All Videos - Minnesota 2021 - 2021 1st Special Session
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Minnesota 2021 1st Special Session
House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee 12/22/22
Summary:
The committee met to approve the minutes from December 19, 2022, which were adopted by voice vote. The main business was a presentation on the State Office Building by Joe Stallman of Mocha, who described the owner’s project management process and the tenant-engagement workshops used to define the building’s needs. He said the team held nine workshops over four months with House members, leadership, and other tenants, focusing on core values such as security, openness and accessibility, functionality, and character. He also outlined the building’s needs assessment, including BIM modeling, laser scanning, preservation zoning, and space planning for committee rooms, offices, security, life safety, accessibility, MEP systems, telecom/broadcast, and furniture/equipment.
Stallman reported that the program needs total about 456,000 gross square feet, compared with the existing building’s 290,000 square feet, leaving a gap of roughly 166,000 square feet. He said the workshops concluded that the building needs 10 committee rooms of varying sizes, a range of office types, and improved circulation and natural light. He also noted that the project must balance security with public access and that the tunnel system and sustainability goals were discussed as additional challenges.
Steve Berg of BWBR then presented the proposed planning concept for the renovation and expansion. He said the design reflects the workshop findings and core values, with a north addition to the existing building, accessible entrances on the west and east, adjacent accessible parking and drop-off areas, and committee hearing rooms on the first floor. He emphasized intuitive wayfinding, integrated safety, and a simplified circulation pattern linking the addition to the existing building. The presentation continued into floor-by-floor planning for tenant groups, but no vote or final action on the proposal was taken during the portion shown.
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Minnesota 2021 1st Special Session
2023 session preview with House Majority Leader Jamie Long (DFL-Mpls) Dec 22nd, 2022
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Summary:
Minnesota House Majority Leader-designate Jamie Long discussed the DFL’s priorities heading into the 2023 session now that Democrats control the House, Senate, and governor’s office. He said the caucus would focus on paid family and medical leave, increased funding for public schools, child care and housing affordability, climate action including a move toward 100% clean energy, and protections for reproductive rights in statute. He also said the new DFL majority sees the state’s $17.6 billion projected surplus as a major opportunity for long-term investments, while noting much of the surplus is one-time money and will require careful choices for ongoing priorities like infrastructure.
Long argued that election analysts underestimated the strength of the Democratic coalition, especially in suburban areas, and said issues such as abortion rights after Dobbs, concerns about democracy after Jan. 6, child care, and climate helped drive DFL gains. He said the party’s “one Minnesota” approach is reflected in its broad geographic representation and in shared concerns across urban and rural areas, including child care, housing, schools, and infrastructure. He also said the DFL intends to use the surplus to provide tax relief or direct support in ways such as child tax credits, renter credits, housing aid, prescription drug affordability, weatherization, and energy assistance, while being cautious about fully eliminating the Social Security tax because of the budget impact.
On climate policy, Long said the DFL expects early action on a 100% clean energy by 2040 goal, describing it as both an environmental and economic opportunity that could create in-state manufacturing, construction, and installation jobs and improve public health. He said he expects a constructive working relationship with new House Republican leader Lisa Demuth, whom he described as thoughtful and constructive from prior committee work. Long also said he expects the legislature to finish on time and possibly earlier than usual, with fewer end-of-session omnibus negotiations than in split-government years.
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Minnesota 2021 1st Special Session
2023 session preview with House Minority Leader Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) Dec 22nd, 2022
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Summary:
In this interview, the incoming House Republican leader discussed why she sought the caucus leadership role and said she wants to bring a different tone focused on relationships, collaboration, and respectfully disagreeing with Democrats. She said she values working with Speaker Melissa Hortman and Majority Leader Jamie Long to find common ground, especially with 25 new members joining the 64-member House Republican caucus. She also reflected on her path into politics, saying she never intended to run, but was first elected to the Rocori School Board in 2007 as a write-in candidate and served there for 11 years before entering the Legislature in 2018.
