The annual Midwest U.S.-Japan Association Conference will bring together business representatives from the Midwest and Japan, as well as government officials, to explore strategies for enhancing business relationships.
Politics + Public Policy
Thomson Reuters, which employs roughly 7,000 people in Minnesota, said that the proposed amendment would limit its ability to attract top talent; separately, a group of local law firm leaders said that the marriage amendment “endangers our business climate.”
Roughly 65 percent of respondents to a recent Twin Cities Business poll said they believe the marriage amendment would have an impact on Minnesota businesses, and 50 percent said it is appropriate for companies to take a public stance on such issues.
The City of Minneapolis spent $467,139 on staff and contract lobbyists last year, the most of any local government in the state.
The city predicts that the switch from seven-sort recycling will increase materials recovered by 60 percent and boost the Minneapolis recycling rate from 18.1 percent to 32 percent.
Bill George argues that passage of the amendment would make it difficult for Minnesota companies to recruit and retain the talented people required to build global companies.
The governor said that the tax bill-which included property tax breaks and other benefits for the state's businesses-ignored his requirement that "any new spending increases or tax reductions had to maintain the current budget reserve and avoid increasing future deficits."
St. Paul could compete with other cities for a portion of a $50 million pot to pay for a regional ballpark in Lowertown; meanwhile, supporters of the Southwest Corridor Light Rail Line say the project risks losing federal support without a state contribution.
The Minnesota House passed the Vikings stadium bill in a 73-58 vote on Monday but included a series of amendments-including one that a Vikings spokesman called "not workable." The Senate began debating the stadium bill early Tuesday afternoon.
After the NFL cautioned that the time to sell the Vikings might be nearing, Governor Dayton and a bipartisan group of legislators plan meet with NFL leaders on Friday; Dayton also recently said that he wouldn't rule out a special legislative session to address the stadium issue.
The bill, which was unanimously approved by both the House and the Senate, would allow employers in the private sector to express a hiring preference for all veterans and for the spouses of veterans who have died or who have a service-related disability.
Representative Morrie Lanning, the sponsor of the House stadium bill that would use public money to fund a new $975 million Vikings stadium, said after the vote that "somebody will have to pull a rabbit out of a hat for this thing to stay alive."
Minnesota companies sent $702 million worth of products to South Korea last year, and the state now stands to benefit from a free trade agreement that will eliminate most tariffs on goods exported there.
The grand opening of Fulton Beer's taproom attracted more than 1,000 craft beer fans, and the brewery said it will use the new taproom revenues to invest in continued growth.
Longtime State Demographer Tom Gillaspy will be succeeded by Susan Brower, who served as research associate for the Wilder Foundation before joining the state demographer's staff last summer.
The state's entire forecast balance is already allocated under state law, which requires $5 million to go toward rebuilding state reserves and the remainder to pay off debt.
The governor told the owners of the Minnesota Vikings that the Metrodome site is the only option for a new stadium, if a stadium bill is to gain approval from the Legislature this year.
R.T. Rybak discusses the past 10 years he's served as Minneapolis mayor in an exclusive interview with TCB Editor In Chief Dale Kurschner.