Seventy-first Minnesota Legislature | |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
![]() | |||||
Overview | |||||
Legislative body | Minnesota Legislature | ||||
Jurisdiction | Minnesota, United States | ||||
Meeting place | Minnesota State Capitol | ||||
Term | January 3, 1979 – January 6, 1981 | ||||
Website | www | ||||
Minnesota State Senate | |||||
Members | 67 Senators | ||||
President | Edward J. Gearty | ||||
Majority Leader | Nick Coleman | ||||
Minority Leader | Robert O. Ashbach | ||||
Party control | Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party | ||||
Minnesota House of Representatives | |||||
Members | 134 Representatives | ||||
Speaker | Rod Searle, Fred C. Norton | ||||
Majority Leader | Jerry Knickerbocker, Irv Anderson | ||||
Minority Leader | Rod Searle | ||||
Party control | Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party |
The seventy-first Minnesota Legislature first convened in the U.S. state of Minnesota on January 3, 1979. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate were elected during the General Election of November 2, 1976, and the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election of November 7, 1978.
The seventy-first legislature is noteworthy for the partisan composition of the House of Representatives. Until Bob Pavlak was unseated for unfair campaign practices, [1] the House was equally divided between the DFL and the Independent-Republicans. [2] Due to the tie, the DFL and the Independent-Republicans were forced to forge a compromise by which the Independent-Republicans were to elect the Speaker from among their own ranks, while the DFL would be given the chairmanship of, and one-vote majorities on, the rules and tax committees. This agreement was superseded for the 1980 continuation of the regular session, by which time the DFL had gained a slim majority in the House.
The legislature met in a regular session from January 3, 1979, to May 24, 1979. A special session was convened on May 24, 1979, to consider three bills regarding workers' compensation, energy, and transportation appropriations. [3]
A continuation of the regular session was held between January 22, 1980, and April 12, 1980. No special sessions were held in 1980. The legislature met for a total of 99 legislative days during the 1979-80 biennium. [3]
Party [4] (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | Vacant | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
DFL | IR | |||
End of previous Legislature | 47 | 20 | 67 | 0 |
Begin | 47 | 20 | 67 | 0 |
April 25, 1979 | 46 | 66 | 1 | |
July 9, 1979 | 47 | 67 | 0 | |
August 1, 1979 | 46 | 66 | 1 | |
November 12, 1979 | 47 | 67 | 0 | |
November 26, 1979 | 46 | 66 | 1 | |
January 16, 1980 | 21 | 67 | 0 | |
January 20, 1980 | 45 | 66 | 1 | |
February 28, 1980 | 22 | 67 | 0 | |
May 1, 1980 | 44 | 66 | 1 | |
July 1, 1980 | 21 | 65 | 2 | |
Latest voting share | 68% | 32% | ||
Beginning of the next Legislature | 45 | 22 | 67 | 0 |
Party [5] (Shading indicates majority caucus) | Total | Vacant | ||
---|---|---|---|---|
DFL | IR | |||
End of previous Legislature | 99 | 35 | 134 | 0 |
Begin | 67 | 67 | 134 | 0 |
May 18, 1979 | 67 | 66 | 133 | 1 |
June 26, 1979 | 68 | 134 | 0 | |
December 5, 1979 | 67 | 133 | 1 | |
January 22, 1980 | 68 | 134 | 0 | |
June 1, 1980 | 67 | 133 | 1 | |
Latest voting share | 50% | 50% | ||
Beginning of the next Legislature | 70 | 64 | 134 | 0 |
District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
---|---|---|---|---|
41 | B. Robert Lewis (DFL) | Died of a heart attack on April 25, 1979. [11] | Irving M. Stern (DFL) | July 9, 1979 [12] |
55 | Eugene E. Stokowski (DFL) | Died of a heart attack on August 1, 1979. [13] | Anne K. Stokowski (DFL) [nb 5] | November 12, 1979 [14] |
66 | John C. Chenoweth (DFL) | Resigned on November 26, 1979, to become the Director of the Minneapolis Municipal Employees Retirement Fund. [15] | Emery G. Barrette (IR) | January 16, 1980 [16] |
16 | Ed Schrom (DFL) | Died on January 20, 1980. [17] | Ben Omann (IR) | February 28, 1980 [18] |
67 | William W. McCutcheon (DFL) | Resigned on May 1, 1980, to accept appointment as Chief of the SPPD. [19] | Remained vacant | |
18 | Robert G. Dunn (IR) | Resigned on July 1, 1980, to accept appointment as the Chair of the Minnesota Waste Management Board. [20] | Remained vacant |
District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
---|---|---|---|---|
67A | Bob Pavlak (IR) | Expelled on May 18, 1979, on charges of unfair campaign practices. [1] | Frank J. Rodriguez Sr. (DFL) | June 26, 1979 [21] |
60B | Stanley A. Enebo (DFL) | Resigned on December 5, 1979, to become the Associate Director of the Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association. [22] | Donna C. Peterson (DFL) | January 22, 1980 [23] |
44B | Leo G. Adams (DFL) | Resigned to accept appointment to the Minnesota Public Service Commission circa June 1, 1980. [24] | Remained vacant |