Tag: Minnesota Legislature

The Minnesota Senate chamber returned to full strength on Tuesday after two new members took the oath of office, restoring the Democrats’ slim one-seat majority for the first time in months. 

DFL Sen. Amanda Hemmingsen-Jaeger and GOP Sen. Michael Holmstrom Jr. were sworn in during a brief ceremony in the chamber surrounded by family, friends and some Senate colleagues. Both of them won special elections two weeks ago.

Hemmingsen-Jaeger replaces former Sen. Nicole Mitchell, a Democrat who resigned following a burglary conviction this summer, to represent Woodbury and parts of Maplewood in District 47. Holmstrom fills the seat left vacant by the death of Republican Sen. Bruce Anderson this summer. 

“The opportunity to serve the people of Senate District 29 and all of the people of Minnesota in this chamber is a privilege few have known,” said Holmstrom. “I accept this responsibility with humility and determination.”

Hemmingsen-Jaeger, who previously served in the Minnesota House before she resigned for her new office, is the 34th vote for the Senate DFL to deliver the caucus its majority.  She told reporters she wants to continue to focus on health care issues, child care, affordability and climate change.

Lawmakers are set to return to the capitol in February for the 2026 session. 

“I’m very excited. It’s been a whirlwind summer and fall, but very excited to be a part of this caucus and restore the majority and really represent the people of South Maplewood and Woodbury,” she said. 

The two special elections for the new senators marked the fifth and sixth for open seats in the Legislature this year, which matches a record set in 1994, according to the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.

Hemmingsen-Jaeger and St. Paul mayor-elect Kaohly Her’s resignations from the Minnesota House will trigger two more special elections in late January ahead of session with special primaries scheduled for next month if necessary, Gov. Tim Walz announced Monday. 

The vacancies give Republicans a likely temporary two-seat advantage in what was a tied chamber.

In the middle of an interview with Minnesota Sen. Ann Rest, two of her constituents just happened to walk by and say hello. 

“We disagree about several things,” the one person said, off-camera.

Rest quickly replied, “Oh my goodness, do we ever.”

The pair usually comes to her listening sessions, she explained — meetings Rest has with people in her district covering some northwestern Minneapolis suburbs to hear about what issues are important to them.

“The last one, a couple of weeks ago, they stayed after and we had lunch together,” she said with a smile.

It was a brief encounter that captures so much about one of the longest-serving legislators in state history and how she views public service. Rest told WCCO that in her 40 years at the state capitol, that kind of civility — disagreeing, agreeably — is becoming increasingly like a lost art. 

But she said it is a value she deeply believes in, and hopes that will continue long after she retires after the 2026 legislative session ends.

“I think we have forgotten that it only takes an act of political will to be polite to someone,” Rest said in an interview on Tuesday. “We listen too often to our dark sides.”

“We have, I think, as a society — and that includes legislators as well — have forgotten that every single member of the Senate has a family and their family, and they love their family like you love yours,” she continued. “You want people to treat you with respect even when there are great societal issues that you’re discussing and you’re not going to agree.”

In June, political disagreement escalated to an act of political violence that rocked the state and upended lawmakers’ sense of safety. Prosecutors say an accused assassin targeted Democrats, killing DFL former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark and injuring DFL Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. The shooter had a hit list, authorities say, that had others’ names and addresses on it and that he visited two other lawmakers’ homes the night of the shooting attacks.

Rest was one of them. She has never spoken about it publicly in an interview since it happened.

“I don’t regard myself as a victim because I am alive sitting here smiling and talking to you, and I feel very fortunate in that and the good work of the New Hope police,” she said when asked how the tragedy changed her. “I think, not just June 14, but maybe even more importantly, the shootings at Annunciation [Church and School] have really emphasized to me that on any and every occasion that I have the opportunity to vote for a ban on assault weapons and high capacity magazines, I’m going to do it.”

The longtime state senator refuses to let the shootings of her colleagues change how she approaches connecting with her community, which she has proudly served since her first election in 1984 to the Minnesota House. She said she feels fortunate and grateful to New Hope police for checking on her that night. 

