The Minnesota Legislature is the bicameral legislature of the U.S. state of Minnesota, composed of a Senate and a House of Representatives. The legislature originally met at the old Territorial Capitol in Saint Paul and now convenes at the Minnesota State Capitol. The Senate consists of 67 seats, the House 134 seats and the legislators serve without term limits.
The legislature meets between January and the first Monday following the third Saturday in May each year, not to exceed 120 legislative days per biennium. Floor sessions are held in the Minnesota State Capitol in Saint Paul.
In the 94th Legislature (2025–2026), the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party controls the Senate with 34 of the 67 seats and the House evenly split between the DFL and Republicans, with both parties holding 67 of the 134 seats.
History Territorial status Portions of the area that would become the State of Minnesota have been part of the United States since the Treaty of Paris 1783 established the boundaries of the newly independent nation. In 1787, the region was organized under the control of the expansive Northwest Territory, but portions of this region were in dispute with British North America until 1818. The Louisiana Purchase in 1803 brought in the remainder of the territory into the control of the US. Over the next few decades the area would be organized under the Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Missouri, Wisconsin, and Iowa territories. Due to the lack of European settlement the exact boundaries of the region was not a major concern. Following the statehood of Iowa in 1846 and Wisconsin in 1848, there was a desire for reorganization centered around the remaining unorganized populace which was based in St. Croix County. Settlers held a convention in Stillwater and passed resolutions to the U.S. Congress calling for the establishment of a new territory. This request was granted with the creation of the Minnesota Territory on March 3, 1849. St. Paul was selected as the territorial capitol, the University of Minnesota was placed in Minneapolis, and the Territorial Prison in Stillwater. Alexander Ramsey was appointed as the first territorial governor. The territorial legislature organized with 18 members of the House of Representatives and 9 members of the Territorial Council.
Policies involving the native population were a focus of the territory. Minnesota was rare in that mixed race native persons were explicitly granted citizenship and allowed to participate in the political process. In 1851, the legislature oversaw the major land cession of native tribes through the treaties of Mendota and Traverse des Sioux, which opened up the southern half of the territory to white settlement.
The territory also highlighted national debates on slavery, as it served as the setting for Dred Scott v. Sandford. Dred Scott, an enslaved person, had been brought into the non-slaveholding territory by his owners and lived there for several years.
Establishment and early statehood The population of the territory grew rapidly from around 6,000 in 1849 to over 120,000 over the next decade. The growing population and the debate around a transcontinental railroad brought the issue of statehood to the fore. National sectionalist debates over the issue of slavery made the admission of the state highly contentious, but it was decided that Minnesota would be admitted as a free state helping to disrupt the balance between slave and free states which had existed previously. A constitutional convention began in 1857, but internal partisan divisions between the Democratic and Republican parties resulted in delegates from each party writing separate constitutions. The two documents were nearly identical with only minor differences in punctuation and grammar. The joint documents were approved by popular vote, but the territorial secretary, who was a Democrat, sent the Democrats' copy to Congress for approval. However, there is evidence that Congress saw both versions: they sent the copy of the Republican version back with the enacting legislation. Minnesota was granted statehood on May 11, 1858.
The state legislature convened prior to the ratification of their constitution by Congress with 80 members of the House of Representatives and 37 Senators. The first regular session lasted 254 days, which still ranks as the longest of any meeting, and was so long that it was determined that it was not necessary for the legislature to meet for a year following the 1858 election. The size of the legislature was soon decreased; by 1861 the House had 42 members and the Senate had 21. Representatives served a one-year term, Senators served two year terms with elections being staggered so that half the body was elected every year.
During the Civil War, Minnesota contributed several regiments to support the Union, including the 1st Minnesota Infantry which famously captured a Confederate battle flag during the Battle of Gettysburg, which has remained in possession of the despite multiple requests from Virginia to return it. While the state was far from the frontlines of the war, it did not escape conflict. In 1862, the Dakota War broke out between the United States government and four Dakota bands, leading to the removal of some protections on native voting rights and the abolition of some reservations.
Following the Civil War and start of Reconstruction, Minnesota was an early leader in African American civil rights. In 1868, African American men were granted the right to vote, two years before the adoption of the 15th Amendment. In 1869, the legislature banned segregation in state schools. In 1885, the legislature expanded this protection by prohibiting segregation in all public accommodations.
