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2025 Minnesota legislative session

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2024
2026


2025 Minnesota legislative session
Seal of Minnesota.svg
General information
Scheduled session start:    January 14, 2025

Scheduled session end:    May 19, 2025

Leadership
Senate President
Bobby Joe Champion (D)

House Speaker
Lisa Demuth (R)
Majority Leader
Senate: Erin Murphy (D)
House: Harry Niska (R)
Minority Leader
Senate: Mark Johnson (R)
House: Vacant

Elections
Next Election:    November 3, 2026

Last Election:    November 5, 2024

Previous legislative sessions
2024202320222021202020192018
Other 2025 legislative sessions


In 2025, the Minnesota State Legislature was scheduled to convene on January 14 and adjourn on May 19.

The legislators serving in this session took office following the 2022 and 2024 elections. Democrats won a 34-33 majority in the Senate in 2022. The House was split 67-67 following the 2024 elections. Legal challenges and other events between the 2024 elections and the first day of the legislative session affected party control in both chambers. To read more about changes to party control in the Legislature, click here. The Democratic Party controlled the governorship, creating a divided state government. At the start of the 2025 session, Minnesota was one of 23 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers.

Leading up to the start of the session, Democrats and Republicans in the Minnesota House of Representatives disagreed over how to proceed with chamber business due to the partisan composition. For more information regarding this dispute, click here.

At the beginning of the 2025 legislative session:
  • The Minnesota state House and state Senate were both split.
  • Minnesota was one of 12 divided state governments.
  • Minnesota's governor was Democrat Tim Walz.
  • Leadership in 2025

    Minnesota State Senate

    See also: Leadership positions in state legislatures

    Minnesota House of Representatives

    Click here for more information about the ongoing dispute in the Minnesota House of Representatives over party control and leadership.

    Partisan control in 2025

    See also: State government trifectas

    Minnesota was one of 12 divided state governments at the start of 2025 legislative sessions. A state government trifecta occurs when one political party holds the governor's office, a majority in the state Senate, and a majority in the state House. For more information about state government trifectas, click here.

    Minnesota was also one of 23 state legislatures where neither party had a veto-proof supermajority in both chambers. Veto overrides occur when a legislature votes to reverse a veto issued by an executive such as a governor or the president. If one party has a majority in a state legislature that is large enough to override a gubernatorial veto without any votes from members of the minority party, it is called a veto-proof majority or, sometimes, a supermajority. To read more about veto-proof supermajorities in state legislatures, click here.

    The following tables show the partisan breakdown of the Minnesota State Legislature in the 2025 legislative session.

    Minnesota State Senate

    Party As of January 2025
         Democratic Party 33
         Republican Party 33
         Vacant 1
    Total 67

    Minnesota House of Representatives

    Party As of January 2025
         Democratic Party 66
         Republican Party 67
         Vacant 1
    Total 134

    Changes in party control after the 2024 general elections

    See also: Minnesota House of Representatives elections, 2024

    On November 5, 2024, Democrats and Republicans each won 67 seats in the Minnesota House of Representatives, evenly splitting the chamber. The last time the chamber was evenly split was in 1978. [1] However, legal challenges against the general election results in two districts led to a disagreement between House Democrats and Republicans regarding how to conduct chamber business. Click here for more information about the legal challenges to the election results in the districts at the center of this conflict.

    Before the representatives were sworn in, a judge ruled that the general election result in House District 40B was invalid.[2] This ruling shifted the partisan balance to a 67-66 Republican majority with one vacancy, and a special election was scheduled on January 28, 2025. Republicans said their 67-66 majority authorized them to elect a speaker and control committee assignments.[3] However, Democrats said the majority was temporary, and lawmakers can take no action without 68 votes.[3]

    On January 12, 2025, House Democrats held a swearing-in ceremony at the Minnesota History Center for Democratic representatives.[4][5] Democratic leader Rep. Melissa Hortman (D) said the ceremony was to ensure that Democratic representatives were legally sworn into office if Democratic representatives decided to deny a quorum.[6] Republican leader Rep. Lisa Demuth (R) said the ceremony was not legitimate.[7]

    Democrats boycotted the first day of the session on January 14, 2025, after Demuth indicated that Republicans would use their majority vote to refuse to seat the general election winner for House District 54A.[8] Secretary of State Steve Simon (D) — acting as presiding officer — adjourned the meeting after a roll call determined that 67 members present were not enough to start the session.[9] Republicans appealed the order, moving to replace Simon as presiding officer with Rep. Paul Anderson (R).[9] Republicans then overturned Simon’s order, declared a quorum, and elected Demuth as speaker.[9]

