>> Mary: ALL RIGHT.

WELL, THIS NEXT GUEST KNOWS SOMETHING ABOUT IF THE LEGISLATURE ACTUALLY CAN FINISH EARLY.

AND HOW MANY BILLS THEY'VE REALLY PASSED IN COMPARISON.

ONE OF THE KEENEST OBSERVERS OF THE CAPITOL, LONGTIME RETIRING LOBBYIST, GARY CARLSON FROM THE LEAGUE OF MINNESOTA CITIES.

GARY, WE ALL WAIT FOR YOU TO CRUNCH THESE STATS EACH YEAR AND WE WANT TO START WITH A GRAPH.

IT'S NOT A BORING GRAPH.

IT'S A VERY IMPORTANT GRAPH ABOUT BILL INTRODUCTIONS AND IT TELLS YOU A LOT ABOUT THE PACE OF SESSION.

>> WELL, MARY, I'VE BEEN DOING THIS FOR A NUMBER OF SESSIONS AND THE BILL INTRODUCTION PACE HAS REALLY INCREASED FAIRLY DRAMATICALLY OVER THE LAST 10 TO 15 YEARS.

AND THIS YEAR, WE'VE NEVER ECLIPSED 3,000 BILL INTRODUCTIONS IN ONE-HALF OF A BIENNIUM AND WE'RE ELL IN EXCESS OF THAT.

AND IF YOU GO BACK TO 2011, WE HAVE ALMOST TWICE AS MANY BILLS INTRODUCED IN 2023 AS WE DID IN 2011.

>> Mary: THE SECOND TO LAST BAR GRAPH IS THIS YEAR.

BEYOND IT IS HE AVERAGE.

IT'S A RECORD.

>> CORRECT.

>> Mary: IT IS THE BUSYST SESSION VER THEN?

>> IN MY EXPERIENCE, THIS IS CERTAINLY ONE OF THE BUSYST YEARS FOR EVERYBODY, LEGISLATORS, LOBBYISTS, THE PUBLIC TRYING TO WATCH THIS PROCESS.

WE HAD 56 PEOPLE JOIN THE LEGISLATURE THIS EAR THAT HAD NEVER BEEN IN ST. PAUL SERVING IN THE LEGISLATURE.

SO 56 PEOPLE ARE PART OF THAT RECORD BILL INTRODUCTION PACE, WHICH I THINK IS ACTUALLY VERY AMAZING.

THAT'D ALMOST A THIRD OF THE LEGISLATURE BRAND-NEW.

INTRODUCING A RECORD NUMBER OF BILLS, 25%, PER HOUSE NUMBER, 50 PER SENATOR ON AVERAGE.

>> Mary: AND WE CAN'T SAY IT'S JUST ONE-PARTY CONTROL THAT'S DRIVING THIS BECAUSE WE'VE BEEN AROUND THROUGH ONE-PARTY CONTROL BEFORE AND IT DIDN'T HAVE THIS NUMBER OF BILLS INTRODUCED OR MAYBE EVEN PASSED?

>> RIGHT.

>> Mary: AND SIGNED EARLY?

>> WELL, AND IT'S INTERESTING, YOU KNOW, THE SENATE IS ABOUT EQUALLY SPLIT.

BUT ABOUT 62, 63% OF THE BILLS HAVE BEEN CHIEF AUTHORED BY THE DEMOCRATS.

SO -- BUT THAT'S A PRETTY NATURAL PROCESS.

PEOPLE GO AND ASK LEGISLATORS TO CARRY LEGISLATION.

THAT ARE IN THE MAJORITY PARTY.

SO YOU'RE GOING TO EXPECT THAT THEY'RE GOING TO HAVE A GREATER SHARE OF THE BILL INTRODUCTIONS.

IT'S ABOUT THE SAME STATISTICS ON THE HOUSE SIDE AS WELL.

BUT THIS IS A RECORD PACE.

