ST. PAUL, Minn. — It took more than 72 hours for legislators to work through a special session that started 12:01 a.m. Tuesday morning. Lawmakers once again worked through the night to pass significant budget bills in the early hours of Friday morning. The House Republican twitter feed cheekily tweeting: “See you next year Minnesota Senate Republicans.”
.@mnsrc We’re out—see you next year 👋🏼 #mnleg
— MN House Republicans (@mnhousegop) May 26, 2017
But are legislators really done for the year? There is the potential that they might not be done.
Mary McGuire with WCCO reported that Gov. Mark Dayton would not sign off on any budget bills without thoroughly looking over the bills and making sure they are accurate.
Governor’s Office says @GovMarkDayton will not sign any of #budget bills until he sees all of them & checks them for accuracy @WCCO #mnleg
— Mary McGuire (@mcguirereports) May 24, 2017
Legislative leaders signed an agreement with Dayton Monday night before heading into the special session which stated that no amendments would be supported by legislative leaders.
However, as the special session went on, Democrats and Republicans in the House and Senate offered amendments to the E-12 and Tax Omnibus bills.
Hundreds of protesters flooded the Capitol over the past week to protest the Republican-led legislation. Many used hashtags such as #VetoEverything and #ShutItDown, both of which became trending topics in the Twin Cities.
Democratic Lawmakers like Rep. Raymond Dehn (D-Minneapolis) and Rep. Peggy Flanagan (D-St. Louis Park) joined in solidarity with protesters holding signs, chanting in the rotunda, and even participating in sit-ins in the Governor’s Office.
According to the Pioneer Press, Dayton has some time to look over the legislation. Five bills were sent to the Governor before the end of session on Monday. For those bills he will have three days to veto or sign. As for the legislation passed on Friday, the Governor will have two weeks to decide whether or not he will sign or veto those bills, which include Health and Human Services and the Bonding Bill. Dayton has said that he will make a decision on all of the bills by midnight Tuesday.
If the Governor vetoes any of the legislation passed this week, lawmakers will have to return to St. Paul to negotiate, debate, and vote on new legislation to avoid a state shutdown June 30.
Preya Samsundar
Preya Samsundar was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. She graduated from the University of Minnesota - Twin Cities this Spring with a B.A. in Political Science and Sociology, with a minor in Strategic Communications. Preya has previously worked on several State Campaign Races.
