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Minnesota House of Representatives
| Minnesota House of Representatives | |
 | |
| General Information | |
| Type: | Lower house |
| Term limits: | None |
| 2013 session start: | January 8, 2013 |
| Website: | Official House Page |
| Leadership | |
| House Speaker: | Paul Thissen, (D) |
| Majority Leader: | Erin Murphy, (D) |
| Minority leader: | Kurt Daudt, (R) |
| Structure | |
| Members: | 134 |
| Democratic Party (73) Republican Party (61) | |
| Length of term: | 2 years |
| Authority: | Art IV, Minnesota Constitution |
| Salary: | $31,140.90/year + per diem |
| Elections | |
| Last Election: | November 6, 2012 (134 seats) |
| Next election: | November 4, 2014 (134 seats) |
| Redistricting: | Legislature has control |
Meeting place: | |
Contents |
As of May 2013, Minnesota is one of 12 Democratic state government trifectas.
Sessions
Article IV of the Minnesota Constitution establishes when the Minnesota State Legislature, of which the House is a part, is to be in session. Section 12 of Article IV states that the Legislature is not to meet in regular session for more than 120 legislative days in each two-year period between legislative elections. Section 12 also does not allow the Legislature to meet in regular session after the first Monday following the third Saturday in May of any year. Within these limits, Section 12 allows the Legislature to decide its meeting dates by law.
As such, MN Statute 3.011 establishes that on odd numbered years the legislature must convene on the first Monday in January, unless that lands on January 1, in which case the legislature must convene by the first Wednesday after the first Monday. The legislature is required to set its own date for even numbered years.
Section 12 of Article IV states that the Governor of Minnesota can call special sessions of the Legislature on extraordinary occasions.
2013
- See also: Dates of 2013 state legislative sessions
In 2013, the Legislature will be in session from January 8 through May 20.
Major issues
The most important issue facing lawmakers is passing a new two-year budget in the face of a $1.1 billion deficit. Leaders also seek to address education funding, making schools safer, legalizing gay marriage, and controlling health care costs.[5]
2012
- See also: Dates of 2012 state legislative sessions
In 2012, the House was in session from January 24 to May 10.
2011
In 2011, the House was in session from January 4 through May 23.
2010
In 2010, the House was in session from February 4th to March 17th. [6]
Elections
2012
Elections for the office of Minnesota House of Representatives were held in Minnesota on November 6, 2012. All 134 seats were up for election.
The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was June 5, 2012. The primary election day was August 14, 2012.
The following table details the 10 districts with the smallest margin of victory in the November 6 general election.
| 2012 Margin of Victory, Minnesota House of Representatives | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| District | Winner | Margin of Victory | Total Votes | Top Opponent |
| District 8B |  Mary Franson |
0.1% | 21,269 | Bob Cunniff |
| District 56B |  Will Morgan |
0.8% | 21,200 | Roz Peterson |
| District 48A | Yvonne Selcer |
0.8% | 24,714 | Kirk Stensrud |
| District 12A | Jay McNamar |
1.2% | 21,234 | Scott Dutcher |
| District 10B | Joe Radinovich |
1.5% | 21,851 | Dale Lueck |
| District 32B | Bob Barrett |
1.9% | 20,895 | Rick Olseen |
| District 2B | Steve Green |
2% | 19,135 | Brita Sailer |
| District 36A | Mark Uglem |
2.2% | 20,926 | Grace Baltich |
| District 44A | Sarah Anderson |
2.6% | 23,620 | Audrey Britton |
| District 11B | Tim Faust |
2.7% | 18,304 | Ben Wiener |
2010
Elections for the office of Minnesota House of Representatives were held in Minnesota on November 2, 2010. The signature-filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in these elections was July 20, 2010 and the primary election day was on August 10, 2010.
The November 2 elections resulted in the state house shifting from a Democratic majority to a Republican majority. 33 of the 72 Republican members elected on November 2 are new to the house.[7]
In 2010, the candidates for state house raised a total of $6,377,405 in campaign contributions. The top 10 donors were: [8]
| 2010 Donors, Minnesota House of Representatives | |
|---|---|
| Donor | Amount |
| Public Fund | $819,089 |
| Public Fund | $414,924 |
| Minnesota Telecom Alliance | $29,400 |
| Education Minnesota | $25,650 |
| Minnesota Dental Association | $13,850 |
| House Republican Campaign Cmte of Minnesota | $13,473 |
| 54th Senate District Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party | $13,200 |
| Thorson, Mark | $12,850 |
| Freedom Club State PAC | $12,500 |
| 39th Senate District Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party | $12,350 |
Qualifications
To be eligible to run for the Minnesota House of Representatives in 2010, a candidate must be:[9]
- Eligible to vote in Minnesota
- Have not filed for more than one office for the upcoming primary or general election
- At least 21 years old by January 3, 2011
- A resident of Minnesota for a least one year
- A resident of the legislative district for at least 6 months before November 2, 2010
Vacancies
| How Vacancies are filled in State Legislatures |
 |
Under Minnesota law, any vacancy in the House must be filled by a special election. It is up to the appropriate elections authorities to conduct an election as soon as possible[10].
A special election must be held during the next general election if the vacancy has more than 150 days left before the unfilled term expires. If the vacancy happens in legislative session, the Governor must call for an election no more than 35 days after the vacancy occurred. If there is less than 150 days left in the unfilled term and the Legislature is out of session, the Governor must call for a special election. The Governor must call the election as soon as possible so the winner of the election can take office when the Legislature reconvenes[11].
Redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Minnesota
The Legislature handles redistricting, with the Governor holding veto power. Each chamber has its own redistricting committee, with a joint committee of two Republicans and two Democrats from each chamber.
2010 census
Minnesota received its local census data on March 16, 2011. The state's population increased 7.8 percent, even though four of the five most populated cities showed slight decreases in population; only Rochester (pop. 106,769, up 24.4 percent) showed growth.[12]
At the time of redistricting, Republicans controlled the Legislature, and Democrats the governorship; redistricting was expected to favor Republicans as Democrats held numerous underrepresented districts. Governor Mark Dayton vetoed the legislative plan on May 19, 2011. In June 2011, a panel created by the Minnesota Supreme Court took over the process when it heard lawsuits over the matter, even though the Legislature's deadline of February 2012 had not yet come up. On February 21, 2012, the panel released a final map, pairing 30 incumbents in the House.
Representatives
Partisan composition
- See also: Partisan composition of state houses
| Party | As of May 2013 | |
|---|---|---|
| Democratic Party | 73 | |
| Republican Party | 61 | |
| Total | 134 | |
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Minnesota State House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
Leadership
The Speaker of the House is the presiding officer of the body. Duties of the Speaker include preserving order and decorum, appointing the Chief Sergeant at Arms, and signing all acts, address, joint resolutions, writs, warrants, and subpoenas of the House.[13][14]
Current leadership
Salaries
- See also: Comparison of state legislative salaries
As of 2013, members of the Minnesota legislature are paid $31,140.90/year. Senators receive $96/day per diem while representatives receive $66/day. The rates are set by the legislature.[15]
When sworn in
Minnesota legislators assume office the first day of biennial (2-year) session.[16] Minnesota law provides that: "The legislature shall meet at the seat of government on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January of each odd-numbered year. When the first Monday in January falls on January 1, it shall meet on the first Wednesday after the first Monday. It shall also meet when called by the governor to meet in special session." [17]
Current members
Standing committees
- Agriculture Policy
- Capital Investment
- Civil Law
- Commerce and Consumer Protection Finance and Policy
- Early Childhood and Youth Development Policy
- Education Finance
- Education Policy
- Elections
- Energy Policy
- Environment and Natural Resources Policy
- Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Finance
- Ethics
- Government Operations
- Health and Human Services Finance
- Health and Human Services Policy
- Higher Education Finance and Policy
- Housing Finance and Policy
- Jobs and Economic Development Finance and Policy
- Judiciary Finance and Policy
- Labor, Workplace and Regulated Industries
- Legacy
- Public Safety Finance and Policy
- Rules and Legislative Administration
- State Government Finance and Veterans Affairs
- Taxes
- Transportation Finance
- Transportation Policy
- Ways and Means
History
Partisan balance 1992-2013
From 1992-2013, the Democratic Party was the majority in the Minnesota State House of Representatives for 12 years while the Republicans were the majority for 10 years. For the final year of the study Minnesota was under a Democratic trifecta.
Across the country, there were 579 Democratic and 482 Republican State Houses of Representatives from 1992-2013.
Over the course of the 22-year study, state governments became increasingly more partisan. At the outset of the study period (1992), 18 of the 49 states with partisan legislatures had single-party trifectas and 31 states had divided governments. In 2013, only 13 states have divided governments, while single-party trifectas held sway in 36 states, the most in the 22 years studied.
The chart below shows the partisan composition of the Office of the Governor of Minnesota, the Minnesota State Senate and the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1992-2013.
.PNG)
External links
- Official website of the Minnesota House of Representatives
- Official list of the current members of the Minnesota House of Representatives
- Minnesota House of Representatives on Wikipedia
- Election results 2010
References
- ↑ Population in 2010 of the American states
- ↑ Population in 2000 of the American states
- ↑ Minnesota State Legislature, "Frequently Asked Questions About the Minnesota Legislature"
- ↑ WCCO-TV, Reality Check: Who's Getting The Most Per Diem?, January 14, 2009
- ↑ Twin Cities, "Minnesota Legislature convenes for official start of session," January 9, 2013
- ↑ Article on session adjourning
- ↑ Minneapolis Star Tribune, "Freshman class already making its mark in St. Paul", January 31, 2011
- ↑ Follow the Money: "Minnesota House 2010 Campaign Contributions"
- ↑ 2010 Guide for Candidates
- ↑ Minnesota Revisor of Statutes "Minnesota Election Law"(Referenced Statute 351.055)
- ↑ Minnesota Revisor of Statutes "Minnesota Election Law"(Referenced Statute 204D.19 (1)-(3))
- ↑ U.S. Census Bureau, "U.S. Census Bureau Delivers Minnesota's 2010 Census Population Totals, Including First Look at Race and Hispanic Origin Data for Legislative Redistricting," March 16, 2011. Retrieved August 20, 2012.
- ↑ Rules of the Minnesota House of Representatives - Article VII: Officers of the House
- ↑ Minnesota House Leadership
- ↑ NCSL.org, "2012 State Legislator Compensation and Per Diem Table," accessed March 18, 2013
- ↑ Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 3, Section 3.05
- ↑ Minnesota Statutes, Chapter 3, Section 3.011
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