the hearing. See the Combined Calendar for hearing dates and times.

Committees primarily focus hearings on particular bills, though occasionally they discuss issues of broad interest within the committee's jurisdiction. You can find a Senate standing committee schedule or House standing committee schedule online or call House Public Information Services at 651-296-2146 or Senate Information 651-296-0504 to find the phone numbers for committee staff or to receive a printed standing committee schedule.

From 2020-2024, House and Senate rules allowed for virtual and/or hybrid committee hearings (see Temporary Senate Rule 12.1(b) and House Rule 10.05 ). As a result, there were deviations from some of the processes outlined below. Future legislatures may or may not continue the practice of virtual and/or hybrid hearings.

Here are 10 suggestions to make it easier to get involved:

1. Arrive early. Getting to the meeting early will give you a chance to survey the meeting space, identify legislators, and make last-minute changes to your presentation.
2. Contact the committee's administrator or legislative assistant. If you want to testify, make sure you are on the committee meeting agenda. It's best to contact the committee a day or two before the hearing to do this. But, time permitting, it's possible to sign up and testify on same day of the hearing.
3. Introduce yourself. When speaking to the committee, clearly identify yourself and the organization you represent, if any. Then clearly state your position on the bill before the committee.
4. Speak through the committee chair. All questions and answers during committee hearings are routed through the committee chair. Address the chair as "Madame Chair" or "Mr. Chair." This makes it easier to follow the testimony when listening to tapes of recorded committee meetings.
5. Don't be intimidated. This is a citizen Legislature. Representatives are your friends and neighbors and they want to hear what you have to say. Just state your case clearly and in simple terms as you would to anyone.
6. Be brief. Make your key points as concisely as possible. Provide specific information about why your position is in the state's best interest. Legislators may want to know what, if anything, has been done in other states, what the costs might be, and what groups support or oppose your proposal. If you know the answers, include them in your statement.
7. Be prepared to answer questions. The best way to make your case is to provide straightforward answers to legislators' questions. If you don't know the answer, say so. If possible, find the answer and pass it on to committee members.
8. Bring written summaries. You may want to have copies of a concise summary of your key points to hand out to legislators, staff and the news media. Some legislators say a clearly written letter, or issue sheet, is the most effective way of gaining support.
9. Offer to help. Citizens play a key role in shaping state policy. Ask if there is anything you can do to help get the proposal in question approved or defeated.
10. Display mutual respect. Your views are important and you have a right to be treated courteously by all members and staff. Likewise, legislators are more apt to respond to polite treatment than to browbeating. There are many sides to every issue and each one has merit. Understand the difficult position legislators have in reaching their decisions.

Accommodations for people with a disability, such as sign language interpreters or large print materials, can be arranged with advance notice. See Disability Access for details.

House Public Information Services has created a series of short videos about testifying before a committee. Senate Media Services has created a video on "Tips on Testifying Before a Legislative Committee" as well.

From 2020-2024, House and Senate rules allowed for virtual and/or hybrid committee hearings (see Temporary Senate Rule 12.1(b) and House Rule 10.05 ). Future legislatures may or may not continue the practice of virtual and/or hybrid hearings.

Capacity to offer hybrid or virtual meetings is limited by the technology available in hearing rooms. Not every hearing room is able to host a hybrid meeting. Additionally, it is the chair of the committee’s decision to offer a hybrid option or not.

Please contact the committee or commission administrator if you would like to testify. The committee administrator will be able to tell you if there is a hybrid option and will put you on the list of testifiers.

If you are signed up to provide virtual testimony in a committee or a commission and need a device to join the meeting, there is a workstation in the Legislative Reference Library on the 6^th floor of the State Office Building. The workstation is a laptop with a camera, headset, and zoom installed. Use of the workstation is first come, first served.

For more tips about testifying, see the FAQ: May I testify at a committee hearing?

There is a pilot program offered for the 2024 legislative session to provide live interpretation services in Hmong, Spanish, and Somali for hearings, committee meetings, response to phone calls, and constituent meetings. This pilot will include translation services in Hmong, Spanish, and Somali of documents, emails, and letters beginning March 1, 2024 for the 2024 legislative session.

Members of the public will need to request services through a legislator, the legislator’s assistant, or committee staff because staff must initiate the services. You can locate contact information for legislative assistants by clicking on the legislator’s name from the House Member list or the Senator’s list. You can locate committee administrators on the House committee list or the Senate committee list. The legislator, the legislator’s staff, or committee staff can request interpretation or translation services for those members of the public who need it.

Contact language.services@lcc.mn.gov if you have any questions or for clarification.

If you are looking for sign language interpretation, please see the FAQ: Are there services for people who are deaf or hard of hearing?

The Legislative Publications web page links to free publications providing session information, mailing lists, fiscal information, reports, and Revisor's manuals and guides.

The green and red member directories are joint publications of the Minnesota House and Senate. The green book, or Members Directory, is published near the beginning of the first year (odd year) of a biennial legislative session - usually in February. It contains pictures, biographical information, committee assignments, and contact information for all 134 representatives and 67 senators. It also lists key House and Senate staff and certain joint offices. The red book, the Official Directory of the Minnesota Legislature, is published during the second year (even year) of the biennium. It contains additional information, such as the permanent rules of both the House and the Senate, joint rules, and statutory and constitutional provisions relating to the Legislature.

Green and red books are available at the House Public Information Services in Room 175, State Office Building, 651-296-2146, and Senate Information Office, Room 231, State Capitol, 651-296-0504. Limited copies are mailed.

The blue book or Minnesota Legislative Manual, is published by the Secretary of State's Office. It includes detailed information about the three branches of government, constitutional officers, and election statistics for certain offices over the state's history, as well as detailed information from the most recent election. The blue book also contains the state constitution and a history of proposed constitutional amendments.

Copies of the blue book are available to the public, free of charge, in Room 180, State Office Building, or call 651-215-1440 to order one. Most manuals, back to 1860, are also available electronically.

Session Daily, an online news source, is updated daily during session with the day's House actions, and when news from the House warrants.

To subscribe to Session Daily, call House Public Information Services at 651-296-2146 or 1-800-657-3550, or complete the email subscription form, which is where you can sign up for a variety of notifications from the House.

See additional subscriptions on the Legislative Electronic Notification Services page.

The Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate produce and distribute unedited television coverage of all House and Senate floor sessions, select committee hearings, press conferences, and other issue-oriented programming. Programming is broadcast weekdays during the legislative session from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., with extended evening and weekend coverage available for debates on high-profile issues. All broadcast programming is closed-captioned. See the House and Senate Broadcast Television Schedule page for a list of upcoming broadcast events and a channel guide.

All House and Senate television programming is webcast live over the internet. The live webcast service allows viewers to watch additional coverage not provided on the television channels or to watch extended evening coverage. In addition, all television programming is archived and made available on the Legislative Media Archive page as well as the House and Senate websites. Webcast programming is captioned. See the House audio and video pages for House live and House archived coverage and see the Senate Media Services pages for Senate live and archived video and Senate live and archived audio.

Yes, all committee hearings are open to the public, including conference committee hearings. Use the Combined Legislative Meeting Calendar to find hearing times and locations.

Many hearings are live-streamed online (some audio and some video) or broadcast live on television. Recordings are also available online. Access live and recorded meetings on the Legislature's Multimedia page. For access to older recordings, consult the Legislative Reference Library's Legislative Media Archive.

Yes. Public galleries are accessible from the third floor of the Capitol.

No passes are required except for opening day and when the Legislature meets in joint session. The Sergeant-at-Arms may be contacted for seats for groups in the galleries.

No visitors are allowed on the floor of the Senate. Some visitors are allowed on the House floor, but they must obtain permission.

No smoking is permitted on the floor of the Senate, the House, or in the galleries.

Public photos are prohibited. Staff photographers in both the House and Senate are allowed to photograph proceedings.

Applause, demonstrations, and food and beverages are also prohibited in the galleries.

Yes. The Request Capitol Access page provides information from The Minnesota Commission of the Deaf, DeafBlind & Hard of Hearing.

Minnesota Relay Service

Individuals who are deaf, hard of hearing, or speech disabled may contact the Senate and House via their preferred Telecommunications Relay Service.

Minnesota Relay Service is a free service that uses a specially trained communications assistant (CA) to facilitate the telephone conversations between a person who has a hearing loss or speech disability and the person with whom they wish to speak. All calls are confidential. To make a Minnesota Relay call dial 7-1-1.

Sign Language Interpreters

Those who are interested in requesting CART or ASL can use the Legislature's combined meeting calendar to find upcoming meetings.

In order to provide accessibility for meetings with legislators, legislative committee hearings, and House and Senate floor sessions, the Legislature contracts with Keystone Interpreting Solutions to provide legislative sign language interpreting services. Interpreting services are also available for hearings or meetings with legislators in Greater Minnesota.

To request legislative interpreting services, call 651-454-7275 (voice) through their website's Request an Interpreter page or request by email.

Please make your request a minimum of 36 hours before the service is needed. You may also request legislative interpreting services from the committee administrator or committee legislative assistant that is planning the committee meeting you want to attend.

You may also request legislative interpreting services by contacting the Legislative Coordinating Commission at accessibility.coordinator@lcc.mn.gov,  or call , 651-296-6036.

If you are interested in touring the Capitol building, ASL interpreters available upon request for guided tours. Interpreter reservation must be made 14 days in advance. Call 651-259-3003.

Communication Access Realtime Translation (CART)

Those who are interested in requesting CART or ASL can use the Legislature's combined meeting calendar to find upcoming meetings.

For CART services, contact the Legislative Coordinating Commission at accessibility.coordinator@lcc.mn.gov,  or call , 651-296-6036. Please make your request a minimum of 36 hours before the service is needed.

Sound Reinforcement Systems

The Minnesota Senate has sound reinforcement systems for use in hearings rooms in the Minnesota Senate Building. The systems, for the exclusive use of people who are deaf or hard of hearing, are available for the duration of a particular meeting and must be returned immediately following the meeting. Senate receivers may be signed out during normal business hours from the Senate Sergeant-at-Arms, room G-430, Minnesota Senate Building. For meetings lasting beyond normal business hours, receivers are to be returned to the committee staff. Call the Sergeant-at-Arms at 651-296-1119 for further information.

The Minnesota House has sound reinforcement systems in the 10 hearing rooms in the State Office Building. The systems, for the exclusive use of people who are deaf or hard of hearing, are available for the duration of a particular meeting and must be returned immediately following the meeting. House receivers for State Office Building hearing rooms may be signed out during normal business hours from the House Sergeants' Office, Room G-85, State Office Building. For meetings lasting beyond normal business hours, receivers are to be returned to the committee staff. Call the House Sergeant's Office at 651-296-4860 for further information.

Capitol Hearing Rooms, including the House Hearing Room 120, and the House Gallery have a telecoil loop sound reinforcement system. House receivers for State Capitol hearing rooms may be signed out from 8:30am to 5:00pm at the Minnesota Historical Society Information Desk, Room 126, State Capitol Building.

Yes. Here is a list of available services.

Signs

• Raised numbers identify legislative offices and rooms in the Minnesota Senate Building and State Office Building. In addition, Braille signs are installed throughout both buildings to assist those who are visually impaired. The elevators in both buildings are equipped with control signs in Braille.

Large print

• Some of the printed material handed out in committees may be enlarged on the copying machines used by the Legislature. For assistance, contact: Legislative Coordinating Commission, 651-296-6036, Centennial Office Building.

Readers

• Readers for printed materials can be arranged upon request. Advance notice is necessary to insure timely assistance. For assistance, contact: Legislative Coordinating Commission, 651-296-6036, Centennial Office Building.

Recorded Meetings

• Committee, commission meeting, and floor session are recorded. Audio recordings from 1991 to the present are available on the Minnesota Legislature's website.
  • Legislative Media Archive from the Legislative Reference Library
  • House Audio and Video Archives
  • Senate Media Services-Senate Audio Service
• To purchase a copy of a House video please contact House Public Information, 175 State Office Building; (651) 297-1338 - $12.50 per item produced. The Senate does not provide copies of audio/video.
• If an individual wishes to listen to the recording of a committee meeting or floor session, public computers are located in the Legislative Reference Library, 651-296-8338, Room 645, State Office Building.

Screen Reader Software

• Screen reader software is installed on some public access computers in the Legislative Reference Library, Room 645, State Office Building (JAWS and NVDA) and the Legislative Reference Library, Room 3238, Minnesota Senate Building (NVDA).

Approval and coordination of special events and public rallies within Capitol Complex buildings and grounds is managed by the Department of Administration.

• For information on event permits, equipment rental, and event resources visit the Public Events Web page.
• To find an event, check the Capitol Complex Events Schedule Web page.

See also the FAQ: How do I schedule a press conference or reserve a room at the Capitol?

Please use the Capitol Complex Reservations page to book a room. In the Capitol building, there are meeting rooms for the public on the third floor. You can drop in to the Public Business Center in room 318. There are other rooms that you can reserve on that floor including: Cass Gilbert Library Room (317A), or conference rooms (309A, 316, 317, 317B). The G20A conference room is on the ground floor and is reservable. The press conference room in the Capitol is Room B971. For questions about access to Capitol spaces contact the Department of Administration at 651-201-2300.

