| Eighty-fourth Minnesota Legislature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
 | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | Minnesota Legislature | ||||
| Jurisdiction | Minnesota, United States | ||||
| Meeting place | Minnesota State Capitol | ||||
| Term | January 4, 2005 – January 3, 2007 | ||||
| Election | 2004 General Election | ||||
| Minnesota State Senate | |||||
| Members | 67 Senators | ||||
| President | James Metzen | ||||
| Majority Leader | Dean Johnson | ||||
| Minority Leader | Dick Day | ||||
| Party control | Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party | ||||
| Minnesota House of Representatives | |||||
| Members | 134 Representatives | ||||
| Speaker | Steve Sviggum | ||||
| Majority Leader | Erik Paulsen | ||||
| Minority Leader | Matt Entenza | ||||
| Party control | Republican Party | ||||
The eighty-fourth Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 4, 2005. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate were elected during the General Election on November 5, 2002, while the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election on November 2, 2004.
Sessions
The legislature met in a regular session from January 4, 2005 to May 23, 2005. It ended without a passage of an overall budget, and a special session was opened May 24, 2005. No overall budget passed by the end of the fiscal year on June 30, and much of the state government shut down for the first time in history, though some essential services remained in operation, and some departments received funding in legislation. On July 9, 2005, a budget was agreed upon, and the special session ended a few days later on July 13, 2005.
A continuation of the regular session was held between March 1, 2006 and May 21, 2006.
Party summary
- Resignations and new members are discussed in the "Membership changes" section, below.
Senate
| Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | Vacant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFL | IPM | Rep | |||
| End of previous Legislature | 35 | 1 | 31 | 67 | 0 |
| Begin | 35 | 1 | 31 | 67 | 0 |
| September 21, 2005 | 30 | 66 | 1 | ||
| November 21, 2005 | 29 | 65 | 2 | ||
| December 7, 2005 | 36 | 66 | 1 | ||
| December 31, 2005 | 28 | 65 | 2 | ||
| January 5, 2006 | 29 | 66 | 1 | ||
| January 6, 2006 | 37 | 67 | 0 | ||
| January 6, 2006 | 38 | 0 | |||
| Latest voting share | 57% | 0% | 43% | ||
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 44 | 0 | 23 | 67 | 0 |
House of Representatives
| Party (Shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | Vacant | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFL | Rep | ||||
| End of previous Legislature | 52 | 77 | 129 | 5 | |
| Begin | 66 | 68 | 134 | 0 | |
| December 12, 2005 | 65 | 133 | 1 | ||
| December 27, 2005 | 66 | 134 | 0 | ||
| June 21, 2006 | 67 | 133 | 1 | ||
| Latest voting share | 50% | 50% | |||
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 85 | 49 | 134 | 0 | |
Leadership
Senate
- President of the Senate
- James Metzen (DFL-South St. Paul)
- Senate Majority Leader
- Dean Johnson (DFL-Willmar)
- Senate Minority Leader
- Dick Day (R-Owatonna)
House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House
- Steve Sviggum (R-Kenyon)
- House Majority Leader
- Erik Paulsen (R-Eden Prairie)
- House Minority Leader
- Matt Entenza (DFL-St. Paul)
Members
Senate
House of Representatives
Membership changes
Senate
| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43 | David Gaither (R) |
Resigned September 21, 2005 to become Governor Tim Pawlenty's chief of staff. | Terri Bonoff (DFL) |
December 7, 2005 |
| 15 | Dave Kleis (R) |
Resigned November 21, 2005 to become mayor of St. Cloud. | Tarryl Clark (DFL) |
January 6, 2006 |
| 19 | Mark Ourada (R) |
Resigned December 31, 2005. | Amy Koch (R) |
January 5, 2006 |
House of Representatives
| District | Vacated by | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15B | Joe Opatz (DFL) |
Resigned December 12, 2005 to become interim president of Central Lakes College. | Larry Haws (DFL) |
January 19, 2006 |
| 43B | Ron Abrams (R) |
Resigned June 21, 2006 to accept appointment to judgeship. | Remained vacant | |