There are three branches of state government: the executive, the judicial and the legislative. In Minnesota, the legislative branch consists of two bodies with members elected by the citizens of the state. These two bodies are called the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Upon election, each Senator and Representative must take an oath to support the Constitution of the United States, the Constitution of this state, and to discharge faithfully the duties of the office to the best of the member's judgment and ability. These duties include the consideration and passage of laws that affect all of us. Among other things, laws passed by the Legislature provide for education, protect our individual freedoms, regulate commerce, provide for the welfare of those in need, establish and maintain our system of highways, and attempt to create a system of taxation that is fair and equitable.

Senators and Representatives must be qualified voters of the state, be 21 years of age, and must have resided one year in the state. In addition, legislators must have lived the six months immediately preceding the election in the district from which they are elected.

Senators are elected for a four-year term and Representatives are elected for a two-year term. However, in election years ending in 0, such as 1990, Senators serve for a two year term in order to provide for the redistricting process done in conjunction with the United States census.

By a special election called by the governor.

There are 67 Senators and 134 Representatives. Each Senate district is divided into two House districts.

A yearly session of the Legislature begins on the day the Legislature assembles and ends on the day it adjourns for the year. We also speak of daily sessions, which adjourn each day, and of the Senate or House being "in session." Two yearly sessions separated by a temporary adjournment, or interim, make up the biennial session. Thus, the 82nd Legislature was comprised of the 2001 and 2002 Sessions, and the 83rd Legislature includes the 2003 and 2004 Sessions. A Special Session is one called by the governor at a time other than a regularly scheduled session.

If it is necessary for the Legislature to consider legislation at a time other than during its regular session, the governor may call a Special Session. The legislation to be considered is usually of an emergency nature.

Only the governor can call a special session, but only the Legislature can decide what legislation will be considered and when the special session will adjourn.

During a session of the Legislature neither house may adjourn for more than three days (Sundays excepted) without the consent of the other house.

Literally, the words mean "without a day." Adjournment without setting a definite date for meeting again is called adjournment sine die. The Legislature may also adjourn to a day certain; that is, a day for the next meeting may be specified.

A caucus is a group with a common belief or interest such as party affiliation. In 1973, for the first time since 1858, the Senate was organized by a clear Democratic (DFL) majority. The DFL has maintained its majority in the Senate since that time.

There are 35 DFL Senators, 31 Republican Senators and 1 Independence Senator as of January 2003.

In the Senate, the leader of the majority caucus directs the business of the Senate and is considered the leader of the Senate. The leader's chief assistant is called the assistant majority leader. In the House, the Speaker of the House is also the leader of the majority caucus and, therefore, leader of the House. The chief assistant in the House is called the majority leader. The members of the minority caucus in each body also select a leader to be their spokesperson.

The President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House are members of, and preside over, their respective bodies. They are elected by the members on the opening day of each biennial session.

The office of the Secretary of the Senate, or Senate Office, serves as a service center for members and staff and as a resource or information center for the general public. The phone number for the Senate Office is 651-296-2344. Daily Journals, agendas, calendars, and copies of bills may be obtained from this office. Bills can be ordered 24 hours a day by dialing 651-296-2343 for voice mail service. Questions concerning bill status and committee and floor session activity can be answered through the Information Office. The office is located in Room 231, State Capitol, St. Paul, MN, 55155-1606. The telephone number is 651-296-0504 or toll free 1-888-234-1112 (TTY 651-296-0250 or toll free 1-888-234-1216).

Office hours for all Senate offices are 7:30 to 5:30 during the summer months, Monday through Friday, and 8 to 4:30 during fall and winter months. During the legislative session the hours are extended to 5 p.m. or whenever the Senate meets in floor session.

Staff in the Senate Information Office at 651-296-0504 or toll free 1-888-234-1112 (TTY 651-296-0250 or toll free 1-888-234-1216) can tell you your legislative district and the names of your Senator and Representative if you give them your street address and city.

