On Tuesday, Jan. 8 Minnesota Legislature gaveled in the 91st session. The House of Representatives, now under control of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor (DFL) Party, swore in 133 members (another member was sworn in on Thursday as he recovered from an illness). The Senate was not on the ballot in 2018, as such Republicans are still in the majority.

The new breakdown in the Minnesota House is 75 DFL members and 59 Republicans with 37 freshman elected to the House for the first time. The Senate currently has a 34-32 breakdown. Sen. Tony Lourey resigned his seat after being appointed by Governor Tim Walz as the new commissioner for the Department of Human Services. The special election to fill his seat will be on Tuesday, Feb. 5.

With the DFL in the majority of the House, the committee structure went through a significant change. In total there are now 35 committees in the chamber. Of particular note, the Veterans and Military Affairs Finance and Policy Division will oversee all Veterans legislation, which is in line with the Senate’s Veterans committee. It is expected that through this setup, a Veterans and Military Affairs Budget bill will have a quicker path for a full vote by each chamber. The House Veterans and Military Affairs committee will be chaired by Rep. Rob Ecklund of International Falls. The Senate committee will still be chaired by Sen. Bruce Anderson of Buffalo.

The Veterans committees in both the House and Senate will not be hearing bills next week. New MDVA Commissioner Larry Herke is expected to introduce himself to both committees when they meet. The House committee will meet weekly on Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m. in room 120 of the State Capitol. The Senate committee will continue to meet at 8:30 a.m. in room 1100 of the Minnesota Senate Building.