If you would like to reserve a Senate hearing room, please fill out the Request for Use of Senate Facilities form. Contact the Senate Sergeant at Arms at 651-296-0866 with any questions.

To reserve a House hearing room, please contact the House room scheduler at 651-296-0306.

If you’re looking for available space to work without a reservation, you can use the Public Business Center in room 318 in the Capitol. In the State Office Building, you can use the Legislative Reference Library on the 6th floor. In the Minnesota Senate Building, there are many chairs throughout the hallways or you can drop by the Legislative Reference Library on the 3rd floor.

See also the FAQ: Who do I contact to schedule an event at the Capitol?

During the 2024 legislative session, the State Office Building will remain open to the public and some committee hearings will be held in the building. However, the tunnel between the State Office Building and the Capitol is closed. The North door of the State Office Building will remain closed as well.

While House members and their staff will remain in the State Office Building until after session adjourns, some building tenants have already moved to new locations. Please check with individual offices for the most recent update on their location and availability.

If you'd like to reserve a room, please use the Capitol Complex Reservations page. In the Capitol building, there are meeting rooms for the public on the third floor. You can drop in to the Public Business Center in room 318. There are other rooms that you can reserve on that floor including: Cass Gilbert Library Room (317A), or conference rooms (309A, 316, 317, 317B). The G20A conference room is on the ground floor and is reservable. The press conference room in the Capitol is Room B971. For questions about access to Capitol spaces contact the Department of Administration at 651-201-2300.

If you would like to reserve a Senate hearing room, please fill out the Request for Use of Senate Facilities form. Contact the Senate Sergeant at Arms at 651-296-0866 with any questions.

To reserve a House hearing room, please contact the House room scheduler at 651-296-0306.

If you’re looking for available space to work without a reservation, you can use the Public Business Center in room 318 in the Capitol. In the State Office Building, you can use the Legislative Reference Library on the 6th floor. In the Minnesota Senate Building, there are many chairs throughout the hallways or you can drop by the Legislative Reference Library on the 3rd floor.

See also the FAQ: Who do I contact to schedule an event at the Capitol?

The Civic Engagement Resources page includes general information about state government, the Minnesota Legislature, how a bill becomes a law, and how high schoolers and college students can get involved.

Additionally, there is a Minnesota State Symbols Coloring Book and a Minnesota House of Representatives Puzzle Book for younger students.

It is a committee made up of members from each house appointed to reconcile the differences between two versions of a bill that has been passed by both bodies. Each conference committee usually has either three or five members from both the House and the Senate.

You can view bills that are in conference committee on the Conference Committee Actions page.

Each biennium the leaders in the House and the Senate set the number and scope of the standing committees and establish committee chairs according to which party is in the majority. Whichever party holds the most seats in either the House or the Senate is considered the Majority Caucus.

Senate

The majority caucus in the Senate elects a majority leader, who is also chair of the Rules and Administration Committee. Two other chairs are elected by the entire caucus, the chair of the Tax Committee and the Chair of the Finance Committee. Other chairs are selected by an organizational committee of the majority caucus. Membership on the committees is according to the proportion of each caucus. The minority caucus may offer suggestions of individual members for the minority representation on each committee. The minority caucus also names a "minority lead" on each committee. The Rules and Administration Subcommittee on Conference Committees selects members for conference committees. In addition, no Senator may serve as the chair of a specific committee or one under its jurisdiction for more than three Senate terms.

House

In the House, the Speaker chooses the committee chairs and appoints members of each committee. Each member is allowed to state his or her preference. In deciding on a committee chair, the speaker usually chooses a senior member with some expertise in the committee's work, but not always. A member cannot serve as the chair of the same standing committee or division during more than three consecutive regular biennial sessions. This Rule does not apply to service as chair of the Committee on Rules and Legislative Administration. Ideally, committee memberships reflect the balance of DFL and Republican members in the House. Each committee, therefore, would be a representative sample of the whole body. Conference committee members are also appointed by the Speaker.

Membership on Senate committees ranges from 11 to 20. Each member generally serves on five or six committees.

Membership on House committees range in size from 10 to 25 members. Each member usually serves on three to five committees so she or he is able to focus on a few areas of policy development.

It is the job of each committee to hold public hearings on bills, to put each bill into its best form, and to recommend to the full body only those bills that the committee feels merit further consideration. The committee takes testimony from the public, bill sponsors, and experts in the areas the bill affects.

Committees have a number of choices for action, including the following: amending the bill, combining two or more bills under one file number, sending more detailed or complex bills to a subcommittee for further examination, recommending a bill to pass as introduced, recommending it be passed as amended, sending it to another committee with recommendation to pass, sending it to another committee without recommendation to pass, or killing the bill by voting it down, tabling it, delaying action, ignoring it, or returning it to its author.

Yes. Members of the general public are encouraged to testify before committees, though testimony will need to be arranged with committee staff prior to a scheduled hearing.

Contact the committee staff or your representative before the hearing. See the Combined Calendar for hearing dates and times.

Committees primarily focus hearings on particular bills, though occasionally they discuss issues of broad interest within the committee's jurisdiction. You can find a Senate standing committee schedule or House standing committee schedule online or call House Public Information Services at 651-296-2146 or Senate Information 651-296-0504 to find the phone numbers for committee staff or to receive a printed standing committee schedule.

From 2020-2024, House and Senate rules allowed for virtual and/or hybrid committee hearings (see Temporary Senate Rule 12.1(b) and House Rule 10.05 ). As a result, there were deviations from some of the processes outlined below. Future legislatures may or may not continue the practice of virtual and/or hybrid hearings.

Here are 10 suggestions to make it easier to get involved:

1. Arrive early. Getting to the meeting early will give you a chance to survey the meeting space, identify legislators, and make last-minute changes to your presentation.
2. Contact the committee's administrator or legislative assistant. If you want to testify, make sure you are on the committee meeting agenda. It's best to contact the committee a day or two before the hearing to do this. But, time permitting, it's possible to sign up and testify on same day of the hearing.
3. Introduce yourself. When speaking to the committee, clearly identify yourself and the organization you represent, if any. Then clearly state your position on the bill before the committee.
4. Speak through the committee chair. All questions and answers during committee hearings are routed through the committee chair. Address the chair as "Madame Chair" or "Mr. Chair." This makes it easier to follow the testimony when listening to tapes of recorded committee meetings.
5. Don't be intimidated. This is a citizen Legislature. Representatives are your friends and neighbors and they want to hear what you have to say. Just state your case clearly and in simple terms as you would to anyone.
6. Be brief. Make your key points as concisely as possible. Provide specific information about why your position is in the state's best interest. Legislators may want to know what, if anything, has been done in other states, what the costs might be, and what groups support or oppose your proposal. If you know the answers, include them in your statement.
7. Be prepared to answer questions. The best way to make your case is to provide straightforward answers to legislators' questions. If you don't know the answer, say so. If possible, find the answer and pass it on to committee members.
8. Bring written summaries. You may want to have copies of a concise summary of your key points to hand out to legislators, staff and the news media. Some legislators say a clearly written letter, or issue sheet, is the most effective way of gaining support.
9. Offer to help. Citizens play a key role in shaping state policy. Ask if there is anything you can do to help get the proposal in question approved or defeated.
10. Display mutual respect. Your views are important and you have a right to be treated courteously by all members and staff. Likewise, legislators are more apt to respond to polite treatment than to browbeating. There are many sides to every issue and each one has merit. Understand the difficult position legislators have in reaching their decisions.

Accommodations for people with a disability, such as sign language interpreters or large print materials, can be arranged with advance notice. See Disability Access for details.

House Public Information Services has created a series of short videos about testifying before a committee. Senate Media Services has created a video on "Tips on Testifying Before a Legislative Committee" as well.

From 2020-2024, House and Senate rules allowed for virtual and/or hybrid committee hearings (see Temporary Senate Rule 12.1(b) and House Rule 10.05 ). Future legislatures may or may not continue the practice of virtual and/or hybrid hearings.

Capacity to offer hybrid or virtual meetings is limited by the technology available in hearing rooms. Not every hearing room is able to host a hybrid meeting. Additionally, it is the chair of the committee’s decision to offer a hybrid option or not.

Please contact the committee or commission administrator if you would like to testify. The committee administrator will be able to tell you if there is a hybrid option and will put you on the list of testifiers.

If you are signed up to provide virtual testimony in a committee or a commission and need a device to join the meeting, there is a workstation in the Legislative Reference Library on the 6^th floor of the State Office Building. The workstation is a laptop with a camera, headset, and zoom installed. Use of the workstation is first come, first served.

For more tips about testifying, see the FAQ: May I testify at a committee hearing?

The Minnesota House of Representatives and the Minnesota Senate produce and distribute unedited television coverage of all House and Senate floor sessions, select committee hearings, press conferences, and other issue-oriented programming. Programming is broadcast weekdays during the legislative session from 8 a.m. until 6 p.m., with extended evening and weekend coverage available for debates on high-profile issues. All broadcast programming is closed-captioned. See the House and Senate Broadcast Television Schedule page for a list of upcoming broadcast events and a channel guide.

All House and Senate television programming is webcast live over the internet. The live webcast service allows viewers to watch additional coverage not provided on the television channels or to watch extended evening coverage. In addition, all television programming is archived and made available on the Legislative Media Archive page as well as the House and Senate websites. Webcast programming is captioned. See the House audio and video pages for House live and House archived coverage and see the Senate Media Services pages for Senate live and archived video and Senate live and archived audio.

The Combined Legislative Meeting Calendar will show you upcoming hearings, floor sessions, and commission meetings. You can find schedule, calendar, and legislative business information on the Legislative website on the Schedules page.

Paper copies of daily and weekly schedules are available at House Public Information Services in Room 175 of the State Office Building. House Public Information can be reached at 651-296-2146. Paper copies of daily and weekly schedules are available through Senate Information, which is located in Room 231 of the Capitol and G204 of the Minnesota Senate Building. Senate Information can be reached at (651) 296-0504.

Yes, all committee hearings are open to the public, including conference committee hearings. Use the Combined Legislative Meeting Calendar to find hearing times and locations.

Many hearings are live-streamed online (some audio and some video) or broadcast live on television. Recordings are also available online. Access live and recorded meetings on the Legislature's Multimedia page. For access to older recordings, consult the Legislative Reference Library's Legislative Media Archive.

According to pages 11-12 of Making Laws: Committee Proceedings from the Minnesota House Research Department:

"A committee is not required to consider, still less to report, every bill referred to it. Many bills proceed no further than introduction and referral to a committee; they are never heard of again. Others emerge from one committee only to founder in another.

A committee hearing on a referred bill is not automatic. The author must ask for one. Some bills do not get a hearing because the author decides not to request one or push strongly for one.

An author is not entitled to a hearing on request. The committee chair decides and may refuse. Some chairs find this easier than others, but almost every chair, however amiable, denies some bills a hearing. A chair may refuse for simple lack of time; the limited session period does not permit a hearing on every introduced bill, and a chair may consider one bill more important than another. A chair may decide that a bill is not ripe for legislative decision for some reason — a pending federal action, a court case, a forthcoming government report on the subject. A chair simply may oppose a bill on its merits or conclude that a majority of the members of the committee are opposed, making a hearing pointless."

More details are available in Making Laws, House Research Department.

There is no yearly deadline for the introduction of bills. However, each year the Legislature establishes deadlines for committee action on bills by concurrent resolution. The deadlines do not apply to the House committees on Capital Investment, Ways and Means, Taxes, or Rules and Legislative Administration, nor to the Senate committees on Capital Investment, Finance, Taxes, or Rules and Administration.

Committee deadlines are announced during the first half of a session in order to winnow the list of topics to be dealt with that year.

The Minnesota Constitution sets a deadline for the end of each year's session: the first Monday after the third Saturday in May.

Except when specifically stated on a legislative page, anyone may view, copy, or distribute information found on a legislative website for personal or nonprofit use. A person or entity may not use any part of the information on a legislative website for commercial purposes or publish the information for commercial gain without proper attribution of source.

See also Who do I contact for copyright permission? for more guidance.

The Legislature makes no warranty that information on a legislative website is free from copyright claims or other restrictions or limitations on free use or display. While we do our utmost to make sure the information we provide on our website is accurate, once you take it off the site in its intended format, we cannot claim responsibility for the accuracy of any information you distribute from the sections.

See also Who do I contact for copyright permission? for more guidance.

Some of the information presented in this website may be protected by copyright. Permission to use that material must be obtained in advance from the office that created the information.

See also Who do I contact for copyright permission? for more guidance.

Contact the office that has created the web page you are interested in. You can often determine the page creator by looking at the heading of the page, or the web address for the page.