The Honorable Jane Smith, State Senator or Sen. Jane Smith. The street address for Majority caucus members is State Capitol, 75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155-1606. Letters to Minority and Independence caucus members can be addressed to State Office Building, 100 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., St. Paul, MN 55155-1206.

No. If you wish a specific piece of information from a Journal, we will try to provide it for you.

At the end of the year's legislative session, each Daily Journal is proofread and checked for accuracy and then reprinted and bound into volumes. This is the permanent Journal, and is the official record of all actions taken by the Senate.

The permanent Journal is distributed to all Senate and House members, to committee offices, to depository libraries, Constitutional offices, and some state offices.

Senate Index, located in Room 110 of the State Capitol, is a part of the Senate Office. Index staff generates and maintains official information on the status, history and content of bills through use of a computerized system. Indexes are maintained by author, subject, location and bill number, companion, chapter, revisor and statutory citation numbers. The Index staff also maintains miscellaneous records relating to Senate organization, conference committees, gubernatorial appointments, resolutions and rules. For many individual bills an unofficial status is maintained on the computer system. The unofficial status section notes upcoming hearings as well as committee actions.

The Minnesota Constitution, Minnesota Statutes, Mason's Manual of Legislative Procedure, Jefferson's Manual, and custom and usage are all guidelines which determine legislative procedure. Each house adopts the rules under which it operates, and the joint rules which govern joint conventions.

A bill for an act is a written document which proposes a new law, an amendment to an existing law, or a repeal of existing law.

It is a bill that has been passed by both bodies, enrolled, signed by the governor, and given a chapter number in Session Laws for the year in which it was passed.

A bill may start as an idea of a member of the Legislature, a constituent or any other interested party. However, it must be introduced by a member of the Legislature or a committee of the Legislature.

The Revisor of Statutes Office, located on the 7th floor of the State Office Building, has a staff of attorneys who draft the bill. It is typed into a computerized bill system and copies are forwarded to the member who requested it.

There can be up to 5 authors in the Senate, and there may be up to 35 authors in the House of Representatives.

The Constitution requires that a bill be reported, or read, on three different days. However, in the case of an urgency motion, on a two-thirds vote, the body in which the bill is pending may dispense with this requirement. A reading consists of reading the bill title aloud or of reciting the Senate or House File number.

No. The title of the bill states briefly what the bill contains, but it does not become part of the law. A bill must cover one broad subject only, and the title must reflect this.

Yes, it may be amended at any time during the bill's consideration by the Legislature. It must be amended if there are amendments to the bill that are not already reflected in the title.

Senate Information will help you find the file number and the authors of legislation, and will refer you to the chief author, who will be happy to discuss the reasoning behind the bill. Your own Senator or House member can also help answer questions relating to the arguments for and against particular legislation.

Usually the courts have held that a Legislature meant to act as it did and that the intent should be found in the language passed. The history of a bill can be found by using the printed index to the Journals of both bodies, which show all the activity taking place on the bill and its companion, if any. Committee books show the same kind of activity within the committees. Finally, to identify some of the issues and comments that accompanied the passage of a law, it may be useful to go to contemporary newspaper reports. Use indexes available from the library or the local newspapers to identify the appropriate articles.

Senate staff cannot interpret the law. If a specific department is charged with enforcing the law or with providing regulations, that department should be contacted. For other kinds of questions, consult the attorney general's office at 651-296-6196 or, possibly, a private attorney.

Often the press will report ideas being considered for legislation by individual Senators or committees. However, the Senate Office will not have copies of the legislation until the bill is officially introduced in the Senate. Senate records only reflect official action of the Senate. The Senate Information Office learns of pre-introductory bill ideas from the newspapers, just as you do, and will try to direct you to the appropriate Senator or committee for information.

A Senate Resolution is usually used for matters concerning the internal operation of the Senate. A Concurrent Resolution is used for matters concerning the joint operation of the Senate and House, and must be adopted by both bodies. A Memorial Resolution follows the same procedure as a bill. It is introduced, may be amended, engrossed and enrolled in the same manner as a bill. If passed, resolutions are shown at the back of the Session Laws for that year. Memorial Resolutions usually petition the President, the Congress, or a department of the United States, a particular state, or a foreign government.

