Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Infobox legislature The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Floor sessions are held in the west wing of the State Capitol in Saint Paul. Committee hearings, as well as offices for senators and staff, are located north of the State Capitol in the Minnesota Senate Building. Each member of the Minnesota Senate represents approximately 80,000 constituents.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
HistoryEdit
The Minnesota Senate held its first regular session on December 2, 1857.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
PowersEdit
In addition to its legislative powers, certain appointments by the governor are subject to the Senate's advice and consent. As state law provides for hundreds of executive appointments, the vast majority of appointees serve without being confirmed by the Senate; only in rare instances does the Senate reject appointees.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> It has rejected only nine executive appointments since 2000.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
ElectionsEdit
Each Senate district is split between an A and B House district (e.g., Senate District 41 contains House districts 41A and 41B). The Minnesota Constitution forbids House districts that are within more than one Senate district.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
To account for decennial redistricting, members run for one two-year term and two four-year terms each decade. Senators are elected to four-year terms in years ending in 2 and 6, and to two-year terms in years ending in 0.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Districts are redrawn after the decennial United States Census in time for the primary and general elections in years ending in 2. The most recent election was held on November 8, 2022.
LeadershipEdit
From statehood through 1972, the lieutenant governor served as president of the Senate. In 1972, voters approved a constitutional amendment that provided for the Senate to elect its own president beginning January 1973.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The president, who presides over official Senate proceedings, also acts as the parliamentarian and oversees the secretary of the senate.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The majority leader is responsible for managing and scheduling the business of the Senate and oversees partisan and nonpartisan staff. The current majority leader is Erin Murphy, a Democrat from Saint Paul.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The current minority leader is Mark Johnson, a Republican from East Grand Forks.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Each caucus also selects its own leaders and deputy leaders.
Minnesota Senate BuildingEdit
Committee hearings mostly take place in the Minnesota Senate Building, a Template:Convert office building that opened in January 2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The $90 million office building, which is north of the State Capitol across University Avenue, includes three committee hearing rooms, offices for all senators and staff, a raised terrace overlooking the State Capitol, and a 264-space underground parking facility.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The 2016 session was held in the newly constructed Minnesota Senate Building due to an extensive restoration at the State Capitol. It was the first time the Senate held a regular session outside the Capitol since it opened in 1905.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
CompositionEdit
Historical compositionEdit
| Years | Party<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref> (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | ||||
| Democratic– Farmer–Labor |
Republican | Independent | Vacant | |||
| 2001–2003 | Template:Party shading/DFL |41 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 67 | |
| 2003–2007 | Template:Party shading/DFL |35 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 67 | |
| 2007–2011 | Template:Party shading/DFL |44 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 67 | |
| 2011–2013 | 30 | Template:Party shading/Republican |37 | 0 | 0 | 67 | |
| 2013–2017 | Template:Party shading/DFL |39 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 67 | |
| 2017-2021 | 33 | Template:Party shading/Republican |34 | 0 | 0 | 67 | |
| 2021–2023 | 31 | Template:Party shading/Republican |34 | Template:Party shading/Republican |2Template:Refn | 0 | 67 | |
| 2023–2027 | Template:Party shading/DFL |34 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 67 | |
Current compositionEdit
- 94th Minnesota Legislature (2025-2027)
| Party (Shading indicates majority caucus)
|
Total | Vacant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | style="background-color:Template:Party color" | | |||
| Republican | Ind | Democratic– Farmer–Labor | |||
| End of the previous Legislature | Template:Party shading/Republican |34 | Template:Party shading/Republican|1Template:Refn | 31 | 66 | 1 |
| Begin 2023 | 33 | 0 | Template:Party shading/DFL| 34 | 67 | 0 |
| December 27, 2024Template:Refn | 33 | 66 | 1 | ||
| February 3, 2025Template:Refn | Template:Party shading/DFL rowspan=3| 34 | 67 | 0 | ||
| March 20, 2025Template:Refn | 32 | 66 | 1 | ||
| May 6, 2025Template:Refn | 33 | 67 | 0 | ||
| Latest voting share | Template:Percentage | Template:Party shading/DFL |Template:Percentage | |||
Current membersEdit
Template:Politics of Minnesota
CommitteesEdit
| CitationClass=web
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Committee | Chair | Vice Chair | Ranking Minority Member |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development | Aric Putnam | Rob Kupec | Torrey Westrom | |
| Agriculture, Veterans, Broadband, and Rural Development - Subcommittee on Veterans Committee | Aric Putnam | None | None | |
| Capital Investment | Sandy Pappas | Susan Pha | Karin Housley | |
| Commerce and Consumer Protection | Matt Klein | Judy Seeberger | Gary Dahms | |
| Education Finance | Mary Kunesh | Heather Gustafson | Jason Rarick | |
| Education Policy | Steve Cwodzinski | Erin Maye Quade | Julia Coleman | |
| Elections | Jim Carlson | Bonnie Westlin | Mark Koran | |
| Energy, Utilities, Environment, and Climate | Nick Frentz | Tou Xiong | Andrew Mathews | |
| Environment, Climate, and Legacy | Foung Hawj | Jen McEwen | Steve Green | |
| Finance | John Marty | Nick Frentz | Eric Pratt | |
| Health and Human Services | Melissa Wiklund | Alice Mann | Paul Utke | |
| Higher Education | Omar Fateh | Aric Putnam | Zach Duckworth | |
| Housing and Homelessness Prevention | Lindsey Port | Liz Boldon | Eric Lucero | |
| Human Services | John Hoffman | Omar Fateh | Jordan Rasmusson | |
| Jobs and Economic Development | Bobby Joe Champion | Zaynab Mohamed | Rich Draheim | |
| Judiciary and Public Safety | Ron Latz | Clare Oumou Verbeten | Warren Limmer | |
| Labor | Jen McEwen | Grant Hauschild | Gene Dornink | |
| Rules and Administration | Erin Murphy | Ann Rest | Mark Johnson | |
| State and Local Government | Tou Xiong | Heather Gustafson,
Erin Maye Quade |
Andrew Lang | |
| Taxes | Ann Rest | Matt Klein | Bill Weber | |
| Transportation | Scott Dibble | Ann Johnson Stewart | John Jasinski |
See alsoEdit
- Minnesota House of Representatives
- Minnesota Legislature
- Past composition of the Senate
- List of Minnesota state legislatures
NotesEdit
ReferencesEdit
External linksEdit
Template:Minnesota Senate Template:Government of Minnesota Template:United States legislatures Template:Authority control Template:Coord