On June 9, the Minnesota Legislature wrapped up their work for the year in a one-day special session, and it felt like lawmakers went out on a bit of a whimper after all the drama that got us here. If you recall, the session started with a tied House, a House DFL boycott over a speakership power struggle, a temporarily tied Senate, a largely absent governor on a national speaking tour, and some felony charges against lawmakers for good measure.
What got done, what didn’t, and what does this session teach us about next year? Here’s a breakdown.
What Passed?
After a big spending spree on an $18 billion surplus in the last biennium, lawmakers had to scale back spending to $66 billion this year in an effort to combat a growing deficit. That left lawmakers with some tough spending decisions – especially for health and human services areas like nursing homes and disability services.
There was certainly an effort by Republicans to roll back a number of progressive policies from the last two years as well, but they faced mixed success. Their biggest PR win was rolling back free health insurance for undocumented adult immigrants, but they were unable to secure things like changes to the fast-approaching paid family and medical leave requirements for businesses.
Among other changes this session were data center tax credits and reforms (read K2’s breakdown here), future opportunities to rein in special education funding, unemployment benefits for minors, new EV fees, a higher tax on cannabis and a $700 million infrastructure bonding bill.
What Did We Learn?
For those on the outside looking in, Minnesota state politics can look messy and chaotic. But longer-term public affairs strategies and putting pressure on the right people at the right time makes a difference.
Working on a handful of public affairs campaigns this session, here are they keys to what made the campaigns successful:
- Start Early: While no one has a crystal ball to predict everything that will happen during the session or what policies may be introduced, doing leg work before the legislative session went a long way for our clients. With so many competing priorities, being able to get buy-in on top-level priorities and do coalition building before the session started meant people were more likely to act and support our efforts. Once session started, people felt pulled into more directions, felt they had to hone in more on their own priorities, and were less likely to engage as the months went on.
- Find the Right Messengers: A union leader may be a great voice to influence the Left, and a local business be the better voice to influence the Right. Diverse stakeholders and deploying them in the right way makes all the difference.
- Be Annoying: Maybe I should say persistent instead of annoying? But either way, a consistent drumbeat of messages into offices, regular news stories, and just staying in front of lawmakers on your issue throughout the session helps demonstrate to lawmakers that this issue matters, and that they will continue to hear from constituents and supporters until the end.
- Coordinate with the Lobbying Strategy: Public affairs, communications and lobbying don’t exist in silos. Ensuring you are working closely with and aligning with the larger lobbying strategy is critical for success.
What’s Next?
I don’t want to be that person, but 2026 isn’t that far away. If your issue didn’t get done, or you expect ongoing fights will continue into next year, you should act now! Building coalitions, engaging lawmakers within their districts during the interim, talking to reporters, and more can help build a longer runway for next year and propel you toward success.
Have public affairs help you need in Minnesota (or Wisconsin, Illinois or the Dakotas?). Reach out to K2! We’re here to help.
Chelsea Thompson, Vice President of Public Affairs