• House Public Information Services - 651-296-2146 - public.information@house.mn
• House Research Department - 651-296-6753 - house.research@house.mn
• Senate Information - 651-296-0504
• Revisor's Office (Minnesota Statutes, Session Laws, and Rules) - 651-296-2868 - revisor@revisor.mn.gov
• Office of the Legislative Auditor - 651-296-4708 - legislative.auditor@state.mn.us
• Geographic Information Services - 651-296-9002 - gis@gis.lcc.mn.gov
• Legislative Coordinating Commission - 651-296-9002 - lcc@lcc.mn.gov
• Legislative Reference Library - 651-296-8338 - library@lrl.mn.gov

In addition to the terms and definitions below, you may also be interested in A Glossary of Fiscal Terms & Acronyms by the House Fiscal Analysis Department.

• amend: the action a legislator takes to change or propose a change in a bill, motion, report, or even another amendment by adding, omitting, or altering language.
• appeal: request a lower court's decision be heard in a higher court.
• appropriation: authorization to spend money from the state treasury for purposes established in law.
• bicameral: a legislative body containing two branches or chambers.
• biennium: 1) the two-year period by which the state budget is set. Money is appropriated for a two-year budget cycle during the odd-numbered years. The fiscal biennium runs from July 1 in an odd-numbered year to June 30 in the next odd-numbered year.
  2) the two-year legislative term, which begins in January of an odd-numbered year and ends in December of an even-numbered year.
• bill: a proposal calling for a new law, a change in current law, the repeal of current law, or a constitutional amendment. It consists of a title, enacting clause, and body (text), which is examined and approved by the Revisor of Statutes.
• calendar: a list of bills that are awaiting floor action in either the House or the Senate. In the Senate, bills are placed on the "Calendar" after approval in the Committee of the Whole. In the House, the Rules Committee places bills on the "Calendar for the Day" for consideration on the House floor.
• Calendar for the Day: a list of bills designated by the Rules Committee to be considered on the floor by the House.
• caucus: A caucus is a group of representatives or senators who affiliate with the same political party or faction, such as "DFL Caucus," the "Republican Caucus," the "Majority" caucus, or the "Minority" caucus. Also, any meeting of such a group is called a caucus.
• chamber: Either of the houses of a bicameral Legislature. The term also can be used to refer to the room in which each chamber meets.
• chief author: the main author, or sponsor, of a bill.
• Chief Clerk of the House: an employee elected by the House to provide assistance and advice to the Speaker and to members of the House of Representatives in meeting the legal and parliamentary requirements of the lawmaking process and to record the history of that process.
• Committee of the Whole: the Committee of the Whole is the entire membership of the Senate acting as one large committee to consider bills listed on General Orders. There is no longer a Committee of the Whole in the House.
• companion bill: once a bill is introduced in either house, the chief author may find someone to carry the companion bill in the other body. A companion bill is usually identical when introduced, though that may change.
• concurrence: action in which one body approves or adopts a proposal or action taken by the other house.
• conference committee: a committee appointed to reconcile the differences between two versions of a bill that has been passed by both the House and Senate. A conference committee has either three or five members from each body.
• conference committee report: language of a bill as agreed upon by a conference committee.
• Consent Calendar: a list of local or non-controversial bills that are given a second reading and bypass the General Register in the House or General Orders in the Senate, making them eligible for debate, possible amendment, third reading and final passage all in one day.
• constituent: a resident of the district that a legislator has been elected to represent.
• convene: to officially begin the meeting of a legislative body.
• district: the state of Minnesota is divided into 67 geographical areas called legislative districts. Voters elect one senator from each of those districts. Each Senate district is divided into two sections. Voters elect one House member, or representative, from each section, making a total of 134 representatives. These districts are identified with an "A" or a "B."
• effective date: the date on which a law takes effect. Most laws (except for appropriations) take effect on August 1st following a session, unless the bill specifically says otherwise. Laws appropriating money take effect on July 1st following its final enactment, unless a different date is specified in the bill. See Minnesota Statute 645.02 Effective Date and Time of Laws for further information.
• enacting clause: the constitutionally required portion of a bill which formally expresses the intent that it become law: "Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Minnesota…"
• engrossment: the current text of a bill or resolution which includes or incorporates all adopted amendments to the title and/or text.
• enrollment: a bill that has been passed by both houses and has been put in final form to be presented to the governor for his signature.
• executive branch: the executive branch administers and executes the laws passed by the legislative branch. The President of the United States is the chief executive at the federal level, and the governor serves as the state's chief executive. They are aided by the officials appointed to head the various agencies and departments and by the other officials elected to the executive branch. The persons elected to executive branch positions—governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, state treasurer, state auditor, and attorney general—are referred to as constitutional officers.
• final enactment: when a bill is signed by the governor, or when a bill passes the governor's deadline without being vetoed. See "Is there a timeline for the governor to sign bills?".
• final passage: the vote taken on a bill after its third reading, requiring a majority of all elected members of a legislative body for approval.
• first reading: the reporting of a bill to the body at the time of its introduction and referral to committee.
• Fiscal Calendar: a list of spending or revenue bills to be taken up by the full House on a given day. Bills can be placed on the Fiscal Calendar by the chair of the Ways & Means Committee or the chair of the Taxes Committee.
• fiscal note: fiscal notes put a projected cost or savings on proposed legislation, and are very important in the legislative process. A fiscal note should be an objective opinion on the change in expenditures and revenues that will result from a bill. A fiscal note may influence if a bill passes, if it fails, or if changes need to be made to the bill to adjust the cost or revenue.
• floor: after a bill passes through the committee process, it is sent to the "floor" in either the House or Senate, meaning it is placed on any of the various bill lists while awaiting debate by all members.
• floor session: that part of a legislator's work day that takes place when the full House or Senate meets in its chambers to conduct business.
• gallery: the balcony area above a legislative chamber. The public can watch the floor sessions from the gallery.
• General Orders: a list of Senate bills that have had second readings and may be debated and/or amended by the body acting as the Committee of the Whole, or taken up as a Special Order. See "General Register" for the House.
• General Register: a list of bills that have been reported out of House committees, have been given their second reading, and are awaiting placement on a calendar for floor action.
• hearing: public discussion scheduled by a standing committee for the purpose of gathering information and making recommendations to the full House or Senate on a bill.
• House advisory bill: a proposal for the initiation, termination, alteration, or study of a law or program which may be drawn up informally in everyday terms.
• House file: the number assigned to a bill before it is introduced. It is listed at the top of the bill. "HF2379" is an example.
• interim: the months between adjournment of one regular session of the Legislature and convening of the next.
• introduced (or introduction): the formal presentation of a bill to a body of the Legislature. The bill gets its first reading at this time and is then referred to a committee.
• joint committee: group formed with members from both chambers.
• journal: the Journal of the Senate and the Journal of the House are the official records of the respective bodies.
• justice: a title given to judges, usually those who serve on the U.S. or state supreme courts.
• judge: a person who presides over a court.
• judicial branch: branch of government that includes all state courts and employees: the Minnesota Supreme Court, court of appeals, and district courts. Also includes several boards performing judicial functions.
• legislative branch: consists of House, Senate, and joint legislative groups.

• legislative day: See the FAQ - What is a Legislative Day?

• legislative intent: what the Legislature sought when it approved a specific law. See Minnesota Statutes 645.16 Legislative Intent Controls for further information.

• line item veto: the power of the governor to reject one or more items of appropriations in a bill, while approving the rest of the bill.
• lobbyist: a person acting individually or for an interest group who tries to influence legislation.
• majority: the party that has the most members elected in either the House or the Senate.
• majority leader: the leader of the party that has the most members in a legislative chamber.
• majority whip: a legislator selected by the majority party to help the majority leader.
• minority: the party that has the fewest members elected in either the House or Senate.
• minutes: a record of actions taken at a committee meeting. The minutes serve as the official record of the meeting.
• new language: the language in a bill that is proposed to be added to existing state law. New language in bills is always underlined.
• omnibus bill: a large bill that is generally made up of numerous smaller bills on the same broad topic.
• order of business: the established order of activities in floor sessions each legislative day.
• page: a person employed by the House or Senate to run errands, to assist committees, and to perform a variety of other legislative tasks.
• pocket veto: a pocket veto occurs when the governor fails to sign a bill within 14 days after the Legislature has adjourned sine die (the end of the biennial session), preventing its reconsideration by the Legislature.
• President of the Senate: a senator elected by the Senate to preside over Senate proceedings.
• quorum: a minimum number of members of each house or each committee necessary to conduct the business of that group.
• recommendation: the action a committee takes on a bill. Although in common usage a committee is said to pass a bill, technically, it recommends a bill to pass.
• redistricting: a process carried out once a decade to adjust the boundaries of U.S. congressional districts and state legislative districts in response to population changes shown by the U.S. census. State legislatures are responsible for creating new congressional districts and new state legislative districts.
• regular session: the Minnesota Constitution requires the legislature to meet each biennium, during the two-year term of office of members of the House of Representatives. The constitution leaves the timing of these "regular" legislative sessions to be prescribed by law. The law says that regular sessions are to begin just after newly elected legislators commence their term of office on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in January of the odd-numbered year.
• repassage: a final vote on a bill previously passed in another form to include amendments of the other chamber, a conference committee, or amendments.
• repeal: to eliminate a law, or section of a law, by an act of the Legislature.
• resolution: resolutions are formal actions of the Legislature which express intent on the part of one or both bodies, but are not codified into Minnesota statutes upon passage. Each body can pass a separate resolution to express individual intent. They can also pass resolutions jointly or concurrently.
• second reading: reporting of a bill to the body, following the adoption of the committee report, that places it on a list for floor consideration.
• Secretary of the Senate: an employee who hires and supervises Senate employees, keeps the records of the Senate, transmits bills and resolutions to the House, and serves as parliamentary adviser to the Senate.
• senate file: the number assigned to a bill before it is introduced. It is listed at the top of the bill. "SF1354" is an example.
• session: There are four possible things people are referring to when they refer to the legislative session —
  1) the biennial session that begins on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in January in an odd-numbered year and ends no later than the first Monday after the third Saturday in May of the even-numbered year.
  2) the yearly session, which begins on the day the Legislature assembles and ends on the day it adjourns for the year.
  3) daily sessions, which adjourn each day, are any time the House or Senate meet on the floor of their respective chambers. At such times, both bodies are referred to as "in session."
  4) a special session is one called by the governor at a time other than a regularly scheduled session. The legislature, however, determines the length and purpose of any such session.

• session laws: the laws enacted at each session of the legislature, published in the approximate order of enactment. Session laws are generally referred to as the "Laws of Minnesota," with a citation to the chapter number for the year of enactment (for example, Laws of Minnesota 2014, chapter 145).

• sine die: Latin for "without a day." Adjournment without setting a definite date for meeting again is called adjournment sine die. It signifies the end of the biennial legislative session.
• Speaker of the House: a representative selected by the majority party to preside over House proceedings.
• Special Orders: a list of bills that have received a second reading and are designated for priority consideration by the Chair of the Senate Rules and Administration Committee. The bills may be debated and/or amended, immediately given a third reading, and considered for final passage. In the House, bills are placed on the "Calendar for the Day" or the "Fiscal Calendar" for floor consideration.
• special session: a session called by the governor at a time other than a regularly scheduled session. The legislature, however, determines the length and purpose of any such session.
• sponsor: a chief author or co-author of a bill.
• stand-alone bill: a bill that is not part of a larger (omnibus) bill. The term is often used when a bill's content could be expected to be included in an omnibus bill but is not, or is split out from an omnibus bill to be considered separately.
• standing committee: a group appointed according to the rules of the House or Senate that holds public hearings on bills in a specific policy area, such as transportation or agriculture.
• statutes: laws of a general and permanent nature. These laws are gathered in a compilation known as "Minnesota Statutes," an arrangement by subject matter of all the laws currently in effect. Laws that are not of a general nature (for example, laws that apply to only one unit of local government) or that are temporary are published in a compilation of session laws in the year of enactment, but are not compiled into Minnesota Statutes.
• stricken language: the language in a bill that is proposed to be eliminated from existing state law. Stricken language in bills is always crossed out.
• table: a motion used to set aside consideration of a bill. When a bill is tabled, it cannot be taken up again unless a motion is adopted to take the bill off the table.
• testify: to present evidence for or against a bill at a committee hearing.
• third reading: the final reporting of a bill to the body before its final passage. No amendments, except amendments to the title, may be offered after the third reading unless unanimous consent is granted.
• unicameral: a single body legislature.
• unofficial engrossment: amendment by the other house of a bill which has been passed by its house of origin. For example, the House cannot officially amend a Senate bill, so when the House considers a Senate bill and makes changes, that engrossment is unofficial until the bill returns to the Senate and the Senate adopts the engrossment.
• veto: the constitutional power of a governor to refuse to sign a bill, thus preventing it from becoming law unless it is passed again (with a two-thirds majority) by both houses of the legislature.
• yield: to surrender the floor temporarily to another member for the purpose of hearing a question or inquiry. "Madam Speaker, will Rep. Brown yield to a question?"

The daily journals, compiled by the Chief Clerk of the House and the Secretary of the Senate for their respective bodies, are the official records of legislative proceedings. The state constitution requires that the journal contain a record of all roll call votes. The journals record attendance, bill introductions, committee reports, amendments to bills, and reports of conference committees. In addition, it is the record of official communications between the two bodies, messages from the governor and protests filed by members.