“My dog likes to look out my front door, so during the day, that door is open for her to look out and I wear a shirt that says ‘Minnesota State Senate’ on it when I go to the grocery store sometimes,” she said. “I’m not going to let evil people in the world define who I am — just not going to do it. I’m not going to be reckless, but I’m not going to do it.”

Rest vows she’s “not finished yet” as she eyes final legislative session

After four decades at the state Capitol, Rest still has a to-do list for her last act in the Legislature. 

That there is always something else to do for her constituents motivated her to keep running for re-election year after year, she explained.

“Every time an election came up, I would make a new decision about what more was there that I wanted to accomplish,” she said. “Every time I looked forward to — this is not finished yet. This is not finished yet. And I really love my job and that remains true right now.”

She has the unique distinction of serving as the chair of both the House and Senate Taxes committees, powerful panels at the Capitol. Among the achievements she is most proud of stemmed from work in that role: cutting social security taxes for many seniors and a child tax credit designed to slash child poverty by one-third. 

Her hope for 2026 is to expand the child care and dependent tax credit to help more families afford the high costs of child care, especially since flexible working schedules during the pandemic are shifting back to broader return-to-office policies. 

“In the early 2020s, we said you can work without having to go to work. And now we’re switching back that in order to work, you need to go to work,” Rest said.

Now the focus should be “on more middle-income families, where the work opportunities may be diminished for a number of women who really want to work.”

She is also proud of the Consumer Restitution Fund that passed this year. The first-of-its-kind account is set up to help victims of fraud recoup some of their losses by depositing half of the funds the attorney general’s office recovers in civil penalties for consumer protection cases. 

Before politics, Rest was once a teacher, a job she said she loved, but declining enrollment in the district led to layoffs and she wasn’t spared. She then became a certified public accountant.

When asked what drew her to the taxes committee, she didn’t hesitate: “There are some who say that you can track the social history of the United States through one book, and that is the Internal Revenue Code.”

She said she is encouraging other women to consider running for her seat and a House seat that falls within her Senate district that will be left vacant by DFL Rep. Cedrick Frazier, who is running for Hennepin County attorney. 

Rest was among 25 female lawmakers when she first joined the state House. That number has more than doubled today. 

But Rest said there won’t be enough women in the Legislature until they make up half of the 201-member body — until it is “unremarkable” that they serve.

“We still are hearing about a number of firsts — the first to do this, the first to do that,” she said.  “I’m looking forward to the time when that will not be a characteristic of women at the Legislature.

Democrats hold onto slain Rep. Melissa Hortman’s seat in special election, and more headlines

A Minnesota lawmaker who has spent 41 years in the Legislature announced she will retire when her current term ends next year.

Sen. Ann Rest, a Democrat who represents the northwestern suburbs of Minneapolis, said she promised her family in 2022 this term would be her last.

“Serving in the Minnesota State Legislature for more than 40 years has been the honor of my life, and it will continue to be until my current term ends next year,” Rest said. “I’ve seen many changes in that time and made some happen myself; my priority of working to improve the lives of people in my district and across the state remains the same.”

Rest was elected to the Minnesota House in 1984 and served eight terms, then became a senator in 2000. She has served as assistant majority leader and president pro tem during her eight terms in the state Senate.

“Ann Rest is one of the giants in the Minnesota Legislature. I will miss her dearly.  She is hard working, tough, thoughtful, and devastatingly witty,” current Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy said. “Senator Rest is rightfully lauded for fostering relationships across the aisle, across the state, and with new members.  She cares about the institution of the Senate as much as the policy work she drives.”

Democrats currently hold a one-seat majority in the Minnesota Senate, with two open seats set for special elections on Nov. 4. Those elections — necessitated by the resignation of DFL Sen. Nicole Mitchell and the death of Republican Sen. Bruce Anderson — aren’t expected to shift the balance of power, as both districts lean heavily to the incumbent party.

WCCO Staff

The WCCO Staff is a group of experienced journalists who bring you the content on WCCO.com.