By Mike Cook House Public Information Services Faye Bernstein shared her story Monday and put forth a powerful, targeted declaration. A 20-year employee at the Department of Human Services, Bernstein disparaged the department culture by telling what happened about seven years ago when she questioned its activities. “In the course of doing my job I…

By Rob Hubbard House Public Information Services Many state residents are having a much harder time keeping the lights on. “Minnesotans together owe more than $129 million past due on utility bills,” Rep. Athena Hollins (DFL-St. Paul) told the House Energy Finance and Policy Committee Tuesday. “And more than 90,000 households were disconnected from electric or gas…

By Margaret Stevens House Public Information Services More than 75,000 students received approximately $222 million in Minnesota State Grants in Fiscal Year 2025, including 617 students who received nearly $5 million combined under the Dream Act. Rep. Isaac Schultz (R–Elmdale Township) believes the state’s limited financial resources should be directed to “citizens and those here legally,” particularly within…

By Winter Keefer House Public Information Service Personal care assistants providing shared services for multiple clients at the same time could be guaranteed a percentage of state reimbursements. Sponsored by Rep. Kim Hicks (DFL-Rochester), HF3780 would require providers to use an unspecified percentage of additional revenue for these shared services for worker wages. The bill was laid over Tuesday…

By Mike Cook House Public Information Services One side of the political aisle gave an education funding proposal an A; the other side gave it in F. Tuesday’s final grade is an incomplete because no vote was taken, but will be in the future. At issue is a bill supporters say could provide millions of…

By Mike Cook House Public Information Services One could safely presume extra caffeine was consumed Monday when people were still feeling the effect of Sunday morning. And many of us probably still have clocks yet to be reset to reflect Daylight Saving Time. Ironically, Roxanne Prichard did just that to a clock before exiting a…

By Tim Walker House Public Information Services Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester) recounted a story in her district of a son who stole about $46,000 from his vulnerable mother’s bank account, yet prosecutors did not charge him under the financial exploitation of vulnerable adults act. Liebling explained to the House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee that the…

By Mike Cook House Public Information Services Google is behind a large-scale data center that could be part of a proposed 482-acre industrial project in Pine Island. Yet the nearly 4,000 residents in the small community near Rochester don’t know much about the details, many arguing city officials have lacked transparency regarding Project Skyway since…

By Mike Cook House Public Information Services When a voter casts a ballot for a levy or bond referendum, they also get a bit of education about how it could affect their pocketbook. By statute, if a county, city, town, school district, or other special taxing district asks voters to authorize “a property tax levy or…

By Rob Hubbard House Public Information Services Sure, your property taxes may have gone up last year. But did they go up enough to earn you a special refund? Minnesota tax law has something called “targeting,” which directs property tax relief to homeowners who have experienced a property tax increase of 12% or more, year…