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New Cabinet Members, New Committee Chairs
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December 2, 2022
Aftermath of Elections

On Tuesday, Nov. 29, the State Canvassing Board made elections official, although two election outcomes remain uncertain. The board approved plans for taxpayer-funded recounts in House districts 3A and 3B because the vote count difference was less than .5%.

Since our last update, House minority leadership has been elected, committee structure has been decided and chairs have been appointed. Expect more updates on committee member assignments in upcoming issues of Ewald at the Capitol.

Walz Cabinet
Despite Gov. Tim Walz’s successful re-election bid, the executive branch is going through changes. Gov. Walz reappointed just 16 cabinet members, leaving 6 positions vacant. The open positions include commissioners in the departments of Health, Education, Revenue, Public Safety, Labor and Industry, and the Iron Range Resources and Rehabilitation Board. Gov. Walz hopes to fill these positions by mid-December. Expect updates on the new commissioners in upcoming issues of Ewald at the Capitol.
Leadership
The latest round of leadership elections for the 2023-2024 biennium has concluded with House Republicans electing Representative Lisa Demuth (Cold Spring) to serve as the minority leader. Following her election, she appointed Rep. Paul Torkelson (Hanska) to serve as Deputy Minority Leader, Rep. Jim Nash (Waconia) to serve as Minority Whip; as well as Rep. Dave Baker (Willmar), Representative-elect Elliot Engen (White Bear Lake), and Rep. Spencer Igo (Grand Rapids) to serve as Assistant Minority Leaders.

As a reminder, the following Senators and Representatives were elected to leadership positions:

Minnesota Senate
  • Majority Leader: Sen. Kari Dziedzic (Minneapolis)
  • President of the Senate: Sen. Bobby Joe Champion (Minneapolis)
  • Minority Leader: Sen. Mark Johnson (East Grand Forks)
Minnesota House
  • Speaker of the House: Rep. Melissa Hortman (Brooklyn Park)
  • Majority Leader: Rep. Jamie Long (Minneapolis)
  • Minority Leader: Rep. Lisa Demuth (Cold Spring)
Committee Chairs Announced
Recently the Minnesota House and Senate DFL caucuses announced their committee structure and chairs for the 2023-2024 biennium. Leaders in both bodies will appoint members later this month. Under the new committee structure, the House will have 29 committees, and the Senate will have 20. Here is a list of the new committees and their chairs:
Senate
Agriculture and Rural Development: Sen. Aric Putnam (St. Cloud)
Housing: Sen. Lindsey Port (Burnsville)
Capital Investment: Sen. Sandy Pappas (St. Paul)
Commerce and Consumer Protection: Sen. Matt Klein (Mendota Heights)
Education Finance: Sen. Mary Kunesh (New Brighton)
Education Policy: Sen. Steve Cwodzinski (Eden Prairie)
Elections: Sen. Jim Carlson (Eagan)
Energy, Utilities, Environment and Climate: Sen. Nick Frentz (North Mankato)
Labor: Sen. Jennifer McEwen (Duluth)
Finance: Sen. John Marty (Roseville)
Health and Human Services: Sen. Melissa Wiklund (Bloomington)
Human Services: Sen. John Hoffman (Champlin)
Higher Education: Sen. Omar Fateh (Minneapolis)
Judiciary and Public Safety: Sen. Ron Latz (St. Louis Park)
Legacy and Natural Resources Committee: Sen. Foung Hawj (St. Paul)
Rules and Administration: Sen. Kari Dziedzic (Minneapolis)
State and Local Government and Veterans: Sen. Erin Murphy (St. Paul)
Taxes: Sen. Ann Rest (New Hope)
Transportation: Sen. Scott Dibble (Minneapolis)
House
Agriculture Finance & Policy: Rep. Samantha Vang (Brooklyn Center)
Capital Investment: Rep. Fue Lee (Minneapolis)
Climate Energy Finance & Policy: Rep. Patty Acomb (Minnetonka)
Commerce Finance and Policy: Rep. Zack Stephenson (Coon Rapids)
Children and Families Finance & Policy: Rep. Dave Pinto (St. Paul)
Economic Development Finance: Rep. Hodan Hassan (Minneapolis)
Elections Finance & Policy: Rep. Mike Freiberg (Golden Valley)
Environment and Natural Resources Finance & Policy: Rep. Rick Hansen (South St. Paul)
Ethics: Rep. Kelly Moller (Shoreview)
Health Finance & Policy: Rep. Tina Liebling (Rochester)
Higher Education Finance & Policy: Rep. Gene Pelowski (Winona)
Human Services Finance: Rep. Mohamud Noor (Minneapolis)
Human Services Policy: Rep. Peter Fischer (Maplewood)
Judiciary Finance & Civil Law: Rep. Jamie Becker-Finn (Roseville)
Education Finance: Rep. Cheryl Youakim (Hopkins)
Education Policy: Rep. Laurie Pryor (Minnetonka)
Labor and Industry Finance & Policy: Rep. Michael Nelson (Brooklyn Park)
Legacy Finance: Rep. Leon Lillie (North St. Paul)
Public Safety Finance & Policy: Rep. Kelly Moller (Shoreview)
State and Local Government Finance & Policy: Rep. Ginny Klevorn (Plymouth)
Taxes: Rep. Aisha Gomez (Minneapolis)
Property Tax Division: Rep. Dave Lislegard (Aurora)
Transportation Finance: Rep. Frank Hornstein (Minneapolis)
Veterans and Military Affairs Finance & Policy: Representative Elect Jerry Newton (Coon Rapids)
Ways & Means: Rep. Liz Olson (Duluth)
Workforce Development Finance: Rep. Jay Xiong (St. Paul)

Budget Forecast
The Minnesota Management and Budget Office (MMB) is set to present the November 2022 Budget and Economic Forecast Tuesday, Dec. 6. The forecast will shape the governor’s budget recommendations for the 2024-25 biennium, which are likely to come mid-to-late January, and set the framework for budget priorities for the legislature.
Ewald Government Relations Team
Valerie Dosland
651-265-7857
valeried@ewald.com


Phil Griffin
651-791-0341
philg@ewald.com

Troy Olsen
763-381-7894
troyo@ewald.com


Alana Martinson
763-350-4374
alanam@ewald.com

Eric Ewald
651-290-6266
erice@ewald.com
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