Minnesota Senate | |
|---|---|
| 94th Minnesota Legislature | |
 | |
| Type | |
| Type | |
Term limits | None |
| History | |
New session started | January 3, 2023 (2023-01-03) |
| Leadership | |
President pro tempore | |
| Structure | |
| Seats | 67 |
 | |
Political groups |
|
Length of term | 4 years when elected in years ending in 2 and 6. 2 years when elected in years ending in 0. |
| Authority | Article IV,Minnesota Constitution |
| Salary | $51,750/year + per diem[1] |
| Elections | |
| First-past-the-post | |
Last election | November 8, 2022 |
Next election | November 3, 2026 |
| Redistricting | Legislative control |
| Meeting place | |
 | |
| Senate chamber Minnesota State Capitol Saint Paul,Minnesota | |
| Website | |
senate | |
| Rules | |
| Temporary Rules of the Senate | |
TheMinnesota Senate is theupper house of thelegislature of theU.S. state ofMinnesota. At 67 members, half as many as theMinnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of anyU.S. state legislature.[2] Floor sessions are held in the west wing of theState Capitol inSaint 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 85,000 constituents.[3]
The Minnesota Senate held its first regular session on December 2, 1857.[4]
In addition to its legislative powers, certain appointments by thegovernor are subject to the Senate'sadvice 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.[5] It has rejected only nine executive appointments since 2000.[6]
Each Senate district is split between anA andB House district (e.g., Senate District 41 contains House districts 41A and 41B). TheMinnesota Constitution forbids House districts that are within more than one Senate district.[7]
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.[8] Districts are redrawn after the decennialUnited States Census in time for the primary and general elections in years ending in 2. Themost recent election was held onNovember 8, 2022.
From statehood through 1972, thelieutenant governor served aspresident of the Senate. In 1972, voters approved a constitutional amendment that provided for the Senate to elect its own president beginning January 1973.[9] The president, who presides over official Senate proceedings, also acts as theparliamentarian and oversees the secretary of the senate.[10]Themajority leader is responsible for managing and scheduling the business of the Senate and oversees partisan and nonpartisan staff. The current majority leader isErin Murphy, a Democrat from Saint Paul.[11] The current minority leader isMark Johnson, a Republican fromEast Grand Forks.[12] Each caucus also selects its own leaders and deputy leaders.
Committee hearings mostly take place in the Minnesota Senate Building, a 293,000-square-foot (27,200 m2) office building that opened in January 2016.[13] 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.[14]
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.[15]
| Years | Party[16] (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic– Farmer–Labor | Republican | Independent | Vacant | ||
| 2001–2003 | 41 | 25 | 0 | 0 | 67 |
| 2003–2007 | 35 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 67 |
| 2007–2011 | 44 | 23 | 0 | 0 | 67 |
| 2011–2013 | 30 | 37 | 0 | 0 | 67 |
| 2013–2017 | 39 | 28 | 0 | 0 | 67 |
| 2017-2021 | 33 | 34 | 0 | 0 | 67 |
| 2021–2023 | 31 | 34 | 2[nb 1] | 0 | 67 |
| 2023–2027 | 34 | 33 | 0 | 0 | 67 |
| Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | Vacant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Ind | Democratic– Farmer–Labor | |||
| End of theprevious Legislature | 34 | 1[nb 1] | 31 | 66 | 1 |
| Begin 2023 | 33 | 0 | 34 | 67 | 0 |
| December 27, 2024[nb 2] | 33 | 66 | 1 | ||
| February 3, 2025[nb 3] | 34 | 67 | 0 | ||
| March 20, 2025[nb 4] | 32 | 66 | 1 | ||
| May 6, 2025[nb 5] | 33 | 67 | 0 | ||
| July 21, 2025[nb 6] | 32 | 66 | 1 | ||
| July 25, 2025[nb 7] | 33 | 65 | 2 | ||
| November 18, 2025[nb 8] | 33 | 34 | 67 | 0 | |
| Latest voting share | 49.3% | 50.7% | |||
|
|---|
| Constitution |
|
| 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 |
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
44°57′19″N93°6′10″W / 44.95528°N 93.10278°W /44.95528; -93.10278