Minnesota is a "journal entry state," which means that the journal is the final authority used by the courts concerning actions of the Legislature and in determining legislative intent. Therefore it is very important that the journal be complete and accurate.

The daily journal is printed at the end of each day's session and is made available online to members, staff and the public before the next day's session. The House and Senate journals are compiled into permanent publications following a legislative session.

Electronic versions of House Journals (since 1994) and Senate Journals (since 1996) are available on the Legislative website. The Legislative Reference Library digitized Journals from 1973-1996.

It is a compilation of all the daily journals placed in one bound volume. The appropriate offices in the House and the Senate proofread, correct, index, and certify the journals before printing them in their permanent forms.

Electronic versions of House Journals (since 1994) and Senate Journals (since 1996) are available on the Legislative website. The Legislative Reference Library digitized Journals from 1973-1996.

The permanent Journals of both the House and Senate are distributed to Senate and House members and staff, to depository libraries, constitutional offices, and some state offices.

Print copies of current session Journals are available to the public at the Secretary of the Senate's Office counter and the front desk of the House Chief Clerk's Office. In addition, electronic versions of House Journals (since 1994) and Senate Journals (since 1996) are available on the Legislative website.

The Legislative Reference Library has current and historical printed Journals available for public use. The Legislative Reference Library digitized Journals from 1973-1996.

Some Journals from previous years are available for reference on a limited basis in the Senate Information Office, Room 231 State Capitol.

No. They are free. For more details, please see the FAQ: Where do I find Journals of the House and Senate?

You can use the basic search tool for House bills or Senate bills to look for bills by session, keyword, author, topic, and more from 1995 to the present. Other specialized search tools are noted on the main Bills search page. If you do not have internet access, there are public computers in the Legislative Reference Library on the third floor of the Minnesota Senate Building or the sixth floor of the State Office Building.

To identify bills older than 1995 by topic, use the topical index of the House Journals and Senate Journals in print, which are available in many libraries, including the Legislative Reference Library. See the Legislative History Guide for more information about researching bills older than 1995.

How to Follow a Bill is a helpful guide to tracking bills currently before the Legislature. The House and Senate Index Offices also track the status of current bills. They can help you find a particular piece of legislation. Call House Index at 651-296-6646 or Senate Index at 651-296-2887. To receive a copy of the bill once you locate it, call the Chief Clerk's Office in the House at 651-296-2314 or Senate Information at 651-296-0504. For further information on this topic, see the Bills topic of this FAQ.

A law is an idea, placed in bill form, that has passed both the House of Representatives and the Senate and has not been (successfully) vetoed by the Governor. The legislature publishes laws in two forms: session laws and statutes.

See also the FAQ: How do laws, statutes, and rules differ? and Making Laws, House Research Department.

Minnesota Statutes is a compilation of the general and permanent laws of the state, incorporating all new laws, amendments, or repeals of old law. It is printed every two years by the Revisor of Statutes Office. A supplement is issued in odd-numbered years to show changes made during that legislative session. The citation for laws contained in the supplement is "Minnesota Statutes 1989 Supplement, section 335.01." The statutes are also made available online at the Minnesota Legislature's website. The authenticated pdf version of each section is also an official version of the text, equivalent to the printed version. See Minnesota Statutes, chapter 3E.

Statutes are laws that apply to all citizens and cover a variety of topics, including the following: the Legislature, the executive branch, state departments, the judiciary and courts, tax policy, public safety and police authority, towns, cities, counties, commerce and trade, private property and private rights, civil injuries and remedies, and crimes against people and property and the penalties associated with them.

There are three definitions of a rule, depending on which branch of government you are referring to.

Procedural rules: In the Legislature, rules refer to the regulating principles or methods of procedure. The Minnesota Constitution, Minnesota Statutes, Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure, and custom and usage are all guidelines which determine legislative procedure. Each body adopts the rules under which it operates and the joint rules which govern joint conventions.

Administrative rules: In the executive branch of state government, rules are operating principles or orders created by an office of the state under authority granted by the Legislature. These administrative rules have the force and effect of law.

Administrative rules are not enacted by the Legislature. Rather, the Legislature gives state agencies or units the authority to establish rules. For more information on the difference between rules and laws, visit the Web page About Minnesota Rules.

Minnesota Court Rules are rules adopted by the Supreme Court of Minnesota, governing legal proceedings in the various courts in the state. Other documents that are included here are the Sentencing Guidelines, which are promulgated by the Minnesota Sentencing Guidelines Commission and the Lawyer's Professional Responsibility Board Opinions.

The court rules also contain court orders, notes, and comments of the drafters.

Act is the official name for a bill that has been enrolled for presentation to the Governor. Each act is assigned a chapter number and is published in the bound volume called the Session Laws of the State of Minnesota.

This book serves as the only official record for temporary and special laws, such as laws for a specific unit of government or a law containing an appropriation. Those laws are not compiled in the Minnesota Statutes.

See also the FAQ: How do laws, statutes, and rules differ?

The term "laws" refers to all laws passed by the Legislature, which are subsequently bound in the Session Laws of that year. Statutes are a codification of the general and permanent laws, which are compiled and published every year as Minnesota Statutes or its supplement. By being codified into Minnesota Statutes, the laws are placed into the context of statutes that have been on the books in previous years.

Sometimes, it is difficult to understand a law unless it is placed into the proper context in Minnesota Statutes. But remember that not all laws will become statutes. Some laws, such as ones passed for a specific town or city, and appropriation measures, aren't included in Minnesota Statutes. So you won't find the appropriations made by the 2023 Legislature in the same set of books that contain the Minnesota statutes prohibiting drunk driving. The appropriation bills are probably the best examples of laws that aren't statutes.

Why are some laws not included in statutes? The main reason is that appropriation laws are applicable for only two years, whereas laws included in the statutes are intended to be permanent. And because local laws do not apply on a general level, they are not included in the statutes.

Administrative rules are promulgated in a very different manner than laws. Rules are created by executive branch state agencies and not by the legislature. However, executive branch state agencies only have the authority to adopt administrative rules when granted that authority by the legislature. The purpose of rules is to "implement or make specific the law enforced or administered by that agency or... govern its organization or procedure" (Minn. Stat. 14.02, subd. 4). Though laws and rules are distinct, and the process by which they come about is distinct, once rules are adopted they have the force and effect of law.

State agencies must follow a strict process when adopting rules. The rulemaking process is explained in detail in the Minnesota Administrative Procedure Act and in Rulemaking in Minnesota: A Guide, published by the Office of the Revisor of Statutes.

Laws of a general and permanent nature having statewide application in Minnesota are coded in Minnesota Statutes. Use the Statutes topical index to look for statutes on a particular subject.

Special acts and certain other legislation are found only in the Session Laws of the year in which enacted (For example, see the "resources" box on the right-hand side in the 2023 Regular Session Laws for local laws enacted). Use the Laws search to look for laws on a particular subject.

Rules and regulations of state departments and agencies are found in Minnesota Administrative Rules and the Rules topical index helps identify relevant rules.

The document search allows you to search across state statutes, laws, and rules in one interface.

In addition, federal laws apply in Minnesota, and local ordinances and regulations apply in certain municipalities and jurisdictions.

Unless a specific effective date is provided in the bill, the act will take effect on August 1 following its final enactment (see Minnesota Statute 645.02). Bills containing an item of appropriation, however, take effect on July 1. A special law which requires approval of a local government unit becomes effective on the day following the day the certificate of approval is filed with the Minnesota Secretary of State, unless a specific later date is specified in the act. Each act takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day it becomes effective, unless a different time is specified in the act.

Electronic versions of Minnesota Statutes and Session Laws are available on the Legislative website.

The Legislative Reference Library has current and historical printed Minnesota Statutes, and Session Laws available for public use.

Some Minnesota Statutes and Session Laws from previous years are available for reference on a limited basis in the Senate Information Office, Room 231 State Capitol.

The Minnesota Statutes Archive page has past versions of the Minnesota Statutes back to 1851.

Two versions of Minnesota law published by the Revisor of Statutes are official publications:

1. The first official version consists of the printed and bound paper editions of Minnesota Statutes, Laws of Minnesota, and Minnesota Rules published annually by the Revisor's office. (See, Minnesota Statutes, sections 3C.06, 3C.08, 3C.11, 3C.13, and 14.47.)

2. The second official version consists of the online, authenticated PDFs of Minnesota statutes, laws, or rules, which have been designated as official records by the Revisor of Statutes under Minnesota Statutes, section 3E.04, subdivision 2.

Online versions of Minnesota law are available on the Minnesota Law page. To authenticate a PDF, click on the "authenticate" link located on the upper right side of a statute, law, or rule web page, and follow the prompts.

See the sample citations below, which are followed by notes on formatting.

Constitution:

Minn. Const. art. IV, sec. 8

Minn. Const. art. IV, sec. 8, online. Accessed August 19, 2016.

Statutes:

Legislative citation

Minnesota Statutes 2015, section 3.302, subdivision 3

Minnesota Statutes 2015, section 3.302, subdivision 3, online. Accessed August 19, 2016.

Court citation

MINN. STAT. 3.302 (2015)

MINN. STAT. ANN. 3.302 (2015)

Session Laws:

Legislative citation

Laws of Minnesota 1988, chapter 469, article 1, section 1

Laws of Minnesota 1988, chapter 469, article 1, section 1, online. Accessed August 19, 2016.

Laws of Minnesota 1985, 1st Spec. Sess. chapter 13, article 1, section 61

Court citation

1988 Minn. Laws xxx (note: xxx is a page #)

Minnesota Rules:

Legislative citation

Minnesota Rules 2015, part 1400.2070, subpart 2, item C

Minnesota Rules, part 1400.2070, subpart 2, item C, online. Accessed August 19, 2016.

Court citation

MINN. R. 1400.2070 (2015)

Bills:

Minn. S.F. 123 art. 4, sec. 5. (2015), online. Accessed August 19, 2016.

House and Senate Journals:

Minn. Sen. J., 89th Leg., Reg. Sess. xxx (2016) (note: xxx is a page #)

Minn. H.J., 89th Leg., Reg. Sess. xxx (2016) (note: xxx is a page #)

Audio or Video of Legislative Floor and Committee Hearings:

Floor debates

Minn. Sen., Floor Debate, 89th Minn. Leg., Reg. Sess. (May 23, 2016), available at: http://mnsenate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2 (audio)

Minn. Sen., Floor Debate, 89th Minn. Leg., Reg. Sess. (May 23, 2016), available at: http://mnsenate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=1 (video web media)

Minn. H., Floor Debate, 89th Minn. Leg., Reg. Sess. (May 22, 2016, part 2), available at: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/htv/archivesHFS.asp?ls_year=89 (video web media)

Committee hearings

Minn. Sen., Hearing on S.F. 2374 before the Sen. Comm. on Taxes, 89th Minn. Leg., Reg. Sess. (April 5, 2016), available at: http://mnsenate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=1 (video web media)

Minn. H., Hearing on H.F. 3594 before the H. Comm. on Taxes, 89th Minn. Leg., Reg. Sess. (April 21, 2016), available at: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/cmte/archiveAV/cmtearchives.aspx?comm=89023&ls_year=89 (video web media)

Materials from committee minutes

The example is a Senate Counsel Bill Summary.
Minn. Sen. Judiciary Comm., 75th Minn. Leg., Summary of S.F. No. 2017, at 2 (Mar. 5, 1988) (report by Senate Counsel Allison Wolf)

Notes on formatting:

In some instances, two citation formats are listed:

1. Legislative: as cited by the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes or on the Minnesota Legislative website
2. Legal court citation: as cited in legal citation manuals. Legislative hearing cite formats are taken from a citation manual (tapes) and the Mitchell Hamline Law Review (web archive).

If you consult Minnesota's legal materials online, cite them in a way that makes that clear. A citation to online material will usually include three elements:

1. The ordinary, official citation
2. The word "online." (You don't need to include the full URL.)
3. The access date, which is the latest date when the text appeared online in the form you cite.
   
   For example, a complete citation of Minnesota Statutes, section 3.302 consulted online looks like this:
   Minnesota Statutes 2015, section 3.302, online. Accessed September 6, 2016.

Section numbers, or coding, may be proposed in a bill for a new law, or in a bill which provides for adding a new section to a chapter of the statutes. However, coding may be added or changed by the Revisor of Statutes when necessary. Coding is technical in nature and is done at the time of editing and publishing the statutes. Each chapter of the statutes covers a broad subject and has a number. Sections under that chapter have the same number followed by a decimal point and another number.

Divisions of both Session Laws and Minnesota Statutes may be called chapters, but a reference to Minnesota Statutes will usually be to a section number. For example, chapter 3 of the statutes will be divided into sections, such as 3.011. The proper citation for this would be "Minnesota Statutes, section 3.011" or better yet, with the date included: "Minnesota Statutes 1990, section 3.011."

