Retiring Minnesota senators urge bipartisanship and debate a full‑time legislature

ST. PAUL — As the Senate adjourned sine die, multiple retiring senators delivered final floor remarks urging new and returning lawmakers to put people ahead of partisan combat and to preserve bipartisan working relationships.

Speakers who identified themselves as departing senators reflected on decades of legislative service and on what they described as moments of ‘‘quiet bipartisanship’’ that, they said, produced durable policy. One retiring senator urged those returning to "put the people first" and "make it less about partisan politics," while another said the institution benefits when lawmakers "disagree and still come together to discuss." The comments were offered as personal appeals rather than policy directives.

A retiring senator also raised the structural idea of making the legislature full‑time; program narration cited the National Conference of State Legislatures, noting Minnesota is among 26 states with a hybrid legislature and that converting to a full‑time body could change who serves and how lawmakers engage with policy.

The program closed by noting 15 senators are retiring and the Senate adjourned sine die; senators are scheduled to return for the next session on Jan. 12, 2027.