In order to make the process of passing legislation easier, the companion bill system was instituted. The companion system allows the substitution of a bill passed by one body for the same bill that is still pending in the other body.

When bills are drafted in the revisor's office, the author of the bill is given four copies with Senate covers and four copies with House covers. The revisor's bill drafting number is on the bill and on the covers for identification. The same bill may be introduced in both the Senate and the House and given a Senate File number and a House File number. These are companion bills. At the time of introduction the bills are identical, but either one may be amended along the way.

In certain cases two bills of a similar nature, which do not have identical revisor's bill drafting numbers, may be considered companions and may be substituted for one another.

A change in a bill or law.

A bill may propose an amendment to an existing law. The bill will contain all the language in that particular subdivision of the existing law, with the changes that are proposed shown by striking through the language intended to be removed (appearing like this) and underlining any new language intended to be added (appearing like this). The bill must be passed by both Senate and House and signed by the governor before the changes can be incorporated into the existing law.

A bill can be amended in committee, in the Committee of the Whole, with unanimous consent on third reading, and by conference committee. A bill cannot be amended when concurrence is requested, nor can a conference report be amended by either body. An amendment must be adopted by the Senate in order to amend the bill. For example, if a bill is amended in a committee, the amendment is only recommended; it is not final until the Senate adopts the committee report containing the amendment. The bill is then engrossed.

Engrossing is the process of incorporating the amendments that have been adopted by the Senate or House into a bill. Engrossing is done in the revisor's office.

The Senate Information Office at 651-296-0504 or toll free 1-888-234-1112 (TTY 651-296-0250 or toll free 1-888-234-1216) can tell you the Senate Journal pages for Senate amendments to Senate and House bills. House Index can tell you the House Journal pages for House amendents to House and Senate bills. House Index can be reached at 651-296-6646 or toll free 1-800-657-3550 (TTY 651-296-9896 or toll free 1-800-657-3550). Using the last printed version of a bill and the amendments printed in the Journals, it is possible to follow the changes in proposed legislation. Conference committee reports are printed in both Senate and House Journals. When the bill becomes law, copies are available from both houses and from Minnesota's Bookstore in the Department of Administration at 651-297-3000 or toll free 1-800-657-3757 (TTY 282-5077 or toll free 1-800-657-3706).

Upon introduction, bills are assigned to committees on the basis of subject matter through an administrative procedure under the authority of the President of the Senate. Any Senator may object to the reference of a bill under Senate Rule 21.

Unless a bill has been made a Special Order and a certain time designated, neither Senate Index nor the Senate Information Office can predict a definite time when a particular bill will come to the floor. The Information Office and Senate Index are also unable to predict the length of time that will be spent on the orders of the day, the length of the session or the time spent in debate. The Senate does not limit debate, and a Senator has some discretion as to when a bill will be taken up.

Several things may occur:

Amendments may pass by a simple majority of those voting. In committees and in the Committee of the Whole, a bill may also be recommended for passage by a simple majority of those voting. Passage on third reading and repassage after a conference committee report requires an absolute majority (34 Senators and 68 House members). Bonding bills require a 3/5 majority vote (41 Senators and 81 House members).

Each Senator's desk has a set of buttons, a green one for a "yes" vote and a red one for a "no" vote. The Senator's vote is recorded electronically and is visible on a board on each side of the Senate Chamber. Sometimes a voice vote is used instead of the electronic system in Committee of the Whole or on a motion. In some cases a division will be called for to clarify the results of a voice vote. During a division, supporters and opponents alternately stand and are counted.

In the case of disagreement between the Senate and House on amendments adopted by one house to legislation passed by the other house, a conference committee consisting of three or five members from each body may be appointed to resolve the differences. The committee will meet, work out a compromise and make a report to each body. If the committee does not agree, the panel may be discharged and a new conference committee appointed. When the conference committee report is adopted by both houses, the bill is repassed by both bodies and sent to the governor.

