For the first time since 2014, DFLers will have the “trifecta,” or control over the Minnesota House, Senate, and Governor’s Office. In the State House, DFL members will have 70 votes to Republicans’ 64. The DFL majority in the Senate is slimmer, with a one-vote majority (34 DFL, 33 Republican).
Both bodies will see new leadership. The lone legislator to maintain a leadership position is Rep. Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park), who will remain as speaker of the House. Rep. Jamie Long (DFL-Minneapolis) was voted majority leader and House Republicans chose Rep. Lisa Demuth (R-Cold Spring) as minority leader.
On the Senate side, Sen. Kari Dziedzic (DFL-Minneapolis) and Sen. Mark Johnson (R-East Grand Forks) were elected as majority and minority leaders respectively. Sen. Bobby Joe Champion (DFL-Minneapolis) will be the new president of the Senate.
Leadership will work with many new faces around the Capitol. Seventy-one of the 201 legislators are new, with 57 being “true freshmen” – the other 14 previously served in a different body or in non-consecutive terms.
The 2023 legislative session kicks off on January 3 with many DFLers bringing a long policy wish list into the new year. These include, among others, passing firearm safety reform, paid family leave, statewide legalization of recreational cannabis, and codifying the right to an abortion in Minnesota statute.
Legislators will also be tasked with passing a state budget by the end of the fiscal year and will likely be dealing with a projected $17.6 billion budget surplus leftover from 2022. However, the slim DFL majorities in both bodies, paired with the ever-complicated nature of factional politics, should temper expectations.
MNAAP will be offering regular legislative updates via email throughout the 2023 session. To receive full legislative updates on a biweekly basis, you must be a member of MNAAP. The emails provide additional details about legislative issues that are not posted on our website and are for members only. Contact Communications Manager Bethany Venable by email venable@mnaap.org if you are not receiving these updates.
