1-Day Special Session To Be Held Friday
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Minnesota's legislative leaders have come to an agreement on a one-day special session.
The session will begin Friday at 10 a.m. with the goal of funding the state government and avoiding a shutdown.
Late night negotiations made the special session possible, with Democratic Majority Leader Tom Bakk the last of the four legislative leaders to agree to sign on for the session.
It took 25 days and a lot of frustration to get here. Thursday was a day of hardball politics, with Democrats pushing back against Gov. Mark Dayton because they were not allowed to change any of the bills that had been agreed upon.
Dayton actually threatened to campaign against his fellow Democrats for grandstanding on issues that were already resolved. Dayton made a rare trip to House and Senate offices Thursday night. When he emerged, he said he was optimistic about ending this three-week drama.
A makeshift House and Senate chamber has been set up in the state office building.
Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt said Thursday night that his party would be ready to go on Friday.
"I think had the governor engaged more during the regular session, we probably could have avoided this," Republican House Speaker Kurt Daudt said. "But we were able to work it out."
Three weeks after the legislature was supposed to end on May 18, they'll be voting on budget bills that are only a little different.
The big question for the special session is the whether the environment bill, which Senate Democrats believe doesn't offer enough protections, may not have enough votes to pass.