Early in Minnesota's statehood, the legislature had direct control over the city charters that set the groundwork for municipal governments across the state. In the early period, many laws were written by the legislature for specific cities. The practice was outlawed in 1881, though attempts to enact municipal legislation were still made. For instance, the long-standing Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board and the city's now-defunct Library Board were both created by the legislature in the 1880s. The Minnesota Constitution was amended in 1896 to give cities direct control over their own charters.
Prior to 1898, after receiving majority votes in both chambers, constitutional amendments had to be ratified by voters in a simple majority in the next general election. In 1898, the legislative process changed to require a majority of all voters in the election to approve, not just a majority of those who cast a vote on the question. This means that voting "no" and abstaining on an amendment both count against its passage. Amendments which have a majority of "yes" votes can still fail if they don't meet the threshold: a majority of the total number of voters who cast ballots that election.
In 1860, the legislature set a limit of 60 days on their annual legislative session. Starting in 1879, the legislature shifted to a biennial calendar in which they would meet only in odd numbered years. By 1889, the length of the session was extended to 90 legislative days. The 1879 legislature also saw the length of members terms extended to two years for representatives and four years for senators, with the entire body being up for election at the same time.
The early era was marked by Republican dominance in the legislature. Notable figures from the time include: Ignatius Donnelly (Lieutenant Governor, 1860–1863, and congresssman, 1863–1869), John S. Pillsbury (Governor, 1876–1882), William R. Merriam (Speaker of the House, 1887–1889, and Governor, 1889–1893), and John Francis Wheaton (State Rep., 1899–1900), the first African American elected to the legislature. The legislature moved into the current State Capitol in 1905.
The nonpartisan era In 1913, Minnesota became the first state to elect their legislators on a nonpartisan basis. This was a historical accident. It occurred when a bill to provide for nonpartisan elections of judges, city, and county officers was amended to include the legislature in the belief that it would kill the bill. While Minnesota legislators were elected on a nonpartisan ballot, they caucused as "Liberals" or "Conservatives," roughly the equivalent to national political parties. For example, John J. McNulty was elected to 10 consecutive two-year terms in the Minnesota House of Representatives from 1928 to 1946 on a nonpartisan ballot, while caucusing with the "Liberals" in the House. He died in office in his 19th year as a "Liberal" causer, shortly, after being sworn in for his 10th term. Official website of the Minnesota Legislature. Conventions developed with defined roles for majority and minority caucus leaders. In 1901, Winslow W. Dunn was selected as the first majority leader of the House, followed in 1933 by Charles N. Orr as the first Senate majority leader. While the legislature was nonpartisan, statewide and congressional seats still carried partisan labels.
The state was notable for the success of populist third parties. In 1891, Ezra T. Champlin of the Farmers' Alliance, a predecessor of the People's Party, was selected as Speaker of the House. Prior to the adoption of non-partisan legislatures, the body consistently had members of the Populist, Socialist, and Prohibition parties. The state also voted for the Bull Moose Party in the 1912 presidential election. In 1915, the Nonpartisan League was established in neighboring North Dakota; by 1917, it had expanded into the state. The Nonpartisan League soon merged with local political groups to form the Farmer-Labor Party. The party started to gain traction in 1922 with the election of Henrik Shipstead and Magnus Johnson to the US Senate. The party garnered even greater success during the Great Depression, with a radical platform focused on addressing the economic situation. In 1930, Farmer-Labor member Floyd B. Olsen was elected as Governor, where he became an influential figure. In 1944, the Farmer-Labor Party officially merged with the state's Democratic Party to form the Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party (DFL).
A defining attribute of the legislature at the time involved redistricting. In 1913, the Senate was expanded of 67 members and the House to 130. Following the 1910 census, the legislature drew new maps for the congressional and state legislative districts. The state supreme court upheld the boundaries for 1910, then the legislature chose not to alter legislative boundaries following subsequent censuses. Between 1913 and 1962, the boundaries for state legislative districts did not change, and the boundaries for congressional districts changed only once following the 1930 census,after the state lost the 10th congressional district in national reapportionment. The legislature passed a new map in 1931, but Governor Floyd B. Olsen vetoed the maps. The issue ultimately went to the U.S. Supreme Court in Smiley v. Holm, where the court ruled that the governor's veto was valid. Due to a delay in the drawing of districts caused by the court case, the state's representatives to Congress were elected statewide in 1932.