    In response, House Democrats petitioned the Minnesota Supreme Court, arguing that House Republicans’ actions after Simon gaveled the meeting closed were unlawful.[10] Simon filed a separate petition asking the court to weigh in on how many members need to be present to conduct business.[10] He also argued that Demuth illegally usurped his role as the presiding officer.[10]

    The court heard oral arguments regarding the case on January 23, 2025.[11] On January 24, the court ruled that 68 members must be present to declare a quorum in the chamber.[12]

    On February 4, the Minnesota Republican Party announced they would start circulating recall petitions for all House Democrats.[13] For more information on the recall laws in Minnesota, click here.

    Regular session

    The list below shows up to 25 pieces of legislation in the 2025 legislative session that most recently passed both chambers of the legislature, were signed by the governor, or were approved by the legislature in a veto override. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation has met these criteria yet in 2025. This information is provided by BillTrack50.

    Legislation trackers

    See also: Legislation Trackers

    Ballotpedia’s legislation trackers are your go-to resource for staying on top of key legislative topics. We capture any bill introduced on the topic across all of the 50 state legislatures, and we track the movement of the bill every step of the way. We provide real-time updates and translate legislative legalese into easily understandable language. As of the 2025 session, Ballotpedia provided tracking on the following topics. Click on the links below to view related bills from the 2025 session:

    Standing legislative committees

    See also: Standing committee and List of committees in Minnesota state government


    A standing committee of a state legislature is a committee that exists on a more-or-less permanent basis, from legislative session to session, that considers and refines legislative bills that fall under the committee's subject matter.

    At the beginning of the 2025 legislative session, there were 63 standing committees in Minnesota's state government, including two joint legislative committees, 28 state Senate committees, and 33 state House committees.

    Joint legislative committees

    • Driver and Vehicle Systems Oversight Committee
    • MNsure Legislative Oversight Committee

    Senate committees

    House committees

    Legislatively referred constitutional amendments

    In every state but Delaware, voter approval is required to enact a constitutional amendment. In each state, the legislature has a process for referring constitutional amendments before voters. In 18 states, initiated constitutional amendments can be put on the ballot through a signature petition drive. There are also many other types of statewide measures.

    The methods by which the Minnesota Constitution can be amended:

    See also: Article IX of the Minnesota Constitution and Laws governing ballot measures in Minnesota

    The Minnesota Constitution provides two mechanisms for amending the state's constitution— a legislative process and a state constitutional convention. Ratification of amendments proposed by a convention require a 60% supermajority of those voting on the amendment question, while an amendment proposed by the legislature requires a simple majority (50%+1) of those voting in the election.[14]

    Legislature

    See also: Legislatively referred constitutional amendment

    A simple majority vote is required during one legislative session for the Minnesota State Legislature to place a constitutional amendment on the ballot. That amounts to a minimum of 68 votes in the Minnesota House of Representatives and 34 votes in the Minnesota State Senate, assuming no vacancies. Amendments do not require the governor's signature to be referred to the ballot.

    Ratifying an amendment requires a 'Yes' vote from a simple majority of all voters casting a ballot in the election, rather than a simple majority of those voting on the question.

    Convention

    See also: Convention-referred constitutional amendment

    According to Section 3 of Article IX of the Minnesota Constitution, a two-thirds (66.67%) vote in each chamber during one legislative session is required to send a constitutional convention question to voters. A simple majority vote by the electorate is required to call the convention. Any proposed amendments approved by the convention require a 60% vote of the electorate to be ratified.


    Historical partisan control

    The table below depicts the historical trifecta status of Minnesota.

    Minnesota Party Control: 1992-2024
    Four years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
    Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
    Governor R R R R R R R I I I I R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
    Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D R R D D D D R R R R R R D D
    House D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D R R D D R R R R D D D D D D

    Historical Senate control

    Democrats won a 34-33 majority in the Minnesota State Senate in 2022, gaining control of the chamber for the first time since 2012.

