Tag: special session

Governor calls lawmakers back for summer’s third special session

After special sessions in June and July, an August one is on the calendar.

Gov. Tim Walz has issued a proclamation calling the Legislature back to St. Paul at noon Aug. 12, and he will extend the COVID-19 peacetime emergency by 30 days to help the state continue to respond to the pandemic.

This third special session of the summer is expected to be brief, legislative leaders say.

“In August, we will be selling bonds that were previously authorized,” House Speaker Melissa Hortman (DFL-Brooklyn Park) said at news conference earlier this week. “That means there will be a financial quiet period, which means the August special session will probably be a very quick in and out.” Continue reading.

Police reform shadows Minnesota Legislature’s special session

Lawmakers gather in St. Paul amid rising calls for reform after George Floyd’s death in Minneapolis police custody.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz laid out a wide-ranging overhaul of law enforcement Thursday as lawmakers return to the State Capitol for a special session shadowed by the memory of George Floyd, a black man who died in the hands of Minneapolis police.

Walz, accompanied by DFL leaders, challenged the Legislature to meet calls for action sparked by his death and the protests in Minnesota and across the nation. The DFL plan would reform use-of-force standards, increase oversight of police discipline and encourage community-based alternatives to traditional law enforcement.

But addressing racial inequities in policing will be only a part of the complex and fast-paced work of the Legislature that convenes Friday, as lawmakers forge ahead on a list of unfinished business left behind when they wrapped up the regular session in May. Continue reading.