The Minnesota Senate is the upper house of the Legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota. At 67 members, half as many as the Minnesota House of Representatives, it is the largest upper house of any U.S. state legislature. Floor sessions are held in the west wing of the State Capitol in Saint 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 80,000 constituents.
The eighty-second Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 3, 2001. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate and the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election on November 7, 2000.
The eighty-sixth Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 6, 2009 and ended upon the beginning of the next Legislature in January 2011. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate were elected during the 2006 General Election, and the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the 2008 General Election.
The eighty-seventh Minnesota Legislature was the legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota from January 4, 2011, to January 7, 2013. It was composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives, based on the results of the 2010 Senate election and the 2010 House election. The seats were apportioned based on the 2000 United States census. It first convened in Saint Paul on January 4, 2011 and last met on August 24, 2012. It held its regular session from January 4 to May 23, 2011, and from January 24 to May 10, 2012. A special session was held on July 19 and 20, 2011, to complete the passage of budget bills. Another special session was held on August 24, 2012, to provide disaster assistance for the flooded areas of Duluth.
The eighty-first Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 5, 1999. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate were elected during the general election of November 5, 1996, and the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the general election of November 3, 1998.
The eightieth Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 7, 1997. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate and the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election of November 5, 1996.
The seventy-ninth Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 3, 1995. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate were elected during the general election of November 3, 1992, and the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the general election of November 8, 1994.
The seventy-eighth Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 5, 1993. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate and the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election of November 3, 1992.
The seventy-seventh Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 8, 1991. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate and the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election of November 6, 1990.
The seventy-fifth Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 6, 1987. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate and the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election of November 4, 1986.
The seventy-fourth Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 8, 1985. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate were elected during the General Election of November 2, 1982, and the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election of November 6, 1984.
The 1980 Minnesota House of Representatives election was held in the U.S. state of Minnesota on November 4, 1980, to elect members to the House of Representatives of the 72nd Minnesota Legislature. A primary election was held on September 9, 1980.
The seventy-third Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 4, 1983. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate and the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election of November 2, 1982.
The seventy-second Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 6, 1981. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate and the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the general election of November 4, 1980.
The seventy-first Minnesota Legislature first convened 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 ninth Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 8, 1867. The 22 members of the Minnesota Senate and the 47 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election of November 6, 1866. The Minnesota Senate, at the time, was normally elected to staggered terms, but an increase in the number of members to be elected to both houses forced a new election of all members of the Legislature.
The 10th Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 7, 1868. The 11 members of the Minnesota Senate who represented even-numbered districts were chosen in the general election of November 6, 1866, while the 11 members of the Minnesota Senate who represented odd-numbered districts, and the 47 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives, were chosen in the general election of November 5, 1867.
The seventieth Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 4, 1977. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate and the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election of November 2, 1976. It was the first Minnesota Legislature since the thirty-eighth Minnesota Legislature whose members of the Minnesota Senate were chosen in partisan elections.
The sixty-ninth Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 7, 1975. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate were elected during the General Election of November 7, 1972, while the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election of November 5, 1974. The sixty-ninth Legislature was the first Minnesota Legislature to sit after the repeal of the requirement that Minnesota legislators be chosen in legally nonpartisan elections.
The sixty-seventh Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 5, 1971. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate and the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the general election of November 3, 1970. The session is considered notable for the passage of the "Minnesota Miracle", a legislative package aimed at lowering local property taxes and eliminating wide fiscal disparities between school districts and local governments caused by differences in property wealth. This was achieved by raising state income, business, and sales taxes by $580 million, while the share of school operating costs covered by the state increased from 43% to 65%. The laws earned Minnesota's Governor a spot on the cover of Time Magazine, while also serving as the start to a broader period of statewide reform and DFL dominance of state politics in the 1970s.
