Chapter One Federal Government - Minnesota State Legislature

State Legislature Chapter Four
to order and presides until a president has been elected and has taken the oath of office. The house
is called to order by the secretary of state who presides over that body as its convening authority
until a speaker is elected and has taken the oath of office. After convening, the oath of office is
administered to all members of each house.
Special sessions: The legislature may be called into special session at any time by the governor.
Special sessions become necessary when legislative action is needed to meet emergencies or when
legislative work is unfinished at the end of a regular session. The governor is the only official
empowered to call a special session. The governor does not have the power to limit the length or
scope of the session.
Functions and powers: The principal legal task of the legislature is to make law by which public
policy is established. Legislative activity affects a wide range of state programs and resources
including agriculture, conservation, crime prevention, consumer protection, contracts, education,
economic development, elections, environment, finance, forestry, health, highways, human rights,
insurance, labor relations, natural resources, property, pollution control, recreation, safety, taxation,
transportation, utilities, unemployment compensation, veterans’ affairs, and worker’s compensation.
Additional legislative functions include proposing amendments to the state constitution for
approval by the electorate, electing regents of the University of Minnesota, confirming certain
gubernatorial appointments (senate) and performing legislative oversight or review.
The legislature possesses a judicial function. It judges the election and qualifications of its members,
may punish or expel members for contempt or disorderly behavior, and may impeach or
remove from office members of the executive and judicial branches.
Each legislative body has a rules committee that directs the operating procedures of the legislature.
The rules the two houses adopt their joint rules. Minnesota Statutes, the state constitution, and
Mason’s Manual of Legislative Procedure provide the guidelines under which the legislature conducts
legislative business.
Regular sessions: The Minnesota Legislature convenes in regular session each odd-numbered year
on the first Tuesday after the first Monday in January. The 1972 flexible session amendment to
Article IV of the constitution authorized the legislature to meet in regular session in both years of
the biennium, for a total of 120 legislative days, providing that the legislature cannot meet after the
first Monday following the third Saturday in May of any year.
The temporary adjournment between the session of the first year and the second year of the biennium
is not a final adjournment, as the biennial session is considered to be one continuous session.
For this reason the journal pages of both houses are numbered consecutively through both years
and bills are numbered consecutively in order of introduction through both years.
Bills that have not become law or been defeated by legislative action or vetoed by the end of the
first half of the session are still available for possible action in the second half of the session. This
means standing committees may hear such bills in the interim recess and make recommendations
on their passage.
Passage of laws: All revenue bills (tax measures) must originate in the house. All other matters
may originate in either the house or the senate. There is no stated time schedule; speed is often
related to the legislative support a proposal gathers.
Committee meetings are open to the public, and anyone wishing to speak for or against proposals
being considered is given a chance to be heard. The house and senate index offices in the capitol
keep a file of bills by number, and anyone may visit the House Index office or the Senate
Information office to obtain a copy of a bill.
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State Legislature