Minnesota Officials Consider Taking 2016 Session Off-Site
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) — That ambitious idea of Minnesota lawmakers skipping next year's session to avoid the Capitol construction has morphed into an alternative plan.
Now senior legislators and state officials are taking a hard look at moving the Legislature's session off-site. They're actively scouting space and assembling cost estimates of conducting the session somewhere else in St. Paul.
A multi-year, $273 million renovation will leave only the House chamber accessible in 2016. The Senate was being relegated to temporary space.
Senate Majority Leader Tom Bakk said Wednesday that there may be benefits to clearing both bodies and turning the entire building over to construction crews. Concerns about public accessibility and safety are paramount. He says officials are struggling to find temporary quarters.
Bakk says the goal is a concise session no matter where.
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