The conversation also covered her becoming the first person of color to lead a House caucus. She said she did not seek the role to make history, but was grateful for the trust of her caucus and emphasized that her focus is on hard work and effective leadership over the next two years. On the state budget outlook, she reacted strongly to the nearly $18 billion forecast and argued that it shows Minnesotans are paying too much in taxes. She said Republicans will push for permanent, long-lasting tax reductions so people can keep more of their money rather than growing government, citing inflation and higher costs for groceries and gas.
She said there may be room for bipartisan agreement on issues such as the Social Security tax and public safety investments, and expected ongoing conversations with House Democrats throughout the session. Looking ahead to the legislative year, she said success would mean finding early wins, passing bills the House can agree on, and sending them to the Senate and governor. She expressed confidence the Legislature would adjourn on time.
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Minnesota 2021 1st Special Session
Rules Committee discussion, adoption of resolution on State Office Building renovation 12/21/22
Summary:
The committee heard an explanation of Resolution 2022-R30 and the related one-page State Office Building program plan. Mr. McCormick of House Research said the resolution’s whereas clauses summarize concerns raised at the earlier hearing, including public access, security, and the need for a State Office Building improvement and expansion plan. He explained that the packet also includes cost estimates broken out by tenant groups, along with approval of ancillary expenditures such as relocation, temporary officing, rent loss, furnishings, and exterior facilities and grounds.
Representative Nash questioned why the resolution did not include a not-to-exceed amount or other cost guardrails. The response was that the project details are still too uncertain to set a firm cap, since the legislature has not decided how it would operate during a shutdown or in swing space, and some costs depend on future decisions and how much existing furniture can be reused. It was said that any future spending would be subject to public scrutiny and reporting.
After discussion, the chair moved adoption of the resolution. There was no further discussion, and the committee voted to adopt 2022-R30.
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Minnesota 2021 1st Special Session
Presentation of State Office Building decision consultation process and programming needs 12/21/22
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Summary:
Joe Stallman, vice president at Mocha, presented on the building design consultation and programming process for the State Office Building. He described Mocha’s role as owner’s representative, its experience with similar capitol projects, and the public RFP process that led to the firm’s selection. Stallman said the team used an Early Project Definition and Alignment approach and conducted nine workshops over four months, involving tenant groups, leadership, partisan and nonpartisan participants, and a six-member bipartisan panel, to identify core values and program needs.
He summarized the workshop topics: visioning and core values; committee and hearing rooms; offices and circulation; security, life safety, and accessibility; mechanical, electrical, plumbing, sustainability, and tunnel issues; telecom and broadcast needs; furniture, fixtures, and equipment; and a final program review. Key conclusions included the need for 10 committee rooms of varying sizes, attention to natural light and office layouts, and balancing security with openness and accessibility. He also noted preservation concerns, BIM and laser scanning work, and ongoing discussion of square-foot needs for each tenant group.
In the final summary, Stallman said the total programmed need is 456,000 gross square feet, compared with the building’s existing 290,000 square feet, leaving a 166,000-square-foot gap. He said that difference means the project will need either relocation of some tenant groups or an addition to the building. Representative Pryor asked for clarification on the square-foot deficit, and Stallman confirmed the figures.
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Minnesota 2021 1st Special Session
Interview with Rep.-elect Samantha Sencer-Mura (DFL-Mpls) Dec 20th, 2022
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Summary:
The discussion focused on the representative-elect’s South Minneapolis district and the issues constituents raised during the campaign. He described the district as diverse, family-oriented, and shaped by the events of 2020, including the murder of George Floyd and the Lake Street protests, with ongoing trauma, rebuilding, and interest in racial justice and public safety reform. Constituents also emphasized education, especially the effects of COVID, learning loss, and instability on students and families.
He said many voters supported teachers during the Minneapolis Public Schools strike and were frustrated by the gap between school needs and the state’s large surplus. He argued for fully funding public schools, reducing or eliminating education-related subsidies, considering class size caps, and supporting teacher retention and student mental health services. He also said he strongly supports making ethnic studies a graduation requirement, both to reflect students’ identities and to provide a more honest account of history.
