Sen. Carlson

Restore the Vote Heard Yesterday in Senate Elections Committee

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Yesterday, a bill that would restore the right to vote to Minnesotans who have been released from incarceration after being convicted of felony charges was heard for the first time in the Senate Elections Committee. Right now, these individuals lose the right to vote until after their probation or parole is completed. In response, Senator Jim Carlson (DFL-Eagan), Chair of the Elections Committee, released the following statement:

Chair Jim Carlson and the Senate Elections Committee Welcome Secretary of State Steve Simon and State Elections Director David Maeda to Present in Committee Hearing

ST. PAUL, Minn. – Today, the Minnesota Senate Elections Committee welcomed Secretary of State Steve Simon and State Elections Director David Maeda to offer overviews to the committee. Secretary Simon presented on the duties of the Office of the Secretary of State, a review of the 2022 Election, and Director Maeda presented an overview of how our election systems work. Directly following the committee hearing, Senator Jim Carlson, Chair of the Elections Committee, gave the following remarks:

Senator Jim Carlson statement on passage of Omnibus State Government Finance Bill

The State Government Finance Omnibus Bill passed off the Senate Floor on Friday, June 25. While the bill includes important policy provisions and necessary funding for critical state agencies, a surprise poison pill amendment was added by Senate Republicans to end the governor’s emergency powers on July 1, while Governor Walz has announced he will end his emergency powers August 1.Ending the FEMA-mandated emergency powers will cost Minnesota $90 million in federal funding that is primarily dedicated to low-income assistance. Senate Republicans further prevented a popular non-partisan amendment to fund Greater Minnesota County Attorney’s requests to the Attorney General’s office for assistance in prosecuting serious criminal cases.