The conference committee report is the final form of the bill agreed upon by both Senate and House conferees. It cannot be amended by either body.

It is a bill incorporating several aspects of a broad subject. For example, the omnibus tax bill covers various changes in several kinds of tax laws, such as income tax law, corporate tax law and sales tax law. Usually several bills are incorporated into an omnibus bill.

Senate Index attempts to analyze the omnibus bills as soon as possible after the committee agrees on the language, to note the topics addressed in the bill, and to note separate identifiable bills that have gone into the omnibus bill. The official status of a bill will show where it was incorporated into an omnibus bill. It is not always possible to do this quickly or completely, however, and the committee staff are the appropriate source of detailed information.

Sometimes a Senator's staff or supporters will have this information compiled and available. If not, go to the Journals and check the roll calls. Each Daily Journal for the current session has an index in the back that makes it easy to look for a particular order of business or a particular bill. Indexes for the permanent Journal from previous sessions are available in the Senate Information Office and Legislative Reference Library.

The Author Index to the permanent Journal will list all bills that were sponsored by a particular Senator. To find a Senator's votes on a particular issue, look up the number of the bill in question and check the Journal pages listed.

The Senate Information Office at 651-296-0504 or toll free 1-888-234-1112 (TTY 651-296-0250 or toll free 1-888-234-1216) can answer this question. It is sometimes more convenient to check the permanent Journal and index directly for bill introductions, and Session Laws and index for laws passed. The index section of the permanent Journal for a particular session contains a numerical list of Senate bills and House bills which show official titles, Journal page references, and chapter numbers for all bills considered by the Senate. There is also a subject index with cross references, an author index, and a companion bill list.

Tape recordings of floor and committee sessions are available and can be purchased from Senate Supply, B-43 Capitol, 75 Constitution Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55155-1606, 651-296-5720 or toll free 1-888-234-1112 (TTY 651-296-0250 or toll free 1-888-234-1216). You may also listen to tapes in the Legislative Reference Library tape archive located in Room 71 in the State Office Building. Committee books may include written statements given in testimony on a bill. Some committee and floor sessions may be televised by Senate Media Services and may be available on local cable television services. No verbatim written transcripts are maintained by the Senate.

A tape is reproduced for a price sufficient to cover the cost of duplicating the tape. Checks are to be made payable to the Minnesota State Senate. Contact Senate Supply, B-43 Capitol, 75 Constitution Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55155-1606, 651-296-5720 or toll free 1-888-234-1112 (TTY 651-296-0250 or toll free 1-888-234-1216) for information on purchasing a tape copy.

The Legislative Reference Tape Library has facilities for listening to all tapes of sessions and committee meetings. It is located in Room 71 of the State Office Building. Call 651-296-0767 for office hours.

You may consult the committee book for formal actions of the committee, a list of those testifying for or against the bill, the testimony itself if offered in written form, the text of amendments, the names of those offering amendments to the bill, roll calls, subcommittee actions, and so on. Tapes of floor sessions and committee sessions are available for recent years. The Senate Information Office at 651-296-0504 or toll free 1-888-234-1112 (TTY 651-296-0250 or toll free 1-888-234-1216) can assist you in obtaining these records.

Session laws include all the bills passed during a particular session, arranged in the order in which they are passed, signed by the governor, and filed with the secretary of state. Minnesota Statutes include a subject arrangement of all laws in force that are of a general and permanent nature. Local bills and appropriations are usually not codified in the statutes and can be found in Session Laws for the year in which they were passed.

Divisions of both may be called chapters, but a reference to Minnesota Statutes will usually be to a section number. For example, chapter 335 of the statutes will be divided into sections, perhaps beginning with 335.01. The proper citation for this would be "Minnesota Statutes, Section 335.01" or "Minnesota Statutes 1990, section 335.01." Session Laws are cited "Laws 1990, Chapter 3, Section 29" for the laws passed during the 1990 Session.

