How to track bills, contact your lawmaker: A citizen’s guide to the Minnesota Legislature

The Minnesota Legislature is in full swing now that a stalemate in the House of Representatives is in the rearview. State legislators have already introduced more than 3,000 bills and are holding daily committee hearings to discuss proposals that could eventually become law.

Wondering how to keep track of it all, or how to have a say in the process? Here’s your guide to engaging with the Legislature over the next few months, as lawmakers consider various policy proposals and work to craft a new two-year state budget before their late-May adjournment deadline.

Minnesotans can use the “Who represents me?” lookup tool on the Legislature’s website to identify their state representative and senator. The tool also shows your federal representatives in the U.S. House and Senate.

Click the “contact” link next to your state legislators’ names to visit their respective profile pages. That’s where you’ll find your legislators’ office phone number, email address and lists of bills they’ve introduced or signed onto.

Most state legislators offer email updates or newsletters their constituents can subscribe to.

More than 1,700 bills had been introduced in the Minnesota Senate this session as of Friday, while the state House had surpassed 1,300. All bills are numbered and labeled either “HF” or “SF,” which stand for House file and Senate file, respectively.

An example: HF4, introduced by House Republicans earlier this month, proposes a constitutional amendment to require a portion of future state budget surpluses to be returned to taxpayers.

There are countless bills touching on a wide range of issues, but only a small percentage will garner the bipartisan support necessary to become law. Democrats control the state Senate by a one-seat margin, and Republicans have a temporary one-vote edge in the House. A March special election to fill a vacant Roseville-area seat is expected to bring the House to a tie.

To browse through bills that have been introduced in the House and Senate, hover over the “bills” tab at the top of the Minnesota Legislature’s website. You can search for bills by keyword, and track the status of specific legislation using the Legislature’s online “MyBills” tool.

The Legislature’s combined calendar, which can be viewed online by visiting leg.mn.gov/cal, shows all committee hearings and floor sessions that are scheduled on a given day. The online calendar also lists the committees’ agendas and public meeting locations, as well as streaming links.

Minnesotans who want to observe sessions of the state House and Senate in person can do so from public galleries on the third floor of the Capitol. Check the online calendar beforehand to see when House and Senate floor sessions are scheduled.

Visitors can also observe legislative committee hearings in person and even testify about bills or issues important to them. Public testimony ideally should be arranged before a hearing with the committee’s staff or your representative.

The State Capitol is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m., and on Saturdays from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

The Minnesota Senate building, across from the Capitol on University Avenue, is also open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m.-5 p.m.

Want a free guided tour of the State Capitol? Visit the information desk in Room 126 on the first floor, which is located to the right when you walk through the main entrance.

Capitol tours start at the top of each hour and last 45 minutes.

Metered parking is available around the Capitol complex, and there are some public parking ramps.

The office of Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan is located in Room 130 at the State Capitol. It’s staffed Monday through Friday from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m., according to the governor’s website.

To reach the governor’s office by phone, call 651-201-3400. Minnesotans can also leave comments for the governor and lieutenant governor through an online form shared on the office’s website.