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Memorial for Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman Will Remain at Her Desk During Legislative Session
Lawmakers honor late Speaker Melissa Hortman with memorials and plantings while enhancing Capitol security after June 2025 attacks that killed Hortman and her husband.
- On Tuesday, Feb. 17, the 2026 legislative session opened at the Minnesota State Capitol with memorials for Melissa Hortman and security measures following the June 14, 2025 attacks.
- Following June 14, 2026, violence, House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson said west doors will close and weapons detectors will be installed as constant reminders.
- On Thursday, February 12, 2026, a memorial outside the House chamber was on display, with photos and notes left at Hortman’s desk in the chamber throughout the session.
- Lawmakers said the session’s early events felt like difficult 'firsts' without Hortman, describing emotional moments as false theories about the 2024 budget vote prompted calls to tone down rhetoric.
- Lawmakers propose honors for Hortman, including naming buildings or highways and planting trees, as the June 14 attack and other incidents heighten stakes later this year.
25 Articles
25 Articles
Tears flow at the Minnesota capitol during a remembrance for former Speaker Hortman on the first day of the session
SAINT PAUL, Minn. – Minnesota’s 2026 legislative session began by honoring the late Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, her husband, Mark, and their dog, Gilbert. The Hortmans were shot and killed in their Brooklyn Park home on June 14, 2025. Vance Boelter faces state and federal charges in connection with their deaths. A joint resolution was read aloud in The House honoring Melissa for her 20-year career in Saint Paul, including as speaker from 20…
Fraud, ICE, and firearms likely to dominate conversation as new legislative session begins
Share This StoryToday, the Minnesota Legislature begins the 2026 legislative session. From now through May 18, state legislators will be holding hearings and taking votes on some of the most pressing political issues of the day. At present, the Minnesota House of Representatives is evenly split with 67 Republicans and 67 Democrats. Meanwhile, the Minnesota Senate has a one-vote DFL majority. Given this, any legislation that passes will need bipa…
Memorial for former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman will remain at her desk during legislative session
Minnesota lawmakers are back to work for the start of the 2026 session on Tuesday. The day will focus on former House Speaker Melissa Hortman, who was killed in an act of political violence last summer. A tribute in her honor will remain in the House chamber for the rest of the year.
Grand Rapids Herald-Review
Will this be the most unproductive Minnesota legislative session ever?
Minnesota lawmakers on Tuesday will gavel in for the 2026 legislative session’s first day, which will be dedicated to the late-Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband who were assassinated last summer. Republican and Democratic-Farmer-Labor elected officials will share memories of…
Post Bulletin
‘The firsts are hard’: Lawmakers head into first session without Melissa Hortman
House DFL Leader Zack Stephenson reflects on his longtime friend and colleague’s presence at the Minnesota Capitol
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