71st Minnesota Legislature
The seventy-first Minnesota Legislature first convened on January 3, 1979. The 67 members of the Minnesota Senate were elected during the General Election of November 2, 1976, and the 134 members of the Minnesota House of Representatives were elected during the General Election of November 7, 1978.
| Seventy-first Minnesota Legislature | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||
 | |||||
| Overview | |||||
| Legislative body | Minnesota Legislature | ||||
| Jurisdiction | Minnesota, United States | ||||
| Meeting place | Minnesota State Capitol | ||||
| Term | January 3, 1979 – January 6, 1981 | ||||
| Website | www | ||||
| Minnesota State Senate | |||||
| Members | 67 Senators | ||||
| President | Edward J. Gearty | ||||
| Majority Leader | Nick Coleman | ||||
| Minority Leader | Robert O. Ashbach | ||||
| Party control | Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party | ||||
| Minnesota House of Representatives | |||||
| Members | 134 Representatives | ||||
| Speaker | Rod Searle, Fred C. Norton | ||||
| Majority Leader | Jerry Knickerbocker, Irv Anderson | ||||
| Minority Leader | Rod Searle | ||||
| Party control | Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party | ||||
The seventy-first legislature is noteworthy for the partisan composition of the House of Representatives. Until Bob Pavlak was unseated for unfair campaign practices,[1] the House was equally divided between the DFL and the Independent-Republicans.[2] Due to the tie, the DFL and the Independent-Republicans were forced to forge a compromise by which the Independent-Republicans were to elect the Speaker from among their own ranks, while the DFL would be given the chairmanship of, and one-vote majorities on, the rules and tax committees. This agreement was superseded for the 1980 continuation of the regular session, by which time the DFL had gained a slim majority in the House.
Sessions
The legislature met in a regular session from January 3, 1979 to May 24, 1979. A special session was convened on May 24, 1979 to consider three bills regarding workers' compensation, energy, and transportation appropriations.[3]
A continuation of the regular session was held between January 22, 1980 and April 12, 1980. No special sessions were held in 1980. The legislature met for a total of 99 legislative days during the 1979-80 biennium.[3]
Party summary
- Resignations and new members are discussed in the "Membership changes" section, below.
Senate
| Party[4] (Shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFL | IR | |||
| End of previous Legislature | 47 | 20 | 67 | 0 |
| Begin | 47 | 20 | 67 | 0 |
| April 25, 1979 | 46 | 66 | 1 | |
| July 9, 1979 | 47 | 67 | 0 | |
| August 1, 1979 | 46 | 66 | 1 | |
| November 12, 1979 | 47 | 67 | 0 | |
| November 26, 1979 | 46 | 66 | 1 | |
| January 16, 1980 | 21 | 67 | 0 | |
| January 20, 1980 | 45 | 66 | 1 | |
| February 28, 1980 | 22 | 67 | 0 | |
| May 1, 1980 | 44 | 66 | 1 | |
| July 1, 1980 | 21 | 65 | 2 | |
| Latest voting share | 68% | 32% | ||
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 45 | 22 | 67 | 0 |
House of Representatives
| Party[5] (Shading indicates majority caucus) |
Total | Vacant | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DFL | IR | |||
| End of previous Legislature | 99 | 35 | 134 | 0 |
| Begin | 67 | 67 | 134 | 0 |
| May 18, 1979 | 67 | 66 | 133 | 1 |
| June 26, 1979 | 68 | 134 | 0 | |
| December 5, 1979 | 67 | 133 | 1 | |
| January 22, 1980 | 68 | 134 | 0 | |
| June 1, 1980 | 67 | 133 | 1 | |
| Latest voting share | 50% | 50% | ||
| Beginning of the next Legislature | 70 | 64 | 134 | 0 |
Leadership
Senate
- President of the Senate
- Edward J. Gearty (DFL-Minneapolis)[6]
- Senate Majority Leader
- Nick Coleman (DFL-St. Paul)[7]
- Senate Minority Leader
- Robert O. Ashbach (IR-St. Paul)[7]
House of Representatives
- Speaker of the House[nb 1][nb 2]
- 1979: Rod Searle (IR-Waseca)[9]
- 1980: Fred C. Norton (DFL-St. Paul)[9]
- House Majority Leader[nb 3]
- 1979: Irv Anderson (DFL-International Falls) and Jerry Knickerbocker (IR-Minnetonka)[10]
- 1980: Irv Anderson (DFL-International Falls)[10]
- House Minority Leader[nb 4]
- 1979: None
- 1980: Rod Searle (IR-Waseca)[10]
Members
Senate
House of Representatives
Membership changes
Senate
| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 41 | B. Robert Lewis (DFL) |
Died of a heart attack on April 25, 1979.[11] | Irving M. Stern (DFL) |
July 9, 1979[12] |
| 55 | Eugene E. Stokowski (DFL) |
Died of a heart attack on August 1, 1979.[13] | Anne K. Stokowski (DFL)[nb 5] |
November 12, 1979[14] |
| 66 | John C. Chenoweth (DFL) |
Resigned on November 26, 1979 to become the Director of the Minneapolis Municipal Employees Retirement Fund.[15] | Emery G. Barrette (IR) |
January 16, 1980[16] |
| 16 | Ed Schrom (DFL) |
Died on January 20, 1980.[17] | Ben Omann (IR) |
February 28, 1980[18] |
| 67 | William W. McCutcheon (DFL) |
