Civic Engagement 101: Understanding Minnesota’s legislative session and precinct caucuses

Inside the Capitol 

With the legislative session underway as of Feb. 12, your state senator and representative are back at the Capitol crafting bills and deliberating on legislation that impacts our lives. To be effective at the Capitol as advocates, it is imperative that we not only know who represents us (the “people”), but also the policies being proposed, and the legislative process. We call those the three “p’s” of advocacy. 

Minnesota legislative session: a quick guide 

For many Minnesotans, the intricacies of the state legislative process can seem complex and daunting. But grasping the basics of how the session operates can empower citizens to better understand and engage with their government. 

The legislative session runs on a two-year biennium. In odd-numbered years, the session begins on the first Tuesday in January and primarily focuses on crafting the state’s two-year budget. The second half of the biennium, occurring in even-numbered years, like 2024, is sometimes shorter in duration. The primary objective during this period is to pass a bonding bill to support the building of various infrastructure projects across the state, along with enacting any key policy matters that carried over from the previous year’s session. 

Between now and May 20, the scheduled final day of session, the Legislature, which is split into 29 House committees and 20 Senate committees on various topics, will take up bills, hear public testimony, and deliberate key issues. For a policy bill to pass, in most cases it must be heard and passed by committees in both the House and Senate by March 22. Finance bills must meet an April 19 deadline. 

In such a compact session with a lot of bills on the agenda, MCC will be busy weighing in on key issues and helping Catholics in the pews make their voice heard as well. 

Take action: 

By staying informed and engaged, Catholics can play a more active role in shaping Minnesota’s future. Subscribe to our Catholic Advocacy Network by visiting www.mncatholic.org/join so that that you can stay up to date on opportunities to share your position with your legislators and learn what MCC is doing at the Capitol.