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Minnesota’s legislative session begins Tuesday in the newly reopened and freshly refurbished State Capitol, but familiar surroundings are the only certainty awaiting Gov. Mark Dayton and 201 lawmakers as they prepare for multibillion-dollar decisions about taxpayer money at a volatile time in U.S. politics. ... Chief among [the issues] will be efforts to fix the state’s struggling health insurance system, which in turn will be heavily influenced by the push in Congress to repeal the Affordable Care Act. Thousands of Minnesotans whose premiums are poised to shoot up, and hundreds of thousands in the state who have gained coverage under the seven-year-old federal law, have much on the line. (Condon, 1/1)

After two years of stalemates, stalled negotiations and acrimony at the state Capitol, a majority of Minnesota voters on Nov. 8 decided the solution was more Republicans in the Legislature. Now they expect a Republican legislative majority and a Democratic governor to find solutions for the state’s most pressing issues. And what was promised on the campaign trail will likely play a factor in what happens when the 2017 session of the Legislature convenes on Jan. 3. Republicans credit some of their recent success at the ballot box with their role as a check on the spending and policy proposals of Gov. Mark Dayton and the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party. (Magan, 12/28)

As California lawmakers return to Sacramento on Wednesday, liberal dreams of expanding safety-net benefits and providing health coverage to immigrants are giving way to a new vision revolving around a feverish push to protect gains racked up in the past. After years of pushing forward a progressive agenda, legislative Democrats will be pushing back against conservative policies from President-elect Donald Trump and the Republican Congress. (Cooper, 1/2)