Minnesota Statutes are completely reprinted in even numbered years and incorporate all new laws, amendments or repeals of old law. A supplement is issued in odd numbered years to show changes made during that legislative session. The citation for laws contained in the supplement is "Minnesota Statutes, 1989 Supplement, Section 335.01."

Included with the Minnesota Statutes are the Constitution of the United States, the Minnesota Constitution, information on the courts, an analysis of state government structure, tables relating to local and special acts, and allocation of acts. There is also a detailed subject index to the statutes.

The Appendix at the back of the Session Laws contains tables that show statutes or Session Laws amended, repealed or new session laws not coded; special laws; Senate and House Files enacted; legislative commissions and committees; and a detailed subject index.

Section numbers, or coding, may be proposed in a bill for a new law, or in a bill which provides for adding a new section to a chapter of the statutes. However, coding may be changed by the Revisor of Statutes when necessary. Coding is done at the time of editing and publishing the statutes. Each chapter of the statutes covers a broad subject and has a number. Sections under that chapter have the same number followed by a decimal point and another number.

This is a history of that particular section. For example, [1959 c 67 s 3; 1963 c 861 s 10; 1974 c 370 s20] means that the section was new in 1959 and was contained in Laws 1959, Chapter 67, Section 3; was amended in Laws 1963, Chapter 861, Section 10; and amended again in Laws 1974, Chapter 370, Section 20. If you look up those chapters of those particular Session Laws, you will find what changes were made.

Senate Index can search by statute number to determine which bills affect specific laws. The description of a bill being considered will note sections of the law to be amended or repealed in that bill. The West Group's publication, called "Minnesota Session Law Service," is available early in the Session, and shows bills that have been passed. Session Laws include tables showing sections of the law amended or repealed.

Following each section of Minnesota Statutes, in brackets, there are references to the Session Laws which comprise the current law. From Session Laws you can find the numbers of the bills which became law and then, use the Journal Indexes for that year, authors and bill histories, if needed. Also, check the tables in Session Laws and the West Group's "Minnesota Session Law Service" for statutes amended.

There is no yearly deadline for the introduction of bills. However, each year the Legislature establishes deadlines for committee action on bills, except for the actions of the Committee on Taxes, the various finance committees and the Committee on Rules and Administration in the Senate, and the corresponding committees in the House.

When a bill has been passed by both houses and is ready for the governor's signature, it is enrolled by the Revisor of Statutes Office and assigned a chapter number. It is copied on special paper and called "An Act" instead of "A bill for an act." A signature sheet is prepared for the Revisor of Statutes, the President and Secretary of the Senate, the Speaker and Chief Clerk of the House, the governor, and the secretary of state. After signature by the governor, the enrolled bill is filed in the office of the secretary of state.

Unless a specific effective date is provided in the bill, the act will take effect on August 1 following its final enactment. Appropriations bills, though, take effect on July 1. A special law which requires approval of a local government unit becomes effective on the day following the day the certificate of approval is filed with the secretary of state, unless a specific later date is specified in the act. Each act takes effect at 12:01 a.m. on the day it becomes effective, unless a different time is specified in the act.

The only persons admitted to the floor of Senate Chamber are members of the Senate and House, the constitutional officers, or ex-governors of Minnesota, judges of the Trial and Appellate Courts, members of Congress, members of the press and Senate staff.

Yes. Public galleries are accessible from the third floor of the Capitol. No passes are required except for opening day and when the Legislature meets in joint session. The Sergeant at Arms may be contacted for seats for groups in the galleries. No visitors are allowed on the floor of the Senate. No smoking is permitted on the floor of the Senate or in the galleries. Photos are prohibited. Applause, demonstrations, and food and beverages are also prohibited in the galleries.

The lot just north of the State Office Building has 80 metered spaces for the public. Also, parking marshals outside of the Capitol during session may direct you to parking spaces.

There is a cafeteria in the basement of the Capitol, and there are cafeterias in the other state office buildings. During session, a quick lunch counter is located on the second floor of the Capitol.

