Minnesota Legislature: Social Issues



The General Assistance program is the only source of income for about 20,000 Minnesotans. Many of the program's recipients are homeless and are awaiting approval for Social Security. They depend on the program to pay for medication co-payments, bus fare, and basic items like toothpaste and soap. (05/12/2011)
The proposal that would ban same-sex marriage in the state Constitution is now closer to the November 2012 ballot, where a majority vote of Minnesota residents would enact it. (05/11/2011)
The state Senate could soon vote on the proposed constitutional amendment. If passed, it would appear on the ballot statewide in the 2012 election. (05/06/2011)
With the state facing a projected $5 billion budget deficit, a lot of people thought passing bills to expand gambling would be a slam dunk at the Capitol. But a proposal to allow slot machines at the state's two existing horse racing tracks -- the so-called racino bill -- appeared to be in trouble Thursday after a long-awaited committee hearing. (05/05/2011)
A Minnesota lawmaker's speech against banning same-sex marriage in the state constitution has become an online hit. (05/05/2011)
Supporters of a plan to build a state-run casino in downtown Minneapolis say it will create thousands of jobs and generate hundreds of millions of dollars in new tax revenues. (05/04/2011)
The bill would prohibit public dollars from paying for abortions for low-income women on state-funded health care programs. (05/03/2011)
A Minnesota Senate committee approved a measure Friday that would allow Minnesota voters to decide whether to ban same-sex marriage in the Minnesota Constitution. After three hours of testimony and debate, the measure passed on a party-line vote. (04/29/2011)
The proposed constitutional amendment would define marriage as between one man and one woman. After winning majorities in the House and Senate last November, Republicans can put a constitutional amendment on the ballot without the governor's signature. (04/26/2011)
Bar and restaurant owners are trying to convince state lawmakers to give them more charitable gambling options, while Minnesota's Indian tribes want to stop the expansion of gambling to protect their own casinos. (04/26/2011)
Senior citizens and advocates for nursing homes and other senior services told the governor that they were concerned that the budget cuts proposed by Republicans in the House and Senate would cause real harm. (04/19/2011)
One measure would prohibit taxpayer-funded abortions, and the other would ban abortions after 20 weeks of pregnancy. (04/12/2011)
Thousands of Minnesota students are probably going to be paying more for school lunch next year. School districts are considering raising prices, in part because of a new federal law that essentially requires them to do so. (04/05/2011)
The Minnesota Senate passed a sweeping health and human services bill on Wednesday, including historic changes to health care for the state's poor and disabled. (03/31/2011)
Republican lawmakers in the Minnesota House included new restrictions on welfare cards in a Health and Human Services omnibus bill released Monday. (03/21/2011)

MPR News
Radio

Listen Now

Other Radio Streams from MPR

Classical MPR
Radio Heartland

Services