One of the most prominent buildings on the grounds of the Minnesota State Capitol may soon be named after the late House Speaker Melissa Hortman.
On Thursday, a bipartisan group of lawmakers in the Minnesota House of Representatives advanced legislation that would officially designate the State Office Building as the Melissa Hortman State Office Building.
Authored by DFL Rep. Ginny Klevorn, HF 3455 makes the aforementioned name change and instructs the Minnesota Department of Administration to absorb any associated costs.
Hortman, a longtime DFL lawmaker who served as the speaker of the House from 2019 to 2025, was assassinated in her home last June by a gunman. Hortman’s husband was also killed in the attack. DFL Sen. John Hoffman and his wife were also shot in their home that night but survived.
The suspect, Vance Boelter, is currently facing federal charges for the murder of the Hortmans and the shooting of the Hoffmans.
On Thursday, Klevorn’s name-change bill was heard in the House State Government Finance Committee and advanced to the next committee with bipartisan support. The voice vote which advanced HF 3455 did not have any opposition.
During the committee hearing, several lawmakers spoke about their friendships with Hortman. Rep. Jim Nash, the Republican co-chair of the committee, noted that he and Hortman once co-authored a tongue-in-cheek amendment to outlaw the Minnesota Senate.
The Minnesota Legislature is also considering legislation to designate Minnesota State Highway 610 as the “Hortman Memorial Highway” and rename a community solar garden program created by Hortman as the “Melissa Hortman Community Solar Garden Program.”
Originally built in 1931, the State Office Building normally contains office space for the House, the Minnesota Secretary of State, and the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. However, the building is currently undergoing a massive renovation which includes major additions.
In 2021, Republicans and Democrats authorized legislation that paved the way for the renovation of the State Office Building. That legislation gave the House, and therefore the House’s then-DFL majority, the authority to determine the scope of the renovation.
The renovation, which is scheduled to be completed in July of 2027, will cost Minnesota taxpayers $729 million by the time interest is paid off in 2044. Republicans have slammed the renovation as “fiscal insanity” and a “palace for politicians.”
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
