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legislation
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legislation > mn government > legislature
State elected officials are the lawmakers and the power brokers; they establish the laws that citizens and state and local government must follow. Animal protection is a statewide issue. Find out what your State legislators believe, what committees they sit on, and what issues they influence.
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MINNESOTA LEGISLATURE The Minnesota Legislative session lasts two years. The Minnesota Legislature operates (conducts business) a few months each year. When not in session, legislators are at home in their communities. (Non-session months are known as the interim months.)
HOUSE AND SENATE COMMITTEES Senate and House committees (and hearings) are critical to the law-making process. A committee hearing allows for testimony, questions, and discussion about a particular issue and proposed legislation. Hearings are scheduled at the discretion of the committee chair — without his or her support, the bill does not move forward in the process. For this reason, it is important to pay close attention to what committees get assigned which bills and who runs (chairs) each comittee. A bill must pass through and meet specific deadlines for it to move forward in the process. Before a bill goes to the full House and full Senate, it must be discussed by policy and finance committees. These House and Senate Committees either approve the bill, defeat it, amend and then approve it, or postpone debate. Other committees may hear a bill. It can depend on the specific language in the bill and the background of that committee as to who hears what bills. Per MN process: “The House committee then sends a report to the House about its action on the bill; the Senate committee does likewise in the Senate. After the full House or Senate accepts the committee report, the bill has its second reading and is placed on the House agenda called the General Register or the Senate agenda called General Orders.”
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