Tours of the Capitol are given on the hour every day. Contact the Information Desk on the first floor of the Capitol for group tours. The telephone number is 651-296-2881.

The general federal information service can often answer your question, or send you to the proper source for information. The local telephone number is 1-800-688-9889.

The Minnesota Legislature is committed to making the legislative process open and available to everyone, including persons with special needs. Toward that end, the Legislature has initiated a number of services designed to enable individuals with disabilities to participate in legislative activities, programs, and services.

The Senate offers TTY service (651-296-0250 or toll free 1-888-234-1216), participates in the Minnesota Relay Service (651-297-5353 or toll free 1-800-627-3529) and has assistive listening devices available in hearing rooms, the House Chamber, and the Senate Chamber. The Minnesota Legislature has a contract with the Interpretive Referral Center of Doorways to provide sign language interpreter services for people who are deaf, deafblind or hard of hearing. Interpretive services from certified interpreters are available throughout the year to facilitate testimony at Legislative hearings and to interpret for those attending hearings. The service is also available for meetings between Legislators and groups of or individual constituents. In addition, interpretive services are available for legislative functions at the Capitol and throughout the state.

If you need sign language interpretation services, please contact the Interpretive Referral Center of Doorways at 651-224-6548 (v/tty) as soon as possible with the time and date you will need the service. Residents of northern Minnesota may call toll-free at 1-877-456-3839 (v/tty), and residents of southern Minnesota may call toll-free at 1-877-456-2021 (v/tty).

Assistance for persons with other special needs can be arranged by calling the Senate Sergeant's office at 651-296-1119 or the House Sergeant's office at 651-296-4860.

The Minnesota Legislature is committed to complying with the provisions of the Americans with Disabilities Act and supports the goal that individuals with disabilities shall not be excluded from participating in or be denied the benefits of any program, service or activity offered by the Legislature. Effective communication is a necessary step in meeting that goal. Thus, the Legislature welcomes comments and suggestions from the public on services that will improve communication between the Legislature and individuals with special needs. Please direct comments to Director, Legislative Coordinating Commission, Room 85 State Office Building, 100 Constitution Avenue, St. Paul, MN 55155-1280.

At first glance, the legislative process may appear confusing, disorganized and impossible to follow. But, if you take the time for a second look, you will see that there is a logical process by which laws are enacted. In a very short time, you can familiarize yourself with the legislative process and follow the life of any piece of legislation.

The first step is the formulation of a proposal that some individual, group, department of government, legislator or institution would like to see become state law. For example, local governments often request their legislator sponsor legislation that would permit the local unit of government to issue bonds for municipal improvements. The governor will often promote a package of legislative proposals, and the individual legislators also are a primary source of ideas for new legislation.

These proposals must be put in proper legal form before they can be introduced in the Senate or the House. It is the responsibility of the Revisor of Statutes to do so. Bills are drafted by a staff of attorneys and typed into a computerized bill printing system. The Revisor's Office responds to requests for bill drafting only from legislators, the governor's office, the other constitutional officers, the state's various departments and other government agencies. Only Senators and Representatives can introduce legislation. Even the governor must find a legislator willing to sponsor gubernatorial proposals.

Once the bill has been drafted, the legislator is given four copies for introduction in the Senate and four copies to be used for introduction in the House. Assuming the legislator is a member of the Senate, the Senator will sign the cover of the Senate File as chief author and will seek up to four more Senators as co-authors. The Senator usually finds a member of the House to introduce the same bill in that body. The Representative who is the chief author may have as many as 34 members sign the bill as co-authors.

It is important to note the role the chief author plays in handling a piece of legislation. The chief author determines whether to request a committee hearing for the bill, when the bill will be considered in the Committee of the Whole, when the bill will be placed on final passage, and whether to move to concur in House amendments placed on a Senate bill or whether to request a conference committee. The chief author's support or opposition to proposed amendments will influence the action of other members. No action on a bill will be taken unless the chief author is present.