    The table below shows the partisan history of the Minnesota Senate following every general election from 1992 to 2022. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Minnesota State Senate election results: 1992-2022

    Party 92 96 00 02 06 10 12 16 20 22
    Democrats 45 42 39 35 44 30 39 33 31 34
    Republicans 22 25 27 31 23 37 28 34 34 33
    Other 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 2 0

    Historical House control

    As a result of the 2024 elections, Republicans began the 2025 legislative session with a 67-66 majority, with a special election to fill a vacancy scheduled for January 28.

    The table below shows the partisan history of the Minnesota House following every general election from 1992 to 2020. All data from 2006 or earlier comes from Michael Dubin's Party Affiliations in the State Legislatures (McFarland Press, 2007). Data after 2006 was compiled by Ballotpedia staff.

    Minnesota House of Representatives election results: 1992-2022

    Year '92 '94 '96 '98 '00 '02 '04 '06 '08 '10 '12 '14 '16 '18 '20 '22 '24
    Democrats 87 71 70 63 65 52 66 85 87 62 73 62 57 75 70 70 66
    Republicans 47 63 64 71 69 82 68 49 47 72 61 72 77 59 64 64 67

    Analysis

    Adopted legislation, 2011-2024

    See also: The State Legislative Decade - Minnesota

    In 2024, Ballotpedia released analysis of bills enacted in each state in the preceding decade. The charts and table below detail legislation passed each year by party sponsorship.

    Noteworthy events

    Senate District 60 vacancy

    Minnesota state Sen. Kari Dziedzic (D) died of ovarian cancer on Dec. 7, 2024. She was re-elected in 2022 to represent District 60 in the Minnesota Senate for a four-year term. Gov. Tim Walz (D) scheduled a special election for Jan. 28, 2025.[15]

    Before her death, there was a 34-33 Democratic majority in the Senate. However, the vacancy in Senate District 60 resulted in the chamber being evenly split with 33 Democrats and 33 Republicans.

    On Jan. 13, 2025, the chamber’s Democratic and Republican leadership announced they had reached a power-sharing agreement.[16] According to the agreement, each caucus leader will appoint a co-presiding officer, and no changes will be made to Senate rules through 2025.[16] Additionally, each committee will have joint chairs, and an equal number of Democratic and Republican Senators will sit on each committee.[16] The agreement remained in place until Doron Clark (D) was sworn in on February 3, 2025, giving Democrats a majority.[17]

    For more information on unique leadership agreements in state legislatures, click here.

    House District 54A lawsuit

    In the Nov. 5, 2024, general election for District 54A in the Minnesota House of Representatives, incumbent Rep. Brad Tabke (D) led Aaron Paul (R) 10,973 to 10,959 votes, a margin of 14 votes, or 0.06% of the total votes cast. Minnesota allows a losing candidate to request a recount paid for by the state if the final margin is less than 0.5% of the total votes. Paul requested a recount.[18]

    The recount found that Tabke won by 15 votes, one more than the original count. However, Scott County election officials announced that 20 ballots were lost and unable to be counted in the final tally. [19] In response, Paul filed a lawsuit asking Scott County District Judge Tracy Perzel to declare the election result invalid and order the district’s seat vacant until a special election could occur.[20]

    During the December 2024 trial, six of the 20 voters identified as those whose ballots were lost testified that they voted for Tabke, which led to Tabke declaring victory in the race after the trial concluded.[21] Republican leader Rep. Lisa Demuth (R) indicated that Republicans would use their majority vote to refuse to seat Tabke.[22]

    Perzel ruled on Jan. 14, 2025, that Tabke “remains the candidate with the most votes legally cast in the 2024 General Election for Minnesota House District 54A” and that “neither an injunction nor a special election is warranted or ordered.”[23]

    House District 40B lawsuit

    In the Nov. 5, 2024, general election for District 40B in the Minnesota House of Representatives, Curtis Johnson (D) defeated Paul Wikstrom (R) 65.4% to 34.6%. Wikstrom contested the results in court, alleging that Johnson did not meet the residency requirements to run in the district.[2] On Dec. 20, 2024, Ramsey County District Judge Leonardo Castro ruled that Johnson was disqualified from holding office because Johnson did not “maintain a residence in District 40B for the entire six months prior to the election was a deliberate, serious, and material violation of Minnesota election law.”[2] Johnson said he would not appeal the decision.

    Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) scheduled a special election for Jan. 28, 2025.[24][25] In response, the Minnesota Voters Alliance and the Minnesota Republican Party filed a lawsuit with the Minnesota Supreme Court, arguing that state law required the governor to wait 22 days after the first day of session to schedule the special election.[26] A representative for Walz argued that "State law requires the governor to call a special election as soon as possible."[26]

    On Jan. 17, 2025, six of the court's seven justices ruled that the special election "was issued prematurely and therefore must be quashed."[27] The court did not say when Walz would be able to reschedule the special election. Justice Karl Procaccini recused himself from the case.[27]

    The results of the Nov. 5, 2024, general elections initially led to the partisan breakdown of the House being evenly split with 67 Democrats and 67 Republicans. However, the vacancy in House District 40B resulted in a 67-66 Republican majority with one vacancy.

    See also

    Elections Minnesota State Government State Legislatures State Politics
    Ballotpedia Elections Badge-VOTE-no shadow-Square.jpg
    Minnesota State Flag-Close Up.jpg
    State Houses-Tile image.png
    State Courts-Tile image.png

    External links

    Footnotes

    1. CBS News, "Here's what it looked like the last time Minnesota House was divided in 1979," November 8, 2025
    2. 2.0 2.1 2.2 The Minnesota Star Tribune, "Judge rules DFL House candidate ineligible, throwing majority to GOP for now," December 20, 2024
    3. All Democratic members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were involved in the January 12, 2025 swearing-in ceremony except one who was sworn in on January 10, 2025.
    4. Minnesota House of Representatives, "DFL state representatives sworn into office early," January 13, 2025
    5. Minnesota House of Representatives, "DFL state representatives sworn into office early," January 13, 2025
    6. CBS News, "House Democrats take oath of office in secret 2 days before legislative session starts, sparking outrage," January 13, 2025
    7. Threads, "Melissa Hortman on Janauary 14, 2025," accessed on January 14, 2025
    8. 9.0 9.1 9.2 MPR News, "Minnesota House DFLers boycott opening session; Republicans elect their own speaker," January 14 2025
    9. 10.0 10.1 10.2 Minnesota Reformer, "House Democrats, secretary of state ask Supreme Court to weigh in on quorum question," January 15, 2025
    10. MPR News, "State Supreme Court weighs what to do about ‘dysfunctional’ Minnesota House," January 23, 2025
    11. Fox 9, "MN Supreme Court quorum ruling sides with DFL, says 68 members needed," January 24, 2025
    12. CBS News, "Minnesota Republican Party launches recall election effort targeting all House Democrats boycotting the legislative session," February 4, 2025
    13. The Pink Ballot Statute, 204D.15
    14. Office of Governor Tim Walz & Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, "Governor Walz Issues Writ of Special Election to Fill Vacancy in Senate District 60," December 30, 2024
    15. 16.0 16.1 16.2 FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, "Minnesota Senate GOP, DFL reach power-sharing agreement," January 13, 2025
    16. CBS News, "New Minnesota senator Doron Clark sworn in, tipping control of chamber back to Democrats," February 3, 2025
    17. The Minnesota Star Tribune, "DFL Rep. Brad Tabke picks up one vote over Republican Aaron Paul after 54A recount," November 21, 2024
    18. FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, "Missing ballots in Scott County likely caused by human error: Officials," November 27, 2024
    19. FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, "MN District 54A race: Republican challenger files election contest lawsuit," December 2, 2024
    20. The Minnesota Reformer, "Rep. Brad Tabke appears to have the votes. Now a judge will decide if that’s enough to take office.," December 17, 2024
    21. The Minnesota Reformer, "GOP House leader Demuth: ‘We should not be seating that representative’ no matter what judge rules," January 8, 2025
    22. FOX 9 Minneapolis-St. Paul, "MN District 54A race: Judge rules Brad Tabke's win stands," January 14, 2024
    23. Twin Cities Pioneer Press, "Disqualified DFL House candidate steps aside, granting Republicans majority," January 14, 2025
    24. Office of Governor Tim Walz & Lt. Governor Peggy Flanagan, "Governor Walz Issues Writ of Special Election to Fill Vacancy in House District 40B," December 27, 2024
    25. 26.0 26.1 Pioneer Press, "Minnesota GOP sues over timing of special election for Roseville House seat," January 6, 2025
    26. 27.0 27.1 Minnesota, "Minnesota Voters Alliance, et al., Petitioners, Republican Party of Minnesota, Petitioner, vs. Timothy Walz, in his official capacity as Governor of the State of Minnesota, et al., Respondents, Tracy West, in her official capacity as County Auditor of Ramsey County, Minnesota, et al., Respondents.," January 17, 2025