YOU KNOW, WE WERE MOVING ERY QUICKLY ON PASSING BILLS INTO INTO LAW, SENDING THEM TO THE GOVERNOR.

WE'VE FALLEN A LITTLE BIT BEHIND.

BUT WE'RE DOING A LOT BIGGER BILLS RIGHT NOW.

AND I THINK THE PACE WILL PICK UP UNTIL THE NEXT TEN DAYS OR SO.

YOU'LL SEE A LOT OF BILLS GOING TO THE GOVERNOR.

>> Mary: ESPECIALLY IF THEY REALLY TRY AND END EARLY.

THAT'S THE OTHER DATA YOU'VE BEEN CRUNCHING, AND YOU HEARD ME ASK VERY CAREFULLY EARLIER, CAN YOU END EARLY IN A BUDGET YEAR?

WE'VE SEEN EARLY ADJOURNMENTS IN NON-BHOIT NONNON-BUDGET YEARS.

>> I ONLY GO BACK TO 19834, SO THAT'LL BE 20 BUDGET SESSIONS IN NOT GUILTY CAREER AND THEY HAVE NEVER FINISHED BEFORE THE FIRST MONDAY AFTER THE THIRD SATURDAY IN MAY.

SO THAT'S ALWAYS BEEN GOING RIGHT UP TO BASICALLY THE END OF THE CONSTITUTIONAL DEJOURNETT.

TO COMPLETE THEIR WORK.

SO THEY'VE NEVER FINISHED EARLY.

THIS WOULD BE THE FIRST IN MY RECORDED HISTORY OF WORKING AT THE LEGISLATURE THAT THEY MIGHT FINISH EARLY.

IF THEY CAN GET IT DONE.

>> Mary: SO HISTORIC SESSION ON SO MANY LEVELS.

MOST BILLS INTRODUCED.

COULD BE THE EARLIEST ADJOURNMENT IN A BUDGET YEAR.

AND THE NEW MEMBERS AND THE COMPOSITION OF THE NEW MEMBERS, THE NUMBER 6 WOMEN, THE AMOUNT OF DIVERSITY.

YOU'VE NEVER SEEN A LEGISLATURE LIKE THIS BEFORE, HAVE YOU?

>> THEY'VE HAD A VERY AGGRESSIVE AGENDA, THERE'S NO DOUBT.

I THINK LEGISLATORS ARE REALLY FEELING LIKE IT'S THEIR OPPORTUNITY RIGHT NOW TO ENACT THEIR IDEAS INTO LAW AND THEY'RE TAKING A VERY AGGRESSIVE STANCE AND TRYING TO MOVE LEGISLATION THROUGH THE PROCESS.

YOU KNOW, WE STILL HAVE 17, AS I COUNT IT, 17 MAJOR OMNIBUS SPENDING AND POLICY BILLS THAT ARE MOVING THROUGH THE PROCESS.

WE HAVE MAJOR LEGISLATION LIKE YOU TALKED ABOUT THE CANNABIS LEGISLATION, POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS TREATMENT LEGISLATION THAT'S VERY SIGNIFICANT.

WE HAVE A NUMBER OF PENSION BILLS THAT ARE GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS THAT ARE FAIRLY SUBSTANTIAL.

>> Mary: AND THAT MATTERS TO CITIES THAT YOU'RE STILL FOR -- SO A GOOD TIME TO FINISH AFTER THE BUSIEST SESSION EVER?

>> WELL, I HAVE NUMBER OF THINGS I'M PERSONALLY WORKING ON.

I WON'T TALK ABOUT THOSE, THAT ARE MAKING THEIR WAY THROUGH THE PRO AND I AM VERY PLEASED AT THE PROGRESS I'VE MADE ON MY OWN PERSONAL ISSUES WORKING ON BEHALF 69 LEAGUE.

>> Mary: WELL, THIS IS PLACE IS GOING TO MISS YOU.

WE ALL ARE.