Nora Slawik

The Minnesota House passed a $1 billion tax bill this evening by a 86-45 margin. All Democrats backed the measure, while every Republican opposed it. The bill would increase revenues in three ways: a new top income tax bracket for Minnesota’s wealthiest citizens, an increase in taxes on alcohol and a surcharge applied to credit card companies that levy interest rates higher than 15 percent. The $1 billion package was hashed out by legislators in a conference committee late last night.

Minnesota’s most notoriously acrimonious municipality was front and center in the Capitol on Thursday. At issue: a proposal to prohibit the use of intentionally deceptive names in political campaigns.