In discussing “political imagination,” he said the legislature should think beyond past constraints, especially given the DFL trifecta and surplus. He pointed to young people as a source of urgency and broader thinking, particularly on climate change and less car-centric communities. No formal votes or legislative actions were taken in the exchange, which was an interview-style conversation about priorities and policy goals.
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Minnesota 2021 1st Special Session
Interview with Rep.-elect Leigh Finke (DFL-St. Paul) Dec 20th, 2022
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Summary:
Lee Finke, a representative-elect from Saint Paul, Minnesota, introduced herself as a former ACLU Minnesota multimedia storyteller with a background in journalism and documentary film. She said she ran for the House because of concern about the future, especially what she described as a coordinated national attack on the trans community, along with broader worries about housing, climate change, and other issues affecting her district and the state.
Finke described House District 66A as including parts of St. Paul Midway, Como, St. Anthony Park, Falcon Heights, Lauderdale, and part of Roseville. She said it is racially and economically diverse, with both working-class residents and long-established Saint Paul families, and that constituents want a better future for themselves and their families.
Asked about priorities she heard during the campaign, Finke said the most common concerns were climate and the environment, abortion and reproductive freedom, and health care access, followed by public safety and catalytic converter theft. She emphasized that representation matters, said she is the first trans person elected to the Minnesota legislature and the first trans woman to serve, and said she hopes to use her position to give her community a voice and help build queer political power alongside incoming representative Alicia Kozlowski, the first non-binary representative.
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Minnesota 2021 1st Special Session
Informational interview with Rep.-elect Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger (DFL-Woodbury) Dec 20th, 2022
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Summary:
The transcript is an interview with a Minnesota legislator from Woodbury and southern Maplewood who described her background as a scientist, state employee, and parent of two young children. She said she pursued a second master’s degree in policy because she wanted to see more of the work happening in science translate into public policy, and she has been involved with union and community organizations to help shape legislation for her district.
She described her district as mostly suburban, family-oriented, and proud of its parks and trails, with South Maplewood largely residential. She said her interest in politics began in eighth grade when she served as a student liaison during a school referendum, an experience that shaped her views on school funding. She emphasized that schools frequently need levies and referendums, which led her to conclude that the state should invest more in education.
When asked about equity and advocacy, she said those values come from being the oldest of four children and from a commitment to standing up for people who need support. She said effective advocacy means listening to multiple perspectives and reaching out to community groups so their voices are heard. Looking ahead to session, she said constituents most often raised education and health care, along with the need for people to have the means to make ends meet, and she framed her goal as representing families of all generations in policy decisions.
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Minnesota 2021 1st Special Session
House Rules and Legislative Administration Committee 12/19/22
Summary:
The committee approved the minutes from Friday, July 1, 2022, by voice vote. It then took up a presentation on the safety, accessibility, infrastructure, and security needs of the State Office Building, with Chair Winkler introducing the topic as a response to serious concerns about the building’s condition and its impact on the public, members, and staff.
Former House sergeant-at-arms Bob Meyerson described the building’s history and argued that its original design as an open, public office building now conflicts with modern needs for security, accessibility, and functionality. He said the building’s current condition creates vulnerabilities and threatens the House’s ability to protect occupants, citing overcrowded hearing rooms, outdated infrastructure, and problems with temperature control, humidity, and accessibility. He also noted that the building does not meet current building codes and that safety and security issues are ongoing.
Christopher Gibbon, Director of Facilities Management, followed with a more technical explanation of the state’s facility condition assessment process and said the State Office Building’s last assessment was in summer 2020, with another due that summer. He identified specific problem areas including leaking foundation walls, failing windows and doors, roof deterioration, plumbing limitations, and an antiquated pneumatic HVAC system. He said these issues require significant renewal work to keep the building operational, and the presentation was continuing with additional detail when the transcript ended.
