EAST GRAND FORKS — As Minnesota lawmakers head into their legislative session, working to pass the next state budget likely will be the biggest item on their agenda, according to Senate Minority Leader Mark Johnson.

“Especially if we start off slow with these court cases, I’m not planning a vacation in June,” said Johnson, a Republican from East Grand Forks. “There are a lot of needs in this state — not just in my district but across the state — but given the issues with the budget right now … there’s going to be a lot going on down in St. Paul.”

The Legislature convenes Jan. 14 for its 94th session. The Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor party has a one-seat majority in the Senate, and the House of Representatives is expected to be tied at 67. While a

power-sharing agreement — with both DFL and Republican chairs

on all committees — has been discussed, two ongoing court cases mean unknowns remain on final majorities.

“We don’t know when those are going to be resolved,” Johnson said. “The House might be in a little bit of limbo trying to figure out who’s going to be leading.”

Two cases — one

regarding discarded ballots in a close representative race in Shakopee

and another challenging the residency of a Roseville representative — are working their way through Minnesota court.

If a DFL-Republican tie does end up being the case on Jan. 14, there’s legal and constitutional ambiguity about whether co-speakers of the House could exist. A tie has only happened one other time in Minnesota, in 1979. At that time, the Independent Republican Party gained the speakership and the DFL chaired the rules, taxes and appropriations committees. It created

chaotic final days of the session.

There’s also the case of Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, who has been

accused of burglary in Becker County court and has a jury trial scheduled for the end of January.

There have been calls for her resignation, but others have stressed that she hasn’t yet had her day in court.

“So even before we get into the budget cycle, there are all these dynamics going on behind the scenes,” Johnson said. “That’s triggered some interesting conversations of a few Democrats in the Senate.”

Even disregarding the controversies, the Legislature will be tasked with creating and passing a budget for the next two-year biennium.

The last budget, passed in 2023, was only the

eighth budget in 40 years that was passed before the regular session’s

constitutional end date of the Monday after the third Saturday in May. This year, that date is May 19. If a budget isn’t passed by then, Gov. Tim Walz will have to call a special session; if a budget isn’t passed by June 30, the government will shut down. That last occurred in 2011.

With the Minnesota Management and Budget Office

saying that the state has a structural imbalance

and as costs increase for long-term care and special education, Johnson said the Legislature needs to look at policy fixes.

“There are some policy things that we could be doing going forward that would really help out and fix what the Democrats have been doing over the last two years with that extreme policy,” he said. “Minnesotans are paying for (it) every single day and we can address and make this government more effective and efficient, and we can make it cheaper and better for people in Minnesota to live here.”

Voigt covers government in Grand Forks and East Grand Forks.

Minnesota Timberwolves with a record of 15-14 and ranked ninth in the Western Conference match off against Houston Rockets with a record of 21-9 and ranked second in the Western Conference. The game is in Houston at 7 p.m. CST on Friday.

Houston aims to extend its three-game home winning streak.

The Rockets have gone 13-7 against Western Conference opponents. Houston ranks fifth in the NBA with 51.5 points in the paint led by Alperen Sengun averaging 12.5.

The Timberwolves have gone 12-9 against Western Conference opponents. Minnesota scores 109.1 points and has outscored opponents by 2.2 points per game.

The Rockets are shooting 44.3 percent from the field this season, 1.4 percentage points lower than the 45.7 percent the Timberwolves allow to opponents.

The Timberwolves are shooting 45.7 percent from the field, 2.2 percent higher than the 43.5 percent the Rockets’ opponents have shot this season.

A top performer for the Rockets is Sengun who is scoring 18.3 points per game with 10.5 rebounds and 5.2 assists.

The Timberwolves’ Anthony Edwards is averaging 25.3 points, 5.6 rebounds and four assists.

In the last ten games, the Rockets have held a record of 7-3, averaging 111.6 points, 49.3 rebounds, 21.1 assists, 6.9 steals and 5.7 blocks per game. The shooting average has been 44.6 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 107.7 points per game.

For the Timberwolves’ last ten games, they have had an average of 6-4, averaging 105.2 points, 45.0 rebounds, 27.0 assists, 10.2 steals and 4.5 blocks per game. They have been shooting 44.6 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 100.5 points.

Rockets’ Dillon Brooks has an ankle injury. Tari Eason is also on rest.

Timberwolves’ Daishen Nix and Luka Garza are out due to an ankle injuries. Joe Ingles is also injured.