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The expansion of state-funded PreK in Minnesota started in 2011 with a $4 million allocation for scholarships for low-income 3 & 4 year-olds from the Republican-led legislature. $40 million was spent on scholarships by the Democrat-led legislature two-years later. Today, the Republicans are proposing $30 million increase in funding for the scholarships over the biennium and an additional $9.5 million for other school readiness programs. Democrats would put $5 million more into the scholarships and $70 million into school-readiness programs per the Star Tribune.

Alpha News Featured Report on MN Care II Proposal

Elections: The current version of the Senate Elections Administration Bill includes legislation to allow felons to vote before their sentence is up, and to open voter registration to sixteen year olds. Alpha News spoke with the Ranking Minority Member for the Senate Rules and Administration Subcommittee on Elections, Senator Mary Kiffmeyer, to ask her about the various components of this bill.

As the final weeks of the legislative session unfold, look for bits of bacon in the final budget negotiations. Pork projects are ones that...

Sen Dibble and other Senate Democrats will be introducing new legislation tomorrow. Senate File 2141 would require taxpayers to pay for sex-change operations and sex-change drugs under Medical Assistance, which is Minnesota’s Medicaid program. Currently the law states that sex-reassignment surgery is not covered. The words “unless medically necessary” would be added to the current law and new language added to provide hormone drug coverage.

The Minnesota Senate voted yesterday to pass their transportation bill which mirrors Governor Dayton's plan to spend $11 Billion on roads, bridges, and public transportation. The 6.5% wholesale gas tax has been receiving the bulk of attention, which would put Minnesota in the top five in the nation for fuel taxes.

In February, Alpha News reported on House File 391 sponsored by Rep Dean Urdahl, R-Grove City, which would allow for all Minnesota 17-year-olds to...

The widely-advertised GOP House tax plan promises to "give it back" to 2 million Minnesotans in the form of a variety of targeted tax credits...

A bill at the Capitol would pump $20 Million into the Snowbate program which currently provides tax rebates for production companies to make movies and commercials in Minnesota.

Republican leaders propose returning the surplus with tax credits, a Woodbury resident doesn't want a new $485 million transit way and the unusual funding of the new Senate office building brings new amendments.