2015 Session: What Was Accomplished, And What Wasn't
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota legislators scrambled to work out a completed budget before the stroke of midnight, but the 2015 legislative session ended in chaos.
Lawmakers managed to pass a $42 billion, two-year spending plan, but the education bill in that budget does not include pre-K funding, which is one of Gov. Mark Dayton's key initiatives.
Immediately following the session, Dayton reiterated that he will veto that bill.
Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt said he hopes Dayton will reconsider his veto threat, even going so far as to say he'll work with him on a preschool bill in the 2016 legislative session.
If there is a special session, it's not clear where or when it would be held. The State Capitol will be fully shut down for renovations starting Tuesday. On Monday, the St. Paul Hotel said that they would host a special session if necessary.
Here is a partial list from WCCO political reporter Pat Kessler of what lawmakers did and did not accomplish in the 2015 session:
ACCOMPLISHED
- Passed major funding for rural nursing homes in greater Minnesota.
- Passed higher education funding bills, but not enough to freeze college tuition.
- Passed a public safety bill that includes legalizing gun silencers.
- Passed new regulations on license plate readers.
- Passed emergency funding to fight avian flu outbreak.
- Passed the toughest flame retardants law in the country.
DID NOT ACCOMPLISH
- Did not kill MNsure as Republicans said they would.
- Did not pass transportation bill to fix roads and bridges.
- Did not pass new laws for police body cameras.
- Did not pass $2 billion tax relief that Republicans promised.
- Did not pass a bill restoring voting rights to convicted felons.