The italicized numbers at the end of a section represent the history of that particular section. For example, [1973 c 1 s 1; 1988 c 469 art 1 s 1; 2023 c 62 art 2 s 7] means that the section was new in 1973 and was contained in the Laws of Minnesota 1973, chapter 1, section 1. It was amended in Laws 1988, chapter 469, article 1, section 1, and amended again in Laws 2023, chapter 62, article 2, section 7. If you look up those chapters of those particular Session Laws, you will find what changes were made.

Please see the FAQ How do I cite Minnesota's legal sources? or contact the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library with additional questions.

Please email booksales@revisor.mn.gov or call the Office of the Revisor of Statutes at 651-296-2868 for more information about how to purchase statutes, laws, and rules.

Electronic versions of Minnesota Statutes, Session Laws, and Administrative Rules are available on the Legislative website.

Most of the time, the governor has three calendar days (excepting Sundays) from presentment to sign a bill or to veto it. If the governor takes no action within three days of presentment, the bill will become law.

However, the timeline is different for bills passed in the last three days of a biennial session, in the even-numbered year. The governor has 14 days (including Sundays) after the adjournment of the legislature to sign or veto a bill. If the governor takes no action within these 14 days, the bill will not become law. This is known as a pocket veto.

Presentment is the action that the legislature takes to present the enrolled act to the governor for review. There is not usually a delay in this process, but the constitution does establish limits. If the act was passed before the last three days of a biennial session, the legislature must present the bill to the governor before the legislature adjourns sine die. If the act was passed during the last three days of the biennial session, the legislature has three calendar days after adjournment sine die to present the bill to the governor.

For a more detailed description of vetoes, please see The Veto Process and Powers of the Governor. For more details about presentment and vetoes, please see Making Laws: Review by the Governor.

See the FAQ: What are line-item and pocket vetoes?

According to Minnesota Statutes 10A.01, Subdivision 21, "Lobbyist" means an individual

• Engaged for pay or other consideration of more than $3,000 from all sources in any year for the purpose of attempting to influence legislative or administrative action, or the official action of a a political subdivision, by communicating or urging others to communicate with public or local officials; or
• from a business whose primary source of revenue is derived from facilitating government relations or government affairs services if the individual's job duties include offering direct or indirect consulting or advice that helps the business provide those services to clients; or
• who spends more than $3,000 of the individual's personal funds, not including the individual's own traveling expenses and membership dues, in any year for the purpose of attempting to influence legislative or administrative action, or the official action of a political subdivision, by communicating or urging others to communicate with public or local officials.

"Lobbyist" does not include

• A public official
• An employee of the state, including an employee of any of the public higher education systems
• An elected local official
• A nonelected local official or an employee of a political subdivision acting in an official capacity, unless the nonelected official or employee of a political subdivision spends more than 50 hours in any month attempting to influence legislative or administrative action, or the official action of a political subdivision other than the political subdivision employing the official or employee, by communicating or urging others to communicate with public or local officials, including time spent monitoring legislative or administrative action, or the official action of a political subdivision, and related research, analysis, and compilation and dissemination of information relating to legislative or administrative policy in this state, or to the policies of political subdivisions
• A party or the party's representative appearing in a proceeding before a state board, commission, or agency of the executive branch unless the board, commission, or agency is taking administrative action
• An individual while engaged in selling goods or services to be paid for by public funds
• A news medium or its employees or agents while engaged in the publishing or broadcasting of news items, editorial comments, or paid advertisements which directly or indirectly urge official action
• A paid expert witness whose testimony is requested by the body before which the witness is appearing, but only to the extent of preparing or delivering testimony
• A party or the party's representative appearing to present a claim to the legislature and communicating to legislators only by the filing of a claim form and supporting documents and by appearing at public hearings on the claim.
• An individual who volunteers personal time to work without pay or other consideration on a lobbying campaign, and who does not spend more than the limit in paragraph (a), clause (2), need not register as a lobbyist.
• An individual who provides administrative support to a lobbyist and whose salary and administrative expenses attributable to lobbying activities are reported as lobbying expenses by the lobbyist, but who does not communicate or urge others to communicate with public or local officials, need not register as a lobbyist.

At the Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board
190 Centennial Office Building, 658 Cedar Street
St. Paul, MN 55155
Telephone 651-296-5148

The Campaign Finance and Public Disclosure Board's website provides a list of currently registered lobbyists in Minnesota.

Lobbyists are hired (or act on their own) to work toward influencing lawmaking by communicating with legislators, either directly or by coordinating the message of a group. Lobbyists can provide lawmakers with focused, specialized information or a single point of contact for a large group's interest. See the Lobbyist Handbook for further information.

The state constitution requires that each bill be reported on three separate days in each body before votes for final passage can occur. These reports of the bill are called readings. Therefore, every bill will have a first, second, and third reading before a vote is taken.

A bill is given its first reading at the time it is introduced. A bill typically receives its second reading after it has been heard in committee and has been recommended to pass. It is then ready to be placed on one of the calendars or agendas in each house.

Once all proposed amendments have been discussed and voted on, a bill receives its third reading and can no longer be amended. Then members discuss the bill and it proceeds to final vote.

Under extraordinary conditions, a bill may receive all three readings in one day in either the House or the Senate if a motion to bypass the rules of the body receives a two-thirds majority vote.

See the Legislature's Civic Engagement Resources page for more about how a bill becomes a law.

According to pages 11-12 of Making Laws: Committee Proceedings from the Minnesota House Research Department:

"A committee is not required to consider, still less to report, every bill referred to it. Many bills proceed no further than introduction and referral to a committee; they are never heard of again. Others emerge from one committee only to founder in another.

A committee hearing on a referred bill is not automatic. The author must ask for one. Some bills do not get a hearing because the author decides not to request one or push strongly for one.

An author is not entitled to a hearing on request. The committee chair decides and may refuse. Some chairs find this easier than others, but almost every chair, however amiable, denies some bills a hearing. A chair may refuse for simple lack of time; the limited session period does not permit a hearing on every introduced bill, and a chair may consider one bill more important than another. A chair may decide that a bill is not ripe for legislative decision for some reason — a pending federal action, a court case, a forthcoming government report on the subject. A chair simply may oppose a bill on its merits or conclude that a majority of the members of the committee are opposed, making a hearing pointless."

More details are available in Making Laws, House Research Department.

The Committee of the Whole is the entire membership of the Senate acting as one large committee to consider bills listed on General Orders. There is no longer a Committee of the Whole in the House. In the Senate, the president may appoint another member to preside and act as chair of the Committee of the Whole. Each bill on General Orders must be printed or electronically available at least one calendar day before consideration in the Committee of the Whole. The members debate the bill, offer and adopt amendments, and vote to recommend that the bill pass, pass as amended, be re-referred to another committee, or be returned to its author.

The Committee of the Whole is the entire membership of the Senate acting as one large committee to consider bills listed on General Orders. There is no longer a Committee of the Whole in the House.

In the Senate, when a bill is defeated in the Committee of the Whole it remains on General Orders and may be taken up again at a later date.

The House Rules and Senate Rules govern the procedures of each body and the acceptable conduct of each member. According to the state constitution, the Legislature must establish its own rules and procedure. As a result, both the House and the Senate establish their own rules, as well as joint rules. New rules are adopted each biennium.

The rule-drafting process actually begins very early in the legislative session. Both the House and the Senate have rules subcommittees to put together proposed rules. Then the proposed rules are presented to the entire body for approval. Until the new permanent rules are adopted, the House and Senate adopt the rules from the previous session as temporary rules.

The Senate is authorized to give its advice and consent on executive appointments under Minnesota Statutes 15.066. Appointments made by the Governor to state agencies that require confirmation by the Senate are referred to the appropriate committees. The Engrossing Secretary processes governor's appointments for Senate approval and fields any questions. Lists of appointees are available for current and past bienniums.

In both houses, the process a bill follows may be accelerated in the interest of time. In the Senate, this happens through Rule 26 and Special Orders. Rule 26 provides for immediate consideration and third reading of bills that have been given their second reading, rather than having to go through the Committee of the Whole and waiting an entire day before it can be taken up. Under Rule 26, the chair of the Committee on Rules and Administration or the chair's designee can designate a bill that has been given a second reading as a Special Order. At that point, the bill can be amended and discussed before being given its third reading and placed on final passage.

There is no yearly deadline for the introduction of bills. However, each year the Legislature establishes deadlines for committee action on bills by concurrent resolution. The deadlines do not apply to the House committees on Capital Investment, Ways and Means, Taxes, or Rules and Legislative Administration, nor to the Senate committees on Capital Investment, Finance, Taxes, or Rules and Administration.

Committee deadlines are announced during the first half of a session in order to winnow the list of topics to be dealt with that year.

The Minnesota Constitution sets a deadline for the end of each year's session: the first Monday after the third Saturday in May.

The General Register is a list of bills that have had a second reading and await action by the full House of Representatives. The House Rules Committee usually meets the day prior to session to determine which bills on the General Register will be placed on the Calendar for the Day. Bills placed on the Calendar are debated and may be given a third reading and placed on final passage that day.

General Orders is a list of bills that have had a second reading and await action by the full Senate. Acting as one large committee known as the Committee of the Whole, the Senate debates the bills and may recommend them for preliminary passage. Bills recommended to pass, or pass as amended, are added to the Senate Calendar for third reading and final passage by the full Senate on another day.

In the Senate, Special Orders is a category of bills that bypass the Committee of the Whole. A bill on Special Orders may be debated, amended, and placed on final passage immediately. Special Orders are designated by the Chair of the Committee on Rules and Administration (the Senate Majority Leader).

See the Legislature's Civic Engagement Resources page for more about how a bill becomes a law.

Under the Minnesota Constitution, Article 4, Sec. 17, only single subject laws may be passed by the Legislature. Theoretically, this requires that only amendments directly related, or "germane" to the measure, be attached to a bill. (The term "garbage bill" is sometimes used when a bill contains what some people feel are unrelated subjects.)

When a bill is being amended in committee, the committee chair rules whether an amendment is germane; on the House floor, the Speaker of the House makes those decisions. In the Senate, the committee chair makes the same rulings, and such decisions are left up to the President of the Senate on the floor. At times the courts have been asked to rule on this matter.

A legislator's salary is $51,750 per year, effective July 1, 2023. The Legislative Salary Council prescribes salaries of Minnesota Legislators. The Council issues a report by March 31 of odd-numbered years with any recommendations for changes to legislator salaries, which take effect July 1 of odd-numbered years.

Lawmakers are also allowed to collect a per diem for living and travel expenses seven days a week during the regular legislative session. Per diem rates are typically set by the House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee and the Senate Rules and Administration Committee.

For more information, see the House Research Department publication State Elected Officials Compensation and the Legislative Reference Library's web page on Compensation of Minnesota Legislators, 1872 - present.

You can use the Who Represents Me? page from Geospatial Information Services to find out who your elected officials are based on your address.

Additionally, you can contact the Senate Information Office, Room 231 State Capitol at 651-296-0504 or House Public Information Services in Room 175, State Office Building at 651-296-2146 to learn who represents you in both the Senate and the House.

The Minnesota Legislature has 67 senators and 134 representatives for a total of 201 members.

The State of Minnesota is divided into 67 legislative districts, with about 85,172 people in each district. Voters elect one senator from each of these districts. Each senate district is divided into two sections. Voters elect one House member, or representative, from each section, making a total of 134 representatives. These districts, which are made up of about 42,586 people each, are identified with an "A" or a "B."

Please see the Geographic Information Services pages for more information.

There is a printable PDF roster of current members, which shows House and Senate Legislators' room numbers and phone numbers.

To find additional contact information, including downloadable lists, please see the House member information page and the Senate member information page. On each page, additional contact information for individual members is available by clicking on their name. There are links to downloadable lists of contact information for all members in Excel or CSV (which can open as an Excel spreadsheet) documents in the member information section in the right-hand column.

There is not a bulk email list available for Minnesota legislators. While email is an effective way to contact your representative or senator, it is best to address your concerns to the legislators that represent you.

You can use the Who Represents Me? page from Geospatial Information Services to find out who your elected officials are based on your address. Every member of the Legislature has an email address based on the member's name. For example, Representative Jane Doe's email address is rep.jane.doe@house.mn.gov. Senator John Doe's email address is sen.john.doe@senate.mn.

To find out a specific member's email address, you can look several places. The House and Senate websites have pages for each member that includes his or her email address (Members of the House of Representatives and Minnesota Senators). The Official Directory of the Minnesota Legislature (often referred to as "the red book") and the Members Directory ("the green book") contain contact information, including email addresses, for all legislators. To receive a free copy of the red or green book, or to ask for a member's email address, call either House Public Information Services at 651-296-2146 or Senate Information at 651-296-0504.

Senators are elected for a four-year term and representatives are elected for a two-year term. However, in election years ending in 0, such as 2010 or 2020, Senators serve for a two-year term in order to provide for the redistricting process done in conjunction with the United States census.

For more information on the members of the House and the Senate, see State Lawmakers: Minnesota State Government Series.

In many cases, the vacancy is filled by a special election, called by the governor. If the vacancy occurs close to the date of a general election and the Legislature is not in session, then the vacancy is filled at the next state general election. See Minnesota Statutes, section 240D.17-240D.27 for further details.

