Talking Points: Speaker Melissa Hortman Discusses Legislature Deadlines

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- The legislature is trying to do things differently this year. They're hoping to get all their work finished before the end of the session, which is in just two weeks.

The legislature has created self-imposed deadlines, and a big one is Monday. That's when they're expected to announce budget targets for key bills.

In early February, the leaders of the legislature and the governor stood together and promised an orderly end to this legislative session. That end is now two weeks away and its not clear how Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman, Republican Senate Majority Leader Paul Gazelka and Gov. Tim Walz can reach agreement on major spending bills.

Speaker Hortman and the governor are adamant about a gas tax to improve roads, gun control measures and keeping a 2% medical provider tax that funds $700 million in health care for low-income Minnesotans.

Republicans say they are against these proposals.

"We have really clashing philosophies so the first part is respecting and understanding the other person's point of view," Hortman said. "We come at creating a state budget with a very, very different process -- with Republicans starting with a dollar number and Democrats starting with values and what kind of state we want to build for the state of Minnesota."

This week at the legislature, conference committees will meet to try and make up differences between the Senate and House bills.

Because this is a budget year, the legislature has to pass spending bills by the end of the session on May 20 or they will have to go into special session.

Without an agreement, the state government could shut down July 1.