ST. PAUL, Minn. — Governor Tim Walz ordered legislators into a special session beginning Monday. The governor limited the special session’s agenda to bills on about a dozen contentious issues that were caught in the Legislature’s constitutionally mandated adjournment on May 19. These included a state budget for fiscal 2026 and 2027. Among these budget issues was whether to continue medical care for undocumented residents, consumer protection, and transportation financing. The governor said he was hopeful that legislators would get down to business in a single day.
Rules for special session
The special session convenes at 10 a.m. The agenda and rules were hammered out in 2-1/2 weeks of discussion by:
> Walz, a Democrat, as governor.
> Lisa Demuth, a Republican from Cold Spring, House speaker.
> Melissa Hortman, a Democrat from Brooklyn Park, House Speaker emerita.
> Erin Murphy, a Democrat from St. Paul, Senate majority leader.
> Mark Johnson, a Republican from East Grand Forks, Senate minority leader.
Floor discussion will be limited to the package of compromises the leadership group developed. No amendments will be allowed. For individual legislators it’ll be either yea, nay or silence.
Whither MinnesotaCare
An example of what emerged for the compromise package is a stand-alone on the MinnesotaCare, which funds medical costs for low-income people. As a cost-saving step, coverage would be taken away from undocumented adults but children would remain fully covered. This would help balance the overall state budget, which is projected to shrink due to declining revenue. About the whole agenda for the special session, House Democratic leader Melissa Hortman said: “It’s not the state budget that we would have put together, but it is a compromise. We have to keep state government functioning.” Her Republican counterpart, Lisa Demuth, expressed confidence about passage:”We have the votes in the House, and I’m confident the Senate will be able to pass it also.”