Minnesota Representatives and Senators must be qualified voters of the state, be 21 years of age, and must have resided one year in the state. In addition, state legislators must have lived the six months immediately preceding the election in the district from which they are elected.

Candidates for the Minnesota Senate or House of Representatives must file during the designated time period, usually in May and June of the election year, and pay a fee. Candidates cannot file for more than one office at the upcoming primary or general election.

The Office of the Secretary of State's candidate qualifications and the Minnesota Constitution article 4, section 6 are resources for these qualifications. Visit the Office of the Secretary of State's website for more about election laws, election calendars, and voter lists on the Elections and Voting page of their website.

Employment

Yes, they do have some special rights, mostly having to do with employment issues. In Minnesota, members of the Legislature are "citizen legislators" and many have jobs outside the Legislature. For example, a member of the Legislature who is employed in the private sector must be allowed to resume his or her old job or a position of similar seniority, pay, and status if he or she reapplies within 30 days after the end of the session. A member cannot be discharged because of time spent in legislative service, nor can they be denied their seniority or benefits.

In addition, no employer can discharge a member of the Legislature in retaliation for statements made or beliefs held in his or her capacity as a legislator.

If the legislator is employed by a public entity, such as a city or a school district, he or she must be restored to his or her original position or a position of similar status. In addition, that person is entitled to an unpaid leave of absence during any or all of his or her term of office.

Arrest Privilege

The state constitution provides that members cannot be arrested while the Legislature is in session or when they are on their way to or from session, except in cases of felony, treason, or breach of the peace (see Sec. 10. Privilege from arrest). This privilege applies to misdemeanors or gross misdemeanors, excluding what the courts consider a breach of the peace. (Examples: assault or threatened assault, breaking and entering, driving while intoxicated, speeding, violent verbal attacks, or other acts that cause serious harm to people in the vicinity.)

The privilege only prevents detaining a member during session; it does not provide immunity from prosecution after session ends. The protection is not automatic. A member can either assert the privilege in court or choose to waive it.

Bills sponsored

The journal for each session has an index of bills by author. This is compiled at the end of the biennium so if you're looking for more timely information, you can search for House bills or search for Senate bills by author. Also, you can click on the Legislators Past and Present page for your Senator or Representative to find the recent bills they have authored.

Voting Records

There are no official compilations of voting records. To find all votes by a particular Senator or Representative, you must look up the final vote on each individual bill.

The votes that Senators and Representatives cast are a matter of public record and are recorded in the official journals of each body. You can find the votes on the Legislature's website for the years 1994 to present in the House Journal and 1995 to present in the Senate Journal.

Since 2001, the House has recorded all House floor votes cast in a database. From the bill status page for any House bill, click on Recorded Roll Call Floor Votes to get voting details. You can find the bill status pages by searching the Bill Search and Status system. Or go to the Recorded Roll Call Floor Votes page to find a vote by date or by bill number.

The Senate does not provide a similar service. To track how Senators voted from 1995 to the present, and how Representatives voted from 1995 to 2001, go to the Bill Search and Status page to locate the bill you are looking for. On the bill status page, you'll see a table of actions, which will include the final vote, when applicable. Next to the final vote should be a link to the journal page recording the vote. You can use the journal page to look up your Representative or Senator to see how they voted.

For years prior to 1995, you will need to use the print volumes of the House and Senate Journals. Minnesota House and Senate Journals are available at the Legislative Reference Library, Minnesota Law Library, Minnesota History Center, and various other libraries. The Legislative Reference Library digitized Journals from 1973-1996.

Some Senators and Representatives have their staff keep track of votes. In addition, interest groups following certain legislation compile such information. Be aware, however, that these compilations can be partisan in nature. A selection of Legislator Voting Records and Ratings can be found in a guide from the Legislative Reference Library.

Each biennium the leaders in the House and the Senate set the number and scope of the standing committees and establish committee chairs according to which party is in the majority. Whichever party holds the most seats in either the House or the Senate is considered the Majority Caucus.

Senate

The majority caucus in the Senate elects a majority leader, who is also chair of the Rules and Administration Committee. Two other chairs are elected by the entire caucus, the chair of the Tax Committee and the Chair of the Finance Committee. Other chairs are selected by an organizational committee of the majority caucus. Membership on the committees is according to the proportion of each caucus. The minority caucus may offer suggestions of individual members for the minority representation on each committee. The minority caucus also names a "minority lead" on each committee. The Rules and Administration Subcommittee on Conference Committees selects members for conference committees. In addition, no Senator may serve as the chair of a specific committee or one under its jurisdiction for more than three Senate terms.

House

In the House, the Speaker chooses the committee chairs and appoints members of each committee. Each member is allowed to state his or her preference. In deciding on a committee chair, the speaker usually chooses a senior member with some expertise in the committee's work, but not always. A member cannot serve as the chair of the same standing committee or division during more than three consecutive regular biennial sessions. This Rule does not apply to service as chair of the Committee on Rules and Legislative Administration. Ideally, committee memberships reflect the balance of DFL and Republican members in the House. Each committee, therefore, would be a representative sample of the whole body. Conference committee members are also appointed by the Speaker.

There is a set of buttons on the desk of every representative and senator—a green one for a "yes" vote and a red one for a "no" vote. Roll-call votes are recorded electronically and are visible on a board on each side of the Senate Chamber and the House Chamber.

A roll-call vote, where every member's vote is recorded, is required for the final passage of a bill or conference committee report. However, in order to have a roll-call vote for an amendment or, in the Senate, a bill on General Orders, a member must request a roll-call and be supported by a certain number of members. Otherwise, votes are taken by voice, in which case only the outcome of the vote is officially recorded in the House or Senate Journal. All roll-call votes are recorded in the House or Senate Journal.

If you have further questions, please contact House Public Information Services in Room 175, State Office Building, 651-296-2146, and Senate Information Office, Room 231, State Capitol, 651-296-0504.

Find out who represents you or if you know who represents you, use the House Member Information and Senate Member Information pages to see their contact information.

You can call, email, or write a letter to your legislator. To speak to your representative or senator in person, contact their office to make an appointment.

Email is most effective if it is not a blanket mailing to all members. When sending an email, remember to include your name, postal address, and phone number.

Address Format - Representatives
Representative's offices are located in the State Office Building West of the Capitol.

Honorable (Full Name)
Minnesota House of Representatives
(Room #) State Office Building
100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155-1298

Begin your letter: Dear Rep. (Last Name):

Address Format - Senators
Senator's offices are located in the Minnesota Senate Building North of the Capitol.

Honorable (Full Name)
Minnesota State Senate
(Room #) Minnesota Senate Building
95 University Avenue West
St. Paul, MN 55155-1606

Begin your letter: Dear Sen. (Last Name):

In the House, members of each party caucus meet on an informal basis within a week or two after the general election to organize and elect leaders. Each caucus can nominate a speaker designate. The speaker is officially elected by members of the entire House on the opening day of the session. The majority caucus also elects a majority leader and assistant leaders. Likewise, the minority caucus elects a minority leader to express the caucus opinion on the House floor, and other assistant minority leaders. For a list of current leaders in the House, see the House of Representatives Leadership web page.

In the Senate, the leader of the majority caucus directs the business of the Senate and is considered the leader of the Senate. He or she is elected by the members of the caucus, which also elects the leader's chief assistant, called the assistant majority leader. The minority caucus also elects its own leaders, much like the House does. The President of the Senate, who presides over the activities of the Senate and assigns bills to committees, is elected on the opening day of each biennial session. Senate leadership positions are noted on the Senate member page.

Whichever party holds the most seats in either the House or the Senate is considered the Majority Caucus.

The Minnesota statute regarding gifts and officials is 10A.071.

For more information, several reports are available. The Senate Counsel, Research, and Fiscal Analysis office has two relevant reports from 2020 that go into more details: Gift Ban for Public Officials and The Gift Ban - A Quick Look. Additionally, House Research has done a "Short Subject" (from the perspective of the House of Representatives) report called "Gift Ban Law and Rules for House Members and Employees", 2013. The Campaign Finance & Public Disclosure Board also has information on their publications page on the "gift ban".

Historical information about the Minnesota Legislature is available from the Legislative Reference Library and from the Minnesota Historical Society. For information about former members of the Legislature, see the Minnesota Legislators Past & Present database, call the Legislative Reference Library at 651-296-8338 or email the Library. A page with Historical Information About the Minnesota Legislature has facts on House and Senate leadership, party control, sessions, vetoes, women in the Legislature, and more.

Here are some ideas for using the Minnesota legislative website and other sites to find information on important issues facing the Minnesota Legislature.

Committee Information

House committees and Senate committees have web pages that give updates on issues.

Bills

Status information and the full text of bills introduced in the Minnesota Legislature are available within hours of introduction. You can search for bills by bill number, author, chief author, statutory citation, topic, committee, bill action, and by keyword in the bill's description.

Bill Summaries

Staff from the House Research Department, the nonpartisan research and legal services office for the House of Representatives, summarize significant and/or lengthy bills on their Bill Summaries page.

They provide summaries of bills that are enacted on their Act Summaries page.

Staff from Senate Counsel and Research, the nonpartisan research and legal services office for the Minnesota Senate, summarize selected bills on their Bill Summaries page.

They provide summaries of bills that are enacted on their Act Summaries page.

Public Information Offices

Additionally, you can contact the Senate Information Office, Room 231 State Capitol at 651-296-0504 or House Public Information Services in Room 175, State Office Building at 651-296-2146 to learn who represents you in both the Senate and the House.

Journals

See the House Journals and the Senate Journals for the daily record of a legislative session.

Statutes and Session Laws

Current and past statutes and session laws can be found on the Revisor of Statutes page Statutes, Laws, and Rules.

Minnesota Legislative History Guide

The Legislative History guide provides instructions on following a specific bill through the legislative process.

Research Reports

The House Research department and the Senate Counsel, Research, and Fiscal Analysis Office have a variety of reports and tools to aid in legislative research.

Fiscal reports include the Fiscal Review from Senate Counsel, Research, and Fiscal Analysis, Money Matters from the House Fiscal Analysis Department, and fiscal notes from the Legislative Budget Office.

The Office of the Legislative Auditor Program Evaluation Division evaluates state government programs and agencies and helps to ensure accountability for the expenditure of public funds. Studies are conducted at the request of the Legislature, but all reports are available to the public.

Additional reports are available in the LRL catalog.

Legislative Reference Library Resources

The Library collection includes public policy reports and a comprehensive collection of state documents. Search it via the LRL catalog. The full text of many reports is available online.

Library staff prepare guides to information on selected legislative issues. The Minnesota Issues Guides list important reports and articles, sometimes give timelines, and give contacts for further information.

The Library is also where you'll find news, magazines, books, and historical data about the legislature, including Minnesota Legislators Past & Present.

Executive Branch information

Minnesota.gov links to state agency websites, which may include statistics and reports on major issues, including education, crime, and the environment. It also links to the Governor's website. The Legislative Reference Library's Historical Information About Minnesota State Government contains information about vetoes, executive orders, agencies, and more.

See the sample citations below, which are followed by notes on formatting.

Constitution:

Minn. Const. art. IV, sec. 8

Minn. Const. art. IV, sec. 8, online. Accessed August 19, 2016.

Statutes:

Legislative citation

Minnesota Statutes 2015, section 3.302, subdivision 3

Minnesota Statutes 2015, section 3.302, subdivision 3, online. Accessed August 19, 2016.

Court citation

MINN. STAT. 3.302 (2015)

MINN. STAT. ANN. 3.302 (2015)

Session Laws:

Legislative citation

Laws of Minnesota 1988, chapter 469, article 1, section 1

Laws of Minnesota 1988, chapter 469, article 1, section 1, online. Accessed August 19, 2016.

Laws of Minnesota 1985, 1st Spec. Sess. chapter 13, article 1, section 61

Court citation

1988 Minn. Laws xxx (note: xxx is a page #)

Minnesota Rules:

Legislative citation

Minnesota Rules 2015, part 1400.2070, subpart 2, item C

Minnesota Rules, part 1400.2070, subpart 2, item C, online. Accessed August 19, 2016.

Court citation

MINN. R. 1400.2070 (2015)

Bills:

Minn. S.F. 123 art. 4, sec. 5. (2015), online. Accessed August 19, 2016.

House and Senate Journals:

Minn. Sen. J., 89th Leg., Reg. Sess. xxx (2016) (note: xxx is a page #)

Minn. H.J., 89th Leg., Reg. Sess. xxx (2016) (note: xxx is a page #)

Audio or Video of Legislative Floor and Committee Hearings:

Floor debates

Minn. Sen., Floor Debate, 89th Minn. Leg., Reg. Sess. (May 23, 2016), available at: http://mnsenate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=2 (audio)

Minn. Sen., Floor Debate, 89th Minn. Leg., Reg. Sess. (May 23, 2016), available at: http://mnsenate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=1 (video web media)

Minn. H., Floor Debate, 89th Minn. Leg., Reg. Sess. (May 22, 2016, part 2), available at: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/htv/archivesHFS.asp?ls_year=89 (video web media)

Committee hearings

Minn. Sen., Hearing on S.F. 2374 before the Sen. Comm. on Taxes, 89th Minn. Leg., Reg. Sess. (April 5, 2016), available at: http://mnsenate.granicus.com/ViewPublisher.php?view_id=1 (video web media)

Minn. H., Hearing on H.F. 3594 before the H. Comm. on Taxes, 89th Minn. Leg., Reg. Sess. (April 21, 2016), available at: http://www.house.leg.state.mn.us/cmte/archiveAV/cmtearchives.aspx?comm=89023&ls_year=89 (video web media)

Materials from committee minutes

The example is a Senate Counsel Bill Summary.
Minn. Sen. Judiciary Comm., 75th Minn. Leg., Summary of S.F. No. 2017, at 2 (Mar. 5, 1988) (report by Senate Counsel Allison Wolf)

Notes on formatting:

In some instances, two citation formats are listed:

1. Legislative: as cited by the Minnesota Revisor of Statutes or on the Minnesota Legislative website
2. Legal court citation: as cited in legal citation manuals. Legislative hearing cite formats are taken from a citation manual (tapes) and the Mitchell Hamline Law Review (web archive).

If you consult Minnesota's legal materials online, cite them in a way that makes that clear. A citation to online material will usually include three elements:

1. The ordinary, official citation
2. The word "online." (You don't need to include the full URL.)
3. The access date, which is the latest date when the text appeared online in the form you cite.
   
   For example, a complete citation of Minnesota Statutes, section 3.302 consulted online looks like this:
   Minnesota Statutes 2015, section 3.302, online. Accessed September 6, 2016.

Historical information about the Minnesota Legislature is available from the Legislative Reference Library and from the Minnesota Historical Society. For information about former members of the Legislature, see the Minnesota Legislators Past & Present database, call the Legislative Reference Library at 651-296-8338 or email the Library. A page with Historical Information About the Minnesota Legislature has facts on House and Senate leadership, party control, sessions, vetoes, women in the Legislature, and more.

Historical information about the Minnesota Legislature is available from the Legislative Reference Library and the Minnesota Historical Society. See the Historical Information About the Minnesota Legislature page for facts on House and Senate leadership over time, party control, sessions, vetoes, women in the Legislature, and more. For information on former members of the Legislature, see Minnesota Legislators Past & Present, call the Legislative Library at 651-296-8338 or email the Library.

The Combined Calendar includes listings of House, Senate, and Commission meetings. For further information on daily activities in the House and Senate, you may also want to see the FAQs about Calendars and Procedures (Parliamentary).

The House and Senate publish schedules of committee hearings and floor sessions on a daily and weekly basis. Paper and electronic copies of the daily schedules are available from House Public Information Services in Room 175, State Office Building, 651-296-2146, and Senate Information in Room 231, State Capitol, 651-296-0504.

If you're tracking a bill and would like to know if it's going to have a hearing, use the MyBills service. Note that MyBills will not send you an email so you'll need to log in every 24 hours or so during the session.

To state up-to-date, you can also subscribe to one or more email notification services.

To subscribe to the House schedule, go to Subscribe to House Mailing Lists and follow the instructions. In the Senate, go to the Minnesota Senate Email List Subscriptions. You will receive an e-mail welcoming you to the lists with instructions about unsubscribing. Schedules are sent via e-mail on a daily basis during the session and weekly during the interim. In addition, you can subscribe to most House and Senate committees for updates and agenda items.

See additional lists on the Legislative Electronic Notification Services page.

The Combined Legislative Meeting Calendar will show you upcoming hearings, floor sessions, and commission meetings. You can find schedule, calendar, and legislative business information on the Legislative website on the Schedules page.

Paper copies of daily and weekly schedules are available at House Public Information Services in Room 175 of the State Office Building. House Public Information can be reached at 651-296-2146. Paper copies of daily and weekly schedules are available through Senate Information, which is located in Room 231 of the Capitol and G204 of the Minnesota Senate Building. Senate Information can be reached at (651) 296-0504.

The Senate and House each have an agenda that is prepared for floor sessions known as the Order of Business: House Order of Business | Senate Order of Business

These agendas include lists of bills that may be discussed. The House and Senate have different names for those lists; they also have somewhat different operating procedures.

In the House, the list of bills that are ready for discussion is called the Calendar for the Day. Bills that appear on the calendar are chosen from the House General Register by the House Rules Committee. The bills that are selected from the calendar for discussion may be amended and given a third reading—all on the same day. A noncontroversial bill may be placed on the Consent Calendar.

In the Senate, the process is a bit different. Bills that are eligible to be discussed and amended are placed on either the General Orders calendar or the Special Orders calendar. That decision is made by the Senate Majority leader or their designee.

When discussing bills on the General Orders calendar, the Senate forms itself into what is known as a Committee of the Whole. Bills on General Orders can be amended and recommended to pass. That passage is considered preliminary passage. Those bills are then placed on the Senate Calendar for a third reading and final passage at the next floor session. Bills on the calendar cannot be amended except by unanimous consent. A bill can bypass the General Orders calendar by being designated a Special Order. It can then be debated, amended, and given a third reading, all on the same day.

For more about what's happening in the Legislatures, see our Combined Legislative Meeting Calendar.

There is no yearly deadline for the introduction of bills. However, each year the Legislature establishes deadlines for committee action on bills by concurrent resolution. The deadlines do not apply to the House committees on Capital Investment, Ways and Means, Taxes, or Rules and Legislative Administration, nor to the Senate committees on Capital Investment, Finance, Taxes, or Rules and Administration.

Committee deadlines are announced during the first half of a session in order to winnow the list of topics to be dealt with that year.

The Minnesota Constitution sets a deadline for the end of each year's session: the first Monday after the third Saturday in May.

According to Minnesota Statute 3.011, the legislature shall meet at the seat of government on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in January of each odd-numbered year. It shall also meet when called by the governor to meet in special session.

In the even numbered years, it convenes on a date set by joint agreement of both bodies.

During this time, the House or the Senate may not adjourn for more than three days without the consent of the other body.

The state constitution limits the Legislature to meeting 120 legislative days during each biennium. In addition, the Legislature may not meet in regular session after the first Monday following the third Saturday in May of any year. For constitutional provisions concerning the length of session and special sessions, see Minnesota Constitution, Article IV - Legislative Department).

Minnesota law currently defines a legislative day as one on which either the House or Senate is in session. Committee activity alone does not constitute a legislative day. A legislative day begins at 7 a.m. and continues until 7 a.m. of the following calendar day.

The Legislature changed the definition of a legislative day in 2023 (see Minnesota Statutes 3.012). The change goes into effect January 13, 2025. 

For sessions convening on or after January 13, 2025, "a legislative day is a day when either house of the legislature gives any bill a third reading, adopts a rule of procedure or organization, elects a university regent, confirms a gubernatorial appointment, or votes to override a gubernatorial veto."

A legislative day will still begin at 7 a.m. and continue until 7 a.m. of the following calendar day.

There are four possible things people are referring to when they refer to the legislative session.

First is the biennial session that begins on the first Tuesday after the second Monday of January in an odd-numbered year and ends no later than the first Monday after the third Saturday in May of the even-numbered year. The 2023-2024 session is a biennial session.

The next definition of a session is the yearly session, which begins on the day the Legislature assembles and ends on the day it adjourns for the year.

Daily sessions, which adjourn each day, are any time the House or Senate meet on the floor of their respective chambers. At such times, both bodies are referred to as "in session."

Finally, a special session is one called by the governor at a time other than a regularly scheduled session. The legislature, however, determines the length and purpose of any such session.

For further information, see the House Research publications Regular Sessions of the Minnesota Legislature and Special Sessions of the Minnesota Legislature.

Minnesota's current biennial legislative structure is known as a flexible biennial session. The House Research publication Regular Sessions of the Minnesota Legislature explains the structure of Minnesota Legislative Sessions, and flexible biennial sessions, in greater detail: "Each legislature may schedule its regular session meetings as it pleases, as long as it does not exceed 120 legislative days or meet outside of the January-to-May period. The session is biennial because each legislature is allowed, though not required, to meet in both years of the biennium: when it closes the regular session in the first year, the legislature can choose to adjourn either sine die or to a date it specifies in the following year."

Minnesota hasn't always had a flexible session. The flexible biennial session has been an option for the Legislature since 1973, the result of a 1972 constitutional amendment. That amendment did not require annual sessions of the Legislature. Rather, it just allowed for them to happen. The Minnesota Legislature has met in session every year since 1973, taking advantage of the flexible session option.

The first year of the biennium begins in January of the odd-numbered year and typically lasts until the constitutional adjournment deadline in May. The second year of the biennium has a flexible start date and is usually shorter than the first year. Typically, the Legislature convenes in February of the even-numbered year and is in session through the constitutional adjournment deadline in May.

For historical information on Minnesota legislative sessions, see Sessions of the Minnesota State Legislature and the Minnesota Territorial Legislature and Special Sessions of the Minnesota Legislature and the Minnesota Territorial Legislature.

You may also be interested in other FAQs about sessions.

It was the intention of lawmakers that the first year of the biennium be used for the "major financial planning of the State," according to the Joint Committee on Flexible Sessions report compiled in 1972. The committee viewed the second year of the biennium as "one of budget review; action on the results of interim studies; consideration of emergency measures and the result of the evaluation of the needs of the State; and action on business left over from the first session, as well as on late bills resulting from implementation of deadlines."

You may also be interested in the FAQ: What is a flexible session?

Sine die is Latin for "without a day." Adjournment without setting a definite date for meeting again is called adjournment sine die. It signifies the end of a biennial legislative session or a special session.

According to Minnesota Statute 3.011, the legislature shall meet at the seat of government on the first Tuesday after the second Monday in January of each odd-numbered year. It shall also meet when called by the governor to meet in special session.

In the even numbered years, it convenes on a date set by joint agreement of both bodies.

During this time, the House or the Senate may not adjourn for more than three days without the consent of the other body.

The state constitution limits the Legislature to meeting 120 legislative days during each biennium. In addition, the Legislature may not meet in regular session after the first Monday following the third Saturday in May of any year. For constitutional provisions concerning the length of session and special sessions, see Minnesota Constitution, Article IV - Legislative Department).

There is no yearly deadline for the introduction of bills. However, each year the Legislature establishes deadlines for committee action on bills by concurrent resolution. The deadlines do not apply to the House committees on Capital Investment, Ways and Means, Taxes, or Rules and Legislative Administration, nor to the Senate committees on Capital Investment, Finance, Taxes, or Rules and Administration.

Committee deadlines are announced during the first half of a session in order to winnow the list of topics to be dealt with that year.

The Minnesota Constitution sets a deadline for the end of each year's session: the first Monday after the third Saturday in May.

As of February 2024, the House of Representatives had a staff complement of 258 permanent positions. The Senate's full complement is 211 permanent staff members. In addition, the House and Senate employ temporary staff during the legislative session. The joint offices, including the Office of the Legislative Auditor, the Revisor of Statutes, the Legislative Reference Library, and the joint commissions, employed 174 full-time and 18 temporary employees.

There are partisan and non-partisan jobs available in both the House and the Senate. Each caucus in the House and Senate employs partisan staff to work for representatives and senators, meet constituent requests, provide media services, and administer committees. The following non-partisan offices exist in both houses: public information, television services, publications, indexes, journals, clerks, pages, research, legal counsel, and fiscal services.

Since legislative employees work for the state, the salaries for those positions are public information. You can obtain salary information from House Human Resources (651-296-0297), Senate Human Resources (651-296-9321), or the Legislative Coordinating Commission (651-296-1121).

Jobs are posted at the Capitol Complex and on the Legislature's website on the Employment Opportunities page. This Web page provides links to job opportunities in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, as well as postings for the joint offices of the Legislative Coordinating Commission, which includes the Legislative Reference Library and the Revisor of Statutes.

In addition, jobs are posted for the House in House Human Resources in Room 185 of the State Office Building. Senate jobs are posted outside Human Resources in Room 233 of the Capitol. In the House, call 651-297-8200 for more information and call Human Resources 651-296-9321 in the Senate. Information on jobs in the joint departments is available from the Legislative Coordinating Commission by calling 651-296-9002.

Employees working for a caucus in the House or Senate are considered partisan. There are many other staff who work in nonpartisan offices.

The Minnesota State Capitol is located on the north side of downtown St. Paul. It is accessible from the east and west on I-94, and from the north and south on I-35E.

Minnesota State Capitol (map)
75 Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
St. Paul, MN 55155

Directions

The directions are to either Ramp F (from Rice Street) or metered parking on John Ireland Boulevard, but there are other parking options available.

• From eastbound I-94: Exit at Marion Street. Turn left. Go to Aurora Avenue and turn right. Go one block, turn right onto Rice Street, then left into Ramp F.
• From westbound I-94: Exit at Marion Street. Turn right. Go to Aurora Avenue and turn right. Go one block, turn right onto Rice Street, then left into Ramp F.
• From northbound I-35E: Exit at Kellogg Boulevard. Turn left. Go to John Ireland Boulevard and turn right. Metered parking spaces line both sides of the boulevard.
• From southbound I-35E: Exit at University Avenue. Turn right. Go to Rice Street and turn left. Turn left into Ramp F.

The Minnesot Department of Administration has a public parking page.This includes a map with accessible parking locations noted.

Additional parking information is available on the directions and parking page of the Minnesota State Capitol website from the Minnesota Historical Society. The accessibility page of the Capitol website has links to accessible parking information and maps. 

Keep in mind that parking is very limited during the legislative session (January-May). You may want to consider public transportation. Both the Metro Transit bus line and the Green Line light rail have stops near the Capitol.

There is a video offering parking options from the Minnesota Senate Media Services, which can also give you some pointers.

Free indoor guided and self-guided tours are available.

Minnesota Senate Media Services has a brief video tour as well.

The only people admitted on the floor of the Senate Chamber are members of the Senate and House, constitutional officers, ex-governors of Minnesota, judges of the Trial and Appellate Courts, members of Congress, members of the press, and Senate staff.

See also the FAQ: Are visitors allowed to attend sessions of the Senate and House?

The only people admitted on the floor of the House Chamber are members of the House and Senate, constitutional officers, ex-governors of Minnesota, judges of the Trial and Appellate Courts, members of Congress, members of the press, and House staff. The House rules note that a "family member of a member" is also allowed. In addition, some allowances are made for special visitors to go onto the House floor. The House rules contains a complete list of those admitted.

See also the FAQ: Are visitors allowed to attend sessions of the Senate and House?

Yes. Public galleries are accessible from the third floor of the Capitol.

No passes are required except for opening day and when the Legislature meets in joint session. The Sergeant-at-Arms may be contacted for seats for groups in the galleries.

No visitors are allowed on the floor of the Senate. Some visitors are allowed on the House floor, but they must obtain permission.

No smoking is permitted on the floor of the Senate, the House, or in the galleries.

Public photos are prohibited. Staff photographers in both the House and Senate are allowed to photograph proceedings.

Applause, demonstrations, and food and beverages are also prohibited in the galleries.

There are few restrictions for taking photographs in the Capitol - including using tripods/monopods or flash photography.

The restrictions are:

• If a photo shoot requires a lot of equipment (i.e. Stand-alone lighting, taking up public space for a length of time, etc.), permission is required. Contact the Minnesota Department of Administration's Facilities Management Office at 651-201-2300.
• In the public galleries of the House and Senate chamber while the legislature is in session, public photos are prohibited. Staff photographers in both the House and Senate are allowed to photograph proceedings.

Approval and coordination of special events and public rallies within Capitol Complex buildings and grounds is managed by the Department of Administration.

• For information on event permits, equipment rental, and event resources visit the Public Events Web page.
• To find an event, check the Capitol Complex Events Schedule Web page.

See also the FAQ: How do I schedule a press conference or reserve a room at the Capitol?

Please use the Capitol Complex Reservations page to book a room. In the Capitol building, there are meeting rooms for the public on the third floor. You can drop in to the Public Business Center in room 318. There are other rooms that you can reserve on that floor including: Cass Gilbert Library Room (317A), or conference rooms (309A, 316, 317, 317B). The G20A conference room is on the ground floor and is reservable. The press conference room in the Capitol is Room B971. For questions about access to Capitol spaces contact the Department of Administration at 651-201-2300.

If you would like to reserve a Senate hearing room, please fill out the Request for Use of Senate Facilities form. Contact the Senate Sergeant at Arms at 651-296-0866 with any questions.

To reserve a House hearing room, please contact the House room scheduler at 651-296-0306.

If you’re looking for available space to work without a reservation, you can use the Public Business Center in room 318 in the Capitol. In the State Office Building, you can use the Legislative Reference Library on the 6th floor. In the Minnesota Senate Building, there are many chairs throughout the hallways or you can drop by the Legislative Reference Library on the 3rd floor.

See also the FAQ: Who do I contact to schedule an event at the Capitol?

Yes. The accessibility page on the Minnesota State Capitol website from the Minnesota Historical Society contains information such as entrances available for visitors with limited mobility and services available for visitors with hearing or visual impairment.

For more information, call: 651-259-3292
TTY: 651-282-6073
or email: statecapitol@mnhs.org

The Transportation Building cafeteria is open all year: Monday - Thursday from 8:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

During session, the Rathskeller Café in the basement of the State Capitol is open Monday - Thursday from 8:00 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. and Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

There is a convenience store on the second floor of the State Capitol operated by Services for the Blind, which is open periodically during session.

On nice weather days, you may see food trucks lined up on John Ireland Blvd.

There are several maps available from the Minnesota Department of Administration about the Capitol Complex area. The State Capitol Complex Visitor Map (PDF) is a full map of all buildings, parking facilities and public transportation locations in the Capitol Complex.

The Geospacial Information Office has an Interactive Map of the Capitol Area (Web page). Click on a location to get directions via Google Maps.

There are lactation rooms available in the Capitol, Minnesota Senate Building, and the State Office Building.

Capitol - Room 104A is the Mother's Room. It is located on the first floor of the Capitol Building near the elevators/stairwell between the North and West corridors.

Minnesota Senate Building - Two rooms are available: G007 and G008. They are each labeled "Nursing Mother Room" and are located on the ground floor across from the double elevators.

State Office Building - One room is available. A key can be requested from House Human Resources on the first floor. During the legislative session the room is in high demand, so there may be a wait to access it.

Hearing rooms in the Minnesota Senate Building and the State Office Building are accessible to individuals using wheelchairs.

The State Capitol is wheelchair accessible except for the roof. Please see the accessibility page of the Minnesota State Capitol website for more details.

The Capitol Complex has designated parking and entrance ramps to provide easy access to the buildings, including the Minnesota Senate Building, State Office Building, and Capitol. The Minnesota State Capitol Directions and Parking page has more detailed parking information.

For individual assistance, contact:

• Minnesota State Capitol at 651-296- 2881
• Senate Sergeant at Arms at 651-296-1119 for help in the Minnesota Senate Building and Senate Chamber in the Capitol Building.
• House Sergeant's Office at 651-296-4860 for help in the State Office Building and House Chamber in the Capitol Building.

Wheelchair-accessible public access computers for using the Legislative website are available at:

• The Legislative Reference Library, 3238 Minnesota Senate Building.
• The Legislative Reference Library, 645 State Office Building.
• House Public Information Services, 175 State Office Building.

Two wheelchairs are available, courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society, at the Capitol Information and Tour Center for visitor use in the State Capitol only. Wheelchairs are available on a first-come, first-served basis. Please contact the Minnesota Historical Society with questions: 651-259-3292.

Capitol

The address for the Minnesota State Capitol is 75 Rev Dr Martin Luther King Jr Boulevard and that street location will work for vehicles under 8.2ft. If you are arriving or departing in a larger vehicle, use the bus cut-out on Cedar Ave: 44°57'16.6"N 93°06'03.5"W. Please see the accessibility page on the Minnesota State Capitol website for more details.

Minnesota Senate Building

The address for the Minnesota Senate Building is 95 University Ave W. There is a drop off and pick up location on Park St. to the west of the building: 44°57'23.1"N 93°06'13.2"W.

State Office Building

The address for the Minnesota State Office Building is 100 Rev Martin Luther King Jr Blvd. There is a turnaround on Fuller Ave south of the building that is used for drop off and pick up: 44°57'14.2"N 93°06'18.0"W.

The official repository for lost and found items at the Capitol Complex is the Facilities Management Office in G10 in the Admin Building.

If you lost something recently, please contact these offices first:

• Capitol Building: Capitol Information and Tour Center located in Room 126 on the first floor to the East side of the main entrance (South entrance).
• Minnesota Senate Building: Senate Information desk located on the ground floor.
• State Office Building: the Sergeant's Office located in room G-85 on the ground floor.

If you'd like to reserve a room, please use the Capitol Complex Reservations page. In the Capitol building, there are meeting rooms for the public on the third floor. You can drop in to the Public Business Center in room 318. There are other rooms that you can reserve on that floor including: Cass Gilbert Library Room (317A), or conference rooms (309A, 316, 317, 317B). The G20A conference room is on the ground floor and is reservable. The press conference room in the Capitol is Room B971. For questions about access to Capitol spaces contact the Department of Administration at 651-201-2300.

If you would like to reserve a Senate hearing room, please fill out the Request for Use of Senate Facilities form. Contact the Senate Sergeant at Arms at 651-296-0866 with any questions.

To reserve a House hearing room, please contact the House room scheduler at 651-296-0306.

If you’re looking for available space to work without a reservation, you can use the Public Business Center in room 318 in the Capitol. In the State Office Building, you can use the Legislative Reference Library on the 6th floor. In the Minnesota Senate Building, there are many chairs throughout the hallways or you can drop by the Legislative Reference Library on the 3rd floor.

See also the FAQ: Who do I contact to schedule an event at the Capitol?

During the 2024 legislative session, the State Office Building will remain open to the public and some committee hearings will be held in the building. However, the tunnel between the State Office Building and the Capitol is closed. The North door of the State Office Building will remain closed as well.

While House members and their staff will remain in the State Office Building until after session adjourns, some building tenants have already moved to new locations. Please check with individual offices for the most recent update on their location and availability.

The Minnesota State Capitol building hours are: 

• Monday – Friday: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm
• Saturday: 10:00 am – 3:00 pm
• Sunday: Closed

The Minnesota Senate Building is open Monday – Friday: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm during session, with reduced hours in the interim. 

The State Office Building is open Monday – Friday: 8:00 am – 4:30 pm, with exceptions for late committee hearings and reduced hours in the interim. See also the FAQ: How will the State Office Building renovation project affect my visit?

The tunnel between the State Office Building and the Capitol is temporarily closed during construction. The tunnel between the Minnesota Senate Building and the Capitol is open Monday – Friday: 8:00 am – 5:00 pm. The tunnels between buildings are open the same hours as the buildings they connect.

There is a set of buttons on the desk of every representative and senator—a green one for a "yes" vote and a red one for a "no" vote. Roll-call votes are recorded electronically and are visible on a board on each side of the Senate Chamber and the House Chamber.

A roll-call vote, where every member's vote is recorded, is required for the final passage of a bill or conference committee report. However, in order to have a roll-call vote for an amendment or, in the Senate, a bill on General Orders, a member must request a roll-call and be supported by a certain number of members. Otherwise, votes are taken by voice, in which case only the outcome of the vote is officially recorded in the House or Senate Journal. All roll-call votes are recorded in the House or Senate Journal.

If you have further questions, please contact House Public Information Services in Room 175, State Office Building, 651-296-2146, and Senate Information Office, Room 231, State Capitol, 651-296-0504.

Bills sponsored

The journal for each session has an index of bills by author. This is compiled at the end of the biennium so if you're looking for more timely information, you can search for House bills or search for Senate bills by author. Also, you can click on the Legislators Past and Present page for your Senator or Representative to find the recent bills they have authored.

Voting Records

There are no official compilations of voting records. To find all votes by a particular Senator or Representative, you must look up the final vote on each individual bill.

The votes that Senators and Representatives cast are a matter of public record and are recorded in the official journals of each body. You can find the votes on the Legislature's website for the years 1994 to present in the House Journal and 1995 to present in the Senate Journal.

Since 2001, the House has recorded all House floor votes cast in a database. From the bill status page for any House bill, click on Recorded Roll Call Floor Votes to get voting details. You can find the bill status pages by searching the Bill Search and Status system. Or go to the Recorded Roll Call Floor Votes page to find a vote by date or by bill number.

The Senate does not provide a similar service. To track how Senators voted from 1995 to the present, and how Representatives voted from 1995 to 2001, go to the Bill Search and Status page to locate the bill you are looking for. On the bill status page, you'll see a table of actions, which will include the final vote, when applicable. Next to the final vote should be a link to the journal page recording the vote. You can use the journal page to look up your Representative or Senator to see how they voted.

For years prior to 1995, you will need to use the print volumes of the House and Senate Journals. Minnesota House and Senate Journals are available at the Legislative Reference Library, Minnesota Law Library, Minnesota History Center, and various other libraries. The Legislative Reference Library digitized Journals from 1973-1996.

Some Senators and Representatives have their staff keep track of votes. In addition, interest groups following certain legislation compile such information. Be aware, however, that these compilations can be partisan in nature. A selection of Legislator Voting Records and Ratings can be found in a guide from the Legislative Reference Library.

Not necessarily. Either body can still take up a bill again as long as the session has not adjourned. In fact, bills are technically alive over the course of a biennium so a bill that was introduced in the first year (odd year) of a biennium and didn't pass, it could still be discussed until final adjournment in the second year (even year). When a bill fails to get the required number of votes, the author can try to persuade other members to change their opinions on the measure. The only way such a bill can be taken up for a vote again is if a member who voted against the bill is willing to make a motion for reconsideration and the body agrees to reconsider.

In addition, many bills that either don't receive a floor vote or are voted down on the floor end up as amendments to other bills of similar topic.

A bill must receive a majority of the votes in both houses—68 in the House and 34 in the Senate. Capital Investment bills require a three-fifths majority vote—81 representatives and 41 senators.