Journal Production Office

Legislative Role

The Journal Production Office creates and publishes both the daily and permanent Journal of the Senate. Minnesota is a "journal entry state," which means that the Journal is the final authority used by the courts concerning actions of the Legislature and in determining legislative intent. The Senate is required by the Minnesota Constitution to record all votes cast on the Senate floor. The Journals also record attendance, bill introductions, committee reports, amendments to bills and reports of conference committees. In addition, it is the record of official communications between the Senate and House of Representatives and the Office of the Governor.

Functions and Services

The Journal Production Office performs the following duties:

• Compiles and produces the daily Journal of the Senate, including an index to provide convenient lookup of bill action. Staff in the Journal Production Office input and index the copy received by Secretary of the Senate, Senate Desk, and prepare for duplication. The daily Journal of the Senate is available the next morning and distributed to Senate Members, internal offices, and Senate Information Office for public distribution.
• Compiles and produces the permanent Journal of the Senate. The permanent journal is the permanent record of Senate proceedings. It is a compilation of all daily journals produced in a legislative session, excluding each daily index, carefully proofread for accuracy of content including legislative actions and roll call votes, and edited for form and style. The final version is reprinted and bound in hard copy as the permanent Journal of the Senate. It is distributed to Senate Members, internal offices, state offices, and libraries for public information.
• Prepares agendas, general orders, and calendars for each legislative session day. The Senate conducts business following a set agenda as stated in the Guide to the Minnesota Senate, The Orders of Business. The Journal Production Office receives the desk copy from the Secretary of the Senate, Senate Desk, to produce the agendas and all calendars. Copies are distributed to every Senate Member, internal offices, and Senate Information Office for public distribution each legislative session day.

Key Resources

Resource	Description
Order of Business, Agendas and Calendars	The Senate conducts business following a set agenda, often referred to as the Daily Orders of Business. All agendas and calendars prepared for a legislative session are produced by the Journal Production Office.
Journal of the Senate	The Journal of the Senate is a record of Senate floor proceedings, prepared by the Secretary of the Senate, Senate Desk, Journal Production Office, that shows the official actions of the Senate during legislative floor sessions. Legislative actions are recorded and distributed for each legislative day, and compiled following a legislative session in a permanent publication. The journal is not a verbatim report, but does reflect the official actions taken by the Senate. For more information about the Journal of the Senate, visit the Frequently Asked Questions About the Minnesota Legislature, Journals.

Journal Production Staff List

Name	Title	Office	Phone Number
Matt Hanson	Journal Officer	G11 Capitol	651.296.4183
Linda Jackson	Director of Journal Production	G11 Capitol	651.296.0161