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Minnesota 2021 1st Special Session
2022 State Canvassing Board 12/15/22 - Part 2
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Summary:
The Minnesota State Canvassing Board met to approve its agenda and the minutes of its November 29, 2022 meeting, both of which were adopted without objection. The board then received a final canvass report from Elections Director David Maeda on the recounts in Minnesota House Districts 3A and 3B. He described the recount process across the affected counties, including the use of candidate representatives at counting tables, the handling of voter-intent questions and identifying marks, and noted that 12 challenged ballots in District 3A were ultimately withdrawn by the candidates, leaving no unresolved ballot challenges for the board.
Maeda reported that the recount changed totals only slightly: in District 3A, Roger Scraba lost one vote and Rob Ecklund lost one vote; in District 3B, Zeles Nakar gained one vote and Murphy gained three votes. He said the small changes reflected the accuracy of the voting equipment and the common causes of recount adjustments. The board voted to approve and adopt the recount canvass report, and then proceeded to sign the certification.
In closing announcements, Secretary of State Steve Simon said the next scheduled canvassing board meeting would be March 12, 2024, to canvass the results of the state presidential nominating primary. He also thanked election administrators, volunteers, and party representatives for their work on the recounts. Justice Barry Anderson offered remarks reflecting on his service on the board and the importance of the constitutional canvassing process, and the meeting adjourned after a motion carried unanimously.
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Minnesota 2021 1st Special Session
Committee on Rules and Administration and Subcommittee on Committees Dec 14th, 2022
Summary:
The Senate Rules Committee met on December 14, 2022, and took up two committee resolutions. The first resolution, as amended by an oral amendment inserting the word “involuntarily,” extended the Senate-paid portion of health insurance for staff who were involuntarily separated from employment during the leadership transition. Secretary Ludeman explained that the benefit would last up to six months, that employees would still be responsible for their share of premiums, and that SEGIP would bill both the Senate and the employee. The resolution was adopted after a voice vote.
The second resolution increased the monthly housing allowance for qualifying out-of-state senators from $2,000 to $2,200, based on rental and utility cost increases in the Twin Cities area. Ludeman said the allowance covers most housing-related costs but not phone or internet, and members discussed whether the separate $200 communications allowance should also be reviewed in the future. The resolution was adopted by voice vote.
After the Rules Committee adjourned, the Subcommittee on Committees met to consider several appointments. Senator Dziedzic raised objections to two appointments, one to the StartSAMS Outdoor Heritage Council and one to the LCCMR, arguing the terms had not yet expired and questioning whether the required citizen selection committee process had been followed. After discussion and a legal explanation from Mr. Bottern, her motion to remove those two appointments failed on a voice vote. The subcommittee then approved the full list of appointments, with one correction substituting Senator Swazinski for Senator Her on the Council of Asian Minnesotans, and adjourned.
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Minnesota 2021 1st Special Session
Human Services Reform Finance and Policy Committee Dec 14th, 2022
Summary:
The committee heard an overview from DHS budget director Elise Bailey on the November 2022 forecast, with members focusing on a large projected savings/underspend in DHS programs and what it means for services. Senator Abeler and others emphasized that the surplus should be redirected toward stabilizing human services, especially long-term care, caregivers, seniors, and people with disabilities, rather than simply flowing to the bottom line. They also discussed assisted living licensure under 144G and possible alternatives or special licensing/program options for smaller assisted living settings, while preserving the safety protections created by the law.
Bailey explained that the forecast change was driven mainly by four factors: the extension of the federal public health emergency and resulting enhanced Medicaid FMAP, lower-than-expected utilization in several programs, lower average costs in some managed care areas, and higher-than-expected pharmacy rebates. She walked through impacts on long-term care facilities, waivers, basic care, adults without children, families with children, child care assistance, North Star Care for Children, housing support/MSA, behavioral health, MFIP, and the health care access fund/MinnesotaCare. She also noted delays in implementing Community First Services and Supports and the Waverly Imagine program, and the end of federal funding for the Merck-related payments.
Members asked why utilization was lower in nursing facilities and child care assistance, and Bailey said the pandemic made forecasting difficult and that workforce shortages likely played a role, though DHS could not quantify the effect. She also said lower utilization may reflect people choosing not to use facility-based care or child care in the same way as before. On the health care access fund, Bailey said increased federal BHP funding and ARPA-related changes significantly improved the outlook, with projected balances rising to about $926 million in 2022-23, $958 million in 2024-25, and about $1.5 billion by 2026-27. No formal votes or committee actions were taken in the portion provided.
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Minnesota 2021 1st Special Session
Interview with Rep.-elect Danny Nadeau (R-Rogers) Dec 13th, 2022
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Summary:
Danny Nadeau, who grew up in Medina and has lived in Rogers for 28 years, said he ran for the House because his career in government taught him the importance of finding common ground and maintaining respectful relationships despite political differences. He emphasized that governing matters more than winning, and that lawmakers should be strong in their views while still respecting others and learning from them.
He described his district as diverse and fast-growing, stretching from rural agricultural areas with thousands of acres still in production to more urban communities near Brooklyn Park. He said the west side values autonomy and a more rural lifestyle, while the east side has greater demand for recreational programs and organized activities for kids, reflecting the district’s changing density.
When asked about issues raised by constituents, he said the main concerns were avoiding wasteful spending, prioritizing education, and protecting public safety without politicizing it. He also said a common concern across the district was the divisiveness in politics, with residents wanting elected officials to get along even when they disagree.
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Minnesota 2021 1st Special Session
Informational interview with Rep.-elect Matt Norris (DFL-Blaine) Dec 13th, 2022
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Summary:
The exchange was an introductory interview with Rep. Matt Norris of Blaine, who represents House District 32B, covering the southern two-thirds of Blaine and Lexington. He described getting involved in community service at age 16 as a youth liaison in Brooklyn Park, where he helped work on efforts that reduced violent crime, and said that experience led him toward public service and eventually to the Legislature. He also noted that he had previously helped pass three bills as a private citizen before taking office.
Norris described District 32B as a diverse northern suburban area that includes the National Sports Center, manufactured housing, and higher-income neighborhoods near the TPC Golf Course. He said he enjoys representing a broad cross-section of residents and emphasized the district’s mix of communities and needs.
When asked about priorities, he said the top issue is fixing Highway 65, which he described as dangerous and congested. He also cited concerns about inflation and rising prices, increased crime, the need for a water treatment facility in Lexington, and support for strong public schools. He tied the education issue to his background in youth engagement and said giving young people a strong start is important.
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Minnesota 2021 1st Special Session
Informational interview with newly elected Rep.-elect Walter Hudson (R-Albertville) Dec 13th, 2022
Minnesota House Floor Meeting
Summary:
This was an interview with an incoming Minnesota House member about his campaign slogan, “Be free, fight brave,” which he said reflects a belief that institutions are increasingly encroaching on personal freedom and that people need courage to push back and challenge the status quo. He also discussed his father’s life story, describing it as a humble American Dream narrative shaped by hard work, saving, homeownership, and night school, and said he suspects his father may have been on the autism spectrum, which he framed as a kind of “superpower” that helped him ignore social pressure and pursue opportunity.
The candidate said he represents northeastern Wright County, including Rockford Township, Hanover, St. Michael, Albertville, and parts of Sego, and described the district as strongly conservative. He said constituents are especially concerned about public safety, restoring public order, Second Amendment rights, education choice, and protecting basic liberties and open public discourse. He emphasized his support for more individualized education options, arguing parents know best what their children need.
He said seven years on the Albertville city council would help him in the House by giving him experience with deliberative processes and compromise. He contrasted activist politics with public service, saying local office taught him to refine ideas through debate while still holding to principles. On his plans for the upcoming session, he said Republicans had expected to be in a governing majority but will instead be in the minority under one-party control, and he said he hopes to use that position to articulate an alternative vision and improve legislation even if it does not become law.