Dayton Calls for Special Session to Begin 3 p.m. Tuesday

Gov. Mark Dayton called for a special legislative session to begin at 3 p.m. Tuesday—19 days into the shutdown of Minnesota government—after approving preliminary versions of nine legislative bills totaling $35.4 billion over the next biennium.  

House Speaker Kurt Zellers (R-Maple Grove) said in a Tuesday morning press conference that there would be no amendments to the bills.

"We will move as quickly as possible," Zellers said.

Legislators have resolved some of the session’s more contentious bills on K-12 education, state government, jobs and economic development, taxes and higher education. The public safety/judiciary, transportation and environment bills were given the nod Monday afternoon, a day after legislators agreed in principle on an $11 billion Health and Human Services bill.

No mention was made of the governor’s request for a $500 million bonding bill—a stipulation of his agreement to the Republican-written budget. The bonding bill, Dayton argued, would allow the state to borrow money to pay for public works projects and the thousands of jobs that come with them.

Provided the bipartisan Legislature passes the bills, Dayton plans to sign them into law “as they come in” Tuesday afternoon and, effectively, end the shutdown. Dayton said it would then take a “few days” to notify and call back to work the 22,000 state workers laid off July 1.