Resigned on May 1, 1980 to accept appointment as Chief of the SPPD.[19] | Remained vacant | |
| 18 | Robert G. Dunn (IR) |
Resigned on July 1, 1980 to accept appointment as the Chair of the Minnesota Waste Management Board.[20] | Remained vacant | |
House of Representatives
| District | Vacator | Reason for change | Successor | Date successor seated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 67A | Bob Pavlak (IR) |
Expelled on May 18, 1979, on charges of unfair campaign practices.[1] | Frank J. Rodriguez (DFL) |
June 26, 1979[21] |
| 60B | Stanley A. Enebo (DFL) |
Resigned on December 5, 1979, to become the Associate Director of the Minnesota Public Employees Retirement Association.[22] | Donna Peterson (DFL) |
January 22, 1980[23] |
| 44B | Leo G. Adams (DFL) |
Resigned to accept appointment to the Minnesota Public Service Commission circa June 1, 1980.[24] | Remained vacant | |
Notes
- Due to the fact that the DFL and the Independent-Republicans were evenly divided in the House when the seventy-first legislature convened, neither party could claim a majority and, instead, the two parties reached a compromise by which the Independent-Republicans would elect the Speaker from their own ranks, while the DFL would hold the chairmanship of, and one-vote majorities on, the rules and tax committees. The Independent-Republicans elected Rod Searle as Speaker.[2]
- When Bob Pavlak was expelled for unfair campaign practices, the DFL gained control of the House. In the process of selecting a Speaker, the DFL split into factions, with 26 DFLers supporting Fred C. Norton and 42 supporting Irv Anderson; however, 49 Independent-Republicans sided with the pro-Norton faction, and Norton became Speaker for the 1980 session.[8]
- Due to the fact that the House was evenly divided, the floor leaders of the DFL and Independent-Republican caucuses in the House—Irv Anderson and Jerry Knickerbocker, respectively—shared the role of Majority Leader during the 1979 sessions. In the 1980 session, Anderson was the sole Majority Leader.
- Since neither party held a majority in the House, and hence there was no minority, there was no House Minority Leader during the 1979 sessions.
- Anne K. Stokowski was the widow of Eugene E. Stokowski.[13][14]
References
- "Pavlak, Sr., Robert L. "Bob"". Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "71st Legislature (1979-1980)". Legislative Time Capsule. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Sessions of the Minnesota State Legislature and the Minnesota Territorial Legislature, 1849-present". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Party Control of the Minnesota Senate, 1951-present". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Party Control of the Minnesota House of Representatives, 1951-present". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "President and President Pro Tempore of the Minnesota Senate, 1849-present". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Majority and Minority Leaders of the Minnesota Senate, 1933-present". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Norton, Fred C." Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Speakers of the Minnesota House of Representatives, 1849-present". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Majority and Minority Leaders of the Minnesota House of Representatives, 1901-present". Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Lewis, Sr., B. Robert "Bob, Bert"". Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Stern, Irving M. "Irv"". Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Stokowski, Eugene E." Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Stokowski, Anne K." Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Chenoweth, John C." Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Barrette, Emery G." Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Schrom, Ed". Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Omann, Sr., Bernard P. "Ben"". Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "McCutcheon, William W. "Bill"". Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Dunn, Robert G. "Bob"". Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Rodriguez, Sr., Frank J." Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Enebo, Stanley A. "Stan"". Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Peterson, Donna C." Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- "Adams, Leo G." Legislators Past & Present. Minnesota Legislative Reference Library. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
- Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Session Search Results (Session 71, Senate)
- Minnesota Legislators Past & Present - Session Search Results (Session 71, House)
| Preceded by Seventieth Minnesota Legislature |
Seventy-first Minnesota Legislature 1979—1980 |
Succeeded by Seventy